Parents as Partners 2020-2021

WEBINAR 1:

Parenting in the Time of COVID-19

Presented by MICHAEL THOMPSON

September 1, 2020 | 4:00-5:00pm (Athens, GMT+3)

The pandemic has made family life complicated and sometimes stressful, keeping parents and children in close quarters for months. It has forced many parents into the demanding role of supervising and supporting their child's online learning, often while they themselves have been working from home. Dr. Thompson will address the stresses of parenting in the time of COVID-19, offering suggestions about how to manage your child's mental health and their own.

SPONSORED BY

WEBINAR 2:

Growing Stronger Together: Parents as partners supporting learning and well-being in the home

Presented by JOY MARCHESE

September 15, 2020 | 4:00-5:00pm (Athens, GMT+3)

This is an unpredictable time for everyone — teachers, parents and children. This session will focus on navigating together as adults in partnership and learning strategies for being a positive force in each child’s social-emotional development and education. We will cover applicable strategies that you can use in your homes straight away to foster connection, cooperation, problem-solving skills, and to help build resiliency in children.

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WEBINAR 3:

Collaborating Effectively: The Parent-Teacher Partnership

Presented by JENNIFER ABRAMS

September 29, 2020 | 4:00-5:00pm (Athens, GMT+3)

Given this time of uncertainty with more distance learning and lots of Zoom conferences, parents and educators are both asking, How might we communicate effectively with each other at this time? What do we know about the best strategies for these specific moments? What questions should we be asking ourselves before we speak, and what specific wording is best for when we do speak? Based on Jennifer’s books, Having Hard Conversations and Hard Conversations Unpacked, and her work in interpersonal communication, this session will provide parents and guardians with language tools for having humane and growth-producing conversations with teachers and school leaders.

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WEBINAR 4:

Mental Health Risk and Living as an Expat: Thinking Beyond COVID

Presented by SEAN TRUMAN

October 13, 2020 | 4:00-5:00pm (Athens, GMT+3)

Over the last decade there has been a significant increase in child and adolescent mental health risk; these problems are affecting our children's ability to function at home, in school and with their peers. As a parent, it is extraordinarily difficult to support a child who is experiencing emotional disruption and mental health problems, particularly so in communities where there are few local clinical resources available. Dr. Truman will talk about factors that underlie the increase in mental health risk, and ways that parents can support vulnerable children more effectively.

WEBINAR 5:

Best Friends, Worst Enemies: Understanding the Social Lives of Children

Presented by MICHAEL THOMPSON

October 27, 2020 | 4:00-5:00pm (Athens, GMT+2)

Social cruelty among kids is one of the most difficult things that adults have to confront in raising or educating children. This presentation addresses a number of questions: What do social relationships in school predict about happiness in adult life? What is the normal sequence of child friendships? Why do cliques form and what are the differences between boy and girl groups? Why are children scapegoated and how can their parents and school protect them? Dr. Thompson will draw on research and make suggestions about the management of social problems in schools.

SPONSORED BY

WEBINAR 6:

Building Racial Literacy and Building Human Empathy

Presented by HOMA TAVANGAR & ERIC DOZIER

November 10, 2020 | 4:00-5:00pm (Athens, GMT+2)

The BIG Question: How can we reimagine justice, equity, diversity and inclusion in our schools and for our children?

At this crucial moment in the movement for racial justice around the world, how can schools move beyond the semblance of diversity and inclusion into centers of justice and equity that nurture, encourage and safeguard all of their students? This dynamic session will explore how key terms like diversity and empathy are used generously in schools with little examination of the conditions necessary to bring either to full expression. In addition to building racial literacy, this session integrates live music and storytelling to stimulate empathy and activate the imagination needed to transform our educational environments - and nurture meaningful conversations at home.

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WEBINAR 7:

Partnering with Parents To Improve Student Achievement

Presented by ERMA ANDERSON

November 24, 2020 | 4:00-5:00pm (Athens, GMT+2)

A multitude of factors go into a child’s success in school. At a minimum, academic success takes dedicated teachers and administrators, adequate resources, and a rich curriculum. Parents, as their child’s first and most important teachers, also play a critical role by supporting their child’s academic life. To do this key job, parents must know what their children are expected to learn by the end of each academic year. Clear, consistent and rigorous standards are key to increasing student achievement and readiness for college, career, and life.

The webinar provides an overview of Academic Standards, what they are, as well as how they influence curriculum, instruction, and assessment. Understanding the standards enables parents to be partners in the education of their children. Information to help engage and support student learning will be shared.

WEBINAR 8:

Raising Children to Thrive Amidst Change and Uncertainty

Presented by HOMA TAVANGAR

December 8, 2020 | 4:00-5:00pm (Athens, GMT+2)

In a time of sweeping global change, profound uncertainty, and deep divisions, how can parents not just offer their children the skills to succeed, but to thrive—to make a difference, practice courage and be happy? Join best-selling author Homa Sabet Tavangar for a session exploring this big question. Her three decades of experience working with companies, classrooms, communities and communicators has helped bridge us versus them and unlock human potential.

The challenges of globalization, diversity, sustainability, and peace have never been greater. We need relevant, rigorous, empathy-building, 21st-Century education that helps make sense of these border-less issues and innovates around real human experiences. Homa’s work shows that this need not be overly complicated and can begin anywhere, right now.

SUPPORTED BY

WEBINAR 1:

Parents as Learning Coaches

Presented by STEVE BARKLEY

January 19, 2021 | 4:00-5:00pm (Athens, GMT+2)

The role of the teacher is to create the tasks and structures and provide motivation and feedback that engage students in learning behaviors. As parents and caretakers, we add value by supporting those important learning behaviors. Whether your children are working virtually, in classrooms, or doing both in a hybrid model, your assistance as a learning coach can build increased current academic success and reinforce important executive functioning skills that are career and life skills. The learner’s actions and behaviors are key to learning mastery. Students cause student learning and student achievement.

In this session, Steve provides specific focus areas for coaching learning and examples of what coaching conversations with your children can sound like.

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WEBINAR 2:

Bringing Out the Best in Your Children and Yourself

Presented by JOY MARCHESE

February 2, 2021 | 4:00-5:00pm (Athens, GMT+2)

There is no such thing as a perfect parent, but this session will increase your confidence and give you a plan for those (inevitable) challenging times. We will explore how you may transition from the overwhelm of these stressful and uncertain times and be empowered to nurture the growth and development of your child (and yourself). Attendees can expect to leave this session equipped with practical, easy-to-implement strategies to foster connection, cooperation, and encouragement within the home.

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WEBINAR 3:

Parents as Partners in Learning: Managing Digital Media in the Home

Presented by RENEE HOBBS

February 16, 2021 | 4:00-5:00pm (Athens, GMT+2)

This session addresses how parents can optimize the use of media, technology and digital devices for learning purposes. What should parents do when children are very small? What is appropriate for children in their adolescent years? How do parents keep children's mobile devices from interfering with school work and sleep? Learn five strategies that enable parents to be partners in helping children learn to be strategic in the attention, time, and choices they make in using media and technology for play and learning.

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WEBINAR 4:

Parents Supporting Learners to be Mastery Oriented

Presented by STEVE BARKLEY

March 2, 2021 | 4:00-5:00pm (Athens, GMT+2)

Mastery oriented learners are motivated by building competency. They are intrinsically motivated rather than driven by extrinsic rewards or by fear of punishment. Mastery oriented learners want to learn for the sake of learning rather than for grades or teacher or parent approval. They believe that failure is part of success. Mastery oriented learners believe that their ability is changeable. That’s why it has been labeled as a growth mindset. Explore how to motivate a growth mindset and to use the “Goldilocks” challenge to encourage just the right amount of struggle.

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WEBINAR 5:

The Human Side of Changing Education

Presented by JULIE WILSON

March 16, 2021 | 4:00-5:00pm (Athens, GMT+2)

We are witnessing a rising tide of popular consensus that the traditional, century-old model of education is no longer serving our children. Performance on standardized test scores is becoming the floor of school performance, not the ceiling. More and more schools are drafting strategic plans that state skills such as problem solving, collaboration, and creativity must become an integral part of the school’s DNA.

In this webinar, we will explore the skills, knowledge and habits of mind that children will need in order to thrive in an unknowable future, the shifts schools will need to make to support that learning, and how parents can be partners in the change process.

SUPPORTED BY

WEBINAR 6:

Parenting in a Pandemic, Part II

Presented by MICHAEL THOMPSON

March 30, 2021 | 4:00-5:00pm (Athens, GMT+3)

[NOTE: Daylight Savings Time will begin in Greece March 28, so Athens will be GMT+3 instead of GMT+2. Please check your local time accordingly.]

As the pandemic reaches the one-year mark, the worries of parents about their children's mental health and their learning have changed. Dr. Thompson has been tracking the evolving concerns of parents; he will address parental fears about learning loss, disengagement from school, social isolation and sibling relationships. There will be ample time for questions. (Note: Part I of "Parenting in a Pandemic" took place during the fall Parents as Partners webinar series.)

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WEBINAR 7:

Behind the Screens: Digital Well-Being During Tough Times

Presented by CAREY GOLDSTEIN

April 13, 2021 | 4:00-5:00pm (Athens, GMT+3)

[NOTE: Daylight Savings Time will begin in Greece March 28, so Athens will be GMT+3 instead of GMT+2. Please check your local time accordingly.]

How can we help young people find the balance with social media and technology when so many other options for social interaction have been taken away? How can we help them navigate friendships and conflict online and offline that may come up during this time?

During this session you will learn…

• Strategies to support your child’s digital wellbeing and balance technology.
• Create and maintain a routine to balance social media and technology while distance learning.
• How to manage your own digital use.

SUPPORTED BY

WEBINAR 8:

Promoting a Summer Stride, Diminishing the Summer Slide

Presented by ERMA ANDERSON

April 27, 2021 | 4:00-5:00pm (Athens, GMT+3)

[NOTE: Daylight Savings Time will begin in Greece March 28, so Athens will be GMT+3 instead of GMT+2. Please check your local time accordingly.]

As summer approaches and families begin planning for changes in family routines — having fun and relaxing — many parents are also wondering about what they can do to keep their child engaged in learning. Summer learning loss or the summer slide has been well documented in a number of countries and studies suggest that in a ‘normal’ year, students can lose 25-50 percent of their school year gains in mathematics. Overall losses in reading, writing, and spelling tend to be less dramatic.

The challenges of this unprecedented year, the many and varied disruptions in student learning, have produced additional concerns about student learning loss. Studies suggest we can prevent summer learning loss by engaging our children in summertime reading, math games, and hands-on STEM activities. But the benefits depend on making sure children are truly stimulated — and having fun! Join us as we provide strategies and resources for engaging your child in a rewarding educational summer. With a little time, planning, and creativity, you can play an important part in making sure this summer matters in advancing your child’s learning, health, and well-being.