Parent Perusals
September 23, 2019
Coming Up This Week!
Wednesday, September 25, 2019, 9:00 a.m.--12:00 p.m.
Strategies for Helping Your Child Remember What is Learned at School
During this hands on workshop, parents will learn strategies to help their child remember and recall information they learn at school. We will practice the strategies, so come ready to be engaged and have fun!
Thursday, September 26, 2019, 9:00 a.m.--12:00 p.m.
The Three E’s of Healthy Living: Eating Right, Exercise, and Education
Discover how planning and serving nutritious meals and snacks, engaging in physical activity, and encouraging a healthy learning environment at home can assist you and your family in achieving your wellness goals. This hands on class will give you the tools and resources you need to make better choices and teach your children healthy habits for life.
Friday, September 27, 2019, 9:00 a.m.--10:30 a.m.
Drugs, Dares & Dangerous Teen Trends
The training will inform parents about the dangers associated with various online activities such gaming and apps, as well as vaping, alcohol, prescription drug abuse, and other over the counter substances that are being abused by our youth.
10:30 a.m.--12:00 p.m.
Understanding & Communicating with Your Adolescent
This training is targeted to parents and will provide an understanding of the different aspects of adolescent development that are typical versus potential red flags for issues that can arise, including substance abuse issues or mental health issues. Communication tips will also be provided.
Evening Dates Flyer
Download the flyer below for registration information!
Charting the Course is a Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) and ESC-20 collaborative activity. The aim is to engage students with disabilities and their families in education and planning events to support the student’s successful transition to post-secondary education and/or employment after high school.
Saturday Dates Flyer
Download the flyer below for registration information!
Tips for Parents: How to Encourage Creative Writing
Read Mary Amato's Tips for Parents.
Watch Mary Amato talk about WOW stories below.
How to Help Kids Develop Courage
When asked what qualities they’d most like to see their children develop, parents often list courage or bravery among the top ten. It’s easy to see why: it seems as though anxiety is on the rise among both kids and adults. Increasingly, parents share their worries about kids who are too scared to sleep alone, go to school, climb to the top of the tallest playground slide, learn to swim, try a new activity, or any number of other rites of passage. We don’t know for sure what’s causing all this anxiety, but it’s clear that for many families, building courage is an important topic.
What does that have to do with family dinners? Well, for starters, the family dinner table is one of our most reliable daily opportunities to get a “temperature check” on our kids. By sitting down to a meal together, parents and kids get the necessary face-to-face contact to be able to tell whether someone’s feeling down, unusually tired or seeming as though they have a lot on their minds. It’s a perfect chance to check in on whether kids are overwhelmed or anxious, and to find out if something is worrying them.
Family dinner also gives parents a place to teach lessons and reinforce skills and ideals for their kids. Just by being together and combining food, fun and conversation, you can help kids develop character traits like resilience, empathy and yes, even bravery. Here are some ways to build up courage through your family dinners:
- Talk about courage and risk-taking. One great way to get kids thinking about how bravery shows up in their own lives is to share your own stories. Tell them about the time you took a big risk in middle school, or when you’re talking about your day at work, try using language that reflects courage. “I was so nervous to talk to my boss about what had happened, but I decided that I could take a deep breath and be brave….” You can also share examples of courageous people from the news or from history, or ask kids to talk about book and movie characters who are brave and how those characters show courage. Encourage thinking and talking about bravery as a wide range of actions, too; it’s not only the knight slaying the dragon who’s brave, but also the shy kid who gets up and gives a presentation in front of his class. Courage takes all different forms!
- Model caring for others. Researchers have found that kids whose parents expect them to help those in need are more likely to show courage in a variety of situations. Share ways you’ve stuck your neck out for someone else, and ask kids “How have you helped someone this week?” You can also use the dinner table as a place to make plans to volunteer or help others as a family; our Giving Decision Tree is a great place to start if you’re not sure how to begin brainstorming about a family service project.
- Show them how to balance risk and safety. It’s easier to be brave when you feel confident that you can handle the task at hand. Since it’s not possible to remove all danger from every situation, kids need to be shown how to assess risks and make a plan to avoid unnecessary threats. Cooking together is an ideal activity to help demonstrate those skills! Have kids join you in the kitchen and show them how to manage age-appropriate cooking tasks safely. They’ll learn how to confidently handle everyday risks like using peelers, kitchen shears and eventually knives, how to avoid injury by using potholders and keeping fingers away from heat sources, and how to know when something is too difficult and dangerous for them to try without an adult’s help.
Gaining courage isn’t as easy as following a yellow brick road and asking a wizard for help, so be patient with your kids along the journey. Celebrate the small steps towards increased bravery, and be sure the praise effort rather than results. You may find you even start feeling a bit more bold yourself!
Taken from The Family Dinner Project
Open to the Community!
San Antonio College Empowerment Center--Journey Series
San Antonio College Empowerment Center is offering a 3 part College Journey Series to help community members looking to attend SAC in the Spring-January 2020!
#1 College is Possible
Tuesday, Oct. 8th
1pm to 2:15
#2 College is Affordable
Tuesday, Oct. 15th
1pm to 2:15
#3 College Enrollment Steps (actually starting enrollment)
Tuesday, Oct. 22nd
1pm to 2:15
Participants who attend all 3 workshops will receive a voucher for the TSI test and a back pack with supplies.
Call 210-486-0455 to register.
Sports Competition for Students of all ages and abilities with Visual Impairments
Region 10 and the Lions Club are hosting its Dx 21st annual Sports Extravaganza, October 26th in Irving, Texas at Nimitz High School Irving ISD.
This event is a one of a kind experience tailored specifically for infants and school-aged children with visual impairments. Events include activities for infants, non-competitive events for students who are visually impaired and have complex needs, and competitive events. Demo sports; such as, beep baseball, yoga, archery are available for interested youth.
On Friday, October 25th, Grand Prairie ISD hosts a goalball tournament.
For more information, a promotional video is available as are flyers and postcards. These items are located on the Region 10 website at: https://www.region10.org/programs/sports-extravaganza/overview/
If families are interested in registering, this link provides access to registration and the volunteer application.
Please contact me if you have any questions or need more information at kelly.bevis@region10.org or call 972.348.1634.
Statewide Parental Involvement Conference
Highlights:
- Keynote Speakers: E.J. Carrion, Salome Thomas-EL, Dave Davlin
- 3 Featured Sessions and 45 Breakout Sessions
- Numerous sessions in Spanish, and Spanish translation available
- 25 Exhibitors
- Friday and Saturday Breakfast, Friday Luncheon, Breaks
- Great opportunity for networking with colleagues
Conference Registration
- $160 per person until 10/21/19
- $185 per person after 10/21/19 until 11/22/19
- $300 late & on-site registration (if space available)
Learn more below!
Thursday, Dec 12, 2019, 01:30 PM
Embassy Suites by Hilton San Marcos Hotel Conference Center & Spa, McCarty Lane, San Marcos, TX, USA
Kimberly Baumgardner, Consultant, Education Service Center, Region 20
Kimberly has become quite passionate about empowering families to be more involved in their child's education and future as well as challenging and supporting schools to increase their efforts to involve families in their child's educational journey and focus on Family Engagement as an instructional tool that improves student's academic outcomes.
Kimberly enjoys living out in the country with her husband, Tyson and two daughters, Lynette & Lucy Sue.
Email: kimberly.baumgardner@esc20.net
Website: www.esc20.net/parentresources
Location: 1314 Hines, San Antonio, TX, United States
Phone: 210-370-5431
Facebook: facebook.com/escregion20
Twitter: @ESCRegion20