Parent

power

east Baton Rouge parish school system

 
volume 15, issue 1  |  AUGUST 2022
Dear parents and guardians, I am so excited to welcome you to our Parent Power Newsletter. We're thrilled that you’re interested in learning more from our dedicated team at EBR Schools and can’t wait to start sharing with you.

Inside this Issue

01

Back-to-School Tips for Parents
 
Developing Good Homework 
and Study Habits

02

03

Parenting Wisely Workshops 
by Capital Area Human Services

05

Project ARK: Animals Reaching Kids
 
 
Ask-A-Lawyer

06

07

ABCs of Fun Parenting
Family Resources 
for Learning at Home

08

09

Is Your Child's Behavior 
Limiting His/Her Success in School?
 
Homebuyer Seminar presented by Urban Restoration Enhancement Corporation (UREC)
 
10
11
August Calendar
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Starting the new school year can be a time of great excitement and anxiety. Help calm your child’s fears (and your own) with these teacher-approved tips.
 
Meet the new teacher
For kids, one of the biggest back-to-school fears is “Will I like my new teacher?” Breaking the ice early on is one of the best ways to calm everyone’s fears. Take advantage of your school’s open house or back-to-school night. Some teachers welcome phone calls or emails — another great opportunity to get to know each other before the year begins.
If personal contact with the teacher isn’t possible, try locating the teacher’s picture on a school website or in a yearbook, so your child can put a name with a face. If your child’s teacher sends a welcome letter, be sure to read the letter together.
 
Tour the school
If your school hosts an open house, be sure to go. Familiarizing your child with her environment will help her avoid a nervous stomach on the first day. Together you can meet her teacher, find her desk, or explore the playground. With an older child, you might ask him to give you a tour of the school. This will help refresh his memory and yours.
 
Connect with friends
A familiar friend can make all the difference when heading back to school. You might try calling parents from last year’s class and finding out which children are in your child’s class this year. Refresh these relationships before school starts by scheduling a play date or a school carpool.
 
Tool up
Obtain the class supply list and take a special shopping trip with your child. Having the right tools will help them feel prepared. While keeping basic needs in mind, allow for a couple of splurges like a cool notebook or a favorite-colored pen. These simple pleasures make going back to school a lot more fun.
School supply lists also provide great insight into the schoolwork ahead. Get your child excited about upcoming projects by explaining how new supplies might be used. Let them practice using supplies that they are not used before — such as colored pencils or a protractor — so they will be comfortable using them in class.
 
Avoid last-minute drilling
When it’s almost time to stop playing, give a five-minute warning. Giving clear messages to your child is very important.
 
Chat about today’s events and tomorrow’s plans
While it is important to support learning throughout the summer, don’t spend the last weeks of summer vacation reviewing last year’s curriculum. All kids need some downtime before the rigors of school begin. For some kids, last-minute drills can heighten anxiety, reminding them of what they’ve forgotten instead of what they remember.
 
Ease into the routine
Switching from a summer to a school schedule can be stressful to everyone in the household. Avoid first-day-of-school mayhem by practicing your routine a few days in advance. Set the alarm clock, go through your morning rituals, and get in the car or to the bus stop on time. Routines help children feel comfortable, and establishing a solid school routine will make the first day of school go much smoother.
 

Developing Good Homework 
& Study Habits
02
Get off to a great start of the school year by implementing the suggested strategies below:
  • Create an environment that is conducive to doing homework starting at a young age. Children need a consistent workspace in their bedroom or another part of the home that is quiet, without distractions, and promotes study.
  • Schedule ample time for homework; build this time into choices about participation in after-school activities.
  • Establish a household rule that the TV and other electronic distractions stay off during homework time.
  • Supervise computer and internet use.
  • By high school, it's not uncommon for teachers to ask students to submit homework electronically and perform other tasks on a computer. If your child doesn't have access to a computer or the internet at home, work with teachers and school administration to develop appropriate accommodations.
  • Be available to answer questions and offer assistance but never do a child's homework for them.
  • Take steps to help alleviate eye fatigue, neck fatigue and brain fatigue while studying. It may be helpful to close the books for a few minutes, stretch and take a break periodically when it will not be too disruptive.
  • If your child is struggling with a particular subject, speak with your child's teacher for recommendations on how you or another person can help your child at home or at school. If you have concerns about the assignments your child is receiving, talk with their teacher.
  • If your child is having difficulty focusing on or completing homework, discuss this with your child's teacher, school counselor or health care provider.
  • For general homework problems that cannot be worked out with the teacher, a tutor may be considered.
  • Some children need extra help organizing their homework. Checklists, timers and parental supervision can help overcome homework problems.
  • Some children may need help remembering their assignments. Work with your child and their teacher to develop an appropriate way to keep track of their assignments – such as an assignment notebook.

 
Parenting Wisely Workshops 
by Capital Area Human Services
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PARENTING WISELY!!
Parenting has become a challenging task for some parents in the current times. Capital Area Human Services is here for YOU!
 
We are bringing back our incredible instructional course to help you navigate through parenthood.
 
Call TODAY and sign up for FREE: 225-300-4528
 
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Stop Bullying
04
Bullying or cyberbullying is when one child picks on another child repeatedly. Bullying can be physical, verbal or social. It can happen at school, on the playground, on the school bus, in the neighborhood, over the internet or through mobile devices like cellphones.
 
When Your Child Is Bullied
  • Alert school officials to the problems and work with them on solutions.
  • Teach your child to be comfortable with when and how to ask a trusted adult for help. Ask them to identify who they can ask for help.
  • Recognize the serious nature of bullying and acknowledge your child's feelings about being bullied.
  • Help your child learn how to respond by teaching your child how to:
    1. Look the bully in the eye.
    2. Stand tall and stay calm in a difficult situation.
    3. Walk away.
  • Teach your child how to say in a firm voice. 
    1. "I don't like what you are doing."
    2. "Please do NOT talk to me like that."
  • Encourage your child to make friends with other children.
  • Support outside activities that interest your child.
  • Make sure an adult who knows about the bullying can watch out for your child's safety and well-being when you cannot be there.
  • Monitor your child's social media or texting interactions so you can identify problems before they get out of hand.
 
When Your Child Is the Bully
  • Be sure your children knows that bullying is never OK.
  • Set firm and consistent limits on your child's aggressive behavior.
  • Help your child learn empathy for other children by asking them to consider how the other child feels about the way your child treated them. Ask your child how they would feel if someone bullied them.
  • Be a positive role mode. Show children they can get what they want without teasing, threatening or hurting someone.
  • Use effective, nonphysical discipline, such as loss of privileges.
  • Focus on praising your child when they behave in positive ways, such as helping or being kind to other children as opposed to bullying them.
  • Develop practical solutions with the school principal; teachers; school social workers or psychologists; and parents of the children your child has bullied.
 
When Your Child Is a Bystander
  • Encourage your child to tell a trusted adult about the bullying. Encourage your child to join with others in telling bullies to stop.
  • Help your child support other children who may be bullied. Encourage your child to include these children in activities.

 Project ARK: Animals Reaching Kids
05
Through a grant from Entergy, the Baton Rouge Zoo is happy to be offering Project ARK: Animals Reaching Kids program for grades first to fifth for schools in East Baton Rouge Parish during the 2022/2023 school year for FREE!
 
Project ARK focuses on STEM education. The program offers off-site services to schools with hands-on encounters with education animal ambassadors and interactive programming that all complements the existing science curriculum. Options of theme include “Web of Life,” “Native Neighbors” or "Animal Senses."
 
We highly recommend scheduling up to three programs back to back, enabling the zoo to maximize the number of classes it can reach. Programs are around 45-minutes long. Class size should be limited to 35 students.
 
To schedule your visit or for more information on pricing, please complete a request form. Forms must be submitted at least two weeks in advance.
 
The Zoo Mobile is available in the months of November, December, January and February.
CLICK HERE for the Project ARK Request Form. 

 
EBR Library 
Ask-A-Lawyer Program
06
Get FREE Legal Counsel with the Ask-A-Lawyer Program. Adults can come to the Library to take advantage of individual counseling sessions offered by the Pro Bono Project of the Baton Rouge Bar Association. Area attorneys will be available for one-on-one, 15-minute sessions for legal advice on a first-come, first-served basis for advice on noncriminal matters involving family, consumer, housing, Social Security, employment, education and succession law.  There will be an opportunity to attend this program each month during 2022.  
 
See dates and branches below.  Times are always 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
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ABCs of Parenting Fun
 
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ABCs of Parenting Fun
By Jill Rigby Garner
 
It’s the little things that count. Nothing reminds me of this simple truth more than watching a young child play outside. That sense of wonder. That expression of surprise. That little mouth opened wide at the discovery of a new treasure of great worth — a rock!
 
How many times have you witnessed a child open a package, pull out the gift and then, without hesitation, lay the gift aside to pull on the ribbon and tear the paper? And what about the request to read the same book twice every night for weeks? (It makes me wonder if we’re guilty of teaching our children to want more as they grow up.)
 
When my oldest niece was 10 years old, her favorite pastime was laughter. If I sat down in her presence, she climbed in my lap and said, “Let’s laugh, OK?” Her giggles and silly faces continued until I joined her. No one blessed with her request could resist her spontaneous joy.
 
With the pressures of adulthood, we often lose the pleasures of childhood. Do yourself a favor and delight your children at the same time by being a kid every day in some small way. Your children need more of the little things and less of the big things.
 
It’s as simple as the ABCs:
           
Always smile — it helps you feel better when you don’t feel like it.
Blow bubbles — walk in the house with a bottle of bubbles in hand.
Color in a coloring book — instead of reading one night, get out the crayons.
Draw a self-portrait — let the children put your picture on the refrigerator.
Eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with milk for supper.
Finger paint — yes, use your fingers, not brushes.
Giggle — until your sides ache.
Hide and Seek — ask your kids to play before they ask you.
Ice cream cones for everybody.
Jump rope — learn the double Dutch.
Kick a can down the street.
Look up watch the stars at night and the clouds in the day.
Musical chairs — rearrange the chairs after supper and turn on the music.
No TV—just don’t turn it on!
Old-fashioned hopscotch — draw the diagram on the driveway.
Paper airplanes — challenge the kids to a contest.
Questions — ask silly, silly questions.
Race around the block.
Scissors, rock, paper.
Take a walk without your watch.
Uncontrollable laughter
Ventriloquism, try it! — it’s not as hard as it seems.
Walk barefoot in the grass.
Xylophone, if you dare! Kids love this instrument.
Yodel, try it! — this is as hard as it seems.
Zoo animal sounds — challenge the kids to a contest.
 
From our hearts to yours,
Wise Ol’ Wilbur and the Manners of the Heart team 
 Family Resources for Learning at Home
08
Learning at home is key to successful school-family-community partnerships. Learning at home is involving families with their children in learning activities at home, including homework; other curriculum-related activities; and individual course and program decisions.
 
Listed below are some FREE virtual family resources for learning at home:

Achieve3000: English | Spanish

Brain Pop: Link

Bullying: Link

i-Ready Family Center: Link

La Fuerza de Familias Latinas: Link

Microsoft Teams for Parents: Link

Microsoft Teams for Students: Link

NASA Space Place: English | Spanish

National Center for Families Learning (NCFL): Link

National Geographic: Kids

PBS Learning: Students | Parents

Scholastic (Books, Field Trips, and more): Link
Scholastic Summer: Link

Sesame Street Games: Link

STEM Rising: Link

Storyline Online: Link

Ted Talks for Kids & Teens: Link

The Children’s Trust Stay at Home: Link

We Do Listen Foundation: Link

 
Is Your Child's Behavior Limiting His/Her Success in School?
 
09
 
SCHOOL BASED BEHAVIORAL HEALTH WORKS!
The Capital Area Human Services School-Based Behavioral Health Program has…
  • A proven track record of service to seven public school systems in the capital area.
  • A holistic approach to behavioral counseling involving students, families, teachers and others.
  • Proven results in helping raise the academic performance of students by lowering absenteeism, suspensions, expulsions and other classroom disturbances.
  • Access to a vast in-house network of professionals providing screenings; assessments and referrals; mobile crisis/emergency teams; hospitalization; physician services; suicide prevention; and treatment for drug and alcohol use.
  • Public nonprofit status that ensures every dollar goes to services and trainings.
  • High satisfaction scores among students, families, principals and faculty.
  • Dependable and flexible services when and where needed in the schools.
  • Training for students, parents, teachers, staff and other school or community officials on behavioral health topics parish wide.
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What Services Do School-Based Therapists Provide?
  • A team of professionals, including master's-level counselors, social workers and physicians listening to and working closely with the student, family, school and community.
  • Individual, family and group counseling.
  • Referral to community resources.
  • Parent support groups.
  • Crisis consultation/intervention.
  • Educational presentations on topics relevant to child/adolescent behavior.
  • School-based providers participate in all six Healthy Louisiana Medicaid Plans and most insurance networks. Please call our billing office at 225-922-2700 for service coverage and benefits for private insurance. Fees are assessed for uninsured clients requesting services based on his/her ability to pay. The sliding fee schedule for uninsured clients is available based on family income and total number of individuals in the household who are dependent on that income
Results Speak for Themselves
 
School-based behavioral health reduces absenteeism, suspensions and expulsions, and has even been shown to improve students' grades.
  • 96.8% of parents indicated that they were satisfied with the progress made by their child or family since seeing the school-based therapist.
  • 98.5% of parents indicated they were very satisfied with the amount of time the school-based therapist spent with them and/or their child.
  • 91% of the teachers indicated that the student's behavior improved.
  • 97.4% of students indicated that they were very satisfied with the services they received.
  • Students in our care attend school at a higher rate.
  • Students in our care have reduced expulsion rates.
  • 100% of parents would recommend school-based therapy services to a family member or friend in need.
CONTACT INFORMATION:
School Based Behavioral Health Program
2751 Wooddale Blvd., Suite A, Baton Rouge, LA 70805
www.cahsd.org
225-922-0478
 

 
HOmebuyer Seminar presented by Urban Restoration Enhancement Corporation (UREC)
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Baton Rouge-area residents interested in first-time or new homeownership can learn how to build credit to purchase a new home and navigate the homebuying process during Urban Restoration Enhancement Corporation’s homebuyer seminar on Aug. 20. The seminar will be held at St. Mary Baptist Church in Baton Rouge from 10 a.m. to noon. UREC is hosting the seminar in partnership with Red River Bank. Interested attendees are invited to REGISTER HERE.
 
The in-person seminar will also cover topics such as how to work with a real estate agent, the home inspection process and financing opportunities. There is no cost to attend.
 
Event Details:
UREC Homebuyer Seminar
Saturday, August 20, 2022
10 a.m. – noon
St. Mary Baptist Church
1252 N. Acadian Thruway, Baton Rouge, LA 70802
 
Presenters:
  • Jacqueline Ned, (NMLS# 117299), Red River Bank
  • Daniel Duggan, Louisiana Housing Corp.
  • Ashley G. Bennett, Classic Realty
  • Dennis Clark, Denmark Inspections
Click the link below to register:
 

August Calendar
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Parent Power is a publication of the East Baton Rouge Parish School System
The East Baton Rouge Parish School System and all of its entities (including Career and Technical Education Programs) do not discriminate on the basis of age, race, religion, national origin, disability or gender in its educational programs and activities (including employment and application for employment); and it is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of gender by Title IX (20 USC 168) and on the basis of disability by Section 504 (42 USC 794). The Title IX coordinator is Andrew Davis, director of Risk Management (ADavis6@ebrschools.org, 225-929-8705). The Section 504 coordinator is Elizabeth Taylor Chapman, director of Exceptional Student Services (ETaylor@ebrschools.org., 225-929-8600. The Title II coordinator is Dr. Sandra Bethley, administrative director of Federal Programs (SBHorton@ebrschools.org, 225-922-5538.
 
All students have an opportunity to participate in Career and Technical Programs of Study, including but not limited to areas of health care; construction crafts and trades; automotive technology; IT computer technology; culinary programs; criminal justice; and agriculture. Admission requirements for each course can be found in the student course guide/schedule packet of the individual campus where the course is being offered. Please contact the guidance counselor at the specific school site for additional information, program requirements and/or any questions you may have.
 
Dr. Sito Narcisse, Superintendent of Schools
sitonarcisse@ebrschools.org
 
Letrece Griffin, Chief of Communications & Public Relations
lgriffin7@ebrschools.org
 
Marlon Cousin, Community Liaison
mcousin@ebrschools.org
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