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Parent Education at Valley
Valley School's Community Alliance of Parents (CAP) hosts a committee of parent volunteers who, in partnership with the school administration, shepherd our Parent Education Program. The mission of the Parent Education Committee is to ensure Valley School families have access to educational opportunities and resources that enhance their experience both as parents and as members of our school community.
2018-2019 Parent Education Committee Co-Chairs: Kami Chaudhery and Margot Case
Coming Up:
Parenting Generation Z: Media, Behavior Challenges, and Stress Management with Laura Kastner
September 20, 2018 • 6:00 p.m.
at the Giddens School
In partnership with the Giddens School, Valley is pleased to have Laura Kastner Ph.D. discuss Parenting Generation Z: Media, Behavioral Challenges, and Stress Management.
Today’s parents face unique challenges. While technology has produced large advantages and benefits for society, the average parent and tween are looking at a screen up to 9 hours a day outside their “work” functions, and younger kids aren’t far behind. Divided attention, sleep problems, and endless family fights about social media often ensue. With so little family time, parents fret about disciplinary issues and often cave to child demands or engage in power struggles, instead of figuring out wise family policies and sticking with them. Compound all this with stress. Stress for kids today is playing a large role in mental health problems like anxiety in the elementary years and substance abuse in adolescence. However, some stress is good and is a normal part of being human! How can you keep the good part of high expectations but prevent stressing your kids out with too many? We can’t turn back the clock and make our accelerated culture less stress-inducing, but we can develop skills as parents to reduce stress on our children.
This lecture will discuss strategies for parents to harness the best of technology, curb risks, reduce their children’s stress level, enhance resilience, and build academic, social and emotional competence.
We hope you enjoyed:
The Valley School Social Emotional Learning Program
Thank you to all who attended our evening presentation about Valley's social emotional learning program and what parents can do at home to foster social emotional growth. If you were unable to attend or would like to know more about this topic, please click on the links below to view the presentations from the evening.
Valley Social Emotional Learning and Self-Regulation Presentation by Valley Parent Aly Frei
Valley Social Emotional Learning Presentation by Gillian Toledo and Alan Braun
The Birds and the Bees with Amy Lang
The birds and the bees can be tough to talk about, but with a little information, some careful thought and planning, it's possible to have comfortable and effective conversations that help your kids make good decisions.
Links to resource materials:
Reading Pre-K through 5th Grade
One of the many treasured traditions at The Valley School is the opportunity parents have to read to their child's class. Reading aloud gives us a chance to connect to all our children through books and stories. Summer can allow us the time to continue this richly rewarding tradition at home. You can find many books and audiobooks online through the Seattle Public Library.
On the Importance of Parent Education:
“Focusing on our own education as we struggle with theirs is as much for our own benefit, joy and well-being as for our children’s. Our own education may feel like a secondary responsibility, but it is at least as important.”
~From The Genius In Every Child: Encouraging Character, Curiosity and Creativity in Children
by Rick Ackerly (2012)
PAST EVENTS
Jeff Lee, MD
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Community-wide
Parent Ed Links: