Parent Resource Center Monday Message: November 14, 2022

ASEAC November Meeting – Tuesday, November 15 at 7pm
During tomorrow’s Arlington Special Education Advisory Committee (ASEAC) meeting, Dr. Jason Ottley, Chief Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Officer, will introduce the Bias Awareness training that is being rolled out for all APS employees and the community. The session will feature a conversation facilitated by Alicia Jones McLeod and Dawn Kyser from Challenging Racism. In order to have an anchor/topic for that conversation, participants are asked to listen to a podcast before the meeting.  Here is a link for the podcast:  Fighting Bias and Inequality at the Team Level — HBR IdeaCast

Special Education Saturday Seminar in Spanish – Saturday, November 19th

On Saturday, November 19th, in partnership with the Offices of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Family and Community Engagement, the Parent Resource Center is offering a free Saturday Seminar on navigating the Student Support and Special Education processes from 8:30am to 2:00pm for families who speak Spanish. Details are provided in our Events section below – please help spread the word. .Use this link to register for the Saturday Seminar: https://forms.gle/nbTmCMuSkB5BStAJ9

Do you know how to access support in a mental health crisis? Many families experience crises related to the mental health of a child or an adult. We are fortunate that Arlington has a variety of resources available to support families, but sometimes it’s hard to know who to call or how to access services. So, be prepared to connect with resources by joining us on November 30th for our Lunch & Learn to learn more about crisis services provided to individuals across the lifespan experiencing a mental health and/or substance use crisis, including services for individuals in crisis with developmental disabilities provided by:

• Regional Crisis Call Center
• Community Regional Crisis Response (CR2)
• R.E.A.C.H.
• Emergency Services

Registration link for Crisis Services Lunch & Learn

Planning for Winter Holidays
The holidays can be hard for kids who learn and think differently. Things that are supposed to be fun – special holiday meals, chitchat with friends and relatives — can be stressful.  One way to mitigate issues is by planning for holiday challenges ahead of time. Understood.org has created a Holiday Challenges Worksheet that you and your child can complete together to plan for challenges and identify strategies. The worksheet lists common holiday challenges. Work with your child to mark off the challenges that apply – or come up with different things that are hard during the holidays. You may have to help your child come up with strategies. For ideas, explore tips to help with:

• Gift exchanges
• Social situations
• Food sensitivities
• Restrictive clothing
• Cabin fever
• Understanding and joining holiday traditions

Food Supports

Many families are seeking additional food supports to help their families celebrate upcoming holidays. Arlington County’s Food Security Coordinator has shared a list of 2022 Holiday Food Supports. For additional food support resources, please visit: https://www.arlingtonva.us/Government/Departments/DHS/Food-Assistance

Please visit our Events page at aps2016.apsva.us/prc-events for information on upcoming current events.