Kirkwood Special School District
January 2023 Edition
FAMILY AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT (FACE) NEWS
ARCH Respite
ARCH Respite reimburses primary caregivers at a standard rate for short-term relief services they receive either in their own home, with the community, or in the home of a care provider.
ARCH Respite serves St. Louis County and St. Louis City to register, or learn more, contact ARCH@slarc.org or call 314-817-2236.
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:
Productive Living Board (PLB), Resources for Families - Jan. 25, 2023
SSD Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) department - Feb. 22, 2023
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.
SEF Accepting Applications for Kid to Camp Program
Student Leadership Opportunities
Please check out these unique and FREE leadership opportunities for high school students with disabilities, ages 16 - 21.
Scholarships and Awards
Nominations for Salutes Awards Open Until Jan. 6
Applications for several awards which honor the contributions of SSD staff and community members are awaiting nominations, due Jan. 6, 2023. These awards are collectively known as Salutes awards because they are given at the District’s annual Salutes event in the spring. They include the following:
Please refer to the Salutes webpage for details about each award. Some awards permit nomination by SSD staff only, while others accept nominations from people who are not employed by SSD (e.g., students, parents, partner district staff, and other community members). Consider submitting a nomination and help us provide the recognition they deserve for their meaningful work in SSD!
PAC Corner
PAC Meeting Dates
Meeting Dates will be held at the NMKS Library from 6:30pm-8:00pm on the following dates:
February 9, 2023
April 20, 2023
Wellness Corner
Goals versus Resolutions
It’s that time of the year again when everyone wants a “fresh start” and make their New Year’s resolutions. But what is a resolution and how is different from a goal? While resolutions are statements of intention, goals are statements of commitment. While resolutions can be vague (“I want to lose weight”), goals are more specific (“I want to lose 10 lbs.”). By pairing our resolutions with goals, we can make them more achievable. Here are some strategies:
1. Clarify vague resolutions into specific goals—For example, “getting into shape” might mean a lot of different things. Be specific-“I will increase my strength”, “I will improve my cardiovascular fitness”, etc.
2. Broaden binary resolutions into thematic goals—Making a goal of “I will work out every day” can trap us into that frame of mind that if I don’t work out one day, our resolution is sunk. Instead, allow yourself some grace and focus on long-term progress.
3. Pair your goal with a simple, comprehensive plan—Make a plan that breaks your goal into smaller, more manageable milestones that work towards your desired outcome. For example, if your resolution was to run a marathon by the end of the year, you may start out with one mile, and gradually building up your mileage throughout the weeks and months until 26.2 miles is realistic and manageable.
4. Design a strategy around small, sustainable changes—Make a list of actions that will help you towards progression of your resolution. Pick one item from that list daily and focus on it. “Making just one small change in our daily repetitive routine is a crucial step to alleviate the resistance that comes with change”, according to Biztuition CEO Julie Christopher.
Change is hard. Research from University College in London shoed that it takes 66 days to completely break from an old habit. But, making a plan, taking things one step at a time, and preparing for all the “what ifs” will definitely put us on the right track for success!
2023 Dates to Remember-January
National Braille Day (1.4)
Law Enforcement Appreciation Day (SRO) (1.9)
STAFF SPOTLIGHT
Michelle Mezyk
Jacqueline "JJ" Velk
Tim Donovan
My name is Tim and this is my 33rd year with SSD. The last year and a half I've been lucky enough to work with a great group of people at North Glendale Elementary School in the Kirkwood School District as a paraprofessional. Before that I worked with students at Wirtz and Litzsinger. I tell people I won the lottery when I was able to transfer to North Glendale. Dana Meinecke and the rest of the staff helped me adjust to working with a population of students I hadn't worked with in decades. I enjoy watching the students make progress and receive a large degree of self satisfaction from it. In my spare time I enjoy reading, mostly history and current events, watching black and white movies from the 40's, and listening to Motown and jazz. I especially like John Coltrane and spending time with my great nieces and nephews. I also enjoy eating out with my friends. Once I retire I plan to do volunteer work.
Helpful Links
Upcoming Events
SSD Board of Education Meetings:
January 10, 2023 Board of Education Work Study 5:45 PM
January 24, 2023 Board of Education Meeting 7:00 PM
Please visit the SSD Board of Education for more information.
Kirkwood School District Board of Education Meetings:
January 9, 2023 Board Work Session 5:00 PM
January 23, 2023 Board Meeting 7:00 PM
Please visit the Kirkwood Board of Education for more information.
January 5, 2023 School Resumes for Students
January 11, 2023 SSD PAC 7:00 PM
January 16, 2023 NO SCHOOL-MLK Day Observed
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