The Rockwood Reader
May 2022 | Issue 17
Current Events
Morning Mingle
At Eureka Elementary each month a different grade level/department puts together a Morning Mingle Activity. For the month of April the Eureka Special Education Team held a Morning Mingle where all staff were invited to come make sensory bottles for their classrooms. It was a HUGE hit! The building administrators supplied the bottles while the special education team donated the rest of the supplies. Turns out Behtany Laskowitz, SLP is a Master Sensory Bottle maker learning her skills from retired SSD OT, Laura Brozka. Bethany also participates in the Culture Committee at Eureka Elementary and is always coming up with fun activities to bring her building colleagues closer together. The amount of time and energy she commits to these activities is a reflection of how much she cares about the people she works with and it has definitely had a positive impact on building morale.
Pictured above, from left to right...
Shauna Carney, special education administrator
Aileen Nagel, occupational therapist
Jessica Montgomery, speech-language pathologist
Kathy Rolofson, special education teacher
Adreneh Allen, school psychologist
Bethany Laskowitz, speech-language pathologist
Olivia Beutel, special education teacher
Meghan Diestlekmap, special education teacher
Special Olympics
What's Happening in Rockwood?
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/3vSuol1Coming Soon!
Applications will be available soon for the Fall 2022 semester SSD Family Leadership Institute FLI (Formerly Parent Leadership Institute PLI).
The Institute which has over 275 graduates to date, was created for families in 2007 to offer information, training, and resources. Participants gain the knowledge and skills to effectively collaborate with other families, school personnel and develop leadership for SSD and their home districts.
Participants will:
Build understanding of future planning and problem-solving, utilizing Charting the LifeCourse tools;
Learn to effectively participate in their child’s education and improve the educational climate for all children;
Learn how to positively interact and collaborate with other families and school personnel; and
Discover new resources and network with other families.
FLI Graduates have:
Served on School boards
Been elected as Parent Advisory Council (PAC) President(s)
Actively participated in SSD and/or local school district PACs
And further increased their leadership training in policy development and mentorship.
Contact us at ssdpeda@ssdmo.org or call 314.989.8460 if you have any questions or concerns.
Some Quotes from graduates.
Thank you so much for everything! I feel very lucky to have found this opportunity.
It was helpful to learn how Charting LifeCourse Tools could play a part in every step of the way.
The topics and presenters made the program engaging and informative.
Learned a lot about planning for my child’s future and the IEP process.
I'm really glad I signed up for this program. I had no idea what to expect and learned so, so much about the available tools and all the SSD processes we will be experiencing during his life.
The deep dive on the IEP history/process was incredibly helpful to give a framework on my ability to participate since my family is very new to the IEP process.
The IEP information was incredibly helpful. It was a bit like pulling back the curtain on something that was previously a complete mystery.
I am so thankful for this workshop and for the information, and materials you’ve shared w/ me. Thanks for facilitating the training so well. It’s great to have a safe space to talk openly with experts and other parents about education, IEPs, 504, Inclusion, challenges, etc. The choice of speaker, topics, resources and lending library was all great.
Amazing group of people. Chance for honest conversations. Helps me be a better advocate & team member.
Amazing experience – tons of knowledge shared. Lots of great connections with families. Better understanding of IEP process. I feel empowered to do more – create positive change. Opened my eyes to some realities approaching with transition to adulthood.
We received a lot of great information in this class! I has made me change the way I look at the whole process, and how I approach things with my daughter. I am so grateful that I was given this opportunity!
I am no longer feeling so alone & confused. Feel I can be a better advocate.
Attending this institute was an awesome opportunity I turned out to be much more than I expected. It gave me a better understanding about the transition process & how I can best support my child through transition. It generated a lot of ideas for my child’s last IEP. I feel so much more equipped to navigate SSD=land, as well as help others navigate it too.
Amazing. Blessing. You’ve enabled me to think more positively and concretely about my son’s future. I have always said “there’s no outline for me to follow” – but you’ve given me the framework I desired, support & connections!
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.
Important Dates
Friday, May 27th
No School | Memorial Day Holiday
Monday, May 30th
Early Dismissal / Grade Recording Day
Thursday, June 2nd
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