Kirkwood Special School District
February 2022 Edition
SUMMER WORK EXPERIENCE PROGRAM (SWEP)
Through the program, students hold a summer job in their community and receive job-coaching support. They are paid an hourly wage for their work. SWEP is funded by the Productive Living Board of St. Louis County and is open to county residents with a qualifying disability. It is conducted through a collaboration of six area agencies - MERS/Goodwill is the Lead Agency.
A few important things to remember about eligibility for the SWEP program:
- You must be a resident of St. Louis County.
- You must be between 16 and 20 years of age and planning to return to a school program in the Fall of 2022.
- You cannot participate in SWEP while participating in the Extended School Year Program.
- Your teacher needs to submit a Teacher Input form before the program begins.
- You must be available for the entire 8 weeks of the program.
- You must have your own transportation to participate in the program.
- Not everyone who applies to the SWEP program will be able to participate this summer.
If your student is interested, please reach out to their case manager for the application.
Parent Leadership Institute
Parent Leadership Institute will be held via ZOOM
If you have always wanted to participate but life made it too hard to get away from home, NOW IS THE TIME TO ENROLL!!!
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 you to 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.
The Institute will be held on Wednesdays from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. on:
February 16
March 2
March 9
March 16
at the SSD Central Office, 12110 Clayton Road, 63131. The institute is offered at no cost and dinner is provided.
Learn more about this opportunity or download the application at: Parent Leadership Institute
Finally, PEDA would love your feedback! Please complete are PEDA Communications survey here: PEDA Survey
Charting the Life Course
Virtual Workshop: Meeting your child's needs using Charting the LifeCourse Tools in the IEP process
When: Tue, March 15, 6:30pm – 8:00pm
Description: Your child’s school Individual Education Plan (IEP) can be intimidating and overwhelming at times. Find out how to utilize LifeCourse Tools to help prepare and communicate effectively with your child’s IEP team to determine the most successful goals and interventions to help your child reach their potential.
To register for this workshop, click here: https://SSDPEDA.as.me/CTLCwithSTLARC
Family and Community Outreach
- The Family Resource Hub – 1 min. video highlighting the features and an attached flyer. Family Resource Hub Virtual Grand Opening
- Variety Club – Free Camp Opportunities – Enrollment ends on 2.7.2022
- Recreation Council Flyer – Summer Program Guides available on 1.21.22
- Youth Mental Health Training for Staff –Kickup registration link: https://pulse.kickup.co/events/browse/SKSWHzR83mUrJ7gpEPUpeh
- Youth Mental Health Training for Families – Google link: https://forms.gle/28CzBcceYgadDhJk6
- Assistance for families who may have challenges accessing the FREE Covid Tests
See flyers below:
Virtual Lunch and Learn Series for SSD Families and Stakeholders.
Special School District’s Family and Community Outreach, Social Work, Parent Education and Diversity Awareness (PEDA) and Communications departments have teamed up 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 take place on the first Wednesday of each month during the 2021-22 school year, from 11:30 AM - Noon.
Representatives from nine community organizations will participate in order to increase awareness about their agency and make connections with those in our SSD community who may benefit from their programs and services.
Organizations represented in the Lunch & Learn series include:
- Team Activities for Special Kids (TASK) – March 2
- St. Louis ARC – April 6
- St. Louis County Library – May 4
Message from SSD PAC President
Hello, SSD PAC members and potential members! We are approaching that time of year when we prepare to hold elections and renew membership. Nomination is through self-nomination. The self-nomination form is available to all parents of students receiving services through SSD.
Per the SSD PAC Bylaws, potential members must consent to make their names and contact information
available to the public. Notices requesting self-nomination forms shall be received by parents no later than
January 10th. Completed nomination forms must be returned to the Executive Committee no later than
February 15th. The election of new/renewal of SSD PAC members shall take place no later than May 31st. We
will hold the election at the April 13th General Meeting.
Elections are rotated each year. The following districts will hold elections in even numbered years: Affton, Bayless,
Brentwood, Clayton, Ferguson-Florissant, Hancock Place, Ladue, Mehlville, Normandy, Rockwood, University
City and Valley Park.
Please complete and submit the self-nomination form linked above ASAP. Please note that even if you recently
submitted a self-nomination form and were elected as a member of the SSD PAC, but are in a district that has an
election in even numbered years, you will need to submit another self-nomination form. Please reach out to us at
pac@ssdmo.org with any questions.
Love and Light,
Dr. Camesha Carter, SSD PAC President
STAFF SPOTLIGHT
Joey Bogdajewicz
Leia Cheatham
Hello! My name is Leia Cheatham. I have been a Speech-Language Pathologist in the Kirkwood School District since 2005 after graduating with my Masters from Fontbonne University. I'm currently at Robinson and Keysor Elementary. I grew up in St. Louis, right down the street from my future husband. We have three children (Chase 13, Luke 10, and Cecelia 9), and two golden retrievers (Penny and Piper). I enjoy spending time at home with the family, snuggling with the dogs, going to movies, eating Chipotle, and learning new things. I love building relationships with my students and helping them find confidence in communicating.
Geri Lynn Dowdy
Helpful Links
Upcoming Events
SSD Board of Education Meetings:
Feb. 8, 2022, Board Work Study Session 5:45 PM
Feb. 22. 2022 Board Meeting 5:45 PM
Please visit the SSD Board of Education for more information.
Kirkwood School District Board of Education Meetings:
Feb. 8, 2022 Board Work Session 5:00 PM
Feb. 28, 2022, Board Meeting 7:00 PM
Please visit the Kirkwood Board of Education for more information.
Feb. 9- SSD Lunch and Learn Session
Feb. 18-Early Release Day
Feb. 21-No School-President's 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
Bridget Duke
- Special Education Coordinator-North Glendale, Tillman, Nipher
- baduke@ssdmo.org
- bridget.duke@kirkwoodschools.org
Emily Meuth
- Special Education Coordinator-Keysor, Westchester, NKMS
- ELMeuth@ssdmo.org
- emily.meuth@kirkwoodschools.org