SSD Lindbergh Schools
April 2022 Community Engagement Newsletter
LPAC Presents Special Education Resource Fair
Join us on April 9th from 9:00 -12:30 for our first ever Hope, Community & Family Special Education Resource Fair. The event will be held at Concord Elementary School and includes resources from around St. Louis and St. Louis County. If you let us know, we can even provide childcare! RSVP by clicking here: https://forms.gle/xoLjq6Eyw49Yo21z8
Can't wait to see you there!
Our schedule of events:
9:00 Families arrive & circulate to view displays/tables
9:50 Welcome and overview to families by District Directors
10:00 Keynote Address - Michelle Levi-Perez
10:15-10:20 Break - families move to classrooms for presentation selected
Breakouts:
10:20-10:50 Breakout #1
10:55-11:25 Breakout #2
11:30-12:00 Breakout #3
12:00-12:30 Wrap up and an opportunity to visit with other families or presenters
Some of our guests will include:
ARC
TASK
Different Dynamics
Electric Interactions
Starkloff Disability Institute
Youth in Need
CHADS
St. Louis County Library
Sandberg Phoenix Lawfirm
Access 4 All
Chiodini Financial Group
SSD Assistive Tech & Augmentative Communication
SSD PEDA
SSD Instructional Resource Center
Easter Seals
BJC
Provident Mental Health Counseling
The Tailor Institute
South County Tech
Contact Dr. Joy Doyle (jmdoyle@ssdmo.org) or Dr. Jill Lawson (jlawson@lindberghschools.ws) for further information.
Before You Know It....
So soon, we will have a new crop of high school students! The 9th Grade SSD Team (Mrs. Ellsworth, Mrs. Colombo and Mrs. Goedereis) would like to extend a welcome to Lindbergh High School. Please see below to learn more about the SSD 9th grade team teachers.
Jennifer Ellsworth
What do you like to do in your spare time?
Watch my girls play volleyball and soccer, read, and go to the Lake of the Ozarks.
What do you collect?
Books
What’s your hidden talent?
Problem solving
What are your least favorite things to do?
Math-lol!
What makes you laugh or smile?
Love funny movies!
Which college or university did you attend?
Southeast Missouri State University
What's your favorite color?
Yellow
Share message to new students and parents:
Get ready! 4 years is going to fly by! Let’s have fun doing it!
Kris Goedereis
What do you like to do in your spare time?
Spend time with my family & friends outdoors, traveling, and eating good food.
What do you collect?
Good memories and funny knick-knacks from our travels.
What’s your hidden talent?
Not being offended very easily!
What are your least favorite things to do?
Cleaning my house or when something that should be quick/easy is made hard.
What makes you laugh or smile?
Any funny animal video and most things our students say on a daily basis.
Which college or university did you attend?
Western Illinois for undergrad and Webster University for Masters/ Trauma Certification
What's your favorite color?
Blue
Share message to new students and parents:
Every day is a new start and a chance to become better at something that is difficult for us
Joyce Colombo
What do you like to do in your spare time?
Puzzles, going to the lake or farm, watching my kids play sports, going for a walk
What do you collect?
Memories
What’s your hidden talent?
ability to connect to people
What are your least favorite things to do?
clean my house
What makes you laugh or smile?
My kids, friends and students.
Which college or university did you attend?
UMSL and Webster University
What's your favorite color?
Green
Share message to new students and parents:
Welcome to Lindbergh High School. This is my 21st year teaching at LHS. I am looking forward to working with you and your student for the next four years!
TASK Summer 2022 options! "Limitless Opportunities for Special People"
Team Activities for Special Kids (TASK), is a non-profit sports program that serves the St. Louis area's students with special needs. This awesome program enrolls almost 2,000 kids in the area to teach sports skills as well as build self-esteem and social skills. Located on just over 11 acres in Fenton, TASK has options for all ages and abilities such as a soccer field, turf tee-ball field, grass softball field, a putting green, a fishing dock, a sensory room, a regulation-sized basketball court, a regulation-sized volleyball court, 2 small basketball courts, 2 small volleyball courts, and elevated walking track, tripled the size of the kitchen and life skills lab, and many others.
For the summer of 2022, they will host a variety of summer camp options for your student, ages 5 through 19+. Please check out their flyer and website to learn more about this great organization.
Building Self Esteem - TASK Stl
TASK SPRING CLASSIC. Save the date! April 25, 2022 at Sunset County Club. Registration is open! Register. TASK SUMMER CAMPS: CHECK THEM OUT. Check out our summer camp line up.
Spring into Learning
Spring is in the air and what a great time to plant the seeds of “word knowledge” in young minds. Whether your child is just starting school or nearing the end of their high school career, vocabulary can always be learned and should continue to grow over a lifetime. Vocabulary development is essential to language learning and a strong grasp of vocabulary is a prerequisite for improving one’s writing and speaking skills. As both a parent and an educator, I am always seeking out new ways to discuss words with my children and students. One of my favorite games to play with them is to find multiple-meaning words or homonyms and determine how many definitions we can think of. For example, the word “bat” has multiple meanings. Bats are animals, bats are used to hit baseballs, bat as in it’s your turn to take a swing at a pitch; therefore, we have to have meaningful conversations when discussing words with kids. I encourage you to go for a walk at the park and try it out for yourself. Here’s a few to get started: park, bark, chair, and fish. Or if spring storms keep you indoors check out a few of the links below. Words are all around us; you just have to stop, look, listen, and explore!
https://eflnet.com/vocab/picturevocab.php
by Diana Weber, SSD Instructional Coach
Let's Play!!
Play can be an important part of a child’s development. Play helps to build social skills, communication skills, and even physical skills through peer interactions and modeling. Overall, it helps children feel good.
Playing with other children can help your child learn the importance of taking turns, advocating for their needs, understanding emotions and emotional responses, sharing, and cooperation. Friends have the opportunity to show their support for one another. This helps children gain confidence and feel safe.
There are many strategies for helping your child learn appropriate social skills for play situations. Watching television offers a model for children which can be tailored to their level of comprehension and interest. Having conversations with your child with open ended questions helps children understand the need for reciprocal talk. Instead of saying, “Did you have a good day?” you could ask, “What made your day good/bad today?” or “Tell me about the highs and lows of your day.” Also, when your child is dysregulated emotionally, try to avoid “fixing” it. Instead, give your child time to calm down independently. Practice strategies and tools they can use to help themselves become regulated. Remember to talk about the experience after everyone is calm.
Communication is a very important aspect of life. In some way, shape, or form, we all need to express ourselves through some form of communication. Whether your child talks, signs, uses a talker, or has found another way to communicate, you can help friends understand with targeted playdates. During playdates, you can teach a friend to communicate appropriately with your child and how to allow your child to communicate independently. Finding parents to help you create safe playdates is the first step to having a successful interaction.
Physical activity increases blood flow to the brain and heart. This is especially important for a child with a disability because having the blood flow properly also helps students to understand when something is wrong in their bodies. Even if your child has physical disabilities there are plenty of opportunities for some kind of movement. Again, finding the right friend for a playdate can help your child gain confidence. Teach a friend chair yoga or dancing in a sitting position. Facilitate activities such as throwing a ball or frisbee back and forth, running if able, simple exercises that can be done standing, sitting or lying down.
Ultimately, playing with friends is an important part of your child’s development. Help your child to learn the social skills needed to successfully communicate with friends and take part in physical activities with friends.
Here are some resources to help your child have healthy, fun friendships:
Communication https://www.understood.org/articles/en/trouble-making-conversation?_sp=724d1dcd-62e4-49e1-993e-66d9d29a7e99.1648662196625
https://careinc.com/care-blog/6-ways-to-enhance-communication-with-a-special-needs-child
Social Skills
https://specialedresource.com/help-your-special-needs-child-improve-social-skills
Physical activities
https://www.actionforhealthykids.org/physical-activity-for-students-with-special-needs/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XGfOMmtzFq0
https://www.verywellfamily.com/kids-with-special-needs-sports-and-fitness-1256980
By Faith Rose, SSD Coordinator
LPAC Presents: Understanding the Special Education Evaluation Process
Understanding the Special Education Evaluation Process
- The legal lens: what is required by the state of Missouri?
- What is the timeline?
- Where do I start if I have concerns about my child’s school performance?
- How does my SSD-Lindbergh team make decisions and what is my role in that?
- How can I make sense of evaluation results?
- What if I disagree with the outcome?
Join us to learn and to participate in community with Lindbergh families who also have students with IEPs.
Teens In Motion
Summer Opportunities for Teens and Young Adults St. Louis Arc's Teens in Motion is a summer project that serves St. Louis County residents who have intellectual/developmental disabilities. This eight-week project supports young adults as they gain employment skills, build relationships, and explore opportunities in the community. Teens in Motion is designed for younger teens, ages 13 to 15. Participants acquire skills such as job responsibility, positive communication, and formation of relationships. Teens in Motion will also assist individuals in developing meaningful lifetime interests. The program runs June 13 - August 5 at the St. Louis Arc Family Center. For financial assistance, please contact Rhonda Hembree at 314.817.2245 or rhembree@slarc.org.
Community Events
April 9
Eckert’s-Easter Egg-Citement -Eckert's Country Store and Farms
April 9th and 10th
The Magic House- “Splash and Bubbles: Dive In, Lend a Fin!” Exhibit
The Magic House-Visits with the Bunny
The Zoo-Breakfast with the Bunny- Saint Louis Zoo
The City Museum-Easter Treasure Hunt
April 10th
The Magic House-Bunny Hop Egg Hunt
April 16th
The Gateway Arch-Fee-Free Days at Gateway Arch National Park
The Zoo-Breakfast with the Bunny- Saint Louis Zoo
April 23rd and 24th
The Magic House-Fairy Tale Tea with Cinderella
Understanding the Autism Spectrum Disorders: Two Part Class with Dr. John Bruno Autism Effective Practice Specialist April 14th and 21st 6-8pm
Identify and understand the characteristics of Autism Spectrum Disorders and learn effective, practical strategies that will support your child in being more successful at home and school.
The second session will focus more on strategies, with time for discussion and questions.
Click the following link to register for this event: https://SSDPEDA.as.me/understandingautism
Congratulations to our Spring 21-22 Parent Leadership Institute (PLI) graduates!!! If you are interested in participating in a future PLI email us at ssdpeda@ssdmo.org
PEDA would love your feedback!
Please complete are PEDA Communications survey here: PEDA Survey
Lunch & Learn with SSD
Special School District’s Family and Community Outreach, Social Work, Communications, and Parent Education and Diversity Awareness (PEDA) departments have teamed up to offer a virtual Lunch & Learn series for SSD families and stakeholders. The series, which will involve community organizations sharing information about their work, will take place on the first Wednesday of each month during the 2021-22 school year, from 11:30 AM - Noon.
Representatives from nine community organizations will participate in order to increase awareness about their agency and make connections with those in our SSD community who may benefit from their programs and services.
We hope to "virtually" see you there!
Organizations represented in the Lunch & Learn series include:
- St. Louis ARC – April 6
- St. Louis County Library – May 4
Special School District of St. Louis County
Email: jmdoyle@ssdmo.org
Website: ssdmo.org
Phone: 314-989-8463