Parent University 2014-15

In case you missed:

Summertime Learning Adventures: A Parent's Guide to Preventing "Summer Slide" (May 18) Summer slide is real! After all of their hard work all year long, students regress over the summer if they don’t practice their reading and math skills. The good news is that there are many exciting and challenging activities to combat summer slide. Learn about summer-friendly strategies utilizing District 64 and outside resources on this presentation led by Roosevelt School’s Linda Diekman, Library Information Specialist, and Caroline Schaab, Instructional Technology Coach.

Watch this 6-minute synopsis:

Resources and information from other past events:

• Chromebook 101 was held on Monday, September 22 at Roosevelt School. Click here for the event summary.

• Raising the Emotionally Intelligent Child in Today's Digital World was held on Tuesday, September 23 and Thursday, October 2 at Washington School. Here are some helpful materials that speaker Ed Dunkelblau shared with us:
  • "Can Emotional Intelligence Be Taught?" The New York Times, September 11, 2013
  • Schools, Families & Social Emotional Learning: Ideas and Tools for Working with Parents & Families (Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning - University of Illinois at Chicago; Mid-Atlantic Regional Educational Laboratory for Student Success)
  • A Parent's Resource Guide to Social and Emotional Learning (Edutopia, Ashley Cronin, February 2014)
  • Articles from the Institute for Emotionally Intelligent Learning (Ed Dunkelblau, Ph.D., Founder)

• Concussion: Let's Talk about Prevention & Student Safety was held on Monday, October 27 at Field School featuring speaker Dr. Elizabeth Pieroth, NorthShore University Health System

• The Organized Child: Building Executive Functions was held on Tuesday, November 11 at Lincoln Middle School featuring speaker Dr. Georgia Bozeday, Director of Educational Services, Rush NeuroBehavioral Center

• Reading 101: How to Help Your Child Build Great Reading Habits at Home was held on Monday, November 17 at Franklin School and was geared toward all parents preK - 8; it featured Meghan Keefer, District 64 English Language Arts Curriculum Specialist, and Brittney Joyce, Washington School Library Information Specialist

• Internet Safety in the 21st Century: Guiding our Children Toward Good Digital Citizenship was held on December 15 at Jefferson School and was geared toward parents of students in grades 3-8, featuring District 64 Instructional Technology Coaches Beth Andert (Field) and Kara Pottinger (Emerson)

• Google Apps for Education was held on January 26 at Jefferson School and offered an overview of different Google Apps that are being utilized in classrooms across the district and across the world, featuring Instructional Technology Coaches Carrie Bellen (Franklin) and Amanda Pelsor (Carpenter)

• PARCC for Parents was held on February 23 at Washington School and offered parents an overview of the new English Language Arts and Math assessments in grades 3-8 that will replace the ISATs beginning in March. Parents also learned more about the online test format and had the opportunity to take an actual sample test.

• Parent Book Club on Emotionally Intelligent Parenting was held on February 24 at Washington School and offered parents an opportunity to participate in discussion facilitated by District 64 staff members on the book: "Emotionally Intelligent Parenting: How to Raise a Self-Disciplined, Responsible, Socially Skilled Child" by Elias, Tobias and Friedlander.

• "I read it on the Internet, so it must be true." A Parent's Guide to Information Literacy - was held on March 23 at Lincoln Middle School (Learning Resource Center) and helped parents learn how to guide their student to discover if an information source is reliable, how to evaluate the credentials of the information provider, how to implement better search strategies, and why we need to practice media literacy. The evening was facilitated by District 64 Library Information Specialists Denise Reeder (Lincoln) and Dianne Olson (Emerson).

• The Organized Child - Part 2 - was held on April 9 at Lincoln Middle School (Gym). It allowed parents to expand their learning to help their children build executive function skills. Sponsored by the Lincoln PTO, the evening featured a return visit from Dr. Georgia Bozeday, Director of Educational Services, Rush NeuroBehavioral Center. Dr. Bozeday reviewed some of the basics from her November 2014 presentation (Home Study Environment, Materials Management, and Using a Planner) and then introduced two new topics (not included in the first presentation) that have easy applicability at home: test preparation strategies and strategies for organizing tasks. Questions and discussion occurred throughout the evening.

• Chromebook 101: Assuring Tech-cess in the Digital Age - was held on April 27 at Carpenter School. Parents learned all about the Chromebook and various Google Apps. Parents had the opportunity to navigate some basic settings and learn about extensions and apps. The session also provided guidance in managing device usage at home, including an overview of the SecURLy filtering system, as well as ways to promote positive and productive digital citizenship. Parents of all grade levels and community members were welcome; for parents of 2nd graders, it was a great opportunity to learn and ask questions about the 1:1 Chromebook program for students in grades 3-8. The program was facilitated by District 64 Instructional Technology Coaches Megan Preis (Lincoln) and Rachel Labuz (Washington).