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Parent Connections 2011-2012 presentions worth attending

December 5, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Due to its overwhelming success, Oakville Trafalgar High School, in partnership with your School Council is continuing the Parent Connections program.

Their goal is to bring parents, caregivers, community members and staff together to discuss issues that evolve as young people develop through adolescence and to build a network of parents to support one another in the pursuit of raising healthy, responsible and resilient teens.

They will be meeting the first Tuesday of every month at 7:00 p.m. in the Oakville Trafalgar High School theatre; meetings will run approximately one hour. Please notify Kim Redmond, VP, of you intention to attend so she can accommodate required seating.

Following is the list of dates and topics that have thus been selected by parents for the 2011/2012 school year.

 

Tuesday, December 6th

Bullying and Relationship Building

The Honourable Justice Marvin Zuker Ontario Court of Justice
Kim Redmond Vice Principal, OTHS

* NOTE: Constable Mark Vegso has accepted Kim’s offer to join us
for Q & A

 

Tuesday, January 10th

Talking About Mental Illness

Presented by a Panel of Speakers/Experts in the Field of Mental Health/Illness in Adolescents

 

Tuesday, February 7th

Internet Awareness

Presented by KIWI Seminars/KIWI Commons (https://filter.kiwicommons.com/).

 

If you would like to be added to the Parent Connections e-mail distribution list, please email Kim Redmond, Vice Principal, at redmondk@hdsb.ca.

*Stay tuned for our March, April & May sessions*

Filed Under: Parenting

Dangers of teens drinking at home

June 21, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Now that the summer is approaching and your teen will have more leisure time, you may be asking yourself whether you should let your teen drink at home.

Some parents do state that they feel a controlled environment to introduce their teen to alcohol is a way of ensuring their teen knows the difference between responsible drinking and binge drinking. They believe that with parent supervision, this is the best method of introducing their teen to an activity that is inevitable.

Underage drinking is a contentious issue for many parents especially when some parents even have parties allowing other teens to do the same.

There are a lot of issues allowing other teens to be drinking including liability, legality, etc. so many would say that providing an environment where other underage kids drink is not advisable.

So what about your own child?

In a 2010 publication from the U.S. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism the state the following:

“according to most studies, the benefits of allowing children to drink in the home do not appear to be the case”.

This same report goes on to quote other information that indicates starting drinking earlier increases the chances of developing alcohol problems.

Some argue that having alcohol as part of a teen’s life exposes them to riskier behaviour, provides the perception that it is needed to have fun, impairs their judgment, etc.

Although some teens do drink, what should you do as a parent? Do you keep them away from situations you know will have alcohol, do you talk to them honestly about their alcohol consumption, do you allow it in your home?

Let us know what you think.

Filed Under: Parenting, Wellness and Prevention Tagged With: , ,

Why is safety not first with kids activities

April 21, 2011 By 2 Comments

How safe are your children while they are participating at an activity? Does the owner of the club or studio care or have safety as a priority? Is winning, profits or their priorities more important?

If an owner has been notified of incidents occurring that jeopardize safety are they liable if future incidents occur?

Lets use a recent event attended by a dance parent in a nearby town known for a rather troubled and dangerous downtown core (its not Oakville).  Is it reasonable for dance competitions to be held in an area known to have drug dealing, criminals or other types of wandering public?

Let us ask you…..if you were a parent walking to your car with a child (under 12) and witnessed a brutal physical attack in front of you whereby you and the child had to run to your car, lock yourself in, phone 911 for police help ….and then told the establishment of the event the next day asking that future competitions not be held at this arena because the local police confirmed how unsafe the area was…..what response would you expect from the owner of this establishment?

We would expect the event never to be held in this area again so that the children and their families would be safe.  Is this a reasonable request?

What would you say if many parents talk openly about the type of people around this event because the issue is so visible?

How can parents protect their children and themselves even if owners do not do what seems reasonable and safe?

Let us know what you think?

 

Filed Under: Parenting, Safety

Is your household safe without parent supervision?

February 7, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Do you fear that your home and its contents will not be safe when your adult child is left alone?

Parents wants to believe that their children are responsible and capable of managing themselves and the household. Sometimes, the issue may occur because of a decision but sometimes accidents cause the crisis. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Parenting

Teen acne can cause many issues

January 10, 2011 By Leave a Comment

If you are a parent with a teen you know too well how acne can affect your child. Although what we believe about the issue and treatments may differ from when you were young, most agree blemishes can cause a lot of grief especially for teens.

[Read more...]

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Halloween is just around the corner

October 22, 2010 By Leave a Comment

With the election season about to be a distant memory, families will begin focusing on one of the events most cherished by children around the globe. Halloween is of course the event the kiddies are anxiously awaiting. This weekend should be a busy times for shops around Oakville.
[Read more...]

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Use back-to-school routines to help be ready for September

August 27, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Now that summer is almost over many struggle with how to get their kids back on a routine so that they will be ready for the big day.  Here are some practical tips on ensuring they are well rested and back on track. [Read more...]

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Teen Safety Seminar for Parents

January 6, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Oakville is hosting a parent seminar to talk about teen safety. Have you ever wondered how to ensure your teen is safe while still encouraging them to become more independent and responsible?

If you have been like many parents wondering how to deal with these issues, the teen safety presentation may be of interest to you. [Read more...]

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Sara Carlin Inquest Postponed

November 3, 2009 By Leave a Comment

The inquest into the death of Sara Carlin has been postponed until June.
sara carlin
Originally scheduled to begin Nov. 2, it has been postponed at the request of her family.

The teen died on May 6, 2007. The inquest focus is on the role of selective antidepressants have in teenage suicides.

The inquest is expected to last about 4 weeks. It will now begin on Monday, June 7 at 9:30 a.m. at the Toronto Coroners Courts, 15 Grosvenor Street. [Read more...]

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