SSD.Normandy Communication

Despite the weather outside, spring has finally arrived and we are in our final quarter of the school year. This time of year, we get excited about outdoor activities, our spring sports activities, and field trips. With two months of school remaining, we must remain eager about finishing the school year strong.

This newsletter includes many resources related to summer camps and upcoming parent workshops. It also includes a reminder that the elections for new Joint Executive Governing Board members will take place on April 4th, 2023.

As always, should questions or concerns arise, please don't hesitate to let one of us know. In addition, if any SSD staff member has made a positive impact on you or your student, let us know by submitting a Cause for Applause!

In partnership,

DeAndria Player, Director of Special Education dmplayer@ssdmo.org

Barbara Champagne, Special Education Coordinator bachampagne@ssdmo.org

Lynette Swift-Elliott, Special Education Coordinator lswift-elliott@ssdmo.org

Spark your imagination and have fun at one of our interactive STEM summer camps for students in grades 4-12.

Outdoor Girls (NEW)
For rising 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th graders
June 4-7, 2023
Girls Go Green (NEW)
For rising 6th, 7th, and 8th graders
June 6-9, 2023

Explosives Camp*

For rising 11th and 12th graders* 16+ only

Session I: June 4-9, 2023

Session II: June 11-16, 2023

Nuclear Engineering Camp

For rising 11th and 12th graders and graduating seniors

June 4-9, 2023

Robotics Camp

For rising 7th, 8th, 9th, and 10th graders

June 6-8, 2023

Jackling Introduction to Engineering

For rising 10th, 11th, and 12th graders

Session I: June 11-15, 2023

Session II: June 25-29, 2023

Session III: July 9-13, 2023
Minority Introduction to STEM (NEW)*
For rising 10th, 11th, and 12th graders
June 18-21, 2023
Mechanical Crash Course (NEW)
For rising 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th graders
June 20-24, 2023

Art of Science

For rising 9th, 10th, and 11th graders

June 26-30, 2022

Amusement Park Design (NEW)
For rising 6th, 7th, and 8th graders
June 27-29, 2023

CyberMiner Camp

For rising 11th and 12th graders

July 9-13, 2023
Viral Detectives: Containing Contagions (NEW)*
For rising 6th, 7th, and 8th graders
July 11-13, 2023

Space – The Final Frontier

For rising 10th, 11th, and 12th grades

July 16-19, 2023
Is it Alive? (NEW DAY CAMP)
For rising 4th, 5th, and 6th graders
July 17-21, 2023

The Sound of Miners Orchestra Camp (NEW)*

For rising 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th graders

July 19-23, 2023

Aerospace Camp

For rising 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th graders

July 18-20, 2023

ASM Exploring Materials in Your World Camp*

For rising 11th and 12th graders

July 23-27, 2023
Leading For Tomorrow Camp (NEW)
For rising 11th and 12th graders
July 24-28, 2023

*These camps require an application and often fill quickly. Apply early!

Sincerely,

Kummer Center for STEM Education

The Special Education Foundation is now accepting applications to assist children with disabilities served by SSD to attend one or more camps this summer. Each year, the SEF provides tuition assistance to enable students served by SSD to attend summer camps. Sometimes children with disabilities cannot join their peers in a summer camp experience due to financial constraints or other hardships. SEF steps in to help young people and their families take advantage of these experiences that can sometimes be life-changing. Parents and caregivers can have peace of mind knowing that their child is in a safe and healthy place. Apply here.

Student Leadership Opportunities: Please check out these unique and FREE leadership opportunities for high school students with disabilities, ages 16 - 21.

• Missouri Youth Leadership Forum
• Virtual Leadership Summit

Sunnyhill Adventures is an overnight summer camp for adults and youth with special needs. Our programs are adaptive to suit campers of all abilities. This year, our youth week runs from July 30th-August 4th. We can support a variety of camper needs and disability types, through the use of adaptive equipment and low counselor to camper ratio. Our ratios of support are 1:1 or 1:5.

Below is a list of some of the programming activities we offer to our campers every week at camp:

530-foot Zipline, Archery, Fishing, 42-foot Alpine Tower, Indoor Rock Climbing Wall, Paddleboats, Alpine Swing, Outdoor Rock Climbing Wall, Pool

Sunnyhill’s mission is to provide meaningful opportunities for people with disabilities to set achievable goals as well as the tools and support to meet those challenges. The experience our campers have while attending one of our programs gives people within the disability community a priceless sense of pride and independence that they can carry with them long after their time with us.

Emily Rayfield, Assistant Camp Director

Sunnyhill Adventures

6555 Sunlit Way
Dittmer, MO 63023

Office: 636-274-9044

FACE Supports Family Engagement Across the District

The mission of FACE is to partner with students, families, and staff to support students throughout the District. These supports will include specialized academic, social, and emotional needs to promote self-determination, equitable opportunities, and authentic inclusion.

To learn more and keep up to date on the great events hosted by FACE during the 2022-23 school year, visit http://www.ssdmo.org/face.

Face Family Workshop and Community Collaborations: https://www.ssdmo.org/Page/495

FLI is a great opportunity for educational decision makers to:

● Build an understanding of future planning and problem-solving using Charting the LifeCourse tools.

● Learn to effectively participate in their student's education and improve the educational climate for all children.

● Learn how to positively interact and collaborate with other families and school personnel.

● Discover new resources and network with other families.

This program, which is offered at no cost to participants, is designed for family members who are the educational decision-makers for a student with a disability. The three sessions will be held in-person on Wednesdays, from 5:30-8 PM on April 19, 26, and May 3, 2023. Dinner will be provided for attendees. Click here to apply today! Flyer linked to Peachjar: https://share.peachjar.com/flyers/2407995/districts/50008

• Does your student have a new Autism diagnosis or are you interested in learning more about Autism and how to best support student learning in the home environment? Join FACE on April 5th at 6pm as one of SSD’s own Autism Effective Practice Specialists gives practical advice and information. To learn more and to register for this event click here.

• FACE along with SSD’s Behavior Analysts are hosting a workshop about toilet training on April 10th at 6:30. You can learn strategies to break down toilet training skills and gather resources to help your student’s success. To learn more and to register for this event, click here.

• Join FACE and NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) for a Lunch and Learn on April 26th at 11:30am. This event will be live streamed on the district’s YouTube Channel. Click here to join the event and learn what NAMI has to offer.

• FACE is hosting a Family Cafe at North Technical High School on April 27th at 6pm. Cafes are hosted by families for families and provide a welcoming space for families to learn from each other. Click here to register or visit our website www.ssdmo.org/face for more information.

• FACE is hosting two HUB Huddles this month at our HUB located in North Technical High School. On April 14 Community Action Agency of St. Louis County (CAASTL) will be available to help families with emergency utility and weatherization assistance from 9am-4pm. On April 18th from 11am-12pm 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.

The SSD Parent Advisory Council (PAC) is comprised of families advising and collaborating to improve the education, confidence and social outcomes of each student served by SSD. The PAC consists of five parents or guardians – one member and four alternates – from each of the 22 St. Louis County school districts and from each of the five SSD special education schools. The parents or guardians of students receiving special education services in that district or school elect SSD PAC members.

The SSD Parent Advisory Council has scheduled the following meetings for the 2022-2023 school year. All meetings are held virtually via Zoom, from 7-9 PM. Additional information about meetings, including agendas, can be found on the PAC's website.

Get Involved with the SSD PAC

• Network and communicate with other parents of children who receive special education service.
• Become as informed as possible about special education services
• Improve communication between your local school district and SSD
• Create a positive understanding and awareness of students with disabilities
• Establish a network of advocacy for local, state and national disability issues

The link to the website homepage is HERE . You can read about and access community resources available in our area, get to know your SSD Social Workers and help parents learn more about their rights when it comes to students who receive special education services on the Parent Information tab.

Marisha Griffin-Essex, mlgriffin-essex@ssdmo.org

Jennifer Keutzer, jlkeutzer@ssdmo.org

Grace Rice, grice@ssdmo.org

Kylie Smith, knsmith@ssdmo.org

April 2023

Apr. 5: FACE Workshop: Autism Overview 6:00pm-7:30pm

Apr. 7: SSD Schools Closed for Students

Apr. 10: FACE Workshop: Toilet Training 6:30p-7:30pm

Apr. 11: Board of Education Work Study 5:45pm

Apr. 11: Board of Education Executive Meeting 7:00pm

Apr. 12: Parent Advisory Council (PAC) Meeting 7:00pm-9:00pm

Apr. 14: Hub Huddle: Community Action Agency of St. Louis County (CAASTLC) 9:00am-4:00pm

Apr. 18: Hub Huddle: Higher Education Consortium (HEC) 11:00am-Noon

Apr. 19: Family Leadership Institute (Session 1 of 3) 5:30pm-8:00pm

Apr. 25: Board of Education Business Meeting 5:45pm

Apr. 26: Lunch & Learn: National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) 11:30am-Noon

Apr. 26: Family Leadership Institute (Session 2 of 3) 5:30pm-8:00pm

Apr. 27: Family Cafe 6:00pm-8:00pm

Apr. 28: Board of Education Policy Subcommittee Meeting 1:30pm

Email: dmplayer@ssdmo.org
Website: www.ssdmo.org
Location: 12110 Clayton Road, Wildwood, MO, USA
Phone: 314.989.8100
Facebook: www.facebook.com/SSDStLCo
Twitter: @SSDDStLCo

An election will be held April 4, 2023 to fill three open seats on the Normandy Schools Collaborative (NSC) Joint Executive Governing Board (JEGB). The positions are for three-year terms and the newly elected members will join the JEGB at the April 2023 board meeting. Six Normandy citizens have filed their candidacy for the three open positions on the Normandy Schools Collaborative Joint Executive Governing Board. The certified candidates are as follows:

• Dryver Henderson
• William H. Humphrey
• Violet L. Taylor
• Marcieta D. Reed
• Andrea Feltus-Flynn
• Theresa Pearson

April 2023

Apr. 7: No School

Apr. 11: JEGB Meeting 6pm

Apr. 21: Teacher Professional Development: No School

Website: https://www.normandysc.org/
Location: 3855 Lucas and Hunt Road, Normandy, MO, USA
Phone: 314-493-0400