By Dana Miller Join us for our final accountability meeting of the 2017/2018 school year on May 8th at 5:30 PM. Please join us for our final accountability meeting of the 2017/2018 school year. We will be covering a lot of important school business. We hope you have had the opportunity to experience some of the speakers we have had the honor of welcoming into D’Evelyn. Our speakers have covered a wide variety of topics in our effort to fill your toolbox with valuable tools and skill sets. In November, Officer Everhart provided his eye opening session on Internet Safety. In December, Andrea Philleo, LSW, reached out to parents of girls and provided information to help relate to your adolescent daughter. In March, Erin O’Neill gave us insight into the college financial planning process (presentation available online here). Finally, this past month, Colin Terry the Associate Dean of Students at the Colorado School of Mines, provided an extremely entertaining and eye opening presentation on Smartphone Addiction (presentation available online here). If you have a topic you would like to learn more about or know of a speaker who may be a good addition for the next school year, please contact Dana at [email protected]. Lastly, if you are interested in getting involved with the accountability committee, we are looking for one member for the 2018/2019 school year. Please attend our last meeting on May 8th at 5:30 PM in the library and introduce yourself to any of the committee members. We would love to have another parent involved. The accountability committee wishes you a safe summer! Tuesday, April 10 at 5:30 pm – D’Evelyn auditorium
By Dana Miller In a recent study, students preferred mild electric shocks to the alternative – being without their cellphone while alone with their thoughts. Without a doubt, smartphones have infiltrated all aspects of our daily routine and they present many obvious desired benefits. But has our dependency gone too far? And how is smartphone use changing our youth? This presentation will consider the tenuous learning, social, neurological, and personal effects of pervasive student addiction with smartphones and technology. Colin Terry is the Associate Dean of Students at Colorado School of Mines. Colin is a sixth-year doctoral candidate at Michigan State University, where he will earn his PhD in Educational Psychology and Educational Technology in May. His doctoral work considers the motivational, psychological, and educational effects of technology in the classroom. Previous degrees were awarded by New York University (M.A.) and Gonzaga University (B.A.). More information about Colin and his publications available at www.colinterryphd.com. This presentation is crucial for anyone owning a smartphone. Students and parents are welcome as this topic impacts us all. Get Involved. Give Back to your School. Become an Accountability Officer Feeling like you need/want to know more about the place where your child/ren spend most of their time? Want to give back to our great school? Join our accountability team for the 2018-2019 school year. We have openings we are looking to fill with eager parents. You can learn about the purpose of the Accountability Committee in the D’Evelyn Founding Document, on page 49. Time commitment is usually less than five hours a month (including two meetings/month) during the school year. If you are interested in serving, please contact any of the current accountability officers. If your children are considering college or post high school education, you NEED to attend this presentation! This seminar is a must for parents of children in all grades who are planning for college. The earlier you start preparing and saving for college, the better. Please join us March 13th at 5:30 PM for our next speaker, Jarrod Musick who will talk about college financial planning. Jarrod is President of Destiny Capital and helps families and business owners create and implement strategies to ensure they reach their financial goals. A Colorado native, Jarrod holds a BA from the University of Colorado at Boulder in Economics and a Masters of Public Policy from the University of Denver. He also holds the Certified Financial Planner (CFP®) designation.
Jarrod will present various saving options and useful tools to help us navigate the road to college tuition payments. 529, Coverdell, FAFSA, Pell Grant, Stafford Loan, and PLUS Loan are just some of these tools and the list goes on. Just getting started on planning for the college process with your children can be daunting. He’ll discuss how you can go about projecting costs for various schools, implementing or tweaking savings plans, and the grant and loan programs available. You will walk out with an understanding of how the process works and some good ideas about where to begin or how to improve your current plan. Don’t miss it! Please put this on your calendars and plan to attend our next meeting on Tuesday March 13h at 5:30 pm in the library. Get Involved. Give Back to your School. Become an Accountability Officer. Feeling like you need/want to know more about the place where your child/ren spend most of their time? Want to give back to our great school? Join our accountability team for the 2018-2019 school year. We have openings we are looking to fill with eager parents. You can learn about the purpose of the Accountability Committee in the D’Evelyn Founding Document, on page 49. Time commitment is usually less than five hours a month (including two meetings/month) during the school year. If you are interested in serving, please contact any of the current accountability officers. Please join us for our next meeting on February 13 at 7 am in Room E100 where D’Evelyn’s very own Suzanne Roberts will discuss the rising trend in teen anxiety – the most common mental health disorder for American adolescents. Ms. Roberts will share how parents and other adults can help along with specific resources. Upcoming Toolbox Seminars: 3/13 @ 5:30 pm – Jarod Musick, Financial Advisor, will discuss a variety of financial issues, including college savings and scholarships. 4/10 @ 5:30 pm – Colin Terry, Associate Dean of Students at Colorado School of Mines, will discuss the effects of technology and multitasking on learning and retention. In a recent study, students preferred mild electric shocks to the alternative – being without their cellphone while alone with their thoughts. Without a doubt, smartphones have infiltrated all aspects of our daily routine and they present many obvious desired benefits. But has our dependency gone too far? And how is smartphone use changing our youth? This presentation for parents and students, will consider the tenuous learning, social, neurological, and personal effects of pervasive student addiction with smartphones and technology. Get Involved. Give Back to your School. Become an Accountability Officer. Feeling like you need/want to know more about the place where your child/ren spend most of their time? Want to give back to our great school? Join our accountability team for the 2018-2019 school year. We have openings we are looking to fill with eager parents. You can learn about the purpose of the Accountability Committee in the D’Evelyn Founding Document, on page 49. Time commitment is usually less than five hours a month (including two meetings/month) during the school year. If you are interested in serving, please contact any of the current accountability officers. By Dana Miller, Accountability Committee Chair
December’s accountability speaker, licensed social worker Andrea Philleo, provided some important insight into helping our daughters manage the roller coaster years of adolescence. According to Philleo, there is no one size fit all approach but it is important to note that the number of girls that struggle during this time is immeasurable so if your daughter is struggling – you are not alone. If you are concerned for your child’s well-being, signs of clinical depression include: pulling away from what is normal for them; self-injury; your child no longer seeming like themselves, sleep changes; overeating/undereating; excessive time alone and isolated; and withdrawing from activities/events they normally engage in. If these symptoms last for two weeks or longer this is a red flag and a sign that your daughter may need help. What we can do as parents to help - conscious parenting - look at the way that our children are experiencing us as parents (how are we adapting at life, what are our moods, our stress, etc.). Normalize the condition for your child – all children go through changes in adolescence. These fluctuations are normal and are healthy. Irritation, stress, etc., are all normal. As parents, we must first develop a tolerance for these normal changes and developments. Next, develop a good method for listening to your daughter. The top complaint of most girls is that their parents don’t listen (parents think they are listening). Girls don’t always want advice or direction, but often just need to vent feelings without judgment. Allow your daughter to express feelings without shame or guilt. Develop a wellness plan around mental health. First, look at nutrition (reduce sugar, refined carbohydrates, processed foods). Consider high protein foods first thing in the morning. Second, eliminate alcohol and drugs. These can exacerbate depression. Third, spend time outside. Vitamin D helps reduce depression/anxiety. If you cannot get outside, Vitamin D supplements can also help at night before bed. Fish oil, Omega 3 and 6 have also been shown to help reduce depression. Fourth, exercise. Exercise is one of the most effective treatments for depression. Mental health treatment – once a wellness plan is developed the parent may also want to look at formal mental health treatment. Look at both individual therapy for the child, as well as a family treatment component. Family treatment often addresses underlying issues with family dynamics that the parent may not be aware of (look for a licensed marriage and family counselor - LMFC). Developing a connection with your daughter is the biggest tool in preventing depression/anxiety or intervening if depression/anxiety develops. Please join us for our next meeting on February 13 at 7 am in Room E100 where D’Evelyn’s very own Suzanne Roberts will discuss the rising trend in teen anxiety – the most common mental health disorder for American adolescents. Ms. Roberts will share how parents and other adults can help along with specific resources. The accountability committee wishes all of our D’Evelyn families a happy and healthy holiday! By Dana Miller
Toolbox Seminar #2 – Helping Your Daughter Through the “Roller Coaster” Years A discussion parents of girls will not want to miss! Girls at one time or another will struggle. Their hormones, emotions, friendship groups, academic pressure, and ordinary life changes can all play a role in how our daughters feel. However, how do we know when the normalcy of the "roller coaster years" is more than "normal"? Depression and anxiety in girls can look different or the same depending on the personality and character of your child. In this discussion we will hit on what indicators of clinical depression and anxiety look like and when to get help. This presentation will also focus on what you can do as parents to try and help with these issues when your daughter is hurting. Andrea Philleo is a licensed social worker and the former executive director of the Colorado Wellness Center for Girls. She currently is an adjunct instructor at the University of Denver in the Graduate School of Social work and sits on several boards related to the mental health community in Colorado. Please join us for this important discussion on December 12th at 7:00 am in room E100. Upcoming Toolbox Seminars: February 13 - 7:00 am in room E100; school counselors will discuss strategies for supporting your student and how school counselors can be utilized March 13 - 5:30 pm in library; Jarod Musick, Financial Advisor, will discuss a variety of financial issues, including college savings and scholarships April 10 - 5:30 pm in library; Colin Terry, Associate Dean of Students at Colorado School of Mines, will discuss the effects of technology and multitasking on learning and retention May 8 - 5:30 pm in library 5:30 pm – TBD By Dana Miller, Accountability Committee
Toolbox Seminar #1 – Helping Parents Keep Their Kids Safe on the Internet On Tuesday, November 14th at 5:30 pm, in the auditorium, our School Resource Officer, Deputy Greg Everhart, will give a presentation to parents and students regarding Internet safety, the dangers of social networking, the dangers of sexting and alcohol awareness. This presentation deals specifically with what constitutes criminal behavior, what the legal and social consequences of these behaviors are, and the pitfalls of getting involved in social networking, i.e., Facebook, Snap Chat, Instagram, ask.fm, and more. Sexting, social networking crimes, and the abuse of drugs and alcohol are issues that have become pervasive in our schools and are having tragic consequences to include suicide. Very often, parents have little knowledge of their kids’ involvement until it’s too late. Officer Everhart’s presentation is a frank and unfiltered discussion intended to provide parents and their children (grades middle school and older), with information on how our children fall prey to social pressures and social networking. It will empower us to better stay in tune with what’s going on in our children’s lives and understand how and when to intervene when necessary. It will also provide examples of warning signs to watch for and how to deal with them. The presentation may not be appropriate for younger audience members as topics such as drugs, alcohol, and sexting will be addressed. Upcoming Toolbox Seminars: December 12 - 7:00 am in room E100; Andrea Philleo, LSW, will speak on how to relate to your adolescent girl and issues involving girl’s self-esteem February 14 - 7:00 am in room E100; Reading Skills (tentative) March 13 - 5:30 pm in library; Jarod Musick, Financial Advisor, will discuss a variety of financial issues, including college savings and scholarships April 10 - 5:30 pm in library; Colin Terry, Associate Dean of Students at Colorado School of Mines, will discuss the effects of technology and multitasking on learning and retention May 8 - 5:30 pm in library 5:30 pm – school counselors will discuss strategies for supporting your student and how school counselors can be utilized By Dana Miller, Accountability Committee It's a new year, and a new chance to get involved at D'Evelyn. There is no better way than to attend a monthly Accountability Committee (AC) meeting. The AC serves in an advisory role to the principal and Steering Committee. A large part of our meetings is informational, but we also discuss ways to enhance the quality of education at D'Evelyn. At meetings you will hear from principal, Josh Griffin, as well as teachers and members of the student body. Meeting agendas are posted to the D’Evelyn website 24 hours prior to each meeting. At our October 10th meeting, which begins at 7 am in E100, we will have the pleasure of meeting new teachers, discuss the school Unified Improvement Plan and review the budget process. Please consider attending the AC meetings and remember, if you are interested in becoming a voting member, you must attend at least one of the first three meetings. 2017-2018 AC Meeting Schedule October 10 - 7:00 am in room E100 November 14 - 5:30 pm in the auditorium - Officer Everhart will speak about Internet Safety December 12 - 7:00 am in room E100 - Andrea Philleo, LSW, will speak on how to relate to your adolescent girl and issues involving girl’s self-esteem February 14 - 7:00 am in room E100 - Reading Skills (tentative) March 13 - 5:30 pm in library - Jarod Musick, Financial Advisor, will discuss a variety of financial issues, including college savings and scholarships April 10 - 5:30 pm in library - Colin Terry, Associate Dean of Students at Colorado School of Mines, will discuss the effects of technology and multitasking on learning and retention May 8 - 5:30 pm in library 5:30 pm – school counselors will discuss strategies for supporting your student and how school counselors can be utilized Our 2016-2017 Accountability Committee: Carrie Kollar, Steve Kosten, Dana Miller and Annette Pilkington Accountability meetings are ideal for not only staying up to date on what is happening with your child/ren's school, class, and education but also a great way for you to give back to our great school. By Dana Miller, Accountability Committee The purpose of the Accountability Committee is to serve in an advisory role to the Principal and Steering Committee. We address the culture and climate at D’Evelyn and deliver information to parents and the D’Evelyn community. This year we are working on providing parents a toolbox to help them better support their students and prepare for their years at D’Evelyn and beyond. Towards that effort, we will be bringing a guest speaker to each of our meetings to address timely and relevant issues. The speakers will be as follows (please watch for Messenger notifications each month as speakers may change if needed):
Nicotine, Marijuana and the Adolescent Brain Please join us for the final Accountability Committee meeting of the year on Tuesday, May 9th at 7 am in Room E100. We will be joined by guest speaker Jen Bolcoa. Jen Bolcoa is a health educator with Jeffco’s Healthy Schools Program and a D’Evelyn parent. Her focus is on teen tobacco and other drug abuse prevention, and the social and emotional well-being of Jeffco students. Her presentation will cover Nicotine, Marijuana and the Adolescent Brain. Parents will get an overview of today’s nicotine and marijuana products, the health impacts of both on the brains and bodies of teens, and some basic trends in teen use. In addition, there will be information on how Jeffco supports teens, proven protective factors and where parents can go for more information. |
The Accountability Committee advises both the Principal and the Steering Committee by evaluating the schools effectiveness and researching pertinent issues. Archives
October 2022
|