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St. Gabriel Catholic School
Parent-to-Parent Program Protects our Children
Everyday our kids are exposed to messages that promote
violence, sexual promiscuity, drugs, alcohol, and a lack of
character and responsibility. Most parents struggle with
these difficult issues as they raise their children in
today's world. However, parents still hold the
responsibility of preventing their children from falling
into the traps of the toxic culture that surrounds them. A
new program titled Parent-to-Parent is here to help!
Thanks to the support and funding by the MACS Education
Foundation, catholic schools in our area are empowering
parents through the benefits of the Parent-to-Parent
series. Parent-to-Parent is a video-based program
designed to help parents develop skills to become more
effective parents. It assists parents in teaching their
children lasting values so they can grow into responsible,
respectful and productive adults.
Program
Format
Parent-to-Parent
was created in 1988 by the president of The Passage Group,
Bill Oliver, to assist in developing confident parents,
capable of guiding their children through the negative
influences of today's culture. Throughout the program,
parents gain a better understanding of what our children are
exposed to and develop methods to counter issues such as
poor academic performance, idleness, promiscuous attitudes
about sex, violent behavior, use of alcohol, drugs, and
cigarettes, and lack of accountability.
The eight sessions of
Parent-to-Parent are designed to be implemented
individually. Facilitators guide the parents by introducing
each session and leading the group in discussions and
exercises. The session's video presents specific
information and demonstrates proven skills that the parents
are encouraged to adopt. The program aims to build and
strengthen the bond between parents and reduce the feeling
of isolation often experienced in childrearing.
Program
Outline
The first session,
Today's Toxic Culture, sets the tone for the
overall program by exploring the negative messages inherent
in music, movies, television, video games, the internet and
advertising that our children are exposed to everyday.
Session 2,
Put Yourself in the Way, encourages getting
involved in our child's life by getting to know their
friends, interests, habits, and feelings. This session
outlines the prevention process used throughout the workshop
and introduces the five A's of prevention: Be Aware! Be
Around! Be Alert! Be Assertive! Be Awake!
The third session,
Awareness Is Your Best Friend, outlines
significant, observable lifestyle indicators that can signal
negative changes in our children's behavior.
In session four,
Remember the Difference, parents explore ways
to ensure that our children understand the difference
between trust and being trustworthy. Parents also learn how
to cultivate important character traits such as
dependability, responsibility and accountability and how to
establish and communicate appropriate consequences for
negative behavior.
Session 5,
Expect and Inspect, outlines the need for
families to develop, communicate and uphold a family belief
system.
Genuine communication is at the cornerstone of any
successful relationship; in session six,
Never Cry Alone, parents learn to
break through the communication gap with their children by
communicating what they feel...not just what they think.
Session 7,
Traps to Avoid,
explores specific traps which parents must help their
children avoid: wealth without work, education without
character, entertainment without conscience, adulthood
without childhood, freedom without accountability, love
without limits and life without vision.
The last session of the series,
Building a Family Vision,
provides a time tested planning model that assists parents
in developing a plan for raising their children. By
developing a "Vision - Strategies - Projects - Tactics"
outline, we can work with our children to help them reach
their goals and dreams.
St.
Gabriel Keeps Its Great Families Great!
"This is the most important thing we are doing for our
families", has stated Mrs. Debbie Butler, Vice Principal at
St. Gabriel School, where parents have participated in the
program offered by parent/facilitators just like you.
Facilitators guide the weekday morning and evening sessions.
Parents in our school become part of groups that share
similar experiences and challenges while encouraging each
other in their roles as models, mentors, monitors and
motivators for their families.
An added benefit for all elementary school parents is that
Parent-to-Parent provides the information to us before
problems arise. Our goal is to get parents to be proactive
and to create a support network for each other.
The program has support from our school counselors, Theresa
Anderson and Susan Rousey, who have provided guidance and
related materials of interest for parents. The school
website also allows parents to access an Overview and
Purpose of each session in addition to providing questions
and ideas for parents to consider. Click
here to view this portion of the site.
The Parent-to-Parent program is built upon the
premise that the best prevention tool available to keep
children from being immersed in the toxic culture that
surrounds them is a well-informed and motivated parent. Look
for information to come about the sessions to be held in the
Fall and Spring. Welcome to our school family. We will help
you keep your great family great! |
