Scotia-Glenville Central School District is continuing our partnership with Building Better Futures to provide the 2023-24 Parents as Partners Webinar Series to our staff and families.
This opportunity is hosted by Educational Consultant and Trainer Jennifer Bashant, Ph.D., LMSW, MA. Dr. Bashant engages her audience with evidence-based strategies that will empower students, families and teachers by helping them understand how to improve emotional intelligence and communicate more effectively.
Sign up today for this webinar series
Each live webinar will be presented from 6:30-7:30 p.m. Even if you are not available to watch the webinar live, we encourage you to register because you will automatically receive the link to the recording after the live event. Access to the recordings will be available, for those who sign up, for 30 days after each webinar.
November 9
Avoidance, Obsessions, Perfectionism and Other Expressions of Anxiety
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According to the latest statistics, one in five children in this country have a diagnosable anxiety disorder. Anxiety, often referred to as “the great masquerader” can be hard to recognize because it presents in so many different ways, from anger or behavioral challenges, to avoidance, to perfectionism. During this webinar, you will learn what to look for and how to recognize the different types of anxiety, as well as the six lies that anxiety tells. You will leave with tips and strategies to help your child cope with and overcome anxiety.
November 28
Navigating Difficult Conversations with Your Pre/Young Teen
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Have you ever wondered how to start a difficult conversation or how to elicit more than a one-word answer from your pre and/or young teen? Join us for a discussion on current and age-old topics that are important for our young teens. We will discuss how to create opportunities to start those discussions and ways to help make it easier for your pre/young teens to share their thoughts. Participants will have an opportunity to share their concerns and/or successes
December 7
Mindfulness-Informed Parenting: Learn the Basics for Introducing Mindfulness Practices to Your Child
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During this webinar, participants will learn the basics for introducing mindfulness practices to their child/ren. Whether it’s differentiating breathing, regulating busy thoughts, or establishing a mindfulness routine for taking a break from devices and screen time, mindfulness practices can help build emotional resilience in a time where overwhelm and anxiety are common challenges for young people. In addition to providing background on the science behind mindfulness, this session’s experienced panel will also share the strategies they have used in their teacher and parent roles so participants can leave with a foundation for being a mindfulness-informed caregiver.
January 11
Depression and Suicide: Warning Signs and What You Can Do to Help
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The teenage years are defined by changes, sometimes dramatic changes, in behavior. These are often difficult years for families, even when mental health challenges are not present. So, how do you know what are considered normal changes, and when the changes in mood, isolating behavior and loss of interest in certain activities is clinical depression? This is not an easy question to answer, but we will tackle it during this webinar. We will look at the symptoms of depression and warning signs for suicide, and you will learn ways that you can support your child and get them professional help if needed. It can be overwhelming and difficult to find a therapist who is also accepting new patients, so we will look at tips for finding a therapist who will be a good fit for your child.
January 23
Managing Social Media in Our Lives
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One of the biggest challenges of parenting today is moderating our kids’ use of technology. It can be a daily struggle over how much time is spent on phones, computers and video games. The explosion of social media and the overload of information is creating a sense of loneliness and negatively affecting our children’s mental health. As parents and caregivers, we know too much technology is detrimental, but how much is too much, and what can we do to protect our children from the harmful effects?
February 8
Avoiding Power Struggles, Angry Outbursts, and Other Challenging Behaviors
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Collaboration can be a powerful tool to overcome defiance and reduce the fighting and behavioral challenges in your household. In this webinar, participants will learn how to:
● Identify and address the root cause of challenging behavior, while allowing your positive relationship with your child to serve as the foundation for change.
● Teach your child how to recognize the physical warning signs and know how to regulate the body and manage strong emotions such as anger, guilt, sadness and even elation.
● Use mindfulness, art, soothing music and physical activity to help your child develop a toolbox of strategies that help them feel calm
February 27
Making Friends and Keeping Them: 10 Social Skills to Teach Your Child
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Loneliness is an epidemic in this country, and one which puts people at risk for depression, anxiety and even a shortened lifespan. Making friends comes fairly naturally for some children, while others need more support in developing social skills. The ability to have empathy, or identify with the feelings of another, is an important skill for making and keeping friends, but it can be difficult to know exactly how to develop this trait in another person. During this webinar, participants will learn how to model and teach empathy and nine other crucial social skills that will make it easier to connect with others in a meaningful way.