SSD/Hancock Place Parent Newsletter

What does heritage have to do with health?

Many Native Americans experience conditions and diseases of the bones, joints, muscles, and skin. National Native American Heritage Month is an opportunity to learn about these conditions and to share resources and information with your patients and community members. The Indian Health Service provides quality health care on reservations that helps American Indians and Alaska Natives take care of themselves and helps to strengthen future generations. NIAMS offers more than 40 Health Topics with information related to symptoms, treatment, and tips for daily living.

Share these resources:

· Living with Lupus: Health Information Basics for You and Your Family

· Living with Arthritis: Health Information Basics for You and Your Family

· Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (Lupus)

· Rheumatoid Arthritis

· Scleroderma

· Bone Health and Osteoporosis

You can order some materials about these and other topics for free by visiting the NIAMS Publication Ordering System or calling toll free at 877–226–4267 (for telecommunications support, dial 711). Many publications are available in other languages besides English, including Spanish, Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese.

For more information:

· Tribal Health Research Office (National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services)

· Honoring Health Newsletter (National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services)

· American Indian and Alaska Native Health Information (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services)

· National Native American Heritage Month Information (Library of Congress)

By: Melissa Santos, PhD

Winter darkness and colder weather can cause your child’s mood and health habits to take a dive. To help, start with the basics!

Connecticut Children’s pediatric psychologist Melissa Santos, PhD, shares her top five tips.

1. Eat right.

Make it easy for yourself: Decide on a meal prep day for your family and spend time together trying new recipes and making sure your fridge is ready to make it easy to eat right.

2. Keep moving.

The winter months can make it so hard to get moving, which can take a toll on mood. Take time each day to do something to move your body – start your day with yoga, have a dance party with your family, get out for a hike on the weekends or just use your phone or tracker to get your steps in.

> Related: 5 Heart-Healthy Choices for the Whole Family

3. Watch your sleep.

Is there anything better than waking up all curled up under the covers on a cold winter morning? It’s so easy to sleep in. But we want to make sure kids aren’t getting too little – or too much – sleep. (Did you know you can get too much? Check out these sleep guidelines.)

Unfortunately, there’s no way to actually “catch up” on sleep. So focus on helping your child fall asleep and wake up at around the same time every day. If they have problems falling asleep, consider an app like Sleep Bug, which has lots of different sound effects to encourage sleep.

> Related: Tips for Better Sleep for Mental Health

4. Get some sunlight.

Humans are basically houseplants with emotions – and they need sun. Getting out in those rare daylight hours is so important to lifting our mood and getting good vitamins!

> Related: More Than the Winter Blues? Kids and Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)

5. Build in extra mood-boosters.

Since darkness and cold weather can easily impact mood, it’s important to be proactive in wintertime about building mood-boosters into your child’s day. When in doubt, have your child create a “mood jar”: Fill a jar with written reminders of things that always give their mood a lift – an activity, a memory, whatever. Go to the jar when they need a mood boost!

As always, if you’re concerned about your child’s health (or your own), please talk to your doctor. We’re here to help!

Related Links:

• Tools to Get Through Life’s Challenges
• Teach Kids Positive Thinking in 4 Simple Steps
• Self-Care for Kids: 4 Strategies to Help Your Child Manage Stress

Online SSD Resources to Help Families All Year: 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

November is Family Engagement month! FACE is hosting Family Academy, this highly anticipated event on Saturday, November 4th at Northview High School from 9am to noon. There will be interactive activities, community vendors, networking opportunities, music, light refreshments and fun learning! We will also have a timely presentation from our community partners at Crisis Aid International. They will share information that will help our students and loved ones stay safe from sexual exploitation and trafficking. Families and staff are welcome to join at any point during the day and stay as long as they wish. All are welcome, but we ask you to RSVP is you plan to attend.

Are you interested in making connections with other families and community members in our district? Join Face on November 16th, for the final Family Cafe of the semester. Family Cafes are hosted by families, for families. They provide parents and caregivers a safe and welcoming space to connect and learn from each other. They are centered on the Strengthening Families Five Protective Factors: Resilience, Relationships, Knowledge, Support and Communication. Three cafes will be hosted each semester. This semester they will be held at North Technical High School 1700 Derhake Rd., Florissant, MO 63033 from 6-8pm. Register today!

FACE will host Vocational Rehabilitation for a HUB Huddle on Friday, November 17th. SSD's The Department of Vocational Rehabilitation to provide our community with additional support and access to resources that support employment after transition. A representative from VR will be available at the SSD Family Resource Hub (located inside North Tech High School) to provide information on many of their programs, including VR Youth Services, Pre-Employment Transition Services (pre-ETS), and share support for families.

Are you new to SSD or just wanting to learn more about the district? Join FACE for a Virtual Open House on Tuesday, November 21st at 9:30am. Families can receive an introduction to the services and resources available through SSD. These virtual meetings invite all families into our learning community as equal partners throughout the learning process, symbolizing that FACE's door is always open! Click here to join the virtual meeting.

Are you new to SSD or just wanting to learn more about the district? Join FACE for a Virtual Open House on Tuesday, November 21st at 9:30am. Families can receive an introduction to the services and resources available through SSD. These virtual meetings invite all families into our learning community as equal partners throughout the learning process, symbolizing that FACE's door is always open! Click here to join the virtual meeting.

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 parent perspective to help our schools know how to best help our kids.

The SSD Parent Advisory Council (PAC) is comprised of families advising and collaborating to improve the education, confidence and social outcomes of each student served by SSD. The PAC consists of five parents or guardians – one member and four alternates – from each of the 22 St. Louis County school districts and from each of the five SSD special education schools. The parents or guardians of students receiving special education services in that district or school elect SSD PAC members.

The SSD Parent Advisory Council has scheduled the following meetings for the 2023 - 2024 school year. All meetings are held virtually via Zoom, from 7-9 PM. Additional information about meetings, including agendas, can be found on the PAC's website.

Get Involved with the SSD PAC

• Network and communicate with other parents of children who receive special education service.
• Become as informed as possible about special education services
• Improve communication between your local school district and SSD
• Create a positive understanding and awareness of students with disabilities
• Establish a network of advocacy for local, state and national disability issues

SSD HPSD PAC meetings will meet from 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm in the library at Hancock Place High School.

Meeting Dates:

November 28, 2023

January 23, 2024

March 26, 2024

May 28, 2024

Special School District of St. Louis County

12110 Clayton Road

Town & Country, MO 63131

Phone: 314‐989‐8100

Dr. Donna Ellis

• Director of Special Education

Katie Humphrey

• School Social Worker

Susan Bartels

• School Psychologist

Ashley Freeman

• School Psychologist

Email: drellis@ssdmo.org
Website: www.ssdmo.org
Location: 12110 Clayton Road, Wildwood, MO, USA
Phone: 314.989.8100
Facebook: www.facebook.com/SSDStLCo
Twitter: @SSDDStLCo