The Rockwood Reader

The Eureka High chapter of Best Buddies International was named the Missouri High School Chapter of the Year at the annual Best Buddies Leadership Conference (BBLC) in Bloomington, Indiana, in July.

Eureka has sponsored a chapter of Best Buddies, a nonprofit dedicated to creating opportunities for one-to-one friendships, integrated employment, leadership development and inclusive living for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, for the past seven years.

The club won the Special Ambassador Award from the Special School District (SSD) of St. Louis County in 2018, and this is the first time it has earned Missouri High School Chapter of the Year.

“It’s nice to be recognized for what we do,” said special education teacher John Deavers, the SSD sponsor of Eureka’s Best Buddies chapter. “We’ve done a lot in this school. We’ve worked really hard to promote inclusion.”

Junior Charlotte Flowers, the club’s secretary, represented Eureka at the BBLC. Although club members knew ahead of time that they had been nominated for the award, Flowers said she didn’t find out they would be receiving it until she was at the conference.

“It was probably the best experience I’ve ever had with anything, especially it being my first leadership conference,” Flowers said. “It wasn’t just a Eureka or a Missouri thing. There were people from everywhere. It was really cool for me to see that the work that we’re doing is being recognized: not only by the state but people all over the world are recognizing us as a chapter.”

Senior Hailey Schneider, Eureka’s chapter president, said that around 70 students have signed up to be part of Best Buddies during this school year.

The club meets monthly during AcLab to check in and plan their larger events during the school year, such as fishing trips, bowling nights, talent shows and football, soccer and basketball games. The members of the club form friendships, interact on a regular basis at school and work with elementary and middle schools and the wider Eureka community to include as many people as possible.

“It’s joyful,” said social studies teacher Sandy Merrell, the chapter’s general education sponsor. “It’s so much fun working with the kids and seeing them interact as peers.”

Right now, club members are gearing up for the annual Friday Night Lights football game next month.

“We want to make sure that we recognize that there are differences out there among us, but there are just as many similarities,” Deavers said. “Just because someone might not look like you, or walk or talk like you, they deserve to be heard like everybody else.”

Would you like to learn more about how you can support your student through the IEP process? Join FACE virtually on September 5th at 6pm for a webinar that will link the use of Charting the LifeCourse tools with preparing for your student’s IEP. Click here to register.

SSD's Family and Community Engagement (FACE) program is seeking applicants interested in participating in the Fall 2023 SSD Family Leadership Institute. Family Leadership Institute participants can:

• Build an understanding of future planning and problem-solving utilizing the Charting the LifeCourse tools.

• Learn to effectively participate in their student's education and improve the educational climate for all children.

• Learn how to positively interact and collaborate with other families and school personnel.

• Discover new resources and network with other families.

This program, offered at no cost to participants, is designed for family members who are the educational decision-makers for a student with a disability.

The three sessions will be held in-person on Wednesdays from 5:30-8:00 PM on September 20, 27, and October 4. Dinner will be provided for attendees.

Location: Special School District Central office Room 60-61, 12110 Clayton Road, Town and Country, Missouri 63131. (Enter at lower level circle drive)

Are you interested in joining this year's Family Leadership Institute?

Apply online! Paper applications are available by request. For more information, call 314.989.8460 or email face@ssdmo.org.

Join FACE for the first Family Cafe of the 2023/24 school year. On Sep 14, 2023 at North Technical High School. FACE will join with families to provide a safe and welcoming space to connect and learn from each other. Family Cafes are centered on the Strengthening Families Protective Factors: Resilience, Relationships, Knowledge, Support, and Communication. Register today!

New this year, SSD's FACE (Family and Community Engagement) will be offering an immersive environment for learning American Sign Language (ASL)! Learn to communicate with Deaf and Hard of Hearing (D/HoH) individuals with an introduction to fingerspelling and basic signs to use in the home, school, and community. There are only 20 spots available for this six part series that will be held weekly starting September 21st. Click here to register!

FACE’s Lunch and Learn Series is back with an exciting lineup of presenters. This month will highlight an SSD community partner, Easter Seals. Join us live on YouTube on September 27th at 11:30am to learn all about this amazing resource.

Do you want to learn more about SSD? FACE is offering a Virtual Open House on Tuesday, September 21st at 6pm for an introduction to the services and resources available through SSD. Join us here.

Tips for Families: The start of a new school year can bring both excitement and apprehension for students, especially after the challenges posed by the previous year. It's not uncommon for students to experience back-to-school anxiety as they face new classrooms, teachers, and classmates. As a family member, your support and guidance play a crucial role in helping your student manage these feelings and start the year positively. Read more...

Visit SSDMO.org for links to resources that will direct you to information that will be helpful throughout the year - bookmark the webpage to make it easy to find. The links below apply to all students county-wide who receive services from SSD.

• Partner Districts

• Partner District Communication Sequence

• IEPs - Frequently Asked Questions

• Bullying Resources

• Student & Related Services

Receiving a flu shot helps keep you and your community healthy! Free flu vaccinations are being provided through Barnes-Jewish Hospital. For more information or to schedule an appointment, visit https://bit.ly/3oCxqYu

Greetings Families!

Has special education got you stressed out? The beginning of a new year and unknowns can be extra scary with an IEP or 504. The system can be hard to navigate even in the best districts. Those great documents, laws, & policies put into place to help us are hard to understand. It can be a lonely journey. But you are not alone! You have the SSD PAC.

The SSD PAC is open to every family with a child receiving SSD services. We have monthly zoom meetings. We are parents like you. We get it. You can just log on and watch. SSD and FACE share updates, great information, and presentations based on your needs. We advocate to inform policy with our parent voice. We share a parent perspective to help our schools know how to best help our kids.

We’re having an in-person Family Gathering on Sept. 13, 6:30 PM, at the SSD Learning Center in Hazelwood. Please come; tap into this community that exists for you.

Your New SSD PAC President,

Rebecca Flieg

The SSD Board of Education strives for transparency, accountability, and accessibility. We welcome family, staff, and community members to share comments, concerns, and ideas with SSD Board of Education members. To find the Board member representing your subdistrict, visit the Board of Education page on the SSD website.

No School - Labor Day

Monday, September 4th

No School - Professional Development Day

Monday, October 9th

Special School District

September 26th @ 5:45 PM

September 29th @ 1:30 PM - Policy Subcommittee Meeting

More info here

Rockwood School District

September 7th @ 7:00 PM

September 21st @ 7:00 PM

September 28th @ 5:00 PM - Tax Rate Hearing

More info here

• SSD Superintendent Updates
• SSD Parent Advisory Council
• Parent Education & Diversity Awareness Program
• SSD Guidance/Resources for In-Person and Distance Learning
• SSD Partner District - Rockwood
• Academic and Related Services Toolkit

Dr. Carmen Harris, Director of Special Education

314-989-8268

Mandy Lloyd, Administrative Assistant

636-733-2071

Website: https://www.ssdmo.org
Location: 12110 Clayton Road, St. Louis, MO, USA
Phone: 314.989.8100
Facebook: www.facebook.com/SSDStLCo
Twitter: @ssdstlco

Website: https://www.rsdmo.org
Location: 111 East North Street, Eureka, MO, USA
Phone: 636-733-2000
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Rockwood.School.District
Twitter: @rockwoodschools