The Rockwood Reader
July 2022 | Issue 19
Current Events
Rockwood ESY
Our Rockwood ESY program is coming to a close soon and we’ve had a great summer with our staff and students! Friday, July 9th will be our final day with students. We hope everyone has an opportunity to relax and enjoy time with friends and family.
2022-23 School Year
New special education staff will begin new teacher orientation starting August 11th, while returning special education staff will be on duty August 17th. IEP case managers will connect with families shortly after returning to buildings.
As we look forward to our 2022-23 school year we would also like to welcome a new member to our special education administrator team - Dr. Carrie Page. Dr. Page will support Kellison Elementary, Stanton Elementary, and Rockwood South Middle School.
What's Happening in Rockwood?
ParentSquare Launches in Rockwood on Friday, July 1
Rockwood is launching our new unified communications platform, ParentSquare, beginning Friday, July 1. As a reminder, please take the following steps to ensure you are connected as a Rockwood parent:
Activate your account. On May 2, you received an email inviting you to activate your ParentSquare account. (Subject: Rockwood School District invites you to join ParentSquare). If you do not have access to your activation email, visit ParentSquare.com, click Sign In, and then enter your email address or mobile phone number that the district has on file in the Sign Up/Create Password form.
Download the app. Go to the Google Play store if you have an Android phone or the Apple Store to download the app for your iPhone. (You will still be included in communications if you don’t download the app, but doing so will enhance your experience and allow you to customize how and when you receive messages). Please note: the current Blackboard Rockwood app will no longer be available beginning July 1.
Select your notification preferences. Users can fine-tune their notification settings for both school and notification types. For General Announcements, you can select Digest, Instant or choose to turn off notifications altogether (excluding emergency alerts and notices) for email, text and app notifications.
This unified communications platform is designed to keep parents and guardians informed and encourage greater engagement and connection with your child’s school. It provides a safe way for district administrators, school principals, teachers, staff and parents to:
Send and receive school and class information
Share pictures and files
See calendar items
Sign up to volunteer
and much more . . . all in one centralized place!
Click here to watch a ParentSquare training video for parents.
Beginning next school year, our students in grades 6-12 will also receive an invitation to join StudentSquare, a safe and secure communication and workflow center between educators and students.
Please visit the ParentSquare page on the Rockwood website for more information. You can learn more about StudentSquare by following this link.
**Do you prefer communication in a language other than English? Please visit this page for information about how to change the language settings in your accounts.**
We look forward to communicating with you through this exciting new unified platform for the Rockwood community!
Family and Community Engagement
The Family Resource Hub
Family Resource Hub Virtual Grand Opening Video
Summer Program Guides: Recreation Council Flyer
Mental Health Training for Staff: Kickup registration link - https://pulse.kickup.co/events/browse/SKSWHzR83mUrJ7gpEPUpeh
Youth Mental Health Training for Families: Google link- https://forms.gle/28CzBcceYgadDhJk6
Assistance for families who may have challenges accessing the FREE Covid Tests
Parent Education and Diversity Awareness (PEDA)
The Summer Resource Packet is Here!
Are you still thinking about what to do this summer?
The PEDA Summer Resource Packet can help!
PEDA 2022 Summer Resource Packet
Other helpful resources:
St. Louis Recreation Council www.recreationcouncil.org
Blueprint for Summer https://blueprint4.com/stl/
St. Louis County Parks Activity Guide https://bit.ly/3LHpRsp
Early Childhood Summer Resource Guide https://adobe.ly/3vSuol1Family Leadership Institute
The highly successful SSD Parent Leadership Institute that has had more than 280 participants since 2007 is once again being offered under a new name of Family Leadership Institute (FLI).
The Institute will be Wednesday evenings from 5:30-8:30pm at SSD Central Office: October 12, 19, 26 and November 2.
If you are a parent or family member who makes the educational decisions for a child with a disability, investing the time to attend these four Wednesday evening sessions will provide:
VISION: for the future of your child.
KNOWLEDGE: to help effectively participate in your child's education.
LEADERSHIP SKILLS: to improve the educational climate for all children.
ACCESS: to new resources, friends, and experts to help you on your journey.
Apply today https://SSDPEDA.as.me/FALL2022FLI
Information and Resources
Special School District Parent Advisory Council
The mission of the Special School District (SSD) Parent Advisory Council (PAC) is to effectively collaborate with and advise its stakeholders (including parents/guardians, the SSD Board of Education, Governing Council, SSD administration and staff, and partnering school district administrators and staff) in order to improve the educational, self-efficacy, and social outcomes of each student served by SSD.
Please click here to access the PAC website which contains specific information about meetings, agendas & minutes, as well as parent resources.
Upcoming Board of Education Meetings
Special School District of St. Louis County
636-733-2070
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
Rockwood School District
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