Parents in Orcutt and the Santa Maria area are invited to go back to school for a series of parent education sessions provided by the Orcutt Union School District Parent Education Program and the Santa Maria Valley Council of PTAs.
The first class in the series, titled “Effective Solutions to Common Parenting Dilemmas,” will be held on Jan. 15 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the Ralph Dunlap School cafeteria. Local marriage and family therapist Erin Bunnell will show parents how to handle common problems, such as arguing, sibling rivalry, bedtime struggles, homework hassles, and more. She’ll also discuss how parents can build deeper, more affectionate relationships with their children.
On Jan. 22, the second class, “Bullying: A Roundtable Discussion,” will be held from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the Lakeview Junior High School cafeteria. Some of the questions explored during the session will include: How much bullying is taking place in our schools? What are schools doing about it? And how can parents help their children who are being bullied or are bullying others?
A panel of administrators, teachers, and counselors will address these questions and many more in a discussion moderated by Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department spokesperson Drew Sugars.
Three more classes will be held through February, including “The Secret Life of (Some) Teens” on Jan. 28 at Alice Shaw School; “Social Success: How Parents Can Help Their Children Make and Keep Friends” on Feb. 12 at May Grisham School; and “All About ADD and ADHD” on Feb. 19 at Patterson Road School. All of the classes will be held from 6:30 to 8 p.m. in the school cafeterias. Free childcare is available at all of the parent education nights.
For more information, call the Orcutt Union School District at 938-8900.
This article appears in Jan 15-22, 2009.