Hazelwood - SSD Back-to-School News
August 2021
Back 2 School Drive-Thru Fairs
The Back 2 School Drive-Thru Fairs at all three high schools are scheduled for Saturday, August 14, beginning at 10:00 AM. Hazelwood School District families can stop by to receive FREE backpacks and school supplies.
- West High School - 1 Wildcat Lane, Hazelwood, MO 63042
- Central High School - 15875 New Halls Ferry Road, Florissant, MO 63031
- East High School - 11300 Dunn Road, St. Louis, MO 63138
All supplies will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis, until they are gone. In addition to giveaways, HSD families will enjoy music and see some familiar faces from their favorite schools along the drive-thru routes.
Additions to the SSD Team in Hazelwood
Hazelwood welcomes new Special Education Director Dr. Jana Schaefer, to the Hazelwood administrative team. She will work closely with principals and other district-level leaders to provide a complete and cohesive continuum of services to Hazelwood students with specialized learning needs.
Along with Dr. Schaefer, three new Special Education Coordinators were also selected to work with the amazing students and staff in Hazelwood. Dr. Sue Jackson will oversee Central High School and Hazelwood Opportunity Center. Erin Kinion, Ed.S. will supervise Cold Water Elementary, Lawson Elementary, McNair Elementary, Russell Elementary, and Kid Connect; and Renita Murphy, Ed.S. will lead Hazelwood Central Middle School, Armstrong Elementary, Grannemann Elementary, and Townsend Elementary. They have worked hard all summer to embed SSD's values of equity, commitment, and collaboration into their preparation for what we know will be a great school year.
New ABA Coordinator Sarah Mulqueeny, and new Effective Practices Specialists Tina Rogers (Autism Spectrum Disorders) and LaTonya Gilliam (Social/Emotional/Behavioral) are excited to share their knowledge and implementation of research-based best practices in teaching and learning in order to maximize student learning.
Additionally, SSD has placed three Instructional Coaches, Juliana Dempsey, Mary Lowe, and Jaimie Wilmes in Hazelwood to promote high levels of learning in all buildings. They will work collaboratively with the administrative and instructional teams from both SSD and Hazelwood to help fulfill SSD's mission to support and empower students of all learning abilities to excel to their greatest potential.
Finally, Hazelwood welcomes over 20 new teachers and paraprofessionals to the team. Teachers completed new teacher orientation in SSD in July and will participate in Hazelwood's new teacher orientation this month. New teachers and paraprofessionals will unite with returning staff on August 16 to participate in professional learning that will help prepare them to facilitate Hazelwood's mission of high expectations and excellence for all learners.
Back-to-School During COVID
The end of summer and going back to school can be challenging in the best of times. Now that we are again starting a new school year during COVID-19, it might be even harder. The good news is that there are many things that you can do to support your children with going back to school during this continuing pandemic.
Hazelwood is returning to school in person. This makes sense for several reasons:
- Your child learns best when physically at school,
- Your child benefits from seeing peers,
- School activities, such as gym, arts, and music are important,
- School allows parents to work,
- School provides access to meal programs and other services,
- And so many more!
Routines
Consider the following tips to prepare your child to return to school in-person during the pandemic.
- Gradually get back into school year structure and routines. Remind your kids that summer is coming to an end and that school will be restarting soon,
- Set a bedtime (and/or wake up time) and gradually move it closer to what it should be for the school year.
- Screen time has increased during COVID. Set a screen curfew (e.g., no screens after 8 PM).
- Post a family calendar with the school start date marked down, crossing out the days as they pass.
Normalize Mask-Wearing
Students are required to wear masks at school. Some children are able to wear masks easily, but others may have a harder time. Consider the following exposure and desensitization strategies:
- Are you buying a mask? Try giving your child some of the newer child-friendly designs to choose from or get them to help decorate a pre-made mask.
- Are you making a mask? Let your child choose the material.
- Create an exposure hierarchy to gradually prepare your child to wear a mask at school. For example, have them put on a mask for short periods of time, gradually increasing wear for longer periods of time.
- Practice calming strategies, like deep breathing, going outside, going for a walk, etc.
- Consider motivating kids to get used to wearing a mask by pairing it with something they enjoy, like reading a book or cooking with you while wearing their mask.
If your child continues to struggle with mask wearing, despite your best efforts, contact your child's school to discuss a plan to increase mask tolerance at school.
Help Your Child Continue to Cope
Stay connected to your kids. They've been out of school for awhile (some for almost 17 months!) and they're used to being at home. They may have some anxiety about returning to school.
- Kids do best when they feel loved by their caregivers. Spend quality time with them and listen, validate, and empathize with their feelings. If they're mad, tell them you agree that this is a hard time and you understand their frustration.
- Model healthy coping. Kids do best when they learn healthy ways to cope with adversity, such as following public health recommendations with masks and physical distancing (as opposed to unhealthy strategies such as focusing on negatives and blaming).
- Attach positive meaning to the pandemic. Kids do best when they can have a positive meaning of a situation. You might say: “On one hand, this pandemic has not been easy. On the other hand, we’ve been able to have a lot more fun times together."
Just know that we're all in this together and we're here to help support you!
Case managers will reach out to parents via phone or email the week of the August 16 to introduce themselves and provide contact information. Parents receive all back to school information from the attending school.
Let's Talk
SSD PAC
SSD Website
Questions?
If you have any questions feel free to contact us at any of the following:
Special School District of St. Louis County
12110 Clayton Road
Town & Country, MO 63131
Phone: 314-989-8100
Hazelwood School District
Director of Special Education for Hazelwood