Spotlight - April 7, 2023

All interested parties are invited to virtually review and discuss SSD's school curricula before the materials are submitted to the Board of Education for approval. These events are intended for families with students who attend SSD schools, not partner district schools. The BOE will review curricula for SSD special education schools on Tuesday, April 18. On Thursday, April 20, the BOE will review 10 career and technical education programs. Participants may attend as many course reviews as they wish. Get more information and the Zoom links needed to access each session.

The Governing Council will hold a special election for the open Board of Education seat in Subdistrict 1, which represents the Hazelwood, Maplewood-Richmond Heights, and Jennings school districts. The Governing Council, which elects the Special School District (SSD) Board of Education, was not able to elect a candidate for Subdistrict 1 at the March 6 meeting and declared an impasse due to lack of a quorum.

Filing will open on April 3, 2023, and close on April 28, 2023. Information packets and applications must be picked up and returned to the SSD Central Office by the candidate. Filling will not occur on days when the District's offices are closed due to inclement weather or in the event of a District closure. Read more...

The Parkview Branch of the St. Louis County Library is hosting a Community Autism Expo on April 15. Attendees will learn about services and resources available for individuals and their families, especially young adults who are navigating their entrance to adulthood.

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Operation Food Search, in partnership with the St. Louis County Library, will provide free after-school meals to children ages 5-18 at select SLCL locations during the school year. To review locations and times, please visit the SLCL website.

PEERS® (Program for the Education and Enrichment of Relational Skills) is a 12-16 week social skills program for children, teens or young adults with autism. Individuals are engaged in learning real-life skills for connecting with others, as well as building and maintaining friendships. Parents/Caregivers will also participate in the program and will be taught how to support and assist their child/young adult in making and keeping friends. New sessions will begin in May and August 2023. Learn more.

Youth Mental Health First Aid Training will be offered at the Maryland Heights Community Center on July 22, 9 AM - 3:30 PM. The course introduces common mental health challenges for youth, reviews adolescent development, and teaches a five-step action plan for how to help young people in both crisis and non-crisis situations. Seats are limited. Register here.

Improve your student’s math skills at home - visit SSD's math page for families! Explore this in-depth site and discover resources to expand your student’s understanding of mathematics in fun and exciting ways. Click here to begin.

◾ Equity in Education

To provide high-quality education, a school system must have a high-quality workforce, which doesn’t happen accidentally. It requires a carefully crafted recruitment and hiring process.

This year, SSD has analyzed and reviewed the Office of Employee Success and Engagement (OESE) actions with the additional collaboration of the Offices of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) and Communications. Together, these teams have developed and implemented hiring and retention best practices supporting equity and ensuring Special School District has the highest-quality workforce.

One of these best practices is creating or revising detailed job descriptions to include language that promotes diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility while describing job duties and responsibilities, qualifications, work experience, and educational requirements. As I mentioned in January, Communications began auditing OESE messaging and outreach, which inspired this closer review of job descriptions. Read more...

The Special Education Foundation is accepting applications for children with disabilities served by SSD to attend one or more camps this summer. The SEF provides tuition assistance to enable students served by SSD to attend summer camps. Parents and caregivers can have peace of mind knowing that their child is in a safe and healthy place. Apply here.

March 3, 2023 - Nearly 30 leaders from across the District brought stories to life for students at Litzsinger School during its Leader Reader event. This was the culminating event of the school's Black History celebrations, organized by the SSD Family Engagement and Equity Leadership (FEEL) team. “Opening our classrooms to SSD's leaders gave them an opportunity to hear from students about what they learned throughout the month.” Read more...

March 6, 2023 - Three FBI employees based in St. Louis, two special agents, and one intelligence analyst visited North Tech’s Law Enforcement Program in March. “I thought it would be really exciting and fun for my students to speak with FBI agents face to face and discover all the opportunities available to them. Their job options expand way beyond state and local law enforcement," says Dave Peterson, law enforcement instructor. Read more...

March 6, 2023 - Neuwoehner High School has adopted an updated tiger mascot! Students, staff, and families were invited to vote on two different options during a family night and on social media. After tallying the scores, the winning logo features a sleek, modernized tiger that will soon represent the school. “Students voiced that they wanted something that looked 'cooler'," said Principal Kim Fine.

March 13, 2023 - Neuwoehner High School was overflowing with dancing, singing, instrumental, and comedy performances during its annual Neu’s Got Talent Showcase. Nearly 30 students participated, showing off their skills to friends and family. “Coordinating this Talent Show has led to some of the highlights of my year so far,” said Stephanie Holdmeyer, music teacher. Read more...

March 14. 2022 - Audience members got a taste of romance, adventure, comedy, and suspense in Northview High School’s production of the play “Crumpled Classics.” This story gives a modern spin to famous classic literature stories, such as “Romeo and Juliet,” “Frankenstein”, “King Arthur”, “Sherlock Holmes”, and “Phantom of the Opera." Read more...

March 15, 2023 - Constance Anthony's talents are abundant. She is a senior student at Hazelwood Central High School and also in the Fashion Design program at North Technical High School. Due to her creativity in the fashion world and ambition to help those struggling with mental health, she is one of five recipients who has been awarded the $5,000 John Cary Scholarship from the Special Education Foundation. Read more...

March 17, 2023 - Over 35 students took center stage at Southview School’s annual Talent Show. The theme this year was “Protect our Future.” Acts included drum and violin solos, duets, a video slideshow, and a rap performance sung by Marcus Mason, who practiced for weeks. He creates beats in his free time and thought rapping to one of his favorite artists would make for a great show. Read more...

March 29, 2023 - Those who know senior student Ciara Rhodes will say she is vibrant, full of life, and has just the right amount of spunk. Her character and involvement in a variety of extracurricular activities at Eureka High School in Rockwood School District, such as speech and debate, Best Buddies, orchestra, and the Black Student Union are what allowed her to earn a $5,000 John Cary Scholarship. Read more...

Congratulations to Michelle Cantino, SSD’s 2023 Teacher of the Year! As a job skills teacher at Neuwoehner High School, she strives to support her students’ transition into adulthood. She helps create and maintain opportunities for students to get work experience by partnering with people and agencies in the community. At Neuwoehner, she was instrumental in bringing the Neu Brew Café to fruition and ensuring students have an in-house opportunity to practice communication and hone their practical skills. Join us in celebrating Cantino for her impactful work and dedication to SSD students! #SSDMomentsOfAwe

During the March 14, 2023, Board of Education meeting, Emanuel Young was approved as the principal at North Tech High School. Young has served as the coordinator of Partners in Education in Rockwood School District since 2019 and will begin his tenure with Special School District on July 1, 2023. Read more...

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April 4, 2023 - Tammy Topp, a teacher at Litzsinger School, recently received the Continuous Support of Children in Need Award from the Carney’s Kids Foundation. She has been volunteering at the Foundation for over 20 years and co-chairs CarneyVal, the organization's largest fundraiser, alongside Board Member Paula Berner. Read more...

Bullying is an unacceptable part of our children’s lives. Pacer’s National Bullying Prevention Center offers resources to help. Learn how you can help your child recognize the signs of bullying.

SSD's Family and Community Resource Center (FCRC), located at the Learning Center in Hazelwood, has several books for students of all ages and abilities. Contact FACE (face@ssdmo.org, 314-989-8460) to have one sent home in your student’s backpack. These are a few of the available books:

• Betty Stops the Bully: An Emotional Literacy Book
• Emily is Being Bullied. What Can She Do?
• I Wish I Knew What to Do?! Teens tell it like it is...

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Check out these upcoming events with SSD's FACE (Family and Community Engagement) team! To download a schedule of upcoming FACE events, click here.

• April 10, 6:30 PM: Toilet Training. Learn strategies to break down toilet training skills and gather resources to help your student’s success. FACE and SSD’s behavior analysts will host this workshop. Learn more and register here.

• April 26, 11:30 AM: Mental Health. Join FACE and NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) for a Lunch and Learn. NAMI will discuss the warning signs of mental health conditions and provide useful strategies and resources to support individuals in crisis. This event will be live streamed on the SSD’s YouTube Channel. Click here to join the event.

FACE is hosting two HUB Huddles this month at our HUB in North Technical High School.

• April 14, 9 AM-4 PM: The Community Action Agency of St. Louis County (CAASTL) will be available to help families with emergency utility and weatherization assistance.
• April 18, 11 AM-12 PM: The Higher Education Consortium will be available to provide families with the opportunity to access information and increase their knowledge about education, career, and workforce planning or transitioning. This service is available to all high school students and anyone over the age of 19.

FACE is hosting a Family Cafe at North Technical High School on April 27 at 6 PM. Cafes are hosted by families for families and provide a welcoming space for families to learn from each other. Register here or visit our website for more information.

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NOTE: Registration closes today, April 6, for the Family Leadership Institute Sessions. Learn how to effectively participate in your student's education, develop leadership skills to improve their educational climate, and access new resources and friends to help you on your journey! The three sessions will be held in-person on April 19, 26, and May 3, 2023; 5:30-8 PM. Dinner will be provided. Learn more/register...

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You can watch past FACE (Family and Community Engagement) workshops on YouTube! Check out all of the workshop recordings, like Improving Student's Executive Functioning, IEP & Effective Communication, or Charting the LifeCourse.

We are back in full swing. Please join us on April 12 at 7 PM. This month the Autism Council will provide the PAC with a presentation. Please log in using the following information:

• Join the April 12, 2023, Zoom Meeting
• Meeting ID: 955 4237 2430
• Passcode: 795650

Love and light,

Dr. Carter, SSD PAC President 2021-2023