SSD/Parkway Newsletter
September 2022
Dear Parkway Families,
Welcome back to the 2022-2023 school year! I know that as you read this, we already have a week behind us. I hope that the transition to the new school year has been successful for your student(s) and your entire family. My favorite part of any school day is finding the time to be in classrooms and all other learning environments such as playgrounds, hallways, arrival and dismissal duty, etc. The energy in watching students interact, grow, take on new challenges is amazing, and there’s just something about the start of any school year when there’s that high level of excitement to be back together. Seeing the work that our staff are engaged in to create engaging and relevant lessons is inspiring. I can’t wait to hear about the progress being made in our schools.
Over the course of the past year, our team has asked for your assistance in recruiting dedicated, compassionate, and strong paraprofessional candidates. Throughout the course of the last school year, we had moments of great progress in staffing our schools with amazing teammates that jumped right in and got to know the students. Towards the end of the school year, we faced a small wave of resignations and retirements which we expected as individuals moved onto other opportunities. The Special Education Administrators spent a great deal of the summer attending recruitment fairs, advertising these positions on social media, and networking with all of their contacts to try and recruit more staff. As I share each month, we couldn’t do this without you. Thank you for encouraging your contacts to apply for our Paraprofessional positions. Please share this link with any potential candidates and reach out to the Special Education Coordinator for your student’s school to share their name. We would be happy to speak with all interested candidates.
As always, a heartfelt thank you for all that you do to partner with us on behalf of your students. We appreciate your support of our staff and school communities.
In collaboration,
Dr. Amy Blumenfeld
Director of Special Education
314-989-8435 / ablumenfeld@ssdmo.org
314-415-5297 / ablumenfeld2@parkwayschools.net
Staff Highlights
As the beginning of the year kicked off, we were so happy to see these teams back together again! Throughout the year, I hope to be able to highlight the amazing teams throughout our district. This month is just a snapshot of a few great teams that we were able to capture pictures of.
KELLY SERVICES
During the 21-22 school year, SSD partnered with Kelly Education Services for our substitute provider across St. Louis County. Kelly Education Services is actively looking to build their substitute base, and we in Parkway would appreciate any support in building up Kelly Service’s employee base. Please see the attached flyer for information about the process for receiving a substitute certification.
FACE
FACE Family Workshops and Community Collaborations (Hub Huddles) are now posted on the FACE site.
Recently, the Special School District received a very generous donation of school supplies. They have quite a few supplies left over. Anyone interested in supplies can contact Adrienne Eaglin at 314-989-8311 to schedule a pickup or shop at the Family Resource Hub at North Tech.
As I shared in the August newsletter, the Family Engagement and PEDA departments merged, and are now called the FACE department. Linked here is a copy of their FACE department flier highlighting all of the supports this department offers.
Partner District Info
Parkway has a rich history of supporting the needs of many students. As we start out our year supporting the learning needs of our Parkway students, we wanted to take a moment to highlight some of the data connected to the breadth of services we provide within the district to just under 3,000 students. Attached to this newsletter is a look at ‘Parkway By the Numbers.’
PACCD
Information about the Parkway PACCD coming soon!
Let’s Talk is an easy way to submit feedback at your convenience directly to the SSD staff member who can help.
UPCOMING DATES
Sept 7: Parkway Board of Education Meeting 7:00
Sept 14: SSD PAC Kickoff Event (at SSD CO) 6:30-8:00
Sept 19: SSD Governing Council Meeting 7:00
Sept 27: SSD Board of Education Business Meeting 5:45
Sept 28: Parkway Board of Education Meeting 6:30
Oct 11: SSD Board of Education Work Study Meeting 5:45
Oct 19: Parkway Board of Education Meeting 7:00
Nov 1: SSD Board of Education Business Meeting 5:45
Nov 15: SSD Board of Education Business Meeting 5:45
Nov 16: Parkway Board of Education Meeting 7:00
Dec 5: SSD Governing Council Meeting 7:00
Dec 13: SSD Board of Education Business Meeting 5:45
Dec 14: Parkway Board of Education Meeting 7:00
Jan 10: SSD Board of Education Work Study Meeting 5:45
Jan 18 Parkway Board of Education Meeting 7:00
Jan 24: SSD Board of Education Business Meeting 5:45
Feb 14: SSD Board of Education Work Study Meeting 5:45
Feb 15: Parkway Board of Education Meeting 7:00
Feb 28: SSD Board of Education Business Meeting 5:45
Mar 6: SSD Governing Council Meeting 7:00
Mar 14: SSD Board of Education Business Meeting 5:45
Mar 15: Parkway Board of Education Meeting 7:00
Apr 11: SSD Board of Education Work Study Meeting 5:45
Apr 19: Parkway Board of Education Meeting 6:30
Apr 25: SSD Board of Education Business Meeting 5:45
May 9: SSD Board of Education Work Study Meeting 5:45
May 17: Parkway Board of Education Meeting 7:00
May 23: SSD Board of Education Business Meeting 5:45
June 5: SSD Governing Council Meeting 7:00
June 13: SSD Board of Education Work Study Meeting 5:45
June 14: Parkway Board of Education Meeting 7:00
Jun 27: SSD Board of Education Business Meeting 5:45
Special School District of St. Louis County
Email: ablumenfeld@ssdmo.org
Website: www.ssdmo.org
Location: 12110 Clayton Road, St. Louis, MO, USA
Phone: 314.989.8435
Facebook: www.facebook.com/SSDStLCo
Twitter: @SSDDStLCo
Parkway School District
Website: https://www.parkwayschools.net/
Location: 455 North Woods Mill Road, Chesterfield, MO, USA
Phone: 314-415-8100