In Leander ISD, we value the partnership between school staff and families. The Counseling Services Department has created a series of workshops to build on this partnership and empower parents and students with useful information. Each session topic has been carefully selected to meet the needs of our community and empower parents with knowledge and skills.
October 2 – Self-Regulation: Helping Your Child Keep Their Mind, Body and Emotions Engaged and Learning
Speaker – Emily Voges, Certified Specialist in Restorative Practices, TBRI Practitioner, Leander ISD Behavior Coach
Camacho Elementary School – 501 Municipal Dr., Leander, TX 78641
Primary Audience – Elementary Parents
Does your child seem to go 0-100? Do they have difficulty expressing how they feel? Is it hard for them to stay engaged with learning? This one-hour session will focus on skills and tools from “The Zones of Regulation” to teach your child how to recognize when they are dysregulated and how they can use appropriate tools in the classroom to self-regulate for optimal learning. Strategies and skills taught will be appropriate for children ages 3 yrs to 12 yrs.
October 17 – Let’s Talk About Mental Health
Speaker: National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Austin
Rouse High School – 1222 Raider Way, Leander, TX 78641
Primary Audience – All Parents
It’s time to talk about mental health! Research shows that 1 in 5 teens experience a mental health issue, with depression and anxiety being the most common diagnosis. Left untreated, these conditions can worsen and impact all aspects of a teen’s life. More than 40% of teens are not receiving the care and treatment they need – often because they are too embarrassed to talk about mental health or don’t know how to ask for help. This one-hour presentation equips parents and caregivers with simple tools for proactively addressing this important health issue with the goal of encouraging positive conversations that help teens feel more comfortable seeking help for themselves or their friends.
November 27 – Depression and Bipolar Disorder in Adolescents
Speaker: Dr. Karen Swartz, Director, Johns Hopkins Adolescent Depression Awareness Program (ADAP)
Georgetown High School – 2211 N. Austin Ave., Georgetown, TX 78626
Primary Audience – All Parents
Depression affects approximately 5 percent of today’s teenagers. Of these, a mere 30 percent receive any sort of intervention or treatment, even though studies show depression can be effectively treated in adolescents. ADAP aims to increase awareness and decrease stigma about mood disorders in young people while stressing the need for evaluation and treatment. Suicide, the most serious risk of depression, is the third leading cause of death among young people ages 15 to 24. It is imperative that high school students, parents and teachers understand the clear link between depression and suicide.
January 31 – The Story Matters: The Why Behind Teen Drug and Alcohol Use
Speaker: Mary Ann Kluga, RN, MPS, LCDC, Leander ISD Alcohol Drug Awareness & Prevention Team Coordinator
Glenn High School – 1320 Collaborative Way, Leander, TX 78641
Primary Audience – All Parents
There are multiple factors behind an adolescent’s alcohol and drug use. This session will help you understand the underlying causes that lead to adolescent alcohol and drug use, how substance use affects the teenage brain and what you can do to help.
March 7 – Healthy Teen Relationships
Speaker: Randy Randolph, Safe Place Expect Respect Program
Vandegrift High School – 9500 McNeil Dr., Austin, TX 78750
Primary Audience – Secondary Parents and Students
Want to help your teenager navigate the world of relationships? Randy Randolph from the SAFE Alliance’s Expect Respect program will lead an interactive session on how to make teen romantic relationships work. In addition to looking at the dynamics and actions that create hurtful versus loving relationships, boundaries, consent, and the warning signs of dating abuse will also be addressed. Students are encouraged to attend and participate in this session.
April 11 – Keeping Your Kids Safe Online (Parent Session) and Staying Safe Online (Student Session)
Speaker: Amy Callaway, Williamson County Advocacy Center and Amy Briggs, Texas Attorney General’s Office
Leander High School – 3301 S. Bagdad Rd., Leander, TX 78641
Primary Audience – All Parents and Secondary Students
Amy Callaway will talk about the current apps that children and teens are downloading and using, what the apps do and why they are dangerous. Her presentation will cover information on grooming and how offenders operate as they select their victims and try to gain their trust. She will explore other ways that offenders communicate with children via the internet and offer suggestions of how to keep your children safe as they navigate technology.
