Announcements

On Thursday February 9, from 5:30 - 6:30PM, Upper Elementary students will host their Children’s House Reading Buddies for pizza dinner and bedtime stories. Children’s House Reading Buddies will receive an “invitation” from their Upper Elementary Reading Buddy this Friday, so be sure to check backpacks. This evening has become a cherished tradition for both younger and older children.

Parent Network will have an important meeting meeting on

Tuesday, April 12, 2011 at 8:30AM.

Parent Teacher Education Series

Winter

On October 7,  New Horizons inaugurated their Parent Teacher Education Series with Dr. Tamar Chansky, who spoke about Anxiety in Childhood, identified the symptoms of the anxious child and proposed methods to deal with them at home and in school.

On Wednesday evening (7-9pm) January 13, 2010,  NHMS will host the second Parent Teacher Education Night. Donald McCown, MAMS, MSS will discuss Mindfulness for Children - Coping with Anxiety and Stress.

Mindfulness is a form of meditation that improves a person’s ability to pay attention to what’s happening in the present moment.

Mindfulness  is a skill that can be learned and, when practiced in a disciplined manner, research has shown it can help children reduce anxiety and improve their ability to pay attention and stay focused. It may lessen aggression in children as well.  Parents can take advantage of the skills too, and not just for stress reduction. Mindfulness can help parents take a step back, and understand their child’s behavior.

Don McCown teaches Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction, “MBSR” in the patient program at Jefferson and directs the Mindfulness at Work initiative, bringing MBSR to corporations, nonprofit organizations, and professionals — from judges and attorneys to nurses and therapists.  He is a social worker with a Master of Social Services degree from Bryn Mawr College and a Master of Applied Meditation Studies degree from the Won Institute of Graduate Studies.  He has completed the most advanced training available from the Center for Mindfulness at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. Don is a Lecturer in the University’s College of Health Professions, and has been a member of the full time faculty of the Won Institute of Graduate Studies.

He also has a mindfulness-based psychotherapy practice at the Jefferson-Myrna Brind Center of Integrative Medicine, where his particular interests include the use of mindfulness in working with families with children with developmental disabilities. He is the author of Teaching Mindfulness: A practical guide for clinicians and educators and the forthcoming Walking into Now: Mindfulness practice for your busy life, and presents on mindfulness and its applications in health care and the workplace to international audiences.

Mindfulness for Children is an opportunity to learn simple and effective ways for children (and adults) to deal with stress and anxiety - an excellent adjunct to Dr. Chansky’s talk.

Please plan to join us on January 13!