SSD/Valley Park Monthly Dispatch
September 2023
Staff Spotlight
In August, we welcomed back our fantastic SSD VP Team! We celebrated the new year with our 80s/90s theme, SSD Swag, new VP themed hats, and professional learning around belonging, inclusion, and technology.
Wellness Corner - Back to School: Parent Involvement from the CDC
A new school year gives parents new opportunities to engage in their child’s school activities. Learn how you can help create a healthy, supportive school.
Get involved! When parents participate in their child’s school activities, kids get better grades, choose healthier behaviors, and have better social skills.
- Parent involvement makes school a healthier and more supportive place.
- Your involvement shows you are committed to supporting your child’s learning and development!
How You Can Get Involved in School Activities:
- Become part of the decision-making process for school health policies and practices. For example, ask to join the school wellness team.
- Ask the school to offer opportunities for parents to engage in school health activities, like a districtwide fitness challenge, family nights, or family wellness events.
- Talk with your child about healthy behaviors. Reinforce messages and practices learned in school about nutrition and physical activity.
- Set goals with your child’s school or teacher for building strong, positive relationships with peers and adults who can support your child’s emotional well-being.
Back-to-school season is an ideal time for parents to reinforce behaviors that help reduce the effects of stressful life events and teach children the skills to overcome them so they can reach their full potential. Access our parent tip sheet for more information about working with your child’s school to create a healthy and supportive environment.
More information
FACE (Family and Community Engagement)
Helping Students Navigate Back-to-School Anxiety: Tips for Families: The start of a new school year can bring both excitement and apprehension for students, especially after the challenges posed by the previous year. It's not uncommon for students to experience back-to-school anxiety as they face new classrooms, teachers, and classmates. As a family member, your support and guidance play a crucial role in helping your student manage these feelings and start the year positively. Read more...
Online SSD Resources to Help Families All Year: Visit SSDMO.org for links to resources that will direct you to information that will be helpful throughout the year - bookmark the webpage to make it easy to find. The links below apply to all students county-wide who receive services from SSD.
- Partner Districts
- Partner District Communication Sequence
- IEPs - Frequently Asked Questions
- Bullying Resources
- Student & Related Services
Free Flu Shots Through BJC: Receiving a flu shot helps keep you and your community healthy! Free flu vaccinations are being provided through Barnes-Jewish Hospital. For more information or to schedule an appointment, visit https://bit.ly/3oCxqYu
FACE UPDATES - Prepare Your Calendar for Exciting FACE Events coming soon…
Charting the LifeCourse
Would you like to learn more about how you can support your student through the IEP process? Join FACE virtually on September 5th at 6pm for a webinar that will link the use of Charting the LifeCourse tools with preparing for your student’s IEP. Click here to register.
SSD Family Leadership Institute – Fall 2023
SSD's Family and Community Engagement (FACE) program is seeking applicants interested in participating in the Fall 2023 SSD Family Leadership Institute.
Family Leadership Institute participants can:
- Build an understanding of future planning and problem-solving utilizing the 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, 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 5:30-8:00 PM on September 20, 27, and October 4. Dinner will be provided for attendees.
Location: Special School District Central office Room 60-61, 12110 Clayton Road, Town and Country, Missouri 63131. (Enter at lower level circle drive)
Are you interested in joining this year's Family Leadership Institute?
Apply online! Paper applications are available by request. For more information, call 314.989.8460 or email face@ssdmo.org.
Family Cafe
Join FACE for the first Family Cafe of the 2023/24 school year. On Sep 14, 2023 at North Technical High School. FACE will join with families to provide a safe and welcoming space to connect and learn from each other. Family Cafes are centered on the Strengthening Families Protective Factors: Resilience, Relationships, Knowledge, Support, and Communication. Register today!
American Sign Language
New this year, SSD's FACE (Family and Community Engagement) will be offering an immersive environment for learning American Sign Language (ASL)! Learn to communicate with Deaf and Hard of Hearing (D/HoH) individuals with an introduction to fingerspelling and basic signs to use in the home, school, and community. There are only 20 spots available for this six part series that will be held weekly starting September 21st. Click here to register!
Lunch and Learn Series
FACE’s Lunch and Learn Series is back with an exciting lineup of presenters. This month will highlight an SSD community partner, Easter Seals. Join us live on YouTube on September 27th at 11:30am to learn all about this amazing resource.
Virtual Open House
Do you want to learn more about SSD? FACE is offering a Virtual Open House on Tuesday, September 21st at 6pm for an introduction to the services and resources available through SSD. Join us here.
SSD PAC Message
Greetings Families!
Has special education got you stressed out? The beginning of a new year and
unknowns can be extra scary with an IEP or 504. The system can be hard to
navigate even in the best districts. Those great documents, laws, & policies put
into place to help us are hard to understand. It can be a lonely journey. But you
are not alone! You have the SSD PAC.
The SSD PAC is open to every family with a child receiving SSD services. We have monthly zoom meetings. We are parents like you. We get it. You can just log on and watch. SSD and FACE share updates, great information, and presentations based on your needs. We advocate to inform policy with our parent voice. We share parent perspective to help our schools know how to best help our kids.
We’re having an in-person Family Gathering on Sept. 13, 6:30 PM, at the SSD Learning Center in Hazelwood. Please come; tap into this community that exists for you.
Your New SSD PAC President,
Rebecca Flieg
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.vpschools.org/o/vpes
Valley Park Middle School: https://www.vpschools.org/o/vpms
Valley Park High School: https://www.vpschools.org/o/vphs
Valley Park Early Childhood Center: https://www.vpschools.org/o/ecc
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
Jenna Donze
- School Psychologist
- jrdonze@ssdmo.org
Website: https://www.vp.k12.mo.us/Page/1
Location: One Main St, Valley Park, MO 63088
Phone: (636) 923-3500
SSD Valley Park Feedback
Families - we want to hear from you! If you have a celebration, concern, or idea for our SSD team - please add it to this survey. I will do my best to consider all feedback ~