Skip To Main Content

Parent Partnership Series

 

Parent Partnership Series
The Wyoming City Schools Parent Partnership Series offers opportunities for parents to gather and learn from experts and other Wyoming parents on important topics. These events are for parents of students in all grade levels. After the opening presentation, there will be an opportunity for parents to gather in small groups based on their child’s age/school level for further discussion and learning.

 

Parent Partnership Series topics are chosen based on what we hear from our students and feedback received during our focus groups, CommUNITY Conversations, and Parent Advisory Committee meetings.

Come partner with us and other Wyoming parents as we work together to grow and celebrate every Wyoming student.

Next Topic: Social Media

LIKE: Understanding and Creating Balance in Social Media

Our topic for this semester's Wyoming City Schools Parent Partnership Series is social media. Through our RSVP link, we've learned that very many WCS families and other members of the Wyoming school community are interested in the topic and the vast majority are interested in viewing the documentary at home so we will be shifting to an all online format for this semester's event.

From 7 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 19, through 12:30 a.m. Friday, Oct. 27, the documentary LIKE: Understanding and Creating Balance in Social Media will be viewable through this link: 

https://cct.impactful.co/like/watch.html?id=wyomingcityschools

Universal login credentials needed to view the film are under the picture on the linked page and as follows: 

Email: wyomingcityschools@impactful.co

Password: wyomingcityschools

LIKE breaks down why we find social media so irresistible, examines who is controlling who, and gives you the tools to pivot to a more balanced and contented relationship. It features Silicon Valley entrepreneurs, including the co-creator of the “LIKE” button, experts in brain science and regular teenagers. Click here for more information and to see the trailer.

Though the information is relevant to parents of children of all ages, this film is not recommended for children younger than 10 years of age.

Possible discussion questions to support conversation with your child(ren) at home:

  • What do you like about social media? What are your favorite apps and why? How has it been good for your friendships?
  • What don’t you like about social media? Describe a situation where you’ve felt a more negative side?
  • Have you ever felt like maintaining your social media was a job?
  • Do you think social media plays a key role in the rise in anxiety? If so, can you describe how? 
  • Have you noticed a difference between how you feel when you’re on social media for a shorter time (20 minutes or less) and a longer time (two hours or more)? How would you describe the difference in your mood?
  • What do you think might be an effective way to create balance in your life/our lives when it comes to social media? Were there any tips in the movie that we could use or other strategies we could put in place for adults as well as kids in our household?

An At Home Screening and Discussion Guide is available here.

Spring 2023 Topic: Drug Abuse Prevention

At 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 15, join us at Wyoming Middle School to learn about:

  • The drug abuse prevention curriculum at each building level of Wyoming City Schools
  • What parents can do outside of school to promote drug abuse prevention

At our Spring 2023, Parent Partnership Series Event, speakers will include health teachers, police representatives, and school administrators. We hope you can join us but in case that is not possible, click below to see Ohio's Health Education Curriculum Requirements for:

Please click this link to RSVP so we can plan to use a space at the middle school appropriate to the number of attendees: https://forms.gle/DKyPN1XQa9zoG7Rm9 

Thank you to the Wyoming Parent School Association (PSA) for the partnership and funding to make this program possible. To learn more or to join PSA, click here.

 

Future Events:

Fall 2023 Topic: LIKE: Understanding and Creating Balance in Social Media

Join us for a screening of the documentary LIKE: Understanding and Creating Balance in Social Media.

This take-action, inspiring film is the 2nd installment in the award-winning iNDIEFLIX Mental Health Trilogy, created to entertain, engage, and enlighten about issues surrounding mental health. The first in the series, 'Angst,' was screened at Wyoming Middle School in January 2019. Before COVID, two billion smartphone owners were checking their phones, on average, 150 times a day, and the enforced isolation and mandated screen time of the COVID years has likely only increased this figure. Research continues to confirm that having your head down, staring at the screen, chasing "likes" and seeking "followers" is the perfect recipe for low self-esteem, isolation, and depression, as well as loss of focus and patience.

The filmmakers of LIKE inspire kids and teens to consider a life of JOMO (joy of missing out) as opposed to FOMO. They use their proven 4 E formula: entertainment, empathy, enlightenment, and a heavy does of empowerment, arming their audiences with easy-to-execute strategies to change their habits that very same day. Research and data are plentiful: happiness surges when we have digital balance, not overload; when we give ourselves time to look at actual trees, animals, and all things nature, as well as interact - however we can - with other humans.

LIKE includes exclusive interviews from Silicon Valley insiders - including the co-creator of Facebook's "Like" button - who break down the addiction-causing algorithms behind the apps. The medical and science experts explain the behavioral changes that come from chemical effects on the brain. But the 49 minute-long LIKE does not leave you with a sense of fear and foreboding. The core of the documentary is built around the kids and teens interviewed, and the empathy that they build with their audience as they look honestly at their usage and dependence on these tiny devices, consider the good that can come from and be transmitted via social media, and rethink the relationship to one where they are much more aware and in balance. Finally, a funny and engaging dancing panda meme at the end of the film perfectly illustrates the very sad rabbit holes our phones are sending us down, preventing us from looking up and seeing the world.

 

Previous Events:

Fall 2022 Topic: Social Media - Your Child's Digital Tattoo

On Thursday, Oct. 13, K-12 parents and staff members gathered to talk about the challenges that come with social media usage for our children. This topic was identified as an important one to address by Wyoming City Schools and the Wyoming Parent School Association.

In addition to the parent event, Wyoming High School students and staff and 7th and 8th grade students and staff at Wyoming Middle School will participate in assemblies on navigating social media during the school day on Thursday, Oct. 13.

These events were led by Stephen J. Smith, president of A Wired Family. Mr. Smith has presented this powerful presentation to nearly 500,000 students, parents, school administrators, and mental health professionals over the last 10 years. The topics covered:

  • The apps that children are using in our area.

  • How and why apps are purposely developed to become addictive.

  • How your child’s privacy is often compromised and used against them.

  • The future career and educational impact of online behavior.

  • How the overuse of social media, gaming, and bullying might impact mental health.

Steve’s most recent book is Social Media & The Adolescent Digital Tribe.

Click here for more information about A Wired Family.

 

Fall 2021 Topic: Student Worry and Anxiety

In October, we discussed Positive Supports for Student Worry and Anxiety. The evening began with a presentation from Dr. Jonathan Dalton from the Center for Anxiety & Behavioral Change. Through his parent presentations, Dr. Dalton provides adults with evidence-based, practical strategies to support children and teens.

Dr. Dalton's October 2021 WCS Presentation Slide Deck

A video of a previous program is available here

Earlier in the day, Dr. Dalton lead a discussion with Wyoming City Schools staff members on this topic. This programming was made possible by the generous support of the Wyoming School Foundation.

Dr. Dalton's Recommended Reading: