Parent University - Sat., Feb. 25

The Special Services Department of Woodstock School District 200 would like to invite you to the upcoming Parent University on Saturday, February 25, 2012, from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., at Woodstock North High School. This year, District 200 has partnered with McHenry High School District 156, Harvard School District 50, Johnsburg School District 12 and Alden-Hebron School District 19 to bring a wide variety of topics for parents of children of all ages.

  

This event is a great opportunity to hear locally- and nationally-known speakers present on topics including preparing for the social aspects of college, bullying, underage drinking, ADHD and more. 

The keynote speaker is Dr. Dennis Embry, whose presentation, "Five Things Every Parent Can Do to Protect Their Children For a Lifetime," will give parents and guardians valuable tools to make their children "happy, healthy, safe and living to their maximum abilities and goals."

A resource fair featuring 18 different agencies will also be available. 

  

Details of the Parent University can be found by clicking here. To register, click here. You can also register at the door on February 25.

 

FREE childcare will be provided. Please be sure to attend this important, fun, and FREE event!

Free webinar on Jan. 25 - depression in children

Peggy Kubert

The BalancedMind Foundation will offer a free webinar on Wednesday, January 25.

Executive Director of Erika's Lighthouse (Evanston, Ill.), Peggy Kubert, AM, LCSW, will discuss their Parent Handbook on Child & Adolescent Depression. 

 

This unique and practical guide was written for parents whose children are suffering from depression by parents who have been through similar issues with their children. The discussion will explore some of the typical family dynamics which occur when a child is dealing with depression, and will offer tools and techniques to address common issues. A limited number of complimentary handbooks will be available to webinar participants.

Some of the topics we will explore include: 

• How to establish expectations of "acceptable behavior" for all family members (including your child with depression).  
• How to talk with your depressed child, close family members and friends about the illness and treatment of depression.
• How to practice active listening skills as a way to connect with all family members.
• Exploring ways to strengthen yourself and the family during challenging times

Date: Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Time:    8:00 – 9:00 AM Pacific
               9:00 – 10:00 AM Mountain
             10:00 – 11:00 AM Central
             11:00 – Noon Eastern

System Requirements
PC-based attendees
Required: Windows® 7, Vista, XP or 2003 Server

Macintosh®-based attendees
Required: Mac OS® X 10.5 or newer

Reserve your Webinar seat now: 
https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/316282830

Autism center opens January 14

Are you interested in autism, or do you have a family member or friend who would benefit from services in the autism coimmunity?

Spectrum Support, LLC, will hold an open house on Saturday, January 14, at its new center at 1575 West Lake Shore Drive, Woodstock. Turn off U.S. 14 at the traffic light where Culver's is. Instead of turning right into Culver's (you can do that later), turn left and head toward Towels & More.

Spectrum Support is in the building on your right. There is plenty of parking.

10:00AM Doors open. Meet & greet.
10:30AM Information about Spectrum Support center.
11:00AM Options & Advocacy
11:30AM Talk About Curing Autism (TACA)
12:00PM Open discussions with providers
1:00PM Nature's First Medical, Dr. Scott Morris
2:00PM MJ Thinks Social
3:00PM Open discussions with providers
4:00PM Center closes

For information, call 815.337.7570

Speech therapy services are available on-site from Talk Time Speech Academy (Tammy Basel).

Kirk Martin - available January 2012

"Families are under assault. Defiance, disrespect and power struggles are common. There is too much yelling and screaming. Marriages are suffering. Schools and churches are not immune. It's time to fight back with practical, concrete action steps.
 

"How can parents get back control over their homes if they can't control themselves? How can we teach our kids self-control if we don't model it? We show parents and teachers step-by-step how to discipline AND build close, trusting relationships. It's unlike any training you've ever experienced. And it's coming to Chicago. If YOU act."

Can you relate to the above?

Contact your schools now. Forward this to principals, staff, teachers and other decision-makers in your school district. Ask them to bring Kirk Martin to McHenry County during the week of January 18-23.


For information on Kirk's programs, go to www.celebratecalm.com and call Brett at 888.506.1871 regarding scheduling and information.

How many schools operate like this?

How many schools operate on a zero-tolerance policy that actually defeats progress, whether educationally, emotionally or in any other way?

Read this week's email blast from Kirk Martin at www.celebratecalm.com

It's about 9-year-old Sam and a problem in the classroom. Sam ended up with a 10-day suspension, thanks to a head-in-the-sand rule about zero tolerance.

You may be able to find the article from this week's newsletter on the Celebrate Calm website. If not, sign up for their free e-newsletter and don't miss future messages that you'll be glad to receive.

Kirk and his son, Casey, come through the Chicagoland area periodically, and you'll want to attend one of his parent workshops or teacher trainings. For information about scheduling, call 888.506.1871 And check out the DVDs on the website. They are worth every penny.

Parent Empowerment Call - Oct. 6

The McHenry County Mental Health Board and Family CARE announce the next Parent Empowerment Call, which will be Thursday, October 6, at 12:00PM (Noon).

Parents of children with emotional or illnesses or disabilities are invited to dial in just before Noon on this toll-free call. The topic for October 6 will be "Advocating for a Lifetime."

These are educational calls being offered to all parents in Illinois who have a child with an emotional and/or behavioral concern, and will focus on giving parents information they need to advocate for and support their children.

Call the following toll-free number, 800-260-0712, and use this Participant Access Code: 182276. The presenters on this call will be Family Consumer Specialists.

If you have questions about the Parent Empowerment Calls, call Judy Hutchinson, Family Consumer Specialist, DHS Division of Mental Health Child and Adolescent Services, at 618-838-9382.

Did your child regress over the summer?

Parents, how are your kids doing in this new school year? Have they settled into the "groove"?

Were you concerned last spring that your child might regress over the summer, if he didn't have some structured school work (math, reading, spelling) to do over the summer? Did you try to get your school district to provide summer school for him? Schools, of course, have a fancy name now for summer school - it's Extended School Year (ESY).

How hard did you fight with your school district last spring to get ESY services for your child? You knew he or she would fall behind, didn't you? After all, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that, if a child is struggling throughout the school year to learn and to keep up, s/he will not retain what was learned, once the atmosphere changes.

What was the reception from your Special Education department at your child's school last spring? Did they refuse ESY?

And what has happened this fall? You were right, weren't you? Now what are you going to do about it?

Do not sit back and expect the Special Ed Department to say, "Oops, we made a mistake. Let's see how we are going to fix this problem fast."

You need to be at your kid's school, at the office of the Special Ed Director (oh, I remember; now called Special Services...), and at the office of the District Superintendent. And maybe at school board meetings.

Demand the necessary services for your child to get the education he is supposed to get. If he is in the 11th Grade and reading or doing math at a 3rd Grade level, what is the District's plan to educate your child, for which the administrators and teachers are being paid handsomely, whether or not your child gets educated or not? Results! Get results, not promises!