SSD/Valley Park Monthly Dispatch
May 2023
Staff Spotlight
Our staff are often recognized for the supports they give our students during the school day. However, we have 5 staff right now, going above and beyond, to support our students after school during athletics! When our staff support the full Valley Park school community, it showcases our partnership and deepens relationships with all students. See below for additional highlights ~
Alicia Wilson - Head Varsity Track & Field Coach
Coach Alicia Wilson has done an amazing job with our track & field program over the last 3 years. In addition to coaching multiple student-athletes to break school records, Coach Wilson has also created a culture that has led to us fielding the largest team we’ve had in years at Valley Park. Her commitment to coaching the individual student-athlete through the sport is exceptional and we are very lucky to have her serving our kids! Her athletes added that she goes above and beyond to support them and help them be successful (on and off the track).
Jamie Papan - Head Middle School Track & Field Coach
Coach Jamie Papan is doing an incredible job pulling double duty for Valley Park serving as our middle school assistant volleyball coach and middle school track and field coach! Coach Papan is highly organized and dedicated to creating an environment where our middle school athletes can learn to love the sport and develop as people. Coach Papan is an amazing asset to our district athletics program!
Girls on the Run Coaches:
- Kerry Bonastia
- Kim Nix
- Mary Turner
The mission of Girls on the Run is to inspire girls to be joyful, healthy, and confident. This includes teaching girls to know and activate their limitless potential and is free to boldly pursue their dreams. This is what Kerry, Kim, and Mary do as a team each and every day.
The head coach for Girls on the Run shared that all three of them are the best! They work hard to make sure that our shared kids get what they need. They are flexible yet consistent. They make my job easier with the support they provide for the students and me too! I feel privileged to work with such wonderful master teachers.
Wellness Corner - 10 Best Mental Health Podcasts of 2023
10 Best Mental Health Podcasts of 2023
With topics ranging from anxiety and depression to self-love and substance abuse, these listens focused on emotional wellness have something for everyone.
Podcasts are a really popular form of entertainment right now. In fact, one study found that 26% of U.S. adults said they had listened to a podcast in the week leading up to the survey in 2022 — compared to just 7% in 2013. That’s partly due to the fact that you can listen to podcasts pretty much anywhere, most are free or low-cost, and listening to them enables you to dive into issues that you may not be very familiar with — especially when it comes to mental health topics.
With millions of podcasts available to listen to, there is truly something for everyone. Whether you’ve recently been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and want to learn about other people’s coping strategies, have a child struggling with an eating disorder and hope to be a better supporter, are trying to maintain a more positive outlook through a rough patch or just want to raise your awareness of mental health issues in general — podcasts can help.
However, with so many podcasts to choose from, it can be overwhelming to pick one, so we’ve done the research for you and compiled the best mental health podcasts of 2023 depending on what you’re in the mood for. Of course, this list doesn’t touch on every mental health issue that exists, but it will provide a safe, comforting, and wholesome place for most people to start with.
Our top picks
- Best for general mental health: We Can Do Hard Things
- Best for body positivity: iWeigh
- Best for heavy topics: The Mental Illness Happy Hour
- Best for Black women: Therapy for Black Girls
- Best for couples: Where Should We Begin?
- Best for mindful nutrition: Maintenance Phase
- Best for depression: The Hilarious World of Depression
- Best for variety: Feel Better, Live More With Dr. Chatterjee
- Best for managing mood swings: The Happiness Lab
- Best for boosting happiness: Happier: With Gretchen Rubin
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)
Join the FACE team on May 24th for a Lunch and Learn to discover new and exciting ways to engage your students this summer. Face will highlight various local opportunities as well as ways to keep your students’ skills sharp over the summer break.
The Community Action Agency of St. Louis County (CAASTL) will be at the HUB, located in North County Technical School, on May 12, 2023 from 9-4pm. CAASTL can help families in need of rental assistance, utility assistance, and weatherization needs.
SUMMER HOURS FOR THE HUB: Access to the HUB, located in North Technical High School, will only be available over the summer by appointment. Email face@ssdmo.org to make an appointment.
Still on the hunt for good summer camps or activities?
There are search engines that can help with that. Blueprint 4 Summer and Kids out and About are great resources to help fill those hot summer days.
Youth Mental Health First Aid Training is available for families in SSD. The course is located at Maryland Heights Community Center on July 22, 2023 from 9 - 3:30 PM. The course introduces common mental health challenges for youth, reviews adolescent development, and teaches a 5-step action plan for how to help young people in both crisis and non-crisis situations. To join us please register at https://forms.gle/CRFvDJH76XbSyFQg7. Seats are limited. Register to become a mental health first aider today.
The National Association on Mental Illness (NAMI) offers meaningful resources to support youth, educators, families, and caregivers have productive discussions about mental health with youth and young adults. Please visit the website to review the resources. https://www.nami.org/Your-Journey/Kids-Teens-and-Young-Adults/Youth-and-Young-Adult-Resources
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.
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