As part of the Westerville City School District’s Parent Prep workshop series, parents and caregivers can take sessions on various topics including mindful parenting, pandemic parenting, equity, substance education and LGBTQ+ education.
“We reflected on feedback from our November event and were able to respond with these five sessions while also reminding our families the November sessions (recordings) are posted,” said Tami Santa, WCSD's coordinator of student well-being and mental health.
The district’s Student Well Being and Mental Health team hosted a virtual Parent Prep workshop series in November that focused on technology, mental health, the college application process and adjusting to a changing school environment due to COVID-19. Those sessions can be viewed here.
The all-virtual Parent Prep event is March 3-6. Registration begins Feb. 12. Deadline to register is Feb. 26. Register here.
The event is sponsored by Westerville Education Challenge with support from the Westerville Parent Council.
Session Details:
Wednesday, March 3
Operation Street Smart (5-7 p.m.)
Franklin County Sheriff's Office will provide a hands-on session about current and up-to-date narcotics information (vaping will be included) on trends, terminology, paraphernalia, and physiological effects to those individuals who deal with today's youth on a daily basis.
Thursday, March 4
LGBTQ+ 101 (5-6 p.m.)
LGBTQ 101 offers basic/beginner information and awareness related to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer community. Content includes vocabulary/terminology, common misperceptions, stereotypes, and resources as well as ways to be supportive and inclusive of the LGBTQ+ community.
Confronting hard history: What students want to know - Q & A with Dr. Jeffries (6-7 p.m.)
Dr. Hasan Jeffries, associate professor of history at The Ohio State University will lead a Q & A session to address the questions students had after watching his TEDTalk: Confronting hard history. Students in middle and high school had the opportunity to watch the TEDTalk video in class and write a question for Dr. Jeffries to answer during the Parent Prep session. Dr. Jeffries will share his experience visiting the late U.S. President James Madison's estate and the difficult truths that come with learning our history. You can watch the TEDTalk Confronting hard history here or on YouTube.
Saturday, March 6
Mindful Parenting Workshop: Supporting your child with mindfulness (10-11 a.m.)
Calling all parents and caregivers of preschool and elementary school students!
2020 was a rough year, and mindfulness can help. Join Youth Yoga Project for a one-hour, virtual workshop that will provide you with effective strategies to help your child - and you - process emotions, learn to calm down, and most importantly have fun. Every practice will help you and your child relieve stress and find connection.
Keep Calm and Parent On (11:30-12:30 p.m.)
This session will teach the concept of “Co-Regulation” and why it’s so important for the adult in the room to model self-regulating behaviors. We will aim to help parents identify their own dysregulation first, and how to regulate themselves before engaging with a dysregulated child.