PRC Monday Message: September 14, 2020

September 14, 2020
Welcome to Week 2 of the new school year. We hope that last week ended well for all of our students, and hope that all of our families are settling in to our new virtual learning routines. The PRC was delighted that Ann Dolin of Educational Connections was able to join us last Wednesday evening to present Survive and Thrive with Virtual Learning: Practical Strategies to Make At-Home Learning Work for You, and due to the overwhelming number of interested parents/guardians, Ann has kindly agreed to repeat the session this evening! Details are listed below, and parents can register NOW for this evening’s session, which will include the presentation and an opportunity for questions. Register online (After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.)

Arlington SEPTA also offered a session on Executive Functioning for families during its first monthly meeting last Thursday. If you missed the session, you can catch the presentation on SEPTA’s YouTube channel.

Parent Liaisons

The Special Education Parent Liaisons project is a joint project of the Arlington Public Schools Parent Resource Center (PRC) and the Arlington Special Education PTA (SEPTA). The goal for the project is for each elementary, middle, and high school in Arlington to have at least two volunteers parents of students with disabilities to serve as Special Education Parent Liaisons to support and encourage the flow of information between each of the schools, the PRC, and SEPTA.

Liaisons share PRC and SEPTA information with their schools and serve in an advisory capacity, providing ideas for trainings and materials, and input from individual school communities. The Parent Liaisons group meets once or twice each year. Finally, Liaisons serve as points of contact for families interested in connecting with another parent of a child with special needs in individual schools.You can find your school’s Parent Liaison here.

Interested in getting involved? We welcome new liaisons at our schools, and are especially hoping to identify volunteers to fill vacancies at a few schools including Little Beginnings, Glebe Elementary, Oakridge Elementary, Gunston Middle School, Thomas Jefferson Middle School, Langston High School Continuation Program and the New Directions Alternative Program.

If you are interested in learning more about becoming a Parent Liaison, please contact Jen Myers, SEPTA Parent Liaisons Coordinator, or Kelly Mountain at the Parent Resource Center.

Upcoming Events

Survive and Thrive with Virtual Learning: Practical Strategies to Make At-Home Learning Work for You
Monday, September 14, 2020: 7:00pm – 8:30pm
Back by popular demand, Ann will join us again this evening to repeat last Wednesday’s session!
Are you worried about managing your child’s virtual schooling this year? Do you hate becoming the “school police” when your child won’t focus? Do you have to balance your child’s schooling with your own remote workload? You’ll learn how to avoid parent-child conflict around academics with practical tips for:

• Establishing routines and expectations that really work
• Creating ideal spaces for virtual learning
• Keeping kids focused while learning online
• Minimizing distractions from video games and other screens
• Getting your own work done at the same time (Yes, it’s possible!)

Join us as we welcome Ann Dolin, M.Ed., President and Director of Educational Connections, Inc. Ann is an educational consultant and award-winning author, who will offer this session to help families feel more prepared and confident for the year ahead, with a toolbox full of practical strategies that actually work.
Register online After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

Arlington Special Education Advisory Committee (ASEAC)
Save the Date: September 29, 2020: 7-9pm

Arlington County Events
September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month
Suicide Prevention Community Engagement Series: Mental Health, Stigma and Suicide Prevention in the African American Community
Thursday, September 24th at 6:00pm

Cracked Up: The Darrell Hammond Story Film Screening & Discussion Panel
Tuesday, September 29th at 6:00pm
Presented by Arlington County’s Child and Family Services Division

Community Webinar/Virtual Learning Opportunities/Meetings

Lunch and Learn: Improving your child’s/youth’s conversation skills by playing
September 17, 2020: 12:00 – 1:00 pm ET
Register on Zoom
Sponsored by Virginia Commonwealth University’s Autism Center for Excellence (VCU-ACE)

Lunch and Learn: Parent reinforcement and child preferences
September 24, 2020: 12:00 – 1:00 pm ET
Register on Zoom
Sponsored by Virginia Commonwealth University’s Autism Center for Excellence (VCU-ACE)