Kirkwood Special School District
May 2023 Edition
Special Education Foundation
Summer Camps and Activities
Mental Health Month
Youth Mental Health First Aid Training is available for families in SSD. The course is located at Maryland Heights Community Center on July 22, 2023 from 9 - 3:30 PM. The course introduces common mental health challenges for youth, reviews adolescent development, and teaches a 5-step action plan for how to help young people in both crisis and non-crisis situations. To join us please register at https://forms.gle/CRFvDJH76XbSyFQg7. Seats are limited. Register to become a mental health first aider today.
The National Association on Mental Illness (NAMI) offers meaningful resources to support youth, educators, families, and caregivers have productive discussions about mental health with youth and young adults. Please visit the website to review the resources. https://www.nami.org/Your-Journey/Kids-Teens-and-Young-Adults/Youth-and-Young-Adult-Resources
10 Best Mental Health Podcasts of 2023
With topics ranging from anxiety and depression to self-love and substance abuse, these listens focused on emotional wellness have something for everyone.
Podcasts are a really popular form of entertainment right now. In fact, one study found that 26% of U.S. adults said they had listened to a podcast in the week leading up to the survey in 2022 — compared to just 7% in 2013. That’s partly due to the fact that you can listen to podcasts pretty much anywhere, most are free or low-cost, and listening to them enables you to dive into issues that you may not be very familiar with — especially when it comes to mental health topics.
With millions of podcasts available to listen to, there is truly something for everyone. Whether you’ve recently been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and want to learn about other people’s coping strategies, have a child struggling with an eating disorder and hope to be a better supporter, are trying to maintain a more positive outlook through a rough patch or just want to raise your awareness of mental health issues in general — podcasts can help.
However, with so many podcasts to choose from, it can be overwhelming to pick one, so we’ve done the research for you and compiled the best mental health podcasts of 2023 depending on what you’re in the mood for. Of course, this list doesn’t touch on every mental health issue that exists, but it will provide a safe, comforting, and wholesome place for most people to start with.
Our top picks
- Best for general mental health: We Can Do Hard Things
- Best for body positivity: iWeigh
- Best for heavy topics: The Mental Illness Happy Hour
- Best for Black women: Therapy for Black Girls
- Best for couples: Where Should We Begin?
- Best for mindful nutrition: Maintenance Phase
- Best for depression: The Hilarious World of Depression
- Best for variety: Feel Better, Live More With Dr. Chatterjee
- Best for managing mood swings: The Happiness Lab
Community Partner Highlight
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. In this program, 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 by coaching and providing feedback during weekly homework assignments.
This program is offered to three age groups:
Children’s Friendship Training: 3rd-5th graders
PEERS: Middle and high school aged students
PEERS for Young Adults: Individuals ages 18+ who are no longer in high school
New sessions will begin in May and August 2023.
A pre-program assessment to determine eligibility is required. Funding options include DDRB, DMH and Private Pay.
For more information and to see if you qualify, please contact our Admissions
Department at 314-394-7100 or via email info@esmw.org.
SSD Parent Advisory Council Meeting
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. SSD's PAC works closely with the SSD Board of Education, Governing Council, and District administration to provide valuable input and feedback from the parent perspective.
May's Meeting - May 10, 2023 7:00pm - 9:00pm
Meeting ID: 955 4237 2430
Passcode: 795650
All meetings are held virtually via Zoom.
For more information, please visit the PAC website.
PAC general council meetings are held on the second Wednesday of each month.
Kirkwood Parent Advisory Council
Kirkwood PAC will meet again during the 23-24 school year. Dates to come!
FAMILY AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT (FACE) WORKSHOPS
Parent/Family Workshops
All of the workshops offered by FACE are provided free of charge and are open to all parents, families and community members.
After registering, participants will be provided with information about the platform that will be used for the workshop.
If you are unable to attend the live workshop, please still register so that we can send you the link to the recording a day or two after the workshop.
The workshops will be set up as webinars, so you will be able to see the panelists but not other attendees. Your confirmation and reminder email will contain information about how to submit questions to the panelists in advance, or you can use the chat and Q&A features during the workshop. If you have any questions, please let us know.
If you need more information, or if you require an alternative format as addressed by the Americans with Disabilities Act, contact face@ssdmo.org, 314.989.8460 or 711 (Deaf/HOH).
Registration Options
To register for a workshop, please email face@ssdmo.org or call 314.989.8460.
Lunch and Learn Series
Special School District’s Family and Community Engagement (FACE) department is excited to offer a virtual Lunch & Learn series for SSD families and stakeholders. The series, which will involve community organizations sharing information about their work, will continue during the 2022-23 school year and take place from 11:30 AM - Noon.
Representatives from three community organizations and three SSD departments will participate in order to increase awareness about their agencies or programs and make connections with those in our SSD community who may benefit from their programs and services.
Features in the 2022-23 Lunch & Learn Series are:
SSD Family and Community Engagement (FACE), Summer Engagement Activities - May 24, 2023
Each event is held virtually through YouTube Live. To access the video, please click on the organization's name in the list above. The videos will not be available to view until their scheduled date and time.
Hub Huddles
FACE is hosting The Community Action Agency of St. Louis County (CAASTL) at the HUB, located in North County Technical School, on May 12, 2023 from 9-4pm. CAASTL can help families in need of rental assistance, utility assistance, and weatherization needs.
SUMMER HOURS FOR THE HUB: Access to the HUB, located in North Technical High School, will only be available over the summer by appointment. Email face@ssdmo.org to make an appointment.
Retirements
Teacher Appreciation Week
STAFF SPOTLIGHT
Allison Laxton
My name is Allison Laxton. I grew up in Saint Louis and went to Ladue High School. Ladue is where I first volunteered for Special Olympics and found my passion for working with students with special needs. I went on to study Special and Elementary Education at Fontbonne University. I have worked in education for seven years. This is my 5th year with Special School District and my 1st year working in Kirkwood as a special education teacher. I love assisting my students with building strong connections, and friendships and working on life-long skills. The students in my class make teaching fun and exciting! I love spending time with my family, trying new local coffee shops, hiking, and going to Tower Grove Farmer's Market every Saturday.
JoAnne Woodworth
Hi! My name is JoAnne Woodworth. I've been in Kirkwood for just one year, but I've been with SSD for 15 years as a speech and language pathologist. I love being an SLP because we have such a wide scope of practice, you can work with any age group, and there's always something new to learn. In my free time, I walk our Golden Retriever around Benton Park, listen to true crime podcasts, watch way too much tv, and play Auntie to my eight year old niece and nephew. I'm counting down the days until summer - bring on lounging with a good book at the pool!
Beth Thorman
Hello! My name is Beth Thorman and I work as a paraprofessional at Tillman Elementary. I have been working with SSD at Tillman for 17 years. I really enjoy my job working with students. My favorite time of day is morning when you're greeted by the students with hugs and smiles. When I am not at work, I love to go hiking, work in the garden and go traveling with my friends. I think I have the perfect balance between home life and work life!
Upcoming Events
SSD Board of Education Meetings:
May 9, 2023 Board of Education Work Study 5:45 PM
May 23, 2023 Board of Education Business Meeting 5:45PM/Executive Meeting 7:00PM
Please visit the SSD Board of Education for more information.
Kirkwood School District Board of Education Meetings:
May 1, 2023 Board Work Session 5:00 PM
May 15, 2023 Board Meeting 7:00 PM
Please visit the Kirkwood Board of Education for more information.
May 25- Last Day of School-Early Dismissal
May 29-Memorial Day-District Closed
Contact Us
Special School District of St. Louis County
12110 Clayton Road
Town & Country, MO 63131
Phone: 314‐989‐8100
Taneal Davis
- Director of Special Education-Robinson
- tmdavis@ssdmo.org
- taneal.davis@kirkwoodschools.org
Colleen Card
- Special Education Coordinator-KHS
- COcard@ssdmo.org
- colleen.card@kirkwoodschools.org
Cathy Dutcher
- Special Education Coordinator Substitute-North Glendale, Tillman, Nipher
Emily Meuth
- Special Education Coordinator-Keysor, Westchester, NKMS
- ELMeuth@ssdmo.org
- emily.meuth@kirkwoodschools.org