SSD Webster Groves Schools
May 2022 Community Engagement Newsletter
Buddy Ball
Best Buddies at Webster Groves High School has scheduled their Buddy Ball. This event will take place on Friday, May 13th from 6:00p.m to 8:00p.m. in the WGHS Courtyards and Commons. The Buddy Ball is the end-of-year prom and banquet. It is the biggest event that Best Buddies organize and our friends in the Best Buddies group in Kirkwood will be joining the fun. Formal attire is encouraged and should be a time to celebrate friendships.
Special Olympics
On April 12, 2022, Webster Groves High School hosted a track and field event for Special Olympics. Angela Backer, Essential Skills’ teacher, and Evan Spencer, PE teacher, worked under the direction of Cliff Ice, Assistant Athletics’ Director, to create a wonderful event for our K-12 students. The high school junior class helped facilitate participation of our Special Olympians by serving as buddies. In addition to the various track and field events, athletes and buddies enjoyed carnival style games and enjoyed a lunch of hot dogs. This was such a fantastic day and it would not have been possible without the collaboration among students, staff, administrators, and families.
Although this is our most popular event, there are Special Olympic events throughout the year. These events are held throughout St. Louis County. In Webster Groves School District, our students have participated in bowling, bocce ball, as well as the track and field event this school year. If you are interested in learning more about Special Olympics, information is available on SSD’s website. If you have any questions or would like to offer feedback on our track and field event, please reach out to a member of our SSD administrative team.
In collaboration with SSD Parent Advisory Council, the Webster Groves School District Parent Advisory Council (PAC), SSD Special Education Leadership team, and the Parent Education Diversity & Awareness Program held two informational sessions on Wednesday, April 27th, and Thursday, April 28th, 2022. Attendance was small but impactful. In the sessions, we discussed how we could continue to grow the membership of the Webster Groves School District (PAC) with diverse representation from the community. We learned about the Parent Leadership Institute and the benefits of connecting and collaborating with other families to bring understanding, awareness, and support to our students with disabilities.
If you have some ideas about increasing engagement, please feel free to share. The SSD Special Education Leadership Team and the current Webster Groves School District (PAC) leadership team are planning a collaboration meeting this summer to discuss ideas, strategies, and fun social activities for the students and families. We look forward to sharing more information about upcoming activities and events in the Fall of 2022.
Thank you,
Dr. Shantay R. Wakefield
Director of Special Education
Webster Groves School District
District Office | 400 E. Lockwood Ave. | Webster Groves, MO 63119
Special School District of St. Louis County
12110 Clayton Road
Town and Country, MO 63131
Parent Education and Diversity Awareness (PEDA) Information
Are you still thinking about what to do this summer?
The PEDA Summer Resource Packet can help!
PEDA 2022 Summer Resource Packet
Other helpful resources:
St. Louis Recreation Council www.recreationcouncil.org
Blueprint for Summer https://blueprint4.com/stl/
St. Louis County Parks Activity Guide https://bit.ly/3LHpRsp
Early Childhood Summer Resource Guide https://adobe.ly/3vSuol1
Coming Soon!
Applications will be available soon for the Fall 2022 semester SSD Family Leadership Institute FLI (Formerly Parent Leadership Institute PLI).
The Institute which has over 275 graduates to date, was created for families in 2007 to offer information, training, and resources. Participants gain the knowledge and skills to effectively collaborate with other families, school personnel and develop leadership for SSD and their home districts.
Participants will:
- Build understanding of future planning and problem-solving, utilizing Charting the LifeCourse tools;
- Learn to effectively participate in their child’s education and improve the educational climate for all children;
- Learn how to positively interact and collaborate with other families and school personnel; and
- Discover new resources and network with other families.
FLI Graduates have:
- Served on School boards
- Been elected as Parent Advisory Council (PAC) President(s)
- Actively participated in SSD and/or local school district PACs
- And further increased their leadership training in policy development and mentorship.
Contact us at ssdpeda@ssdmo.org or call 314.989.8460 if you have any questions or concerns.
Some Quotes from graduates.
- Thank you so much for everything! I feel very lucky to have found this opportunity.
- It was helpful to learn how Charting LifeCourse Tools could play a part in every step of the way.
- The topics and presenters made the program engaging and informative.
- Learned a lot about planning for my child’s future and the IEP process.
- I'm really glad I signed up for this program. I had no idea what to expect and learned so, so much about the available tools and all the SSD processes we will be experiencing during his life.
- The deep dive on the IEP history/process was incredibly helpful to give a framework on my ability to participate since my family is very new to the IEP process.
- The IEP information was incredibly helpful. It was a bit like pulling back the curtain on something that was previously a complete mystery.
- I am so thankful for this workshop and for the information, and materials you’ve shared w/ me. Thanks for facilitating the training so well. It’s great to have a safe space to talk openly with experts and other parents about education, IEPs, 504, Inclusion, challenges, etc. The choice of speaker, topics, resources and lending library was all great.
- Amazing group of people. Chance for honest conversations. Helps me be a better advocate & team member.
- Amazing experience – tons of knowledge shared. Lots of great connections with families. Better understanding of IEP process. I feel empowered to do more – create positive change. Opened my eyes to some realities approaching with transition to adulthood.
- We received a lot of great information in this class! I has made me change the way I look at the whole process, and how I approach things with my daughter. I am so grateful that I was given this opportunity!
- I am no longer feeling so alone & confused. Feel I can be a better advocate.
- Attending this institute was an awesome opportunity I turned out to be much more than I expected. It gave me a better understanding about the transition process & how I can best support my child through transition. It generated a lot of ideas for my child’s last IEP. I feel so much more equipped to navigate SSD=land, as well as help others navigate it too.
- Amazing. Blessing. You’ve enabled me to think more positively and concretely about my son’s future. I have always said “there’s no outline for me to follow” – but you’ve given me the framework I desired, support & connections!
Lunch & Learn
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:
- St. Louis County Library – May 4