Parent University - Feb. 2

From District 200's website:

Free half-day seminar offers excellent resources to parents

Parents in District 200 and surrounding communities will have a unique opportunity on Saturday, February 2nd to learn successful strategies for helping their children deal with the challenges confronting today’s youth.  District 200’s third annual Parent University will be held at Woodstock North High School from 8:00 a.m. to noon on the 2nd and is open to parents of students in elementary through high school.

The half-day seminar, which is presented at no cost to participants, will feature a keynote speaker and numerous workshops on topics including Parenting in the Millennium, bullying, alcohol and drug use, ADHD, and the Kyuki-Do Martial Arts Verbal Defense Program.  All workshops are conducted by experts in their fields.  The day will also feature opportunities to network with other parents and to learn about a variety of resource agencies in the area.  Once again this year, there will also be presentations in Spanish.

Keynote speaker, Dr. Michael Feld, will kick off the event at 9:00 a.m. with a presentation titled “Parenting in the Millennium."  Dr. Feld is a child/adolescent psychiatrist who is community psychiatrist for Alexian Brothers Behavioral Hospital, and who maintains a private practice in Northbrook, Illinois.  He is considered an expert in ADHD and has done workshops for physicians across the United States on the topic, as well as more than 500 presentations on parenting in the millennium, medication issues for children and adolescents, and ADHD.

Every participant will be able to attend two workshops of their choosing. In addition to the workshop presentations, participants will also have the opportunity to meet and talk with representatives from a variety of service agencies in the area. These include McHenry County Department of Health, Volunteer McHenry County, Rosecrance Health Network, Gateway Foundation, D.A.R.E., The Mathers Clinic, PFLAG, Jailbrakers [sic] and many others including resources within District 200 schools.

A continental breakfast will be served and free child care will be provided to those who are interested.

For more information about Parent University, contact Julie Jennett, D200 Special Services Coordinator, at (815) 337-6038 or visit the Parent University webpage. Woodstock North High School is located at 3000 Raffel Road.

Woodstock Parents - speak out

To all parents of Woodstock District 200 Schools (and any other schools):

What have you heard about improvement in safety for your children at their schools?

Anything?

Sheriff Joe Arpaio didn't wait for school boards to act. He took action and put patrols around the schools in Maricopa County, Arizona.

Your school board here in Woodstock (Ill.) didn't even meet after the Sandy Hook shooting. Did ... not ... even ... meet!

You elected men and women from the District 200 territory to be in charge. Are they? What are they doing?

The Superintendent was not at the January 8 school board meeting. I did not hear any report about safety.

In fact, I didn't hear much. I think they used to have microphones in which to mumble, but there were no microphones. The audience has to sit back of the 50-yard line, far away from the Board. If they are going to speak in low tones, the room should be seat so that the audience is within hearing distance. It was possible to see lips moving and heads nodding, and even a few words now and then.

And then the meeting was over.