ISD - PTSA
Parent Education Seminars

The Issaquah PTSA Council and Issaquah Middle School PTSA presents:

“How to Help Our Kids Get on the Right Track with Communication and Social Skills”

For all adults 

this is a free seminar

no registration required 

Does your child/teen struggle to make friends or get along with other kids?  Say the wrong thing at the wrong time?  What kind of social skill problems do you experience with your special needs child/teen?  Bring your list and Skosh Jacobsen will introduce some ideas to help you guide your child/teen into building skills for successful social interactions.

Skosh Jacobsen L.M.H.C. is a child, individual, marriage and family therapist practicing in Bellevue, Marysville and Snohomish.  She is experienced with ADHD and associated disorders. 

(see flyer)

The Issaquah PTSA Council and Issaquah High PTSA presents

“How to Help Your Student Succeed in High School and Beyond…Part 2”

For all adults 

this is a free seminar

no registration required

Learn what the underlying issues are behind the tough challenges facing teens today and how to talk with your teen about them.  Parents will come away more knowledgeable and capable of coping with some of these issues and strategies to help their teen when it is needed.  A question and answer period will follow the presentation.  Topics to be covered:

· Driving
· Relationships
· Cyberspace
· Peer Influence
· Media
· Drugs and Alcohol
· Academic Performance

Ken Wong is the Teens Program Director for the City of Redmond and former educator and counselor at Youth Eastside Services. Issaquah parents and educators may also know Ken as the facilitator of the PTSA “Walkabout Program” at Maywood Middle and Issaquah Middle Schools.

(see flyer)

SKYLINE HIGH SCHOOL PTSA PRESENTS, in partnership

 with the SAMA foundation

 ADDICTION: The Silent Epidemic Targeting our Youth

This seminar will be a panel forum with the following key points being addressed:

• Education and Awareness

• Youth and Family Services available to our community

• Advocacy and Research 

Members of the panel will include:

• SAMA Founder, Dr. Bob Day who will discuss the adolescent brain and the effects of alcohol and other dangerous addictive drugs

• Family Navigator, Frank Couch

• Jeff and Judy Bowlby, will share their personal story about the loss of their son, Justin, this last summer

• Christy, one of Justin’s childhood friends, will give an “inside” perspective and tell where kids are finding drugs today

A 30 minute question/answer period will follow the discussion forum.

Dr. Robert Day and Cynthia “CJ” Taylor started the Science and Management of Addictions (SAMA) Foundation after years of struggle to find effective treatment for their drug addicted teenage daughter. Dr. Day is the President and Director Emeritus of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, and CJ Taylor is the Founding Executive Director of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation Puget Sound Affiliate, SAMA is a privately funded non-profit organization based in Seattle, Washington with the goal of improving the management as well as the science of substance addiction. SAMA’s primary goals are to improve early detection and treatment of substance addictions, and to expand resources for the families of drug addicted teens. Through helping and empowering parents to recognize substance abuse early and assist in its treatment as soon as it is recognized, SAMA hopes to help teenagers avoid the disabling physical, emotional, and behavioral effects of substance addiction.

 (See Flyer)

The Issaquah PTSA Council and Issaquah Valley Elementary PTSA present:

Dispelling the Myth of the Average Student

For all adults
this is a free seminar
no registration required

Do you feel your child can achieve at a higher level?

We all know about the special programs that are offered in our schools for gifted and struggling students.  What about those kids that neither struggle nor exceed? 

Conventional wisdom says leave well enough alone, but shouldn’t we want them to fulfill their true—anything but average—potential?  Mel Levine’s “All Kinds of Minds” program teaches that every individual mind processes and learns in its own way.  Understanding a child’s individual learning profile will help any student—including those who neither struggle nor excel—reach their full potential.  You will also learn the importance of identifying your child’s interests and affinities and their impact on learning , academic performance and intrinsic motivation. 

Jaymi Garvett, MPS, CPC, PCACG is a Parent Educator with more than 20 years experience in teaching, educational administration and governance.  She formerly served as an Assistant Professor and Curriculum Chair at Westchester Community College in Valhalla, NY; and Chair of the Student Learning Committee on the Board of The American International School, Johannesburg.  She has participated in Dr. Mel Levine’s Schools Attuned Teacher’s Training Program and conducts parenting workshops based on Dr. Levine’s Neuro-developmental model.  As a Parent, Teacher and Professional Coach, she is passionate about sharing how to discover, nurture and leverage each child’s strengths from within their unique wiring to build their resilience, confidence and success.

(click here for flyer)

The Issaquah PTSA Council and Newcastle Elementary PTSA presents an evening with Jan Faull:

“Resisting Raising Children Who Feel Entitled”

-For all adults 

This is a free seminar - no registration required

Have you asked yourself these questions lately?

• Are children entitled to every new electronic game and gadget?
• Are children entitled to a car at age 16?
• Are children entitled to a college education?
• How can parents instill an ethic of work in their children?
• How do parents teach responsibility and accountability?
• How do you love and protect your children without spoiling them?
• How much is too much?

Jan Faull, M.Ed, a local child development and behavior specialist, will offer some answers to these burning questions.  She has written several books, taught for BCC parent groups, Evergreen Hospital and Overlake Hospital.  She has a weekly column in the Seattle Times and speaks nationally to parenting groups.  Don’t miss this opportunity to hear this local parenting expert give realistic advice that you can implement into your family routine.

(see flyer)

5th Grade Transitions         

- Parents of 5th Graders

This highly requested 5th grade transition seminar is in its 8th year.  This is a wonderful forum seminar, about non-academic topics for parents (ONLY) who are preparing for the transition into 6th grade and middle school.  The forum is made up of current 6th graders and their parents and the school counselors.  Come learn about the changes to expect and how to help you and your student prepare.  In addition, we will discuss the important issues that Middle School parents face.  Be sure and bring your non-academic questions as this is an interactive seminar.  We are offering the seminar at two locations.  The Issaquah Middle School (IMS) location panel will come from ISM and Maywood Middle School and the Pine Lake Middle School (PLMS) panel will come from PLMS and Beaver Lake Middle School.  You are welcome to attend either session as the information will pertain to all the schools and issues.

NO registration is required.

(See Flyer)

Kindergarten Transitions         

- Parents of Incoming Kindergartners

This is a seminar for incoming 2008-2009 Kindergarten parents.  It is a wonderful forum seminar, about non-academic topics for parents (ONLY) who are preparing for the transition into elementary school.  The forum will be made up of Elementary school parents, counselors and a teacher.  We are offering the seminar at two locations, one at Challenger Elementary and one at Maple Hills Elementary.  You are welcome to attend either session as the information will pertain to all the schools and issues.

(see flyer)

In case you missed Andrew Phillips, here is one last opportunity:

Issaquah PTSA Council and Maywood Middle School PTSA

are proud to present this MUST SEE seminar!

Screen Smarts                                                                             

Adults Only!

‘Cyberspace,’ the ‘Web,’ the ‘Net,’ the ‘Information Highway’—

Whatever it’s called, millions of people are now going online to exchange E-mail and instant messages; participate in chat groups; post and read messages in newsgroups, which are sometimes called bulletin boards; “surf” the world wide web; and many other online activities.  Children are no exception; in fact, they are more likely to be online than adults.

Personal computers are no longer the only method used for accessing the Internet.  Children can go online from personal computers at home, a friend’s house, in school, a library, club or café.   Many game consoles can be connected to the Internet and used for chatting and other online interaction.  It is also possible to access the Internet on mobile devices such as cellular telephones and other handheld devices.  In other words, children don’t have to be in the company of responsible adults to use the Internet.  Technology changes on a daily basis:  GET EDUCATED!  Back by popular demand, Andrew Phillips will help you explore and gain a better understanding of:

• Video Sharing; Youtube

• MySpace; Facebook

• BLOGS; Bulletin Boards

• Net Lingo

• Instant Messaging (IM); Texting

• Internet Security Software

• Protecting Your Privacy

This seminar is presented in conjunction with a school assembly that MMS students grades 6-8 will see on March 20th  and PLMS students grades 6-8 on March 10th.

(see flyer)

Safe Surfing: Protecting Your Kids Online 

A Youth Eastside Services (YES) seminar on Internet safety kicks off the 2008 Microsoft Parenting Lifeline Community Speakers Series. Safe Surfing: Protecting Your Kids Online, the first of three free presentations, is scheduled Tuesday, March 18, from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Cadle Theatre at Lake Washington High School, 12033 NE 80th St. in Kirkland. Learn from YES counselors and experts with the Seattle Police Department and Microsoft how to monitor and regulate online time and use tools that can help keep kids safe. For details call 425-747-4937 or visit the Web site at www.youtheastsideservices.org.

The Sammamish Plateau Parent Networking Group

invites you to join us on Monday, February 25, 11am - 1:30 PM at the Sahalee Fire Station on 228^th Ave. N. E. across from Deerfield Park and ‘The Villages’ where we will host our first ever two-part presentation by:

 FEAR project parent education network

The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) the FEAR project would like to bring to your attention February 4th – 8th, 2008 is National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention week. In partnership with the Sammamish Parenting Network we invite you to a two-part series offering educational session for adults who care about teens and their dating relationships.

National statistics in 2006 include: 

• 81% of parents surveyed either believe dating violence is not an issue or admit they do not know if it is an issue.

• 1 in 2 teens in a dating relationship has compromised their beliefs to please their partner;

• Violent relationships in adolescence can have serious ramifications for victims who are at higher risk of substance abuse, eating disorders, risky sexual behavior, suicide  and adult re-victimization.

Our mission at the FEAR Project is to reduce the prevalence of sexual violence and its affects in communities through the use of personal narrative and multimedia. 

Guest speakers include: 

Scott Leist: King County Special Assault Prosecutor believes the criminal justice system almost never includes discussions of prevention or education to intercept victimization. Scott shares knowledge learned from victims and juries about thoughts and beliefs on sex and provides tools to parents to decrease youth victimization. 

Alison Cathro: RN, SANE-A a Forensic nurse with Haborview’s Center for Sexual Assault and Traumatic Stress provides patient care for victims of sexual violence. Alison routinely speaks to students in high schools about healthy relationships and the legal definition of consent. After listening to many reports of dating sexual violence, Alison’s goal is to assist parents and teens with opening a dialogue about this very sensitive and difficult subject matter.

Rebecca Haas: Victim turned Survivor will share her story to help parents fully understand her rape as an adolescent had lifelong effects for her. Rebecca believes her outcome would have been different if only her parents or guidance counselor or friends listened to her following a disclosure 20 years ago, and believed her. She will also discuss in person the signs that parents can be watchful of for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). 

Please join us:

Sahalee Fire Station #82
1851 228th Ave NE
Sammamish, WA 98074

• Monday, February 25th, 2008 11:30 am - 1:30 pm; Scott Leist & Alison Cathro

• Monday March 24, 2008 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm; Rebecca Haas & Alison Cathro 

With thanks, this presentation is made possible by the ‘Learning to Listen’ grant awarded by the Open Society Institute, 2006.  

For more information about the FEAR Project, please contact: alison@fearproject.org