Please join the April meeting of the Newton Parent Advisory Council for Special Education, for a presentation on Reading and Language Based Learning Difficulties Steve Wilkins of the Carroll School.

IMPORTANT: Because they anticipate a large turnout for this meeting, please RSVP with the number of people attending to PAC.reading.meeting@gmail.com.

April 8th, 7:30 pm
Room 210 of the Education Center
100 Walnut Street, Newton

Networking and refreshments will begin at 7:15 pm.

Steve Wilkins is Head of School at Carroll, a K/1 – 8 school in Lincoln, MA for children with language based learning difficulties, including dyslexia. With more than 35 years of experience in the field, Steve is passionate about children who learn differently and celebrates their strengths while striving to provide a creative, experiential, outcomes-based curriculum that educates the whole child. Steve and Carroll are actively engaged in important brain science research that is helping educators understand why and how children with dyslexia learn differently. Steve’s talk will lay out the best thinking about how children learn or don’t learn to read, what kinds of interventions are most effective, and cutting edge studies that piloting new curricula to address working memory and other associated learning issues. More than an educator, Steve is a champion for kids who learn differently and what they have to offer the world.

More than Sad: American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Movie & Presentation
April 1st, 6:30-8:30 pm

The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) is the nation’s leading organization bringing together people across communities and backgrounds to understand and prevent suicide, and to help heal the pain it causes. AFSP has developed an educational program to help community members and concerned adults learn more about teen suicide and how they can play a role in its prevention. Join a screening of More Than Sad: Suicide Prevention Education for Teachers and Other School Personnel followed by a presentation with a clinician on hand to answer questions. The program will take place at the Newton Free Library in Druker Auditorium. View two 25-minute films that are endorsed by the National Association of School Psychologists and are listed on the Best Practices Registry for Suicide Prevention. Participate in a discussion based on a manual that integrates the films into a comprehensive suicide prevention program. The program is open to the public.

Malcolm Astley, father of the late Lauren Astley, and a panel discussion with representatives from REACH, Journey to Safety, BARCC, and Kim Coney, NSHS School Resource Officer.

This event is sponsored by REACH, Journey to Safety, BARCC, The Second Step and the Wellesley Hospital.

April 7th,  7:00 pm to 8:30 pm
Newton South High School Auditorium

Taking Care of Ourselves and Our Teens: Reducing Stress and Enhancing Resiliency

War Memorial at City Hall, 6:00-7:30 pm, April 10th, 17th, May 6th, 13th

As part of our Youth Stress grant, Newton Youth Services, in partnership with Newton Free Library, is pleased to offer a four-session wellness program for parents of adolescents developed by the world-renowned Benson-Henry Institute of Mind Body Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital. This program teaches self-care skills to help cope with stresses of everyday life and aims to leave parents with a renewed sense of control and well-being. You must register to participate and registration indicates that you are able to attend all four sessions. Please visit https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/parentsofteens to register. This program is free to all Newton residents or parents of teens attending school in Newton.

Research shows that incorporating self-care strategies and healthy lifestyle behaviors can reduce medical symptoms and enhance quality of life. During the four, 1.5 hour sessions, you will learn:

• The physiology of stress and how it affects your body
• Self-care strategies to reduce stress and increase your resilience
• Relaxation techniques such as meditation, deep breathing, mindfulness and imagery
• Easy ways to reduce or stop stress-inducing thoughts
• Tips for modeling these skills for your teens and helping reduce their stress and build their resilience too

Leadership
Taking care of ourselves is led by Rana Chudnofsky, MEd. Ms. Chudnofsky has served as the Director of the Education Initiative at the ben-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital (BHI) since 2006. Her areas of specialization include relaxation techniques and cognitive strategies for clinical treatment centers, schools and universities.

An Open Conversation: Lecture Series for Parents of Teens

Druker Auditorium, Newton Free Library,  See dates below, 7:00-8:30 pm, free and open to all. The Newton Free Library and Newton Youth Services will be hosting a five-part series of workshops for parents around the topics of wellness, stress management, and communication.  As part of the Youth Stress grant awarded to the Newton Health & Human Services Department this program is being offered by Newton Youth Services and Newton Free Library in partnership with Newton Cares, Newton-Wellesley Hospital, Riverside Community Care, the Massachusetts School for Professional Psychology and the Multiservice Eating Disorder s Association. Presenters will include mental health professionals and experts in adolescent development and communications.

Wednesday, April 30, 2014 Success under Stress

Newton is a high achieving community. Can how we define success contribute to the stressors in our lives and the lives of our teens? If we can’t eliminate stress, how do we teach our children to manage it in healthy ways?

Tuesday, May 13, 2014 #sorrynotsorry
It’s different today from when we were teens. This session will explore social media, how it is effecting teens and how we can help them navigate it.

Monday, June 2, 2014 OMG! Your teen actually talks to you?
Communication is one of the keys to raising a happy and healthy teen. This session will explore tips for open communication to help strengthen your relationship.

Thursday, June 19, 2014 Don’t Hate, Appreciate
Learn more about talking to teens about body confidence, eating disorders and media literacy. How can parents start the conversation, model healthy behaviors and teach young people not to put others down based on looks.