BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//Parents Council of Washington - ECPv6.15.20//NONSGML v1.0//EN
CALSCALE:GREGORIAN
METHOD:PUBLISH
X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://www.parentscouncil.org
X-WR-CALDESC:Events for Parents Council of Washington
REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H
X-Robots-Tag:noindex
X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H
BEGIN:VTIMEZONE
TZID:America/New_York
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:EDT
DTSTART:20070311T070000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:EST
DTSTART:20071104T060000
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:EDT
DTSTART:20080309T070000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:EST
DTSTART:20081102T060000
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:EDT
DTSTART:20090308T070000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:EST
DTSTART:20091101T060000
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:EDT
DTSTART:20100314T070000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:EST
DTSTART:20101107T060000
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:EDT
DTSTART:20110313T070000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:EST
DTSTART:20111106T060000
END:STANDARD
END:VTIMEZONE
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20100512T090000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20100512T120000
DTSTAMP:20260424T153237
CREATED:20160406T182323Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20160823T173653Z
UID:1558-1273654800-1273665600@www.parentscouncil.org
SUMMARY:2010 Spring Representative Roundtable
DESCRIPTION:Program Summary \nThe Spring Rep Roundtable focused on briefing the parent reps about the high school Student Leader Breakfast and the Middle School Student Leader Forum. After an initial briefing reps broke into groups two groups\, one focused on high school and one on middle school issues. \nThe parent reps in the group focused on middle school issues continued to discuss the Middle School Student Leader Forum. They talked about the meeting of the middle school deans\, counselors\, and other school administrators who met concurrently with the students. Many of the issues raised by the students were also raised by the school leaders. The reps in the high school group shared strategies for addressing alcohol and drug prevention\, and how to best provide information to students. Both groups were reminded to use PCW as a sounding board to gather suggestions from how member schools address various issues. After the lively discussions\, reps met with their PCW Board liaisons to provide any feedback about PCW programs and to make sure that any transitions from current reps are made smoothly to reps for the 2010-2011 school year. Summaries of the high school and middle school programs are available here.
URL:https://www.parentscouncil.org/event/2010-pcw-spring-rep-roundtable/
LOCATION:National Presbyterian School\, 4121 Nebraska Avenue Northwest\, Washington\, DC \, 20016\, United States
CATEGORIES:Parent Association President and PCW School Representative Events
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20100420T090000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20100420T120000
DTSTAMP:20260424T153237
CREATED:20160406T182323Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20160824T201023Z
UID:1557-1271754000-1271764800@www.parentscouncil.org
SUMMARY:2010 Deans' Luncheon
DESCRIPTION:Program Summary \nOn Tuesday\, April 20th\, 2010\, seventeen upper school deans from our member schools gathered at Landon School to discuss current topics. This meeting followed our student leader breakfast\, where selected high school leaders were invited to share their views and thoughts about a variety of issues they and their peers face every day. The deans were given a detailed anonymous transcript from the breakfast\, which allowed them to “hear” and respond to the concerns of their students. \nThe deans expressed their unanimous gratitude for the opportunity to meet. They were able to network and to discuss important topics to which they often respond independently. In addition\, they were able to share the differences in their school policies on topics such as discipline\, dances\, and drugs and alcohol. Deans said that this meeting was more valuable than most\, because they were able to talk freely and frankly about serious topics they encounter in their roles as dean of students.
URL:https://www.parentscouncil.org/event/2010-pcw-spring-deans-roundtable/
LOCATION:Landon School\, United States
CATEGORIES:Upper School Dean of Students Program
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20100414T090000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20100414T113000
DTSTAMP:20260424T153237
CREATED:20160406T182323Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20160819T183611Z
UID:1556-1271235600-1271244600@www.parentscouncil.org
SUMMARY:2010 Middle School Student Leader Breakfast
DESCRIPTION:Program Summary\n\nThe Parents Council of Washington piloted the first ever Middle School Student Leader Breakfast at The Potomac School on April 14\, 2010. It was modeled after our extremely popular Student Leader Breakfast for high school student leaders. Forty-four students (7th graders) from twenty-two middle schools engaged in an active discussion of issues ranging from peers and cliques; self-confidence and appearance; teacher relationships; and matters surrounding Facebook\, texting\, and the Internet. Based on the students’ written evaluations\, they appreciated the opportunity to hear about the challenges facing other middle school students and to benefit from the advice of peers. Several commented that this made them aware that many students are facing similar issues.
URL:https://www.parentscouncil.org/event/2010-pcw-middle-school-student-leader-breakfast/
LOCATION:The Potomac School\, United States
CATEGORIES:Student Leader Breakfasts
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20100218T090000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20100218T120000
DTSTAMP:20260424T153237
CREATED:20160406T182323Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20160823T165436Z
UID:1555-1266483600-1266494400@www.parentscouncil.org
SUMMARY:2010 Upper School Student Leader Breakfast
DESCRIPTION:Program Summary\nThe Parents Council of Washington hosted the Student Leader Breakfast on February 18\, 2010\, at the Georgetown Preparatory School. There were 53 high school juniors and seniors in attendance\, representing 26 independent schools. The students participated in an engaging discussion on several issues including school rivalry/school pride\, time management\, stress\, academic integrity\, and diversity. Though not all schools approach issues in the same way\, the students appreciated hearing the comments of their peers. There were several issues on which students widely agreed\, such as the level of stress that students experience. The majority of students in attendance found the Student Leader Breakfast an effective forum for discussing a variety of issues.
URL:https://www.parentscouncil.org/event/2010-pcw-high-school-student-leader-breakfast/
LOCATION:Georgetown Preparatory School\, 10900 Rockville Pike\, North Bethesda\, MD\, 20852\, United States
CATEGORIES:Student Leader Breakfasts
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20100120T090000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20100120T120000
DTSTAMP:20260424T153237
CREATED:20160406T182323Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20180211T194820Z
UID:1554-1263978000-1263988800@www.parentscouncil.org
SUMMARY:2010 Best Practices Forum: Parent Networking: Ways Schools Provide for Parents to Participate\, Connect and Communicate
DESCRIPTION:Program Summary\nParent Networking: Ways Schools Provide for Parents to Participate\, Connect and Communicate\nWelcome by Kate Morin\, Head of Upper School at Stone Ridge \nWelcome and Calendar Review – Betsy Mandel\, President\, PCW \nPresentations and discussion of the ways that schools provide for parents to participate in their school communities and to connect and communicate with each other. \nNOTE: Please send an email request to ParentsCouncil@verizon.net for copies of parent networking practices from these PCW member schools: Fourth Presbyterian\, Gonzaga\, Holton-Arms\, National Cathedral\, Potomac\, Sidwell\, St. Andrews\, St. Stephen St. Agnes and Washington International School. \nPresentation: Cathy Horvath – National Cathedral School – Parent Peer Groups\nNCS has a committee called “school life” to enhance the life of students\, parents and faculty. Leaders are selected from a list of volunteers from the parent community or recommendations made by outgoing Peer Group leaders. There are two Parent Peer Leaders in each grade who organize grade level Parent Peer Meetings\, who serve on the “school life” committee. There are two or three meetings per grade per year. Topics include developmental and social issues. These meetings are meant to be a resource for parents and help to build community with the NCS parents. Sometimes the Parent Peer Meeting agenda compliments current curriculum or a larger school program. \nThese meetings have one of the following: \n  \n\nOutside speaker or a specialist from within the school faculty.\n\n  \n  \n\nGroup discussion with the parents on a specific topic which is facilitated by the Peer Group leader.\n\n  \n  \n\nProgram to compliment what is going on at the school.\n\n  \nThere is always someone from the school faculty/staff attending these meetings. NCS believes it shows “good faith” and that these meetings are a constructive venue. \nTimely Topics: Parent education speakers and events sponsored by the parent organization\, Barnesville Parent Connection\, (BPC) Example: Computer/Internet Safety in the Age of Facebook\, Twitter\, etc. \nFREE for Barnesville Parents and Open to the Public \nCost = $400.00 for 1 ½ – 2 hour presentation \nAttendance = 20-30 \nLooking Ahead: Parents of Middle School (5th – 8th grades) are invited to learn about opportunities and the processes involved in looking at schools for students beyond 8th grade. \nOpen Board Meetings: Held Bi-Annually.  Opportunity for all parents to learn about the Board of Trustees of the school – who they are\, what their responsibilities are\, what they are and are/not involved in\, etc… \nWelcome Coffees: Grab & Gab or Grab & Go – beginning of school year. \nNew Family Liaison: Connects current families with new incoming families based on grade\, gender and residential location. Idea is to facilitate a smooth transition for new family and provide a connection throughout the year. Generates “What to Expect” information sheets for new families. \nParent Socials: Held in the beginning of the year (prior to mid-November). Potluck cocktail/appetizer\, dinner\, dessert\, wine-tasting or combination thereof. \nOrganized by a volunteer host family per grade and usually held in their home prior to Thanksgiving. \nThis year only 1 social was held for Middle School parents to foster closer communication and school spirit – approximately 35 attended. Very well received. \nBack to School: Usually held on a Sunday afternoon in September \nAll families invited at minimal cost – $5.00 per adult. \nNo charge for children and faculty & staff \nBoard of Trustees volunteer to grill burgers/dogs. \nFun events for kids – face-painting\, tie dying\, hay rides\, moon bounces\, dunk tank\, educational farm animal presentation & more \nCost = $3\,000.00 \nVarious Newsletters: A weekly electronic newsletter\, BITS\, with updates from the BPC\, faculty\, staff and the Head of School. \n“What to Expect” information sheets for New Families \nRoom Parent Emails – notify parents of upcoming class parties\, field trips\, projects\, teacher related communications\, Mom’s Night Out\, etc… \nSchool Website – Grade specific newsletters are often generated by teachers on this website in addition to student schedules\, the school calendar\, the hot lunch schedule\, etc. \nFourth Presbyterian School\nContact: Barbara Murray (barbarabmurray@earthlink.net/301-320-4854) \nTitle: Collaborative Strategic Planning for Parents \nLogistics: Grade Level Parents/Room moms host parent coffees for their grades in their homes. Coffees can be held during the morning hours and/or at night (for working parents) in locations central to the school. Coffees should last no more than an hour and a half. \nProgram Description: The three questions recommended to use to generate discussion are below: \n1. What do you value most at our school? \n2. What topics and issues deserve attention at our school? \n3. What are the broad\, external trends and issues that may have an impact on the future of the school?Ground rules—no one is allowed to mention names of staff or teachers. Headmaster/School administrator should be there to facilitate questions and write answers on a flip chart.Effectiveness of Program: This is a great program\, as it allows issues and concerns to be presented in a healthy\, open manner\, thus diffusing gossip (which does not and cannot bring about healthy change) in a school community. School administrators can also use the information gathered at these coffees for the end of the year school-wide polling of parents (done on the Internet with software such as “Survey Monkey”). For the polling\, parents are asked to select their top three choices from the data compiled for each of these three questions (What do you value most\, topics and issues deserving attention\, trends and issues that may have an impact). The information can then be used by the school administration to address changes the following year\, and/or affirm core programs and selling points to the school community to reinforce school pride. \nGonzaga College High School\n19 Eye Street\, NW \nWashington\, DC 20001 \n202-336-7100 \nContacts: \nMothers Club President – Nancy Leach HYPERLINK “mailto:nmlgonzaga@starpower.net” nmlgonzaga@starpower.net \nFathers Club President – John Treseler HYPERLINK “mailto:jtreseler@grimberg.com” jtreseler@grimberg.com \nGonzaga is an all male four year college preparatory high school\, in the Jesuit tradition. We have a Mothers Club (GMC) and a Fathers Club (GFC)\, and both hold open meetings that include information dissemination\, event and committee reports\, speakers and opportunities for networking. Each organization includes a Moderator who is a member of the Gonzaga faculty or\, in the case of the Mothers Club\, the President of the school. While parents are encouraged to purchase a membership\, it is not required to participate in meetings or activities. \nThe Gonzaga Mothers Club (GMC) meets on the second Wednesday of each month in the school cafeteria at 7:00 pm from September through April. Each meeting is open to all mothers or female guardians of Gonzaga students\, regardless of whether they have a paid membership in the GMC. The meeting is preceded by a half hour of fellowship that includes light snacks and drinks\, provided by the GMC Hospitality Chairs. Meetings\, which are run by the President of the Mothers Club\, include a speaker on a current topic; reports on upcoming events and opportunities to get involved. The event is planned by the Mothers Club President and the Executive Board of the GMC. The monthly meeting is attended by approximately 100 moms and lasts about an hour and a half. \nThe Gonzaga Fathers Club (GFC) holds membership meetings every other month in the lower commons of the school that are attended by over 100 Dads. Meetings\, presided over by the President of the Fathers Club\, include “beer and brats” or “steak and ale” and are used to make announcements and to plan upcoming events that are sponsored by the Gonzaga Dads (Father-Son Service Projects\, Welcome Picnic\, Open House\, Gonzaga/Visitation Picnic\, Freshman Retreat\, Mother-Son Mass and Brunch\, Graduation\, to name a few). Fathers Club meetings are open to all Dads and male guardians regardless of whether they join the GFC. \nTogether\, the GMC and GFC hold two joint meetings – in the fall and in the spring. Each meeting includes a relevant speaker and a reception. These events\, when well publicized\, are well attended and provide parents an opportunity to socialize and network. \nIn addition to general meetings\, the GMC and the GFC each have numerous committees that carry out the planned activities of each organization. These committees provide the parents who participate opportunities to become more familiar with the school as well as with other parents. \nHolton-Arms School\nParent Networking \nHolton-Arms School (HAS) is an all-girls school for grades 3-12. We are organized into three divisions: Lower School (LS) – grades 3-6; Middle School (MS) – grades 7-8 and Upper School (US) – grades 9-12. \nThe Parent Association (PA) officers include one LS\, MS and US Division Rep who work closely with the Parent Association and the grade reps (each grade has 2-3 parent reps). Grade reps communicate news to their families via email and grade-specific bulletin boards on the website. \nParent networking occurs in a variety of informal and formal ways whenever parents come together be it at a grade-level event\, a fine or performing arts event\, an athletic event\, or a school-wide program. \nGrade Level Gatherings are organized as needed by the grade reps. There are usually a minimum of two coffees and one social gathering. \nCoffees are held in the morning at the school and can either be an informal gathering for parents to chat about issues of concern. Or\, the coffee may feature a speaker\, typically someone from the school who addresses issues pertinent to the grade. Examples of speakers are the school nurse\, the school counselor\, the division head\, or the class dean (in the case of the US). The grade reps facilitate these gatherings and coffee and bagels are provided. Attendance may vary based on the size of the class and the topic being addressed. Typically\, though\, these coffees are very well attended. \nParent socials are also held on campus and can either be dinners\, wine and cheese gatherings\, or some other event. Occasionally\, these social events may be held before a more formal program\, but the purpose of the event is to provide an opportunity for parents to get to know one another and socialize. Cost varies depending upon the type of event being sponsored. Attendance is usually better for those events that are held in conjunction with some other event (e.g.\, dinner followed by presentation about college planning)\, though typically at least 50% of the class parents attend. \nParents may also come together for curriculum-based events that require parent support and participation (these events usually occur in the LS and include Colonial Day\, New York trip\, and Greek Day). The number of parent volunteers needed is usually determined by the specific tasks that must be accomplished. The grader reps recruit the necessary volunteers. No cost is involved and the grade reps work with the classroom teachers to organize the parents. \nAll of the grade-level events are very effective at bringing people together and providing an opportunity to network\, to talk about common concerns\, to learn new information\, or to interact with fellow parents and school leaders. \nDivision Level Gatherings are organized by the grade reps\, the division rep\, or a PA committee chair. Division level gatherings can be social\, programmatic\, or educational. \nOne opportunity parents have to share concerns and ask questions about the school are provided by the Head of the School. The Head of the School hosts a “Let’s Talk with the Head\,” six times a year (three in the fall\, one LS\, one MS\, one US\, and three in the spring) in her office. Parents may drop in and ask questions or share concerns. Attendance at these “Let’s Talk” events is quite small\, but the Head is quite responsive to the dialogue and suggestions that occur in these gatherings. \nOne of the most popular division level gatherings is the Lower School Literature Fair. This event is held off-campus at a local bookstore. It brings together numerous LS parents\, both as volunteers for the event as well as attendees at the event. \nSome of the more popular division level events are Father/Daughter events. In the LS\, typical events are a ski trip (off-campus)\, a swim night (on-campus)\, and a field day (on-campus). In the MS\, the fathers make breakfast for the girls after the MS Lock-In. In the US\, there is a father/daughter senior dinner. All of these events are very well attended by fathers\, or by some other person close to the girls. \nThere may also be gatherings around topics of interest that feature either a faculty member or an outside speaker. These would be organized by either the division rep or by a committee chair and would be held on campus. Cost can be a factor if an outside speaker is featured. Refreshments would be kept to a minimum\, however. We have found that attendees are content if there is coffee\, tea and water and a few munchies. \nSchool Wide Events are organized by the PA or the school. School-wide programs are usually more social in nature and provide an opportunity for parents to come together around a fun activity. \nThe Holton Mosaic is the signature PA event that celebrates the diversity of the Holton community. Numerous parents volunteer to present food\, customs\, and information about different countries. It is held on campus. Families attend the event and enjoy sampling the food\, seeing friends\, and watching performances. It is very well attended. \nAutumnfest is another PA signature gathering that brings the entire Holton community (students\, parents\, and faculty/staff) together. The event focuses on “fun building\,” no fund raising\, and features food\, games\, and entertainment. \nThe Mentoring Program is sponsored by the Admissions Office and supported by the PA to welcome new families to the school. Incoming families are paired with current families who help welcome and orient them into the Holton community. \nHolton will host speakers on topics of interest to the whole school community. Attendance at these events varies depending upon the topic being addressed. Typically at these events\, no refreshments are served. \nSummary \nWhile Holton does not have a formal structure for holding parent forums\, the PA tries to provide a number of opportunities for parents to come together around issues of concern as well as for fun and relaxation. The PA has found this mix of opportunities to be effective in building a community that feels connected to each other as a grade and as a whole. \nNATIONAL CATHEDRAL SCHOOL\nAna Small and Beth Tomasello\, PCW Reps. \nAt NCS\, networking among parents is facilitated by the Parents Association on a grade-wide level and a school-wide level. The school administration also provides means of parent networking on a school-wide or division-wide level. \nPer grade \nPA Grade Reps organize informal grade-level events for parents to get together. \nExamples: \n\nPot-luck dinners (held off-site)\nBrown bag lunches (held on-site)\nParent cocktail parties (usually held off-site with parents providing food and drinks or a few families sponsoring the event)\nGrade Welcoming Committee chairs recruit and assign “buddy” families for new families and organize welcoming events such as pool parties or ice-cream socials for girls and parents during the summer (off-site; parent funded).\n\nPA has “School Life” Chair who coordinates Parent Peer Group chairs for each grade. Peer Group chairs organize grade-level Parent Peer Group meetings for parents to discuss topics of concern: \n\nRepresentative topics: “Facebook: Keeping your Daughter Safe\,” “Talking to your Daughter about Sex and Pregnancy Prevention\,” “Balancing School Work and Competitive Sports”\nParents may suggest topics for discussion; however Peer Group meetings are not forums for parent complaints\nMeetings held on campus 2-3 times per year\nSchool provides light refreshments.\n\nPA Grade level communications chair (usually PA Grade Representative) sends grade-wide e-mails to parents for PA or school-related announcements to get parents to come to networking events. \nExamples: \n\nMonthly grade-wide e-mail listing of upcoming events or meetings\nGrade-wide e-mails drafted by a parent announcing PA-sponsored events such as Peer group meetings\, parent activities or student activities\, Peer Group meetings\, Community Service opportunities\, International or Sports Committee events\nE-vites for cocktail parties or other grade-wide social events\n\nPA Grade Reps are responsible for getting information to parents\, reaching out to get class parents involved and recruiting volunteers—particularly those who have not been involved in the past—for PA-sponsored activities. \nSchool or Division-Wide Networking \nParent Networking Sponsored by the School Administration: \n\nThe NCS Administration sponsors several school-wide events that are designed as opportunities for parent information and networking:\nTwo lectures with outside speakers (one on an international topic) held in the evening at school and preceded by half an hour for refreshments and conversation among parents and faculty/administration.\n“State of the School” address by Head of School. Formal remarks by Head of School followed by Q&A. Preceded by half hour for coffee and mingling. Held at school immediately after morning drop-off.\n“Breakfast with the Governing Board” meeting between parents and governing board to discuss school policy questions\, and in particular\, tuition for following school year. Preceded by half hour for coffee and mingling. Held immediately after drop off.\n\nSeveral networking events are also organized by Division: \n\nCoffees with Head of School\, sponsored by PA. Done on divisional or other multiple grade level. Remarks by Head of School\, introduction of PA officers and initiatives\, Q&A. Preceded by half hour for coffee and mingling. Held immediately after drop-off.\nDivisional “Back to School” Nights. 2-3 hours in the Fall. Parents hear remarks by Division Head and visit daughter’s classrooms. Preceded by informal time for refreshment and conversation.\nCoffees with Division Head. Held at 8 am for one hour. Remarks by Division Head and Q&A.\nNCS Communications Director is responsible for the NCS web page and for all school-wide electronic communications. The NCS Web page has links to a Media Gallery\, Academics\, Sports\, Upcoming events\, Admissions\, Calendar\, and Student Life to keep parents informed of school-sponsored events.\nNCS Division Heads e-mail weekly Divisional Bulletins to parents to keep parents informed of networking opportunities. The Newsletters contain:\nLetter from the division head with general updates in their division\n“The Week Ahead” (with events scheduled for the next week)\n“From the School” listing upcoming events such as International week\, Athletic recruiting\, Junior college night\, Health and wellness forum\n“From the Parents Association” which includes items such as\, requests for Chaperones\, Pot luck dinners\, Father/daughter bowling\, Faculty Appreciation Breakfast\, Spring Benefit\, Book sales\, Sally Foster\, Mother/Daughter Book club\n\nSchool-Wide Parent Networking Sponsored by the Parents Association: \n\nTwo PA representatives and several administration and faculty members plan “Diversity Reading Groups” to read a pre-selected book and discuss diversity issues in the book and how they relate to school life.\nMeetings are for parents only\nAre held on-site\nRefreshments provided by the school\n\nPA International Committee sponsors a school-wide International Potluck Dinner for all parents. Held in the evening at the school. \nThe PA Welcoming Committee sponsors a Welcome Dinner in September for all new and some returning parents to provide a forum for new parents to learn about the school in a social setting. Held on campus; funded by PA. \nThe NCS PA does not have a school-wide newsletter. All communications for these activities are through the NCS website or school-wide or grade-wide e-mails. \nThe Potomac School\nParent Forums for K-12 \nParent Forum Co-Chairs: \nKim Weinberg 703-928-7979 \nLisa Roeder (703) 242-7826 \nLogistics: \n\n2 Forums per grade per year: late fall and spring\n(previously only 1 forum per year for grades K-3; 2009-10 is first year for 2 forums for Lower School. Feedback has been overwhelmingly in favor of this addition). Grade 12 has only one forum in the late fall.\nMeetings traditionally held off-site at a local church that is often used for Potomac meetings. 2009-10 – the Upper School is now on-campus. Mixed reviews- need to ensure privacy and that this is not school- administered (it is run by parents).\nMeetings for K-6 alternate Fall 7:30-9:30p.m. and Spring 8:30-10:30 a.m. to allow for more child care issues. Grades 7-12 are all in the evening. All sessions begin with 15 minute social and start promptly at quarter of the hour.\n\nAttendance varies: \n\nLower School average 20-30 parents\nMiddle School and Intermediate school varies per grade/issues/dynamics – 20-40 parents\nUpper School has highest attendance 30-50+ parents\n\nCost: minimal. Only water and snacks (pretzels) provided. Used to provide more\, but did not seem necessary. \nProgram Description: \nThe Parent Forum is an opportunity for grade-specific parents to come together to discuss issues\, concerns\, topics\, and questions that are relevant and age-appropriate for this population. Primarily this is a social interaction that equips parents with tools and ideas to better nurture their child(ren)’s growth and development. While this is intended to support adults in parenting their children\, forums are not tasked with finding and implementing solutions. Certainly parents may want to take action based on their findings\, yet it is not the responsibility of the forum to solve problems. \nTopics can be communicated before the forum meeting if parents choose to contact their facilitators ahead of time. Otherwise\, topics are typically generated at the beginning of the meeting via brainstorm discussion or more discreetly with index cards. \nTypical topics are: \nLower School: allowances\, bedtimes\, television and videogames\, computer and Internet use\, making new friends as the class expands\, sleepovers\, eating habits\, play dates\, etc. \nMiddle School: school transitions\, after school and weekend activities\, bedtimes\, home alone\, peer pressure\, curfews\, hygiene\, television and videogames\, Internet use\, cell phones\, time management\, sleepovers\, study habits\, etc. \nIntermediate School: school transitions\, boy/girl social activities\, home alone\, peer pressure\, curfews\, hygiene\, television and videogames\, Internet use\, cell phones\, time management\, sleepovers\, weekends\, etc. \nUpper School: dating\, drinking\, driving\, drugs\, curfews\, stress management\, relationships\, dancing styles\, Internet use\, social bullying\, cell phones/texting\, etc. \nGeneral Comments: \nThe Facilitators are trained and have a handbook for preparing and running effective forum meetings. They are to stress the importance of the ground rules at the beginning of each meeting\, which helps to ensure compliance to the forum guidelines in keeping conversations development-focused and away from academic or school-related issues. The Facilitators and the Forum Co-Chairs take an active role in promoting attendance by emails\, parent rep communication\, ‘bring-a-friend’ efforts\, and personal outreach. Because of the success of this program\, attendance has been increasing steadily. \nEffectiveness of Program: \nMany new enhancements have been made to the forum process. This has helped increase the success of the program as well as increase attendance. Key initiatives have been: \nMore communication: \n\nInvitations sent out by Evite to all parents of that grade\nRoom Parent Reps stressing importance of attendance\nE-bulletins\nBuddy system (bring-a-friend) efforts\nWord-of-mouth from past success\nAdministration support\nFacilitator Training Program and Facilitator Handbook\nTwo facilitators per grade- a parent of a boy and parent of a girl (from different home rooms for grades K-6).\nFacilitator evaluation feedback immediately following forum meeting\n\nSidwell Friends School\nSubmitted to the Parents Council of Washington\, January 2010 by: \nSusan Liu\, PCW Rep (susanoliu@comcast.net) \nLibby Graves\, PCW Rep (eageadah@yahoo.com) \nAmy Davies\, PA Co-President (armrdavies@starpower.net) \nSidwell Friends offers many opportunities for Parent Networking by promoting parent involvement. Parents are encouraged to volunteer for the Parents Association and for the Office of Institutional Advancement. Over 200 volunteers assume leadership positions on the SFS PA roster each year. Other opportunities for parent networking are available by attending meetings and events; new parents are especially encouraged to participate. SFS does not charge admission for activities (except for Prom and Fundraising Events for Student Scholarships). Instead\, families pay a per student PA fee with their tuition payment. All events take place on-site except for “friendly dozen” potlucks in the fall\, off-site community service programs\, and occasional gatherings. PA meetings\, events and activities are open to all parents. Length of meetings is generally 60 – 90 minutes. \nEvents for Parents / Parent Networking Opportunities: \n\nSpring Festival for all Lower School families\, including newly admitted families\, May (organized by PA)\nIce Cream Social for new Middle School families\, June (organized by PA)\nWelcome Breakfast or Welcome Tea for all 9th grade parents and new Upper School parents\, August (organized by School)\nWelcome gatherings for all new parents\, by division: LS\, MS\, US\, September (organized by PA)\nOrientation coffees for Lower and Middle School parents\, by division (organized by PA)\nBack-to-School family picnics for grades PK-8 and parent receptions for grades 9-12\, September (organized by grade reps)\n“Friendly Dozen” Parent Potlucks for grades PK-12: groups of 12 parents with children in the same grade gather for a shared meal in private homes in the fall (organized by grade reps and room parents)\nPA All School and division meetings are preceded with time for socializing and light refreshments or coffee\, usually 30 minutes. Parents are invited to contribute food potluck-style for specified PA meetings and events. (organized by PA)\nPA Standing Committee meetings and gatherings (Arts\, Athletics\, Community Health\, Community Service\, Diversity\, Parents of Black Students\, Parents of Latino Students\, Quaker Life)\, frequency of meetings varies by committee\, mornings and evenings (organized by PA)\nLS parents meetings with Principal\, twice per year\, grades PK – 2 and grades 3 – 4\, mornings (organized by School and PA)\nMS parents meeting with Principal\, Counselor\, and PA Community Health Initiative\, by grade\, evenings (organized by School and PA)\nMS parents meetings with Principal/Counselor\, twice per year\, grades 5 – 8\, by grade\, mornings (organized by School)\nUS 9th grade parents “Introduction to US Life” meetings with administrators\, monthly\, mornings (organized by School)\nUS parents meetings with Principal and Administrators\, three times per year\, grades 10 – 12 (organized by School)\nUS 12th grade parents meetings with college counselors\, mornings and evenings (organized by School)\nParent peer group meetings for grades PK – 12\, by grade\, two times per year\, evenings (organized by PA Community Health Initiative)\nQuaker Meeting For Worship; parents are invited weekly at LS and three times per year at MS and US\nCommunity Service draws parents together in classrooms\, at parent chaperoned service learning programs\, at service partner organizations\, at grade-wide pie and casserole bakes\, at Quaker work camps (e.g. home repair in underserved communities)\, etc.\nLS family events: Book Fair\, Swim Party\, Spring Festival (organized by PA)\nCurriculum-related events for families\, PK-6\, mornings and evenings (organized by School)\nEnd-of-year 12th grade events for families: community service day\, senior class Meeting for Worship\, celebration events for seniors and their parents (organized by PA)\nMS and US arts and athletics events\nHomecoming for entire School community\, October weekend (organized by School and PA)\n“ArtRageous” arts festival for entire School community\, January weekend (organized by PA)\nGuest lecture programs: Chinese Studies program\, Arts program\, etc. (organized by School)\nGuest speakers for parents\, evenings (organized by PA and School)\nFundraising Events for Student Scholarships: Next-to-New Sale\, Book Club\, Variety Show\, Tennis Round Robin\, Golf Tournament\, Auction (organized by SFS office of institutional advancement with parent support)\n\nSt. Andrew’s Episcopal School\nPotomac\, Maryland \nKristen Saada – Parent to Parent Chairperson \nPurpose of the Parent to Parent (P2P) Committee \n\nTo coordinate and supervise events that will build connections among parents within and across grades and campuses through coffees\, speakers and other activities.\nTo promote wellness among parents.\nTo provide outreach to new families.\nTo provide support to all school events that include parents by working to increase participation though phone calls and marketing.\n\nChairperson puts together a committee of parents (at least one rep per grade) interested in planning and promoting parent events. \nAt the start of the year each P2P representative receives a list of new parents in the grade. Each representative calls all new families to welcome them to St. Andrew’s and tells them about any upcoming events\, explains the morning exercise classes offered to parents\, volunteer opportunities and offers to answer any questions about the school. \nEach grade has a beginning of the year potluck dinner organized by room parents. The P2P representative then organizes at least one parent event per trimester for each grade and/or school (lower school\, intermediate & middle school and upper school). Events include coffee at school after drop off\, luncheons at parent home\, wine and cheese evening at parents home\, drop in event at school gate house for parents during school dances\, teens and technology speaker for middle school parents. \nMost events with the intent of parents socializing usually take place at a parent home with the exception of the lower school coffee and the evening get together while kids are at a school dance. Speaker events take place at school. \nVery important to find a class P2P rep that is in touch with the needs of the grade so that the appropriate gathering or speaker can be planned. Some grades may have more working parents then others so evening events will be more effective. \nChallenges have been making sure each grade has a representative since each grade also needs two room parents that coordinate some grade activities and are in charge of communicating important info to parents. \nP2P is also planning to use St. A’s Facebook page and Twitter to promote wellness to parents and to assist in communicating events. \nSt Stephens & St Agnes School (SSSAS)\nCarol Pratt – carol.pratt@bearingpointestate.com – 703 915-9468 \nSSSAS consists of three Divisions. The Lower School (LS) is Junior Kindergarten through 5th grade; Middle School (MS) is 6th through 8th grades; Upper School (US) is 9th through 12th grades. Each Division is located on a separate and distinct campus within Alexandria. Overall there are nearly 1200 students from just over 750 families. \nOur Parent Networking “program” is not a formal program\, per se. However\, an emphasis on providing opportunities for parents to interact at both the “division” level as well as the “all school” level to foster a school-wide sense of community. Our Fall and Spring Festivals\, as well as the annual Gala/Auction sponsored by the APT are amongst the most well-attended of the all-school events. \nDuring the past three years our school has shifted away from “paper” communications as much as possible. Parent representatives use intranet capabilities to send messages to specific committees or grade levels as much as possible. Volunteers are solicited via this means as well. Recognizing that some parents do not monitor e-mail daily\, however\, striking the right balance between paper and electronic communication is still a challenge. \nLower School specific: \n\nRoom parents in grades JK-5 act as the primary source of communication for parents in class\, plan class parties\, coordinate classroom volunteers\, coordinate chaperones for field trips\, etc.\nPopsicles in the Park – get-together for incoming JK/Kindergartners and their parents during the first week of school.\nParent Parties/Potluck Dinners – at least one grade level get-together at a parent’s home\, organized by a committee and usually scheduled in the fall at the start of the new school year.\nInformal grade-level get-togethers (held throughout the school year) such as book clubs\, walking groups\, lunches\, coffees\, etc.\nParent Networking Programs – informative programs for parents planned throughout the school year… “What’s New at the Lower School?”\, “Raising Saints Who Love To Serve\,” Managing Stress During The Holidays”\nAll LS parents are invited to attend Chapel on Tuesday mornings.\nParent coffees hosted by the LS Director/Head of School throughout the year.\n\nMiddle School specific: \n\nNo “room parents” for each class\, but rather have committee chairs that organize events for either a specific grade or for the whole MS. For communicating to MS parents\, one “Community Group Owner” is established for each of the three grades. The Community Group Owner uses the intranet to issue reminders of events in the weekly “Dispatch” newsletter such as sandwich-making or to issue invitations for grade-wide events.\nParent Parties/Potluck Dinners – at least one grade level get-together at a parent’s home\, organized by a committee and usually scheduled in the fall at the start of the new school year.\nInformal grade-level get-togethers (held throughout the school year) such as book clubs\, walking groups\, lunches\, coffees\, etc. Goal is one event/month\, but generally occur 6-8 weeks apart.\nAPT volunteer opportunities such as chaperoning a dance\, teacher appreciation days\, multicultural/diversity events\, community service\, etc.\n\nUpper School specific: \n\nVery similar to MS approach\, but no parents chaperone school dances (chaperones are school staff at the US.\nNetworking can be more challenging due to students focus on more sports and homework. Much of the networking is sport-centered.\n\nSchool-wide: \n\nAPT-sponsored social events such as Fall Festival during Homecoming\, Spring Festival\, Sleepy Thompson weekend-long tournament\, spring “Gala/Auction”\, Christmas decorating of the school\, “Sign-On parties” offered for sale at Gala for parents to get together.\nService-oriented – both APT and school sponsored with and without children\nSandwich making\, homeless shelter organizing\nAPT Committees\nMulticultural/Diversity – potluck dinners\, book discussions\, Chinese New Year celebrations\nSustainability – Events beginning to take more root amongst parents\nSchool-sponsored events such as Christmas concerts\, other performing arts concerts\, drama performances\, sports events\, etc.\n\nWashington International School – IB Program School\nBest practices meeting at Stoneridge School – Wednesday January 27th\, 2010 \nParent Networking \nWISPA (WIS parent association) president: Cecile Wilde – 703 790 8090 \nCecile@wildeclan.com \nAt WIS we have several ways to communicate information and connect with our parents families. \nAll the activities below are parent volunteers. Those volunteers are set in May of the previous year. \n• WISPA meeting: once a month 8:30 a.m. (1 hour)/ open to all / takes place on the Upper school campus (rooms are booked in May of the previous year). Food and drinks brought by WISPA president. President purchased this year a coffee machine with pods to facilitate all below mentioned meetings. \nAttended by president\, 3 representatives for each school. Treasurer\, secretary and Vice president (WISPA Board) – but a lot of parents attend. Grade coordinators and school coordinators also attend. Head of the whole school and guest speakers also attend. \nPresident meets with head of school ahead of time \nPresident organizes an agenda for the meeting with topics of discussions and invited guests from school faculty and staff. Discussions also take place about incoming events at the school and the events logistics. Discussions related to WISPA budget\, issues that have come up\, volunteer’s recruitment for events. \nParents also can contact the president of the PA with wider issues\, which are discussed with the Head at the meetings. \nMinutes of these meetings are sent to the Coordinators of our 3 campuses: Primary\, Middle and Upper who in turn sends it to the parents\, and reinforces the information through the class parents meetings (see below) – \nIf school wide information needs to be sent\, the President will take upon her/himself to do so\, either through email blasts or through and with the help of the office of communication at school and also through electronic newspaper @WIS \nWISPA will set up a group of parents for various committees to take charge of various events/or set up meeting with Peer group coordinators to reinforce the best practices. \nWISPA will also help the school identify parents to be part of committees to recruit new heads\, change policies in the school\, calendar etc… \n• Class parents meetings: Organized by the school coordinators (parents in charge of Upper\, Middle and primary school) They prepare their agenda. All parents are invited \nUpper and Middle school: Upper school campus – 8:30 a.m. (1 hour) room booked in May of the previous year. Well attended (20 to 30 parents) \nPrimary school meetings: Primary school campus – 12:15 p.m. (room booked ahead of time in May of the previous year) \nMeetings are once a month – one for Upper School\, one for Middle school and one for Primary school. Those meeting concentrate on the activities/issues/relevant information for that particular school – Head of that school is invited. The Information is distributed through the coordinators (each grade has a coordinator) and through the class parents to the community at large. The representatives from the WISPA board are present. It is for all parents – well attended (20 to 30 parents) \nEach school and/or grade coordinators has the task to reinforce important dates for events or other dates and important information through emails and have the tasks to inform WISPA president of any grade level issues or other problems which need the attention of the Heads of Schools. \nAll the minutes of the meetings are sent through emails\, and are posted on a Web page called Moodle. Accessible to all WIS families with a password. Each school\, primary\, middle and upper has a Moodle representative\, a parent in charge of putting all the minutes in the website. \nAll the above meetings have coffee and pastries provided by the coordinators. \nThis year the WISPA president has purchased an automated Coffee maker with coffee pods to facilitate the coordinators in their morning meetings. Costs of pastries are a donation from the Parents volunteering as President\, coordinators. \nFor each volunteering activity taking place at WIS\, the President of WISPA will write her thank you through an electronic information page\, called @WIS\, which is sent by the school\, by the communication office\, twice a month. To ensure that the WIS community at large is aware of what the parents are doing. \nWISPA also works closely with the school and organizes program presentations of the IB curriculum for the parents and for each grade at different times during the year. WISPA sponsored. \n•• Peer Group meetings: Upper and Middle school \nEach grade as one or two representatives for Peer group meetings. The meetings are organized by the representatives who work closely with grades coordinators to pass on information\, set up dates\, organized food donations and \nOrganized at someone’s home as a potluck: parents bring food and drinks \nOr if \nWISPA organizes a guest speaker – The guest speaker is paid by the parent’s associations. – food and drink is brought by parents. Often Peer group meetings with guest speakers takes place at school. \nThe topics of discussion are chosen ahead of time – it is never about school issues. \nThe representatives are the moderators of the meeting and keep the conversation on the chosen topics and make sure that the conversation stays away from gossip. \nPeer group meetings: Primary school \nThere is one parent in charge of Peer group coordination at the primary school\, and they organize potluck dinners with topic of discussion but also \nSaturday in the Park – to give an opportunity to have children play together while the parents get to know each other \nAt the Beginning of the school year WISPA has a training session for the Peer group coordinators. Very Effective. \nPLUS On that basis to know each other better\, we also have social events with no topics of discussions but to get to know each other\, and organized by grade at a parent’s home. The parents of the grade do donations of food\, drinks and home. \n••• Coffee mornings: organized by the Grade coordinators. To meet new parents and get new and past parents together – once a month or every couple of months. The set up of these depends on the availability of the grade coordinator. \nParents’ volunteers do donation of food. Takes place at school\, in the parent’s room\, coffee available through WISPA \n•••• Social events: \nWelcome Back Picnic: early September\, it is organized by the WISPA president and WISPA board. Paid by the Parent Association for the 3 schools – Food cooked by the Grill Team\, drinks provided by WISPA\, amusements\, games etc.. provided by WISPA – school wide event \nInternational Dinner: In November :organized by a parent volunteer who gets her/his committee together in September. International foods brought by parents. Wine\, drinks etc. paid by Parents Association – school wide event \nGala / Auction (March): organized by a parent volunteer who gets a committee together in September. Budget provided by Advancement office – school wide event \nBazaar: Mid to end of April – fund raising activity to help with a trip the 10th graders take in April or May \n2 parent volunteers are on the committee and organize the event. Many parents participate but it is mandatory for 10th grade parents and students. Crepes stand\, British tea (buffet)\, international foods\, games\, vendors etc. WISPA and advancement office sponsored. Parent’s contribution of food for food stands. \n 
URL:https://www.parentscouncil.org/event/2010-pcw-best-practices-parent-networking/
LOCATION:Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart\, 9101 Rockville Pike\, Bethesda\, MD\, 20814\, United States
CATEGORIES:Best Practices Forum
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20091118T090000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20091118T120000
DTSTAMP:20260424T153237
CREATED:20160406T182322Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20160823T173651Z
UID:1546-1258534800-1258545600@www.parentscouncil.org
SUMMARY:2009 Fall Representative Roundtable
DESCRIPTION:Program Summary\n\nWelcome – Betsy Mandel\, President\nElizabeth Tonner – Program Overview\nThe Roundtable was a fluid and candid discussion amongst ourselves as parents as well as school representatives about issues and topics that follow. These are topics that School Reps have requested for discussion.\n\nMulti-Cultural Events\nIncreasing Volunteerism\nHoliday Gifts for Teachers and Administrators\nProms and After-Prom Parties\nMiddle-School Topics\n\nMULTICULTURAL EVENTS/PROGRAMS: Describe What Schools are doing \nNational Presbyterian School – The school hosts several Multicultural Dinners with the parents and students\, “family night”. This event is open to everyone in the school. They are catered dinners where they have had up to 300 attendees. These events are funded by the school and promoted by the Head of School. \nHolton Arms – The Mosaic Program. This is a very well attended event on a weeknight in January from 5:30 – 9 pm with food\, culture and costumes from many countries. Parents get together in groups to participate and families donate all the food. This event is sponsored and paid for by the PA and is a good example of “community building.” There is a “Showcase” with productions of dance\, costumes\, and music. The school has flags from all of the countries on display in the dining room. \nLandon – Taste of Landon- This event is held in the dining room on a weeknight. There are tables from many cultures and countries. It is a potluck format and very well attended. Kids love it. The best marketing tool for this event is to attend it and it speaks for itself. \nStone Ridge – Multicultural Festival – held on a Saturday in January or February from 11 am – 4 pm. It is held in the gyms. One gym has tables to hold food from other countries/cultures; one holds performances by the students that include singing\, dance\, and cooking demonstrations. \nNorwood – They have either a day event or an evening event. Last year there were 20 countries represented. They ask themselves if their PA is representative of their parent body. \nMaret – PA has a diversity committee and has a presence at every event held at the school. \nBullis – Global Village- this is an evening event held annually. Includes food\, dance\, traditional dress\, music from various countries and cultures. \nWashington Episcopal School/WES – They work different cultures into lessons. Have a “Tour de France” for lower school with croissants and discuss French culture. Middle School selects countries from an area like South America and plans a themed breakfast for their peers. WES also has a big “international potluck night” where people bring in dishes representative of their countries or cultures. \nMany agree that multiculturalism is something that also needs to be woven into the curriculum of the schools. It would be beneficial to “tap” into teachers to participate and work things into their lessons\, not just the foreign language teachers\, but history\, social studies\, etc. \nIt was suggested that parents go into their children’s classrooms and share their countries/culture/family traditions as this best captures the students’ interest. \nVOLUNTEERISM \nThere has been a decline in the number of volunteers. Try to have “in school” opportunities to see the kids in class environment. Lots of moms going back to work and are looking for other ways to volunteer – weekend events\, evening events\, one time slots i.e. stuffing envelopes\, decorating the “day of.” Keep it simple. \nSome schools are focusing on “participation” to make volunteering easier. It is easier for the parents to come in for an hour or two rather than chairing a large event like an auction. \nVolunteers who feel overwhelmed need to reach out to other parents/friends at the school. Sometimes all it takes is a phone call or email asking for help and people are usually very willing. \nIt is recommended to have a Chair and Co-Chair on every event so no one is doing it all alone. This also is a form of succession planning so the Co-Chair can learn the position and then take over the 2nd year. It is also recommended that schools do some evening meetings so working parents can attend easier. \nSchools should maintain a list of short-term volunteer opportunities as some parents can’t commit too far in advance\, but can help out at the last minute.. \nSchools should look at offering free babysitting during meetings or events so parents with small children are able to attend. \nDirectly calling new families and asking them to help with specific jobs is a great way to get new volunteers but also to make new families feel welcome and give them an opportunity to meet other parents. \nHOLIDAY GIFT GIVING \nSome schools anonymously collect donations to be pooled together then divided to purchase gift cards or write checks to the faculty and staff. Students are encouraged to bring in home made gifts and cards. \nOne school has an “End of the Year” gift that is given to all faculty and staff and the money comes out of the PA budget. In the past they have purchased fleece jackets with the school logos and thermal lunch boxes so it is equal for everyone. \nAnother school purchases a loaf of bread from a local bakery that is holiday wrapped and given to faculty and staff. This money comes from the PA budget. \nDIVISION SPECIFIC BREAK OUT SESSIONS \nUpper School Breakout Session \nAfter Prom Parties \nOne school provided mandatory bus transportation to the prom and to the after prom party and back to school’s parking lot. Anyone who wanted to attend the prom and the after prom had to take the bus. The kids brought a change of clothes for the after prom party. They had parents manning the parking lot to make sure that all kids were picked up. The bus ran from the after prom party to the parking lot every 15 minutes or so. Once kids left the after prom party they were not permitted to come back. Since this school has instituted this policy there have been no alcohol-related driving issues at the school associated with prom and after prom. This school said that they had a very high percentage of kids who attended the prom attending the after prom party due to this system. \n\nOne school had an issue with kids sneaking alcohol on the bus. They handled it by instituting a rule that anyone who brings alcohol on the bus is not permitted to go to the prom or the after prom party. Many schools encouraged all kids to come to the prom and after prom with their friends instead of coming with dates. \nA number of schools said that they encouraged students to stay at the after prom party by holding a raffle every 30 minutes or so with very desirable prizes and making a rule that you must be present to win the prizes. Many schools obtain these prizes through parent donations either of items or of money. Most schools seem to use freshman and/or sophomore parents to act as chaperones since the proms are for juniors and seniors and kids do not want their parents chaperoning the dances. Many schools make the rule that once you leave the after prom party you cannot come back. \nOn the issue of cost\, schools said that they raise money all year for the after prom party. Parents donate most items in the raffle. One school said that they always use the same theme for the after prom party as they use for the auction so that they can re-use decorations. Another school said that they eliminated the after prom party at the school because it was simply too expensive. Their parents were not supportive of a mandatory bus system nor a system where the kids are told they could not come back if they left the after prom party. \nOn the issue of parents hosting parties where alcohol was permitted\, one PCW rep said that their school has a rule that if a parent hosts such a party and the police come or violence results\, the child of those parents is automatically suspended for some period of time and colleges are notified of that suspension. \nA number of schools hold mandatory alcohol programs for students and one of their parents just prior to homecoming or their big school dance. They invite representatives of the police department of the county in which the school is located to speak to everyone about these penalties. \nOne school has a program\, beginning in 10th grade\, and another\, which begins in 8th grade\, where all students and one of their parents must attend which involves a series of events. There generally is a speaker who speaks about alcohol abuse. This can include a nurse in an emergency room who tells the kids about horror stories that she has observed. Then the parents and the kids are placed around tables and each parent is at a different table than their child. They engage in a series of dialogues at each table about different scenarios including things like: a child is at a party and is not drinking and is asked to bring 3 drunk friends home; a child arrives at a party and alcohol is present and doesn’t know what to do. Parents like this program because it combines factual information from a speaker with dialogue with kids. \nOne school sends out a letter to parents every summer asking them to sign a pledge not to serve alcohol in their homes to minors and to confiscate such alcohol if a child brings it into their home. They then place an asterisk in the school directory next to the name of every parent who agreed to this pledge. \nThe discussion then turned to strategies to use to raise kids who don’t drink. One person said that the number one reason that kids don’t drink is that they don’t want to disappoint their parents. One of the parents said that they have managed to raise kids who don’t drink by not drinking in front of their kids and by never communicating the message that “I assume you will drink” but rather by communicating the message that “we don’t drink.” The importance of having a peer group of kids who also don’t drink was also stressed. Lastly\, parents said that they give their child an exit strategy by agreeing on code words for their child to use if they want to get out of a situation in which drinking is occurring and letting them know they will pick them up anytime with no questions asked. \nMIDDLE SCHOOL BREAKOUT SESSION \nA number of topics and questions were raised. \n\nSocially\, what is going on? Are Middle School kids “dating” or “going out”?\nMiddle schoolers are using Facebook more\, and there is a lot of texting going on.\nBullying – seems to be worse with all this technology. What are the schools doing to discipline what happens on line?\n\nWhen is it the Parents job and when the Schools? \nSome responses include: \n\nParents need to parent\, not rely on schools to parent too. For example\, Parents need to walk kids to the door at parties. They need to call ahead to the houses where the kids are going. Many schools say students need to abide by their Code of Conduct 24/7 – in and out of school.\nParents at smaller schools feel that many of these issues are easier to manage in a smaller environment where all the parents know each other and talk often.\nMany schools have Parent Peer Group meetings. They feel these are very effective and informative. These are all held at school and are for discussion of social-type issues not school/academic/faculty issues. Parents are able to discuss whether or not “everyone is doing it”. This helps to “build community” at the school as parents coming together to share mutual concerns/issues involving their children. Some schools have an anonymous report back to their division heads on any issues that may need action.\nSome schools are teaching “Conflict Resolution” in the Lower Schools. They feel this is a great start on teaching kids how to resolve things\, respect others\, and treat others as you would like to be treated.\n\nLOWER SCHOOL BREAKOUT SESSION \nEmailing\, texting\, and cell phone use has greatly increased at the lower school level. Many schools have guidelines and do not allow cell phones for lower school kids. There is a huge range on the usage from kid to kid. It is up to the parents to instill their own rules at home. Starting these rules is easier in lower school before it is a bigger issue. \nHomework varies greatly by school\, by teacher\, and by grade. It would be more appropriate to have the same grade within a school have roughly the same amount of homework.
URL:https://www.parentscouncil.org/event/2009-pcw-fall-rep-roundtable/
LOCATION:The Langley School\, 1411 Balls Hill Road\, McLean\, VA\, 22101\, United States
CATEGORIES:Parent Association President and PCW School Representative Events
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20091113T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20091113T210000
DTSTAMP:20260424T153237
CREATED:20160406T182322Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20160819T203054Z
UID:1545-1258138800-1258146000@www.parentscouncil.org
SUMMARY:2009 Fall Speaker: Robin G. Sawyer
DESCRIPTION:Program Summary \nDr. Robin G. Sawyer\, Teens & Us:  Human Sexuality and Adolescent Health\nTeens & Us – We are in this together!\nRobin G. Sawyer\, Ph.D.\nUniversity of Maryland School of Public Health\nDr. Sawyer teaches courses in human sexuality and adolescent health and is the author of the book Beyond the Birds and the Bees – How parents can discuss sexuality with their children. Dr. Sawyer is the father of four girls. These notes reflect the views of Dr. Sawyer\, not necessarily the PCW.\nIntroduction: Growing Up Today\nTrends in Teen Sexuality\nSexuality Education Myths\nParents Can Make a Difference \nIntroduction: Growing up Today\nWe are not living in the same world as our children – Kids are growing up in a hyper sexualized world. The 60s were nothing compared to today. We have the Internet\, cable television\, explicit lyrics in music\, etc. Some influences you may not think about include: \nAdvertising to Teens – Abercrombie & Fitch – they are selling sex and these types of ads have become the norm for teenagers today.\nED Advertising (Erectile Dysfunction) is all over the television.\nEmergency Contraception OTC – morning after pills are now available.\nThe Internet\nFacebook – what is it about this culture/generation that wants to share everything with everyone?\nCable TV – the range of the programs offered today exceed anything available 20 years ago.\nMusic – very sexually explicit lyrics.\nVaccine against cervical cancer – gardisil/cervarix – do you or don’t you have your daughter vaccinated? Some parents worry this might promote sexual activity.\nSex & Technology\nCellphones and texting have changed everything in the dating world for kids and adults as well. \n• 37% of girls and 60% of boys report sending sexually detailed texts.\n• 22% of teen girls and 18% of teen boys have sent nude or semi-nude pictures of themselves. \nThere is nothing in the world you can do to prevent your children from having sex. You can delay it so take a practical approach and let yourself off the hook.\nTeen Sexuality –What’s Going On\nTalking – Hanging Out – Hooking Up\nWhat do these terms mean? Some of these terms have various meanings.\nThis generation doesn’t really date anymore they just hangout or hookup. This new vocabulary makes having sex seem like a less extreme option.\nSay What? That’s Not Sex?\nThis generation has redefined what sex is. 100% of college students polled said that “oral sex” isn’t sex. Perhaps this makes them feel better about sexual activity they know is not acceptable. \nParent/Child Disconnect?\n• 83% of parents believed their teen had not engaged in sexual activity beyond kissing….but 27% of teens reported “having been more intimate with someone\,” and 21% reported having “touched someone’s genitals or private parts.”\n• 47% of parents strongly or somewhat strongly agreed with the statement “for teens oral sex is not as big a deal as sexual intercourse\,” compared with 75% of teens.\n• While 42% of parents reported talking about sexuality “very often” with their teens\, only 11% of teens agreed that these conversations took place “very often.” \nTrends in Teen Sexual Behavior\n10-year decline in teen intercourse between 2001-2007 has leveled off \n• Condom use is decreasing.\n• From 2005 – 2007 – increase in: teens having sex before 13\, and percentage of teens reporting 4 or more partners.\n• 6 in 10 girls and 5 in 10 boys\, by their 18th birthday\, have had intercourse.\n• 750\,000 teen pregnancies each year in the U.S.\n• 1 in 4 teens have sexually transmitted infections. \nSexual Intercourse \n1 in 5 teens have had sex by age 15\nBy 12th grade 69% report having sex\nBy 11th grade 63% report having sex\nBy 10th grade 44% report having sex\nBy 9th grade 38% report having sex \nContraception Use\nOf those teens reporting having sexual intercourse the number that used contraception? \n36% every time\n6% almost every time\n8% most of the time\n7% only sometimes\n1% hardly ever\n40% NEVER \nOral Sex \nEver had oral sex to avoid having sexual intercourse\nYES – 40%\nNO – 60% \nTeens who have more unsupervised hours report greater sexual activity \n56% last had sex on a weekday\n18% had sex before 3 pm\n17% between the hours of 3 – 6 pm – parents at work\n75% males and 87% females last had sex in their own or parents’ home\nStatistics show that young women who engage in sports have lower rates of teen pregnancy. \nSexuality Education Myths \nWhat they don’t know\n• Sex leads to pregnancy\n• Implications of unprotected sex\n• Signs and timing of pregnancy\n• Information about emergency contraception\nParents CAN make a difference \n• Most teens say parents influence their decisions about sex more than their peers – they DO hear you!\n• Most parents believe teen’s friends are the biggest influence\n• 59% of Teens said their parents are their role models for “healthy relationships”\n• 88% of teens say postponing sexual activity is easier if they have open\, honest conversations with their parents\n• Nearly 1 in 4 teens have never discussed sex\, contraception\, or pregnancy with their parents\n• “Don’t ask if you can’t deal with the response” – parents need to have a good connection with their kids \nWhy teens don’t talk to their parents about sex? \n• Teens worry about their parent’s reaction\n• Teens worry parents think they are having sex even if they are just asking some questions\n• Embarrassment\n• Believe that parents won’t understand \nCommunication/Door Slammers \n“You are too young”\n“Where did you hear that?”\n“If you say that word again…”\n“None of your business”\n“I don’t care what your friends are doing” \nDoor Openers \n“Good Question”\n“What do you think?”\n“I don’t know but I will find out”\n“I’m so glad you told me about that”\n“Tell me what you think that word means”\n“I am trying to understand what you are feeling” \nMajor Protective Factors \nNot dating someone much older/younger\nNo steady relationships\nHaving open communication with parents\nReceiving meaningful sexual education\nActive in sports/activities\nNot perceiving majority of peers is sexually active\nZero or minimal use of alcohol and/or other drugs \n10 Tips for Parents \n1. Be clear about your own sexual values\n2. Talk with children early and often about sex\n3. Supervise and monitor children and teens – do you know where they are?\n4. Know your kid’s friends and their families\n5. Discourage early\, frequent\, and steady dating\n6. Discourage your child dating someone older\n7. Focus on an option that is more attractive than parenthood\n8. Let kids know that you value education\n9. Know what kids are listening to\, reading and watching\n10. Involve your children in your activities
URL:https://www.parentscouncil.org/event/2009-pcw-fall-speaker-robin-g-sawyer/
LOCATION:National Cathedral School\, United States
CATEGORIES:Speaker Series
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20091021T090000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20091021T110000
DTSTAMP:20260424T153237
CREATED:20160406T182322Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20160823T175751Z
UID:1548-1256115600-1256122800@www.parentscouncil.org
SUMMARY:2009 PA Presidents' Forum
DESCRIPTION:Program Summary\n\nThe Parents Council of Washington hosted a Coffee and Discussion on Wednesday\, October 21\, 2009 for the Parents Association Presidents of all of the member schools. More than thirty PA Presidents met at Georgetown Visitation and participated in an open forum discussion of various issues\, including volunteerism\, budgeting and fundraising\, and school communications. Each attendee was given a packet with details on upcoming Parents Council of Washington programs as well as a complete listing of all of the Parents Association Presidents and their contact information for future reference.\n\n\nThe Parents Association Presidents first spoke of how to recruit volunteers for various school projects and events. Of special interest is how to effectively reach out to new families to encourage them to participate in Parents Association programs. Often there is a core group of parents who frequently volunteer\, and the challenge is how to recruit a larger and more diverse group of parent volunteers. Many recommendations were discussed\, including: \n\nSend out letters via email and US mail to new families in the spring and summer to invite them to participate in PA programs.\nSend a summer mailing of volunteer opportunities to all families requesting volunteers.\nMaintain a listing of all Parents Association Committees and activities on the school website along with descriptions to encourage parents to volunteer online.\nHost a PA volunteer table at school Orientation and Open House events.\nAssign mentor families to welcome new families and to encourage them to volunteer in activities of interest to them.\nWork with the school administration\, development staff and teachers to identify families with special interests and/or talents that could be helpful to the Parents Association. Follow-up with the Admission Office to further identify prospective parent volunteers.\nCreate volunteer opportunities that allow parents to share responsibilities and chairmanships\, rather than assuming them individually. Offer volunteer slots with limited time commitments to allow parents to help when possible.\nRemember to thank parent volunteers and committee chairs for their participation and leadership. Recognize volunteers in school publications when possible. Send personal notes to parents to thank them for their service to the school.\n\nThe discussion among the Parents Association Presidents continued on the topic of effective PA communications. Most schools rely primarily on email and online communications to reach out to parents. Parents Association Presidents spoke of using “push pages” and even yahoo groups to share information with parents on various activities. Yet\, some PA Presidents reminded others that personal phone calls can create a spirit of inclusiveness within the parent body of a school. \nPA Presidents talked about successful approaches for encouraging active involvement by a wider range of parents within the school community. Parents Associations have hosted Welcome Back Picnics\, International Nights and International Bazaars. Often these events are attended by parents who do not traditionally attend PA activities. They also spoke of the need to reach out to fathers and create volunteer and leadership opportunities for them. Some Parents Associations have hosted PA Meetings in the evenings\, in an effort to make it easier for all working parents to attend. Several schools provide babysitting for parents of young children. \nBudgeting and financial issues given these economic times were timely topics for the Parents Association Presidents. Most Parents Associations assess membership dues as a line item on the tuition bill. These dues are generally optional and are on a per family basis. Some Parents Association Presidents contact families who have not sent in their dues payments to encourage them to contribute. In most cases\, these dues are separate from individual class fund donations\, which are used for student based activities such as class parties. Parents Association Presidents try to inform parents of the important funding allocations for their annual dues. Some Presidents consult with the School Heads in developing PA budgets\, while others are more autonomous.\nAnother important issue facing Parents Association Presidents is the role of their organizations in the fundraising efforts of the school. Some Parents Associations do not actively participate in fundraising programs\, while others rely heavily on them as a source of income. This is especially important to those Parents Associations which purchase capital items for their schools. Some PA Presidents spoke of the need for “friendraising” rather than “fundraising” and as a result are not involved in soliciting parents for financial contributions to the school. Others spoke of “gift wrap sales fatigue” and the concern that some parents do not wish to be “nickled and dimed” by their school’s Parents Association. However\, many Parent Association Presidents were very interested in the current “grocery store” programs\, which allow schools to receive significant financial rewards for purchases by parents and friends of their school. \nIn closing\, the Parents Association Presidents found the open forum discussion of these many important issues helpful as they continue to plan programs for the 2009-2010 school year. They were encouraged to network with one another throughout the school year for additional information on relevant topics. The Parents Council of Washington will host another Parents Association Presidents Coffee and Open Discussion next spring for both outgoing and incoming PA Presidents.
URL:https://www.parentscouncil.org/event/2009-pcw-parents-association-presidents-coffee-and-discussion/
LOCATION:Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School\, 1524 Thirty-fifth Street NW\, Washington\, DC\, DC\, 20007\, United States
CATEGORIES:Parent Association President and PCW School Representative Events
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20090930T090000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20090930T120000
DTSTAMP:20260424T153237
CREATED:20160406T182322Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20160823T175208Z
UID:1547-1254301200-1254312000@www.parentscouncil.org
SUMMARY:2009 Orientation: featuring Michelle Kriebel on Our Children and Peer Pressure
DESCRIPTION:Program Summary \nThe first Parents Council of Washington (PCW) meeting of the 2009/2010 school year was held at the Holton-Arms School on Wednesday\, September 30th from 9am-12pm.\n\nThe meeting was an opportunity for the PCW board and each member school’s representatives to go over the program calendar for the year and review the duties of a PCW representative: To Give\, To Receive and To Share Information back to your school. \nThere will be 10 programs this year hosted by the PCW (up from 7 last year) including the upcoming PA Presidents’ Networking Coffee\, Dean’s Round Table Lunch\, Student Leader Breakfast\, and a Speaker Program which will be held November 12\, at 7pm at NCS’s Hearst Hall. Dr Robyn Sawyer\, author of the book SEXPERIENCE\, and professor at the University of Maryland\, will speak on Beyond the Birds and the Bees. \nThe meeting began with introductions\, a general calendar and website overview\, and ended with smaller group discussions aimed at encouraging the member schools to let the PCW board know how it can be most useful. \nThe second portion of the meeting was a lively and informative talk given by Michelle Kriebel\, counselor and educator\, entitled\n“But Everyone Else Is!” … Our Children and Peer Pressure: Why adolescents are susceptible to peer pressure and strategies to help. \nThe following summarizes her presentation: \nIntroduction\nA lot of the behaviors we see in our children today are age and developmentally appropriate. In the adolescent brain\, the area that causes children to want to take risks\, feel strong emotions\, and live in the here and now\, develops earlier than the area that has control over executive functions\, judgment\, long range thinking\, and decision-making ability. As a parent\, It is important to remember what it was like to want to be part of the group. Children today have the same kind of issues we had\, but are facing them at a much younger age. \nMichelle took the phrase below to explain how our children perceive themselves in relation to their peers:\nBUT…\n EVERYONE\n ELSE\n IS \nEVERYONE – “everyone” is the group that really matters to adolescents the group that they want to measure themselves against. In the middle and high school years\, biological changes cause children to feel things at a totally different level. They begin to use words like never\, always\, everyone\, etc. Girls seem to put a language to these feelings more than boys. \nIS –the “is world” is their immediate and only concern—living in the moment and not thinking about any consequences of their actions or choices. This is the reason why good kids sometimes do stupid things. Academic intelligence doesn’t equal emotional intelligence. Teens need boundaries because they need help with decision-making. Their still developing brain tells them to seek thrills and isn’t yet developed enough to help them see consequences. We need to love our children unconditionally\, not trust them unconditionally. \nELSE – this is the comparison children make of themselves to other children. This is the time in life when fitting in becomes paramount. Parents need to be aware of who their children’s ELSE is. For example\, who are they dressing like? Even in schools with uniforms these groups are able to identify themselves with their “own uniforms.” It is totally natural and normal for your child not to want to stick out and to want to be part of the group.\nBecause of technology kids have much greater access to the media than we ever had\, and can define their “peers” in a much wider group. “EVERYONE” could be someone like Brittany Spears or Lindsay Lohan so it is important to be aware of these influences on your child as well as immediate school peers. \nBUT – If the conversation with your child starts with her saying\, “But…\,” that’s good news for you as a parent. “But” means that what she is asking is outside of what he or she understands to be the family standard. For example\, “But\, everyone will be at the party\,” or “But\, everyone will be going.” If the conversation starts with “but\,” your child knows he or she is asking for something that strays from your family values. That is why it is important that you talk to your children about your family values and what is acceptable. \n“BUT EVERYONE ELSE IS“ – this is a reminder to have conversations with your children about all of these things. Remember\, it is generally best not to “pounce on them as soon as they get in the car after school“ as they are exhausted by the EVERYONE\, ELSE\, and IS that they experience each day at school. This can be emotionally overwhelming for them. \nStrategies to Help \n\nAt the end of the day\, let your child lead the conversation about what happened during the day. Avoid asking specific questions and putting your child on the defensive. Try to be patient and let them guide the conversation.\nIf your child comes to you with a question or concern or request\, be sure to validate what they are feeling. Then\, together talk about what the choices/options are. It is important to allow our children to develop their own voice.\nAs parents\, we need to allow our children to experience disappointment so that they can develop resiliency. Our children need to learn how to cope with\, and move on from\, disappointment\nWe need to spend quantity time with our children\, not just quality time\, so that when our children are ready to talk\, we are around to listen.\nFamily traditions and routines are very important to maintain. Kids need to be connected to their childhood more than ever at this time of heightened peer pressure.\nHelp your children identify other adult mentors in their lives—a coach\, teacher\, relative\, neighbor\, religious person—that they can talk to and who will support them. Another adult can say the same thing that the parent can say\, but the child may be better able to “hear” the message.\nParents need to remember that until the adolescent brain has finished developing (in the mid-twenties) that academic intelligence cannot be equated with social intelligence. Just because your child is smart and a good kid\, it does not mean that he or she is ready to take on adult situations. As parents\, we need to set appropriate boundaries and make sure our kids are in developmentally appropriate situations.\nService to others is a great way for children to get perspective.\nChildren need to find a passion that is all their own.\nAs parents\, we need to make sure that there is a period of time every day when our children disconnect from all technology.\nAs parents\, we must model appropriate behaviors—we must model what we want our children to do.\nParents must network with one another and connect with one another.
URL:https://www.parentscouncil.org/event/2009-pcw-orientationfall-kickoff-speaker-michelle-kriebel/
LOCATION:The Holton-Arms School\, United States
CATEGORIES:Events,Parent Association President and PCW School Representative Events
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090505
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090506
DTSTAMP:20260424T153237
CREATED:20160406T182322Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20160825T182512Z
UID:1551-1241481600-1241567999@www.parentscouncil.org
SUMMARY:2008-2009 PA Presidents Forum
DESCRIPTION:Program Summary\n\nLee Arrowood\, Outgoing President of St. Patrick’s Parents Association\, opened the program with a short talk about the challenges facing Parent Association Presidents and some suggestions.\nHighlights included:\nObtaining buy-in from your community: \n\nSpend first month or six weeks of your term listening in meetings with key people at your school: outgoing PA President; outgoing members of Executive Committee; key volunteers\, administrators and parents.\nLook for themes in what people are telling you\nCreate a strategy for your term: develop 5 things that you want to accomplish during your tenure. Examples: improved website; better communication; more diverse volunteer participation\nMake all items actionable\, with objective way to measure success\n\nManaging Through Current Economy: \n\nLook for novel fund-raising ideas\nLeverage outside resources: use PCW speakers and calendar\, as well as events at other schools\n\nDeveloping Talent For the Future \n\nCompile a list of people to watch the following year\nKeep a spreadsheet of who was asked for what job and why they declined\nOffer secondary roles to people you are grooming for leadership\n\nHousekeeping \n\nMake sure by-laws\, job descriptions and voting procedures are up to date\nUse technology for school-wide volunteer recruitment\nKeep good records of what was done in each position to avoid re-inventing the wheel each year\n\nFollowing Lee’s talk\, the group had a wide-ranging open forum discussion. Issues raised included: \n\nCommunication\nVolunteerism – breaking jobs into manageable bite sized pieces\nFundraising – particularly in this economy\nPolicy-making\nBudgeting\nRelationship with Head of School\nDiversity in volunteer group\nParents’ reluctance to attend meetings\nWelcoming new families\nAppropriate role of parent business community for networking\nLosing volunteers to workforce due to economic downturn\nParent education efforts\nTime management for parents\nDocumentation for future volunteers\nInput from students\nInstitutional tools – software to manage volunteers\n\nDiscussion of Issue of Volunteerism: \n\nBreak down jobs into manageable sizes\, so working parents can participate\nCut back programs to those that parents really care about to encourage attendance and deal with time management concerns\nVary meeting times to capture different audiences\nUse technology instead of meetings to alleviate time management issues; for instance\, post videos of speakers on website\nUse volunteer software: PTO Manager is a good one – it is inexpensive and permits people to volunteer on-line\nCreate notebooks for each job and capture them electronically\nSuccession planning: have someone you’re grooming shadow the person in job\n\nDiscussion of Fundraising: \n\nMost PAs receive funds from mandatory dues; some are voluntary\nDues ranged from $25 -$150\nNew ideas for fund-raising instead of auctions\n\nDiscussion of Expanding Diversity of Volunteer Pool: \n\nHold meetings at different times\nRemind parents in every e-mail that they are welcome to attend all meetings\nAssign people at meetings to welcome new people\nBring a guest speaker to meetings as a hook to get people to attend PA meetings\nPersonally invite new people to meeting; let old people know that it is their job to bring in new people; mandate that every Executive Committee\nmember bring someone new to each open meeting\nHold meetings on campus instead of in someone’s home\nThank people for helping\nWear name tags on campus that include job titles and committee names\nBe open to new ideas\nUse personal e-mails and personal phone calls
URL:https://www.parentscouncil.org/event/2009-pcw-pa-presidents-forum/
LOCATION:National Cathedral School\, United States
CATEGORIES:Parent Association President and PCW School Representative Events
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090430
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090501
DTSTAMP:20260424T153237
CREATED:20160406T182323Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20160823T174115Z
UID:1552-1241049600-1241135999@www.parentscouncil.org
SUMMARY:2009 Spring Representative Roundtable
DESCRIPTION:Program Summary\n\nThe Parents Council welcomed outgoing representatives from member schools to a Thank You Coffee and information session about the results from the Student Leadership Breakfast and the Dean’s Luncheon (See summaries of the events for results.)\nThis resulted in a lively discussion among the reps on the subjects most talked about at the two gatherings – camera phones and academic integrity.Some selections from the conversation: \n\nKids think Facebook insures privacy and don’t realize it doesn’t;\nCan a data block be used on a phone to prevent the sending of photographs and to help in blocking “sexting?”;\nKids use their phones at all hours of the night;\nKids don’t realize that sending suggestive photographs by text or email can result in “distribution of pornography” charges.\n\nThe question of how people teach their children about the use of technology was answered in a number of ways: \n\nGrant privileges when you think you child is ready to handle them;\nHave a conversation about values;\nFathers have a strong influence on the way young girls view relationships;\nYou need to keep talking with your children and make sure they are aware of the consequences of their actions;\nDon’t rely on technology to stop kids from sending photographs – this has to be done through education and conversation about basic values and the potential consequences of their actions.\n\nOn the subject of academic integrity\, and especially how it relates to technology\, these were among the points of conversation: \n\nLower the pressure on students so they don’t feel they have to cheat to succeed;\nStudents can use camera phones to text questions and answers;\nParents and teachers are behind in the technology and so they are not even aware of the kinds of tools students have at their disposal.
URL:https://www.parentscouncil.org/event/2009-pcw-rep-thank-you-coffee-and-session/
LOCATION:The Langley School\, 1411 Balls Hill Road\, McLean\, VA\, 22101\, United States
CATEGORIES:Parent Association President and PCW School Representative Events
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090421
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090422
DTSTAMP:20260424T153237
CREATED:20160406T182322Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20160822T193226Z
UID:1549-1240272000-1240358399@www.parentscouncil.org
SUMMARY:2009 Deans' Luncheon
DESCRIPTION:Program Summary\n\nSeventeen high school Deans of Students from PCW member schools in Maryland\, Virginia and Washington\, D.C. gathered for our second annual Deans Lunch to discuss the concerns raised by the students at our Student Leader Breakfast. The issues associated with new technology generated much discussion. The deans had a lively exchange of ideas and seemed to appreciate the opportunity to compare various approaches of dealing with issues common to all the schools. We received a very enthusiastic response to the program\, including many requests that the PCW hold a deans’ program in the fall as well as in the spring.
URL:https://www.parentscouncil.org/event/2009-pcw-deans-lunch/
LOCATION:The Holton-Arms School\, United States
CATEGORIES:Upper School Dean of Students Program
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090305
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090306
DTSTAMP:20260424T153237
CREATED:20160406T182322Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20180211T194852Z
UID:1543-1236211200-1236297599@www.parentscouncil.org
SUMMARY:2009 Best Practices Forum: Students and Stress: Causes and Solutions
DESCRIPTION:Program Summary \n“Students and Stress: Causes and Solutions”\nOver forty Representatives from 23 member schools attended the PCW’s annual Best Practices program last month. The topic was “Students and Stress.” Three school counselors representing lower\, middle and upper school gave presentations on identifying and alleviating stress at the various grade levels. \nMary Power\, the lower and middle school counselor at Stone Ridge\, described the sources and symptoms of stress in the lower school child\, who cannot see the “big picture” and does not have the ability to problem solve on his/her own. Schools can help by teaching lower school students to manage their friendships\, conflicts and emotions\, and providing play and art materials and opportunities for plenty of physical activity. Specific teaching goals include relaxation techniques\, positive self talk and problem solving. Guidance counselors should educate faculty to spot changes in students’ behavior or habits that might indicate stress\, i.e. headaches\, stomachaches\, aggression\, irritability\, sad or withdrawn affect. According to Mary\, good schools react quickly when stress surfaces in a student\, and serve as a resource for parents and outside professionals to teach the child how to manage stress. \nWeezie Parry\, the grade 4/5 counselor at the Potomac School\, talked about the science of stress. Studies show that over time\, unrelieved stress causes the memory center of the brain to shrink. She quoted one stress expert as saying\, “Stress makes us stupid – it hijacks the brain.” A stressed student uses only 20% of his/her brain capacity\, which means that our students are doing more but accomplishing less because of undue stress. During the middle school years\, schools can alleviate stress by teaching students about conflict resolution\, nutrition/sleep\, self-empowerment\, relaxation techniques and effective study habits. Weezie recommended that schools create non-threatening environments in which to live and learn that include high levels of challenge combined with low levels of threat. \nPam Williams\, the upper school counselor at Stone Ridge\, spoke about a seminar program designed to take students through the various stages of their high school experience in a way that minimizes stress. In the early years of high school\, students are taught the value of “down time”\, how to effectively organize their time\, health and wellness\, and are shown the film “Swing Kids.” In the later years\, students are introduced to self analysis to ask who they are in their world and where they are going. The program concludes with a writing exercise: students write a letter to their families as they approach graduation\, describing their values and how they will step out into the world. The small seminars are an effective tool to combat the inevitable stresses of attending high school in today’s competitive climate. \nFollowing these presentations\, attendees broke into smaller discussion groups geared to high school\, middle school and lower school concerns. What follows are specific suggestions for schools gleaned from the break-out sessions and best practices submissions: \n\nProvide parent education re: the college application process early in the high school years.\nRe-define “success.” Harvard and Yale are not the only measures. Correct “fit” is essential.\nImplement a division-wide test/quiz/paper calendar to ensure that students aren’t overloaded in one day/week.\nDesignate a “Dean of FUN” to integrate fun into daily school life and organize stress-buster events such as spirit week\, no homework weekends and retreat weekends.\nTeach time management skills.\nEstablish a learning center to help students with study skills and alternative learning styles.\nTeach faculty to incorporate various teaching styles to accommodate different student learning styles.\nSchedule final exams to allow more study time: exams Friday\, Monday\, Tuesday/reading day Wednesday/exam Thursday.\nOffer grade specific “parent peer groups” led by Guidance counselors 2-4 times per academic year to give parents a forum to discuss non-academic concerns in a confidential setting. Include these on master calendar at the beginning of the year.\nOffer meditation/yoga/hip-hop classes (opportunities for non-competitive exercise).\nBuild significant breaks into the daily schedule to allow students an opportunity to meet with teachers or “hang out” with each other.\nSchedule weekly “Deans Meeting” attended by the dean of students and all counselors to identify student behaviors that merit special attention.\nCreate an 8 day rotating schedule to honor a more balanced\, humane pace and provide double periods for upper school classes.\nInstitute an “unbreakable” break mid-morning and another long period after lunch for jazz band\, mid-day fitness\, clubs\, community service activities\, extra help from teachers\, etc.\n\n“Surprise Day” – students are surprised twice a year with morning donuts & other treats. In lieu of morning meeting\, they are given an opportunity to relax and visit with friends. \n“Monday Open House” – all members of the senior class are welcome in the counselor’s office every Monday morning for breakfast goodies\, guidance & camaraderie. \nOffer evening programs for students and their parents. Some examples: (1) Symposium on stress and student life for 11th grade\, presented by a neurophysiologist. (2) ”Redefining Success in the College Search Process” presented by a psychologist and an Ivy League Dean of Admissions. (3) ”Navigating the Social Scene” presented by an abuse counselor at Suburban Hospital and a Montgomery County District Court judge. \nSchool counselors regularly participate in lunch and recess on an informal basis. \nProvide 5 minutes of silence/mindful meditation before a test. \nInstitute a two week mid-winter “Interim” when classes are suspended and a campus-wide theme is explored. During this period\, non-traditional classes and activities are offered. \nOffer upper school students one test/paper extension pass per year per academic class.
URL:https://www.parentscouncil.org/event/2009-pcw-best-practices-students-and-stress/
LOCATION:Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart\, 9101 Rockville Pike\, Bethesda\, MD\, 20814\, United States
CATEGORIES:Best Practices Forum
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20090210
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20090211
DTSTAMP:20260424T153237
CREATED:20160406T182322Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20160823T165528Z
UID:1550-1234224000-1234310399@www.parentscouncil.org
SUMMARY:2009 Upper School Student Leader Breakfast
DESCRIPTION:Program Summary \n\n\nFifty-three juniors and seniors representing 26 independent schools from the Washington metropolitan area met at the PCW’s annual Student Leadership Breakfast to discuss issues affecting today’s high school students. To encourage candor and respect privacy\, very few adults were present and students were assured anonymity. The students participated in both large and small group discussions. An adult moderator led the large group discussions and the small groups were self-directed. Each small group selected a student to report their group’s ideas to the large group. Four adult scribes recorded the students’ comments.Many of the topics were suggested by students at last year’s Student Leader Breakfast and the students directed the pace of the discussion. The topics included school sports and rivalries\, student leadership\, diversity\, academic integrity\, the college application process\, time management\, stress\, camera phones\, Facebook\, sex education\, drugs and alcohol\, and the social lives of students. The students were also invited to share written comments to be conveyed to the school administrators.The students were forthcoming and positive\, and comfortable with polite disagreement. They relished the chance to discuss their thoughts and concerns. Based on the comments and evaluations\, the students found the program to be very unique\, enjoyable and constructive. They were eager for their schools to know their concerns. \nAfter the Student Leader Breakfast\, notes from the program were organized and summarized. The summary included many direct quotes but did not attribute any comment to any particular student or school. The students’ insights were then shared with our member school communities through PCW programs such as Best Practices and the Deans Lunch\, and the summary is being sent to the administrators and parent associations of our member schools.
URL:https://www.parentscouncil.org/event/2009-pcw-high-school-student-leader-breakfast/
LOCATION:Georgetown Preparatory School\, 10900 Rockville Pike\, North Bethesda\, MD\, 20852\, United States
CATEGORIES:Student Leader Breakfasts
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20081112
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20081113
DTSTAMP:20260424T153237
CREATED:20160406T182322Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20160823T174046Z
UID:1544-1226448000-1226534399@www.parentscouncil.org
SUMMARY:2008 Fall Representative Roundtable
DESCRIPTION:Program Summary \nOnline Social Networking\nFred Haller from Georgetown Visitation gave a very entertaining but sobering talk about online social networks. He noted that most people don’t realize that when a person accepts Facebook’s terms and conditions\, they give Facebook ownership of everything they post – every word\, picture or idea.He gave the group some ideas of the dangers that can occur even when just dealing with selected “friends” and provided parameters that parents could set. He was adamant that parents need to be a part of their children’s online experience and used the analogy of someone learning to drive: you would never let your child drive alone he or she has a fair amount of experience driving with you under their belts. Parents should also actively monitor what their children do online – and let them know before they start online that you may drop in from time to time. Secret sleuthing is not as effective as an open\, honest relationship about what is expected online. He suggested that parents open their own facebook and require their children to “friend” them. Parents need to have the tools and experience to know how to guide and teach in the social networking and internet world.\nThe group broke out into two discussion groups: one for middle school and one for high school. The highlights from both groups follow: \nMiddle School Roundtable summary:\nThe Middle School group focused on text messaging and cell phone usage. While we recognized the benefits of staying connected and being more accessible we felt our pre teens were becoming socially inept with face to face conversations. They are loosing the “personal touch” and are sometimes quite rude\, by texting during other conversations or not talking but texting in the car. Some of the Reps have specific house rules such as no cell phone usage after a certain hour or no phones at the table. One Rep said Verizon has parameters that can be [put in place such as no service between certain hours. One Rep said they have their child pay the phone/text bill. The opinion was that these kids are still developmentally immature and have too much coming at them to fast. Bottom line\, talk\, talk\, talk to our kids – they will listen! \nHigh School Roundtable summary:\nThe High School group primarily focused on the pitfalls associated with Facebook. The group felt today’s kids know so much about Facebook that any attempt to guide students must include new information to keep their interest. Stories must provide specific examples of how someone lost a job or didn’t get into a certain sorority\, school or sports team. Facebook\, like the computer in general\, is a great networking tool but also a huge time sink: parents should be mindful of how much time their children spend on Facebook. Programs directed at high school kids should be presented by someone just a little bit older than the audience\, for example\, recent college grads\, to gain credibility.
URL:https://www.parentscouncil.org/event/2008-pcw-rep-roundtable/
LOCATION:The Bullis School\, United States
CATEGORIES:Parent Association President and PCW School Representative Events
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20080201
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20080202
DTSTAMP:20260424T153237
CREATED:20160406T182322Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20180211T194919Z
UID:1541-1201824000-1201910399@www.parentscouncil.org
SUMMARY:2008 Best Practices Forum: Going Green and Online Social Networking
DESCRIPTION:Program Summary \nGoing Green\n  \nOnline Social Networking\nPCW hosted a best practices program at The Potomac School featuring two topics: Going Green and Online Social Networking.\nGoing Green included two presentations: one about sustainability practices in place at Madeira School and a second presentation from Sidwell Friends School about their new middle school building. The building is remarkable in that it was awarded LEED Platinum certification from the U.S. Green Building Council\, making it the only K-12 school in the world\, and the first building in Washington\, D.C. to receive this distinction. \nThe following schools participated in the program and submitted one page summaries of the best practices at their schools. Copies of the submissions are available Request: parentscouncil@verizon.netParticipants: Burgundy Farm Country Day School\, Georgetown Day School\, Georgetown Preparatory School\, Gonzaga College High School\, Green Acres School\, The Lab School of Washington\, The Langley School\, Madeira School\, New School of Northern Virginia\, The Potomac School\, St. Stephen’s & St. Agnes School\, St. Albans School\, St. Patrick’s Episcopal Day School\, Sidwell Friends School \nSocial Networking\nPCW hosted a best practices program at The Potomac School to discuss social networking issues in their schools. The following schools participated in the program and submitted one page summaries of the best practices at their schools. Copies of the submissions are available Request: parentscouncil@verizon.net \nParticipants: Burgundy Farm Country Day School\, Georgetown Day School\, Georgetown Preparatory School\, Gonzaga College High School\, Green Acres School\, The Lab School of Washington\, The Langley School\, Madeira School\, New School of Northern Virginia\, The Potomac School\, St. Stephen’s & St. Agnes School\, St. Albans School\, St. Patrick’s Episcopal Day School\, Sidwell Friends School
URL:https://www.parentscouncil.org/event/2008-pcw-best-practices-going-green-and-online-social-networking/
LOCATION:The Potomac School\, 1301 Potomac School Road\, McLean\, VA\, 22101\, United States
CATEGORIES:Best Practices Forum
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR