SSD/Clayton Dispatch
December 2022
Upcoming Events
School District of Clayton Calendar
December 6 Clayton PAC.ED 6:30pm (zoom Details below)
December 22-January 2 Winter Break
January 3 Teacher Work Day (No Students)
January 4 Classes Resume
Staff Milestone
15 Years
Cheryl Fleming
25 Years
Meaghan Milnes
St. Louis Zoo’s Sensory-Friendly Wild Lights Night
Dec. 9, 5:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.: Nothing says St. Louis Christmas quite like Wild Lights at the St. Louis Zoo. Your family can stroll through the grounds surrounded by a million lights, including animated displays, fireside stories, campfire s’mores, photo opportunities, and more. This event is made sensory-friendly with trained staff on-hand and quiet areas to help your child decompress. Get more information and tickets at stlzoo.org.
Saint Charles Christmas Traditions on Historic Main Street – Sensory-friendly tours
The Historic Main Street of Saint Charles is a magical and fun place to visit during the Holiday season. With a new inclusion initiative, Saint Charles is now offering guided sensory-friendly tours. These guided tours are conducted twice daily by sensory specialists. Each 90-minute tour introduces guests to several Christmas Legends and ends with an opportunity to get your picture with Santa and a full deck of 2019 Saint Charles Christmas Traditions trading cards. Tours are Saturdays and Sundays during the holiday festival. For more information, including dates and times, visit discoverstcharles.com.
Scholarship Opportunities for SSD High School Seniors
Several scholarships are available for students who receive SSD services! High school seniors who plan to enroll in a college, university or postsecondary program after graduation this spring should review the following opportunities.
Applications for The James E. Westbury/SSD Board of Education Scholarship, The Allison M. Haake Memorial Scholarship, and The Bonhomme Lions Club Scholarship must receive at least one service from SSD and plan to enroll in a college, university, or postsecondary program. All scholarships require a letter of recommendation. Applications are due Dec. 16, 2022. Visit ssdmo.org/scholarships for more information.
The Special Education Foundation (SEF) sponsors the John Cary Scholarships for high school seniors, as well. Applications are due Jan. 24, 2023.
SSD Staff Encouraged to Nominate Students for Zander Award
Since 1988, SSD has sponsored The Rosemary Zander Awards for students receiving at least one service from SSD and have demonstrated extraordinary progress and an excellent attitude. The award has long recognized the accomplishments of students receiving services or technical education courses from SSD.
Students have been honored for success in a variety of categories – academics, arts, athletics, communications, vocational training, employment, independent living skills, community service, and extracurricular activities. Recipients of the award must be nominated by an SSD staff member using the The Rosemary Zander Awards form by Dec. 16, 2022.
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!
SSD Board of Education Election
Candidate filing for three open seats on the Special School District’s Board of Education opens at 8 AM on Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2022 and continues until 5 PM on Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2022. One of the available seats represents Subdistrict 7 - Clayton and Rockwood school districts. Interested in learning more about the filing process, eligibility, or the responsibilities/time commitments of an SSD Board member? Visit the Board Election section of the District website.
To keep students engaged through the school year, Dream Big hosts career exploration events during the academic year, where students have the opportunity to interact with a variety of professionals in different career clusters. The professionals share their educational and career journeys and lead participants in an activity related to the field. Students who participate in the academic year events would also be encouraged to apply for our Dream Big Summer Camp. All the FREE academic year events are currently held virtually on the Zoom platform.
December 7th: Creative and Digital Arts
Family and Community Engagement
Assistive Technology Workshop: Join FACE for a workshop all about assistive technology. In this virtual session, participants will be introduced to Assistive Technology, by SSD Assistive Technology Specialist Kim White. Learn how to request an AT consultation and participate in demonstrations of universal tools available to all SSD students. Examples will be provided for low- and high-tech AT options that can be implemented in the home and school environments. Click here to register: Assistive Technology Workshop Registration
Sibshops at ARC:
Wednesday, December 14 4:30 – 6:00 pm , Monthly on the second Wednesday
Location:
St. Louis Arc
1177 N Warson Rd, St. Louis, MO 63132, US
Ages: Siblings ages 7 – 15
Sibshops offer an opportunity for brothers and sisters of children with disabilities to get peer support and education within a recreational context. This free series includes a fun mix of information, games, activities, and discussion. Children between the ages of 7-15 years old who have a sibling with a disability are encouraged to participate. For more information, contact Lee Anna Sanders at 314-817-2269.
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.
ARCH Respite Flier: https://share.peachjar.com/https://share.peachjar.com/flyers/2372403/districts/50008flyers/2372403/districts/50008
Lunch and Learn Series 2022 - 2023: 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:
Recreation Council of Greater St. Louis, Summer Resources - Dec. 15, 2022
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.
The Recreation Council would like its readers to know that our new fiscal year 2023 began on October 1, 2022 and runs through September 30, 2023. 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 ater January 15th), and Experiential/Adventure vouchers.
- Link to PDF:
PAC.ED: Parent Advisory Council of Children with Educational Diversity
It is never too early to start thinking about Summer options! Whether you are thinking about this Summer or subsequent Summers! Knowledge is power when planning for your student. Programs such as SWEP (Summer Work Experience Program) have deadlines in early February!
Please join us Tuesday, December 6th 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm via Zoom. Jeff Strasburg Assistant Coordinator of SWEP Services, MERS Goodwill and Janice Ivey, Coordinator of Services funded by the Productive Living Board will be presenting and answering your questions.
Also, don’t forget to check out the following links:
· Clayton Disability History & Awareness Proclamation Clayton Disability History & Awareness Proclamation (including presentation video).
· Award Winning Disability History & Awareness Video Series 2021.
· Intelligent Lives (the film) & Panel Discussion – available in three(3) formats including Spanish.
· Disability Awareness Video Showcase – a collection of films from acclaimed Director and Advocate Dan Habib.
PAC.ED: Parent Advisory Council of Children with Educational Diversity, advocates for awareness, understanding, equity, and inclusion of and for all students with disabilities in the School District of Clayton. PAC.ED is a volunteer organization made up of families, Clayton and Special School District (SSD) staff and administrators, as well as community members.
We have wonderful actives, events and programs planned for the 2022/2023 school year!
Stay up-to-date with Clayton PAC.ED by visiting our Dashboard
For more information or questions regarding PAC.ED, please contact: Clayton PAC.ED President, Christina Blankenship at cmblankenship@sbcglobal.net , or call 314.402.4920.
SSD Parent Advisory Council (SSD PAC)
The SSD Parent Advisory Council (PAC) is comprised of families advising and collaborating to improve the education, confidence and social outcomes of each student served by SSD. The PAC consists of five parents or guardians – one member and four alternates – from each of the 22 St. Louis County school districts and from each of the five SSD special education schools. The parents or guardians of students receiving special education services in that district or school elect SSD PAC members.
The SSD PAC operates as a completely separate organization from the School District of Clayton PAC.ED. However, due to the nature of “dual district” structure that exists uniquely in St. Louis County, both PACs benefit from ongoing engagement, support, and collaboration. In fact, members of the Clayton PAC.ED often represent the School District of Clayton on the SSD PAC.
For more information check out SSD PAC or contact Christina Blankenship, call 314.402.4920, (Clayton PAC.ED President and SSD PAC (voting member).
- December 14, 2022 7-9pm via zoom
- January 11, 2023 7-9pm via zoom
- February 8, 2023 7-9pm via zoom
- April 12, 2023 7-9pm via zoom
- May 10, 2023 7-9pm via zoom
Special School District of St. Louis County
Melissa Logan, Director of Special Education
Kate Pavlisin, Instructional Coach
Email: mjlogan@ssdmo.org
Website: www.ssdmo.org
Location: 12110 Clayton Road, St. Louis, MO, USA
Phone: 314.989.8100
Facebook: www.facebook.com/SSDStLCo
Twitter: @SSDDStLCo
Clayton School District
Website: https://www.claytonschools.net/
Location: 2 Mark Twain Circle, Clayton, MO, USA
Phone: 314-854-6000