SSD Webster Groves Schools
June 2022 Community Engagement Newsletter
EXTENDED SCHOOL YEAR (ESY) PROGRAM
ABOUT ESY FOR SUMMER 2022
Extended School Year (ESY) services are offered during the summer for students who receive special education services and who the IEP team find eligible to receive ESY services. ESY is not the same as summer school, which school districts may or may not offer to district students.
Here is the information for ESY in Webster Groves:
Dates: June 6th - July 7th
Time: 8:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. (Monday - Thursday)
Location for grades 5-12: Webster Groves High School
Location for grades K-4: Bristol Elementary
Please note: Services (amount) and goals are determined by the IEP team. Please reach out to the special education coordinator with any questions.
Buddy Ball
On Friday, May 13, 2022, the Best Buddies club held their Buddy Ball. It was wonderful to witness the students socializing, dancing, and just enjoying the evening together. Best Buddies is sponsored by Evan Spencer, PE teacher, and Angela Backer, Essential Skills teacher. This club meets regularly, but due to COVID restrictions, some events have been canceled the past couple of years. A huge thank you goes out to our sponsors for making this event happen, Dr. Matt Irvin for providing extra supervision, and the students who worked diligently to decorate the spaces.
Jefferson City
In an earlier newsletter article, it was mentioned that students that receive special education services operate a coffee shop and coffee cart delivery service as part of their vocational skills training. Money from the coffee sales is used to buy supplies for the coffee shop and cart, but extra revenue is used for field trip outings. On these outings, students practice using academic skills, as well as applying their social skills. It has been a few years since the students in the essential skills were able to take a big field trip since COVID restrictions limited opportunities for everyone’s safety.
The care and planning in this year’s end-of-the- year field trip was immeasurable and required the efforts of many. The students and staff boarded a chartered bus on May 18, 2022 and headed to our state’s capital in Jefferson City. Students applied the knowledge they have learned about being a citizen while participating in a tour and taking in the sights of the capitol building. Next, students transitioned to eating lunch at Chick-fil-A and then enjoyed themselves. Thank you to one of our parents, a retired district nurse, for taking the group to Jefferson City. A special thanks to Angela Backer, Debbie Phillips, and Laura Tauge, as well as others for all their hard work in planning this special event for our students.
Parent Education and Diversity Awareness (PEDA) Information
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/3vSuol1
Family 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