Resources for Families and Students
The PTA does not endorse the service providers or organizations or attest to the value of any webinar or other resource featured here—our goal is to find and share information that we believe will be of interest to YHS families.
Parent Support Group
For more details, see the Parent Support Group flyer.
Join other parents in your community to share experiences and learn about topics relevant to your family each week.
Hosted by Arlington CFSD clinical staff
Starting December 15, 2020 7:00 – 8:00 pm — Ongoing
Each week a different topic will be discussed, covering a broad range including Internet Safety, Time Managementfor kids, COVID related grief and loss, How to navigate the school IEP process, Positive Praise and Behavior Management. Come support other parents and share your successes and lean in for support. Send any questions to cmarketti@arlingtonva.us
Community Resources
Please see this flyer for more information about help in our community (mental heath, medical care, rent assistance, food assistance, etc.)
- Arlington County list of resources (organizations with helpful info; 24/7 support hotlines, resources on coping skills, substance use, grief, and veterans’ support)
- Arlington Child and Family Services list of info/resources (adolescent development, substance abuse and staying safe, educational resources, special needs, healthy dating and safety, juvenile justice, teen employment, life after high school, mental and physical health, and parenting resources)
Webinars/Videos
December 2: The College Funding Coach presents a live webinar. Brock Jolly and his team return to YHS to present the always popular “Little-Known Secrets of Paying for College.” FREE, 7:00-8:15 pm. Register here.
The Changing Landscape of Testing and College Admissions webinar hosted by Ann Dolin, M.Ed., President of Educational Connections. Recording of live event presented to YHS community on 11/19. How COVID has changed college admissions and testing, ACT and SAT advice, biggest factors affecting your child’s chances of admission to their dream school, and more.
Webinars Recommended by PTA Family Network
The Dos and Don’ts of Effective Parent Communication hosted by The StudyPro. FCPS School Psychologists Michelle Scales and Katie Hidalgo Arrieta share key strategies and specific approaches to communicate more openly and effectively with your children.
Permission To Feel for Kids: How Adults Can Support Children in Managing Emotions During Challenging Times, CASEL Cares Webinar Series. Dr. Marc Brackett (Founder and Director, Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence and CASEL Board member) shares a four-step process to support adults in (1) being culturally responsive and emotionally intelligent role models for children and (2) helping children build a repertoire of healthy emotion regulation strategies to support their well-being and academic success. The target audience is parents/guardians and teachers.
Making Deposits: 5 Ways to Better Connect With Your Child. From the sponsor—”During distance learning and all times, it can be challenging to have the bond with your students that you want. In this engaging podcast, The StudyPro and Rachel Bailey of Rachel Bailey’s Parenting Academy focus on how to make ‘deposits’ into the 5 emotional needs of all children (with a focus on teens) to improve your relationship and their self-esteem.”
FCPS Mental Health and Wellness Conference and Inova Act on Addition Summit: Tools for Resiliency During Unprecedented Times includes a number of information-packed video recordings available through 2020 only. Sample offerings: “Social and Emotional Learning in School and at Home: Supporting our Students’ Engagement, Resilience and Well-Being During Challenging Times” — “Building Social Awareness through Conversations about Race and Racism”—“Managing Emotions: How to Talk About Feelings so Kids Will Talk About Feelings”—“When Enough is Enough – Disrupting the Reward and Addiction Process” (“Early detection relies on recognizing signs and symptoms of alcohol and other drug use especially in adolescents and young adults.”)
Helping Kids Build Resiliency and Self-Efficacy in the Era of COVID featuring Dr. Jonathan Dalton, the Founder and Owner of the Center for Anxiety and Behavioral Change in Maryland, hosted by The StudyPro Executive Function and Study Skills Center. Dr. Dalton is an expert on childhood anxiety. This talk discusses ways to help our students overcome the challenges of COVID and leverage this time to build flexibility, resilience, and grit.
Other Resources
- Join a Local email list or Facebook Group
- Arlington Special Education PTA (SEPTA) – ArlingtonSEPTA@googlegroups.
com - Arlington Gifted – ArlingtonGifted@
googlegroups.com - Arlington ADHD – ArlingtonADHD@yahoogroups.
com - Arlington Reading (Reading Support) – ArlingtonReading@
yahoogroups.com - Arlington ASIS (Autism Spectrum) – ArlingtonASIS@yahoogroups.
com - Arlington Twice Exceptional (2e) – Arlington2e@googlegroups.com
- Arlington Special Education PTA (SEPTA) – ArlingtonSEPTA@googlegroups.
Activities for Families and Teens During Covid-19
- https://www.psychologytoday.
com/us/blog/raising-kind-kids/ 202004/13-things-do-your- family-during-the-coronavirus - https://adaa.org/learn-from-
us/from-the-experts/blog- posts/consumer/parents-being- good-enough-right-now-ok? gclid=EAIaIQobChMIyrLZz- 6L7QIVjo7ICh2MaQrIEAAYAyAAEgJZ QfD_BwE - https://www.apartmentguide.
com/blog/coronavirus-social- distancing/ - https://www.healthychildren.
org/English/health-issues/ conditions/COVID-19/Pages/ Getting-Children-and-Teens- Outside-While-Social- Distancing.aspx - https://www.healthychildren.
org/English/Pages/default.aspx - https://thecenterfordiscovery.
org/safe-indoor-and-outdoor- activities-for-families-in- the-time-of-coronavirus/ - https://www.doinggoodtogether.
org/covid19-response - https://www.unicef.org/
jamaica/stories/19-games- family-bonding-during-covid-19
Kindness
Covid-19 Health Guidelines
Coping with Covid-19, Covid Restrictions and Distance Learning:
- Supporting Families During Covid-19
- Coping
- Parents — Being Good Enough Right Now Is OK
- Parenting in a Pandemic
- Comic: A Kids Guide to Coping with the Pandemic
- A Comic Just for Kids: How to Stay Safe from the Coronavirus
- Will my Child Bounce Back from the Coronavirus Crisis?
- Supporting Kids During the Covid-19 Crisis
- Supporting Teenagers and Young Adults During the Coronavirus Crisis
- Anxiety and Coping with Coronavirus
- Signs of Depression During Coronavirus Crisis
Mental Health Resources
- Attend a NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) Parent Support Group
- Grades PK-12: Semi-monthly. Contact Michelle Best (mczero@yahoo.com) or Alisa Cowen (acowen@cowendesigngroup.com)
- Young Adults: 3rd Sunday of the month from 1-3pm. Contact Naomi Verdugo (verdugo.naomi@gmail.com) or Alisa Cowen (acowen@cowendesigngroup.com)
- Community and other mental health resources
- APS Mental Health and Wellness
- Arlington Tiered System of Support
- APS Substance Abuse Counseling
- YHS Counselors
- APS Resource: In Crisis/Need Help?
- APS Social-Emotional Learning Resources and Parent Academy Video
- APS-Provided List of Mental Health Resources
- APS Bullying Prevention and resources from Stop Bullying website
- APS Mental Health Services
- APS Family and Community Engagement (FACE)
- APS Parent Resource Center
- CASEL—Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning, free webinars
- Challenge Success
- Act on Addiction
- Understood
- Arlington Partnership for Children, Youth, and Families (APCYF) provides information, resources, and support for students and families in numerous areas, including:
Suicide Prevention
- American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
- National Suicide Prevention Lifeline or calk 800-273-TALK (8255), or call 911.
- Warning signs
- NAMI, National Alliance on Mental Illness
- Society for the Prevention of Teen Suicide
- A Top 10 Listing of Suicide Prevention Organizations and Resources
- Suicide Prevention Resource Center
- Ideas for Action
- Virginia Family Special Education Connection and Virginia Department of Education, list of resources available for families