School District Launches New Parent University
Starting this month, the Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District is launching a “Parent University,” offering an array of classes that parents voted as their favorite. “Navigating Middle School” and “Addressing Bullying” are a few of the classes offered. To see the full list of classes, visit the Parent University page on the left hand side of the district’s website at www.pylusd.org.
All of the classes are offered by teachers, police officers or experts in their respective fields. Spanish translators are also available, if requested ahead of time via the website registration. The Parent University page on the website also includes links to resources as well as suggested reading for parents and students to learn more information about specific topics.
The idea for a Parent University emerged out of the district’s five year strategic plan, which is called the “PYLUSD Advantage.” One of the initiatives in the plan calls for creating a comprehensive parent education program that provides essential tools to address today’s dynamic and complex environment that families face. Charged with the opportunity, district staff surveyed parents this past spring. “We wanted to build Parent University around topics that are the most important for today’s parents,” said Superintendent Doug Domene, Ed.D. “The best people to tell us what’s most important to them are parents themselves.”
The four main topics that floated to the top of parents’ interest, according to the survey, were: Navigating the College System, Student Academics, Parent Support, and Student Safety. Classes focused on these central themes. Throughout the year, new classes will be added and posted on the district’s website.
Parent University Offerings
Student Academics Middle School Transition Are you and your child trying to navigate middle school together? Would you like to learn tips to help support your child to be more successful? Join us for an overview of strategies pertaining to organization, homework, PE, technology, communication, attendance, and more. Presenters: Katie DeGraffenreid, Brian Shay, Jodi Bonk, Gloria Johnson Date: Spring 2015 Time: 6:00-7:15 p.m. Location: Professional Development Academy, 4999 Casa Loma Ave., Yorba Linda Taking it up a Notch- Easing the Transition from Middle to High School Do your memories of high school make you break out in a cold sweat? Or just break out? Do you still have nightmares about failing tests or being late for class? Do you still sit in the back row at Back to School Night? Now you are going to relive the excitement and trauma of high school with your precious child! We’re here to help. We realize your child is the most important child in the entire high school. Come to our presentation to get insider tips on surviving the transition from middle school to high school. We will discuss high school expectations, how to get the most out of your parent teacher relationships, and the things you can do to help your child achieve success in high school and beyond. Presenters: Amanda Wolfe, Alyson Dixon, Frank Perez Date: October 22, 2014 Time: 7:00-8:15 p.m. Location: District Board Room, 1301 E. Orangethorpe Ave., Placentia Reading Strategies for Children in Grades K-3 Are you interested in assisting your child with beginning reading skills at home (phonemic awareness, decoding, phonics, and spelling)? Please join us for an evening with Jill Nesbit, retired PYLUSD teacher and Project Read Trainer. This presentation provides parents with strategies to create a culture of reading in the home as well as skills to help parents practice reading with their children. Presenters: Jill Nesbit, Project Read Trainer/Retired Teacher Date: December 10, 2014 Time: 6:30-8:30 p.m. Location: Professional Development Academy, 4999 Casa Loma Ave., Yorba Linda Parenting Support Common Sense Parenting It’s not easy raising children in today’s hectic and high-pressure world. Every family needs help from time to time. The trick for most parents is how to find the right resources and the time to get the help they need. After decades of serving thousands of parents and children across the country in our evidence-based parenting classes, Boys Town has developed a time-efficient and high-impact parenting series, called Parenting Café. Parents of Children 13 to 18 years old
Presenters: Boy’s Town, Ainé Alejandre Date: October 27, 2014 Time: 6:30-7:30 p.m. Location: District Board Room, 1301 E. Orangethorpe Ave., Placentia Effective Parenting Strategies that Work for Today’s Youth With our laws and technology continuously changing, it increases the difficulty to parent our children. This workshop will present different effective parenting strategies that have been found to work with even the most behaviorally challenging children. You will learn how to:
Presenter: Building Better Kids, Kristy De Leon Date: November 17, 2014 Time: 6:30-7:30 p.m. Location: District Board Room, 1301 E. Orangethorpe Ave., Placentia Parenting the Gifted Student: How to give you child the advantage of great social and emotional skills From kindergarten to college, gifted students bring with them differences that affect the way they see themselves and interact with others. Guided in the right way, these differences can give the advantage of being a flexible, self-confident learner who easily manages the stress of social and academic pressure. This course explores how parents can guide their child through the social and emotional demands of these most important years. We will cover the most effective ways to praise, manage academic and social stress, develop friendships, and the need for discipline. Presenters:Terry Mulcahy, Carin Benner, Terri Hanna Date: October 28, 2014 Time: 6:30-8:00 p.m. Location: District Board Room, 1301 E. Orangethorpe Ave., Placentia |