Kirkwood Special School District
April 2023 Edition
Special Education Foundation
Student Leadership Opportunity
Please check out these unique and FREE leadership opportunity for high school students with disabilities, ages 16 - 21.
SSD Family Leadership Institute – Spring 2023
Last call for applicants to the Family Leadership Institute (FLI)! 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 education 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!
Community Autism Expo
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.
Brain Injury Association of Missouri Educational Scholarships
SPOTLIGHT ON BULLYING
Bullying is an unacceptable part of our children’s lives. Do your children know how to recognize the signs of bullying? Pacer’s National Bullying Prevention Center offers resources to help. Click here to learn how you can become a partner in your child’s learning.
The Family and Community Resource Center (FCRC), located at the Learning Center in Hazelwood, has several books that help to increase awareness and prevent bullying for students of all different ages and abilities. Here is a list of just a few:
Contact FACE today (face@ssdmo.org, 314-989-8460) to have one of these books or many others sent home in your student’s backpack!
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.
April's Meeting - Apr. 12, 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
Meeting Dates will be held at the NMKS Library from 6:30pm-8:00pm on the following dates:
April 20, 2023-PAC Social-Location TBD
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.
Upcoming Workshops
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.
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.
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:
The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) - April 26, 2023
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 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.
April 14 9:00am - 4:00pm
April 18 11:00am - Noon
Hub Huddle: Higher Education Consortium (HEC)
Event held at The Family Resource Hub at North Tech High School
1700 Derhake Road
Florissant, MO 63003
Family Cafes
April 27 6:00pm - 8:00pm
Event held at The Family Resource Hub at North Tech High School
1700 Derhake Road
Florissant, MO 63003
Childcare and interpreters can be provided but must be scheduled in advance. Please contact a FACE representative.
Contact
Phone: 314.989.7683
Email: face@ssdmo.org
Website: https://www.ssdmo.org/face
Paraprofessional Appreciation Day
STAFF SPOTLIGHT
Jane Lehman
My name is Jane Lehmann. I come from a family of educators. Both of my sisters, sister-in-law, niece, nephew-in-law, and daughter are educators. I have been with SSD for 36 years with one year away from the district due to a couple of out-of-state moves. I have taught at Southview School and Neuwoehner School. After my children were born, I worked part-time for the SNAP and Homeobound Departments for 15 years while raising them. I returned as a full-time special
educator to North Kirkwood Middle School in 2009, moved to the KHS alternative program in 2013, then to KHS in 2019 where I am currently a resource teacher in the English department. I have been married to my husband, Bill, for 36 years and have two kids, Lizzie – 28, and William – 34. In my spare time, I love to bake and travel to the beach as often as possible.
Chandra Heinlein
My name is Chandra Heinlein. I am an occupational therapist with SSD. I have been with the district for 15 years. I spent my first 14 years in Lindbergh School District. I happily accepted a new position starting this school year, spending half of my time in the Normandy School District and the other half in Kirkwood working with students at Robinson Elementary and at Kirkwood High School. I enjoy working with children in the school setting because it gives me an opportunity to see them in a natural setting. I like being able to work on skills such as zipping a coat or tying shoes within a setting where it can be reinforced throughout their day. In addition to working for SSD, I have worked PRN for St. Louis Children’s Hospital for 16 years.
In my free time, I spend a lot of time with my family, especially my nieces. Much of my weekend time is spent attending various sporting events and musical productions. I also like to catch up on TV shows, read or listen to books and go out to eat. I am working on a goal to visit all the National Parks. I also love Disney!
Galina Boling
Upcoming Events
SSD Board of Education Meetings:
April 11, 2023 Board of Education Work Study 5:45 PM
April 25, 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:
April 3, 2023 Board Work Session 6:30 PM
April 17, 2023 Board Meeting 7:00 PM
Please visit the Kirkwood Board of Education for more information.
April 12 SSD PAC Meeting
April 14 No School for Students-Teacher Work Day
April 17 No School for Students-Professional Development Day
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