SSD/Valley Park Monthly Dispatch
April 2023
Staff Spotlight
Our staff give 110% every day for our students and community. Spring break gives them a moment to catch their breath and connect with loved ones! Students worked with Mrs. Fox and Mrs. Doerr to capture their time off and practice their communication skills. Check out highlights from spring break! AND a big thanks to Mrs. Doerr, Mrs. Fox, and their amazing team for focusing on communication every day!
Mrs. Turner
Mrs. Nix
In Mrs. Nix’s interview, she shared that her family went to Kansas City and went to Lego Land (and that it was pretty cool). Now that we are back from break, she is excited that the weather is getting warmer and school is almost out for summer!
Ms. Schroeder
Ms. Schroeder’s favorite part of spring break was going hiking and meeting some horses. However, she too was excited about seeing staff and students this week!
Mrs. Farache was also interviewed! She enjoyed spending time with my family and kids. And was excited to come back and get to teach our students again!
Wellness Corner - Tips for Supporting Children’s Mental Health
Communication is key with teachers, the school, doctors, and our children.
- Establish school-day routines early (homework and bedtime).
- Get involved
- Encourage open communication
- Incorporate positive reinforcement. Tell them when they are doing well
- Maintain an optimistic tone and positive attitude with children
- Practice expectations
- Exercise compassion. Our students are scared, anxious, worried
- COMMUNICATE with your child, your child’s teachers and school. Listen and acknowledge their fears. Give them coping strategies for when they are afraid.
- Read books or watch educational cartoons about things you may be concerned about for your child.
- Set up school zones and expectations. Make sure you have a place that is quiet to do their homework and keep their backpack in one place. Perhaps pick the outfit out the night before.
Dream Big Career Camp - MIDDLE SCHOOL
What is Dream Big Career Camp?
The Dream Big Career Camp serve middle school students with disabilities who are interested in learning about careers that would lead towards economic independence when they become adults. The goal of Dream Big is to help students explore the range of career options that are available. To do this, we will host a week-long camp during the summer where students visit top employers in the St. Louis region to engage with disability welcoming workplaces. This week of camp students will we introduce to a miscellaneous mixture of careers that will allow them to explore many different career paths as possible!
Who should attend Dream Big?
· Students with disabilities in grades 6, 7, and 8
· Participating students should be interested in exploring a 2- or 4-year college/university or trade/technical school or other forms post-secondary education
When is Dream Big?
· July 24-28 – 8:00am-4:00pm: Dream Big Endless Possibilities | For students interested in learning about a variety of careers
o Care will be available 1 hour before and 1 hour after camp time.
Where is Dream Big located?
Dream Big Camp will be hosted at Missouri Botanical Garden’s Education Center, where families can drop off and pick up campers. Students and Dream Big staff will be together as a group with companies participating either virtually or on-site. Accessible transportation to and from company site visits will be provided for all campers.
How much does Dream Big cost?
Camp cost is $500 per week.
Information about tuition assistance is available upon request.
Questions? Please contact Danielle Giuffrida at dgiuffrida@starkloff.org or (314) 860-2238 or visit our website at https://dreambigcamp.org/.
FACE (Family and Community Engagement)
Last call for applicants to the Family Leadership Institute (FLI)!
FLI is a great mopportunity 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!
Flier 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.
- Please click here for more information on SSD’s Satellite Food Pantry at The Family Resource Hub at North Tech High School.
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:
The Brain Injury Association of Missouri (BIA-MO) is pleased to offer educational scholarships for survivors of brain injury to pursue post-secondary education. Please click here for more information.
Community Autism Expo:
Visit with local organizations to learn about services and resources available for individuals with autism and their families. Please click here for more information.
Spring Events and Summer Camp Information
Our amazing PT, Jean, shared the below information with me!
- Variety Club summer camp registration is already up and you can register your child until February 9th.
https://varietystl.org/impact/recreation/camp-2023/
- TASK in Fenton usually has summer camps as well, but they are not up yet. Important to note that in order to do the summer camp, you've had to have done an activity through them during the school year. There are still sign ups for spring options.
There are a variety of spring events as well:
- SPENSA soccer at World Wide Technology Soccer park starts in April. Registration is not yet up.
- Challenger baseball
- The Chesterfield YMCA has also started a more involved adaptive sports program. https://gwrymca.org/ymca-adaptive-sports. The south county one is underway as well.
- TASK in Fenton taskstl.org
Recreation Council
What does this mean for you?
It means we are accepting new voucher applications for our various vouchers including, CARE (Community Access Recreation Experiences) & Recreation Supports, After-School/Extended Day, Overnight Camp (both mini-camp and week-long camps after January 15th), and Experiential/Adventure vouchers.
Below is the Recreation Council's summer resource packet with you all. Funding is open for families. The link to voucher applications is https://recreationcouncil.org/applications/#st-louis-county
Kid to Camp Program
SEF Accepting Applications for Kid to Camp Program: 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.
Valley Park Visitor Management System
Valley Park School District welcomes parents and other community members into our schools for special events, meetings, tours, and other occasions. However, keeping our students and staff safe while at school is something we take very seriously. To increase security at all our school buildings, we have started using the Hall Pass Visitor Management System to track visitors. The system is simple and easy to use. The only thing you need is a government-issued ID. For more information, click here.
VP Upcoming Events
To access key school information, please go to the following sites:
Valley Park Elementary School: https://www.vp.k12.mo.us/Domain/8
Valley Park Middle School: https://www.vp.k12.mo.us/Domain/9
Valley Park High School: https://www.vp.k12.mo.us/Domain/10
Valley Park Early Childhood Center: https://www.vp.k12.mo.us/domain/364
Message to Families - from Valley Park
One Community. One Campus. Limitless Learning.
The Valley Park School District is dedicated to providing a safe and supportive environment of belonging where personalized learning experiences prepare our students holistically for limitless opportunities, empowering them to make the world a better place.
Please keep up to date with Dr. Dilg's communications in regards to our Return to Learn Plan:
Contact Us
Special School District of St. Louis County
12110 Clayton Road
Town & Country, MO 63131
Phone: 314‐989‐8100
Julie Schroeder
- Director
- jmschroeder@ssdmo.org
Dana Evans
- School Social Worker
- devans@ssdmo.org
Dani Rock
- School Psychologist
- dcrock@ssdmo.org
Website: https://www.vp.k12.mo.us/Page/1
Location: One Main St, Valley Park, MO 63088
Phone: (636) 923-3500