• welcome

    Steilacoom Historical School District's Student Services department is committed to providing support to families, staff, and students to ensure every student achieves meaningful and challenging learning outcomes. More information on Special Education, Childfind, and Section 504 services can be found at the links on the left. Student Services also oversees school counselors, found in each of our schools and the Home Hospital program.

     

    Contact Us 
     
    Executive Director  Gudrun Sullivan
    Assistant Director of Student Services  Tabitha Ellison
    Student Services Department Specialist  Julie Anderson
     
     
    511 Chambers Street
    Steilacoom, WA 98388
    Phone: (253) 983-2238
    Fax: (253) 582-9274 
     

    Updates on Special Education

    September 4, 2020

    Hello, SHSD families! We're excited to begin the 2020-2021 school year. During September our staff will focus on social emotional learning, building relationships, and developing our remote learning communities while also gathering data to help inform planning for academic instruction. 

    Your student's case manager will be contacting you to develop a plan for providing support in both remote and hybrid instructional models. Data collected during this time will help your student's team determine areas of need and plan to meet those needs. For some students, this may include participating in on-site services. We appreciate your patience as we go through this process. In addition to the typical time needed for meetings, planning, and implementation, we now need extra time to ensure that health and safety measures are in place. Please contact Student Services at (253) 983-2238 if you haven't heard from your student's case manager by September 11th. 
     
    We are so thankful for the support from our community. Together we will make this year a great one. 
     
     

    August 13, 2020

    Hello, SHSD families! 

    This summer has flown by quickly, and we're close to beginning the 2020-2021 school year. We appreciate all who have reached out to share questions, concerns, and input. The emergency conditions in the spring interrupted traditional learning for all students, and many students with disabilities experienced an even greater impact. 
     
    Although the public health conditions necessitate a remote learning model for the district overall, we do have more flexibility than we had in the spring to customize the model for individual students' needs. IEP teams will have a variety of options to consider, including direct individualized and small group instruction provided remotely and in person. Your student's case manager will contact you at the beginning of the school year to discuss all options. 
     
    Many families have shared with us their students' struggles with social isolation in addition to academic concerns. OSPI acknowledged this issue and has provided all districts in the state to begin the new school year with an emphasis on social emotional learning and helping students connect with their learning communities. While students and staff engage in SEL and community-building activities, teachers will also gather data to identify students' learning needs and any gaps resulting from building closures in the spring. This data will help teams to work together with you to determine which instructional models and methods are best for your student. 
     
    Please feel free to call Student Services if you have questions. 
     
     

    July 13, 2020

    As the 2020-2021 school year quickly approaches, we are engaged in planning to ensure we're ready to welcome all of our students back and provide quality instruction in a variety of formats. Our district has established four workgroups with the following focus areas: 1.) Teaching and Learning; 2.) Operations; 3.) Whole Child; and 4.) Family and Community. The plans for every focus area must align with guidelines from the Department of Health, Labor and Industries, and OSPI. The safety of students and staff is our foremost consideration.

    All districts in our state have been directed to design flexible instructional plans that can be delivered in-person, remotely, and through a hybrid model. There is a possibility that districts may need to shift between these structures throughout the school year in accordance with changes in health and safety guidelines. While all students have been and will continue to be impacted by public health closures and restrictions, we recognize that students with disabilities often experience an even greater impact due to their unique needs.

    Every workgroup is considering the needs of students with disabilities during this planning process. OSPI has directed districts to prioritize face-to-face service for students who are most impacted by the loss of in-person services, including students with disabilities. We recognize that equity does not mean that all students will receive the same amount of in-person instruction. If schools are unable to fully re-open in the fall, IEP teams will make individualized decisions about how to best meet the needs of students within the parameters of health and safety guidelines.

    Our district will be offering a new K-12 online academy option. All district offerings will be made accessible for students with disabilities. IEP teams may also consider combined options as appropriate for individual students. We are looking forward to working with you to design an instructional plan that will meet the needs of your child and family. 

    We sincerely appreciate the patience and grace our families have shown as we navigate through the guidelines from multiple state agencies and learn how to provide quality flexible instruction through a variety of modalities. As the world faces the myriad challenges resulting from the pandemic, we recognize that we are fortunate to be a part of this very supportive community that is committed to doing what’s best for kids. Please feel free to contact me over the summer with any questions or concerns. 

    Gudrun Sullivan

    Gudrun Sullivan

    Executive Director of Student Services