Advice from Dr. Lourdes Ferrer on College Success

Dr. Lourdes is an education consultant, researcher, program developer, motivational speaker and author, assists school districts to improve the academic achievement of all students. Her specialty is closing the achievement gaps between students from diverse backgrounds through student engagement, staff development and parental empowerment.

Sneak Peak at GPS 2015-2016 CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Fall Sports Orientation: Parent and Athlete Meetings

John Underwood

“Life of an Athlete/Pure Performance to Maximize Your Potential”

Tuesday, Aug. 18

6:00 pm - Glenbard East Auditorium

7:30 pm - Glenbard South Auditorium

Wednesday, Aug. 19

6:00 pm- Glenbard North Auditorium

7:00 pm - Glenbard West Auditorium

 Thursday, Aug. 27

Family Read

Carlotta Walls LaNier

“A Mighty Long Walk – My Journey to Justice at Little Rock Central High School”

7:00 pm Glenbard East Auditorium

Dr. Kelly McGonigal

“The Upside of Stress: Why It’s Good for You and How to Get Better At It”

Embracing stress to be stronger, smarter, and healthier

Tuesday, Sept. 15

7:00 pm - Glenbard West Auditorium

Dr. Kelly McGonigal

“The Willpower Instinct: Life-Changing Advice for Goal-Setting, Patient Parenting, and Greater Productivity”

Wednesday, Sept. 16

11:00 Community outreach/luncheon

12:00pm – 2:30 pm District #15 Marquardt Administration Center

Dr. Randy Sprick

“Positive Parenting: Mastering Motivation, Attitude and Responsibility"

Practical strategies to impart independence, problem solving and self-control.

Monday, Oct. 12

6:30pm Please join us for a pre-meeting Columbus Day Holiday dinner

7:00pm Glenbard South Auditorium

Dr. Alec Couros (D#87 Institute Day speaker)

“Raising the Selfie Generation”

The opportunities and implications of growing up in today’s digital world

Tuesday, Oct. 13

7:00pm - Glenbard North Auditorium

John Dominguez PhD

A Paradigm Shift: How Parents Can Help Their Kids Create an Environment Where Bullying is Obsolete

Thursday, Oct 22

12:00PM-2:30PM CCSD District 93 Administration Center

Ken Ginsburg, MD

"The Skills to Succeed"

Mastering the tools to thrive in a high-pressure culture -now and in the future

Wednesday, Nov. 18

6:15pm Wellness Expo Foyer College of DuPage McAninch Arts Center

7:00pm College of DuPage McAninch Arts Center

    --and  

"Fostering Resilience and Coping Skills to Meet the Challenges of Today's Teens"

11:00 Community outreach/luncheon

Thursday, Nov. 19

12pm-2:30pm District #15 Marquardt Administration Center

Dr. Marc Brackett

“Raising A Happier, Healthier-More Competent and Compassionate Teen"

The practice of emotional intelligence to reduce stress, gain inner strength and interpersonal success

Wednesday, December 2

7:00pm – Glenbard South Auditorium

Dr Brenda Gorman

"Instructional Strategies and Literacy Development in Dual Language Learners"

Wednesday, Jan 20

12:00pm-2:30pm Glenbard South Auditorium

Dr. Laurence Steinberg

“Age of Opportunity: The New Science of Adolescence”

Myth-shattering, research-based information on the capacity of the teenage brain

Tuesday January 26, 2016

7:00pm College of DuPage McAninch Arts Center

  ---and 

The Essential Guide to Adolescence ages 10-25: Teen Behavior Explained

Wednesday, January 27, 2016

12:00PM-2:30PM CCSD District 93 Administration Center

Dr Scott Bellini

Building Social Relationships: A Systematic Approach to Teaching Social Interaction Skills to Children and Adolescents

with Autism Spectrum Disorders and Other Social Difficulties

Thursday, February 4

12:00pm-2:30 pm District #15 Marquardt Administration Center

Josh Shipp

Connect with, Understand, and Guide Your Teen to Awesomeness

Live Life Well Speaker

Thursday, Feb. 18

7:00pm – Glenbard North Auditorium

Jonathan Mooney

“Learning Outside the Lines: The Tools for Academic Success”

Empowering students to celebrate their learning differences

Thursday, March 3

7:00pm- Glenbard West Auditorium

Dr Patrick McGrath

Don't Try Harder, Try Different: Managing Anxiety and Stress

Wednesday, March 16

12:00pm-2:30 pm-CCSD District 93 Administration Center

Film Screening "The Mask You Live In"

Is Masculinity Harming our Boys, Men and Society at Large

Followed by discussion with Dr. Pedro Noguera

Wednesday, April 27

7:00pm Glenbard East Auditorium

Christine VanDeVelde

"Calming the Nerves: Everything You Need to Know About the College Admission Process"

Step by step guidance, from application to acceptance

Thursday,  May 5

7:00pm Glenbard South Auditorium

Parents inspired by two Dr. Silverman presentations on May 7 

Parent shares takeaway from morning presentation on "Helping Girls Thrive"

During a Glenbard Parent Series program the afternoon of May 7, Robyn Silverman presented Helping Girls Thrive: Developing Their Confidence, Goals and Leadership.

Mary Ellen Young, director of Helping Girls Navigate Adolescence, shared this takeaway:

Mary Ellen and Nora Young with Robyn Silverman

"Dr. Robyn Silverman is an amazing speaker. She reminded me as a mother to watch my own words and actions. I loved the suggestion to create a "fat talk free zone" in my home, and I will share that desire with others who are guests in my home. I will stretch the definition of beautiful. I will help my child discover their strengths and I will point to examples of those strengths. I will show my daughters whatever their size to trust their power to accomplish great things. I will be available as a mentor, not when it's convenient, but when she needs me. And if I'm not the best mentor I will find someone who is."

Parent appreciate strategies shared from evening's Helping Teens Thrive

North parent Micki Dobrowski shared the following takeaway from the evening of May 7 Glenbard Parent Series program with Robyn Silverman, Thriving Under Pressure: How to Help Youth Set Goals, Discover Their Strengths, and the Strategies for Motivation, and Good Health:

Robyn Silverman (left) and Micki Dobrowski

"This was a great GPS.  Dr. Silverman provided me with many techniques I will be able to put to use immediately. I especially liked the tools to empowerment: strength recognition, strength finding, vision, challenging and championing/character connecting.

The other piece that I will take away from tonight's presentation is "I am ... Name it, Claim it and Control it." 

I learned it's OK to go back and admit past mistakes. These will be some of the strategies that I will use to move forward for my daughter and myself.  This talk has allowed me to see "around the corner" and I now feel I have the tools to empower my daughter to set goals and discover her strengths."

GPS takeaway: learn about damage steroids cause Dick Butkus: I Play Clean Initiative Mary Ann Aubrey Glenbard West parent Mary Ann Aubrey and her family attended the Glenbard Parent Series event with Dick Butkus on May 4. She shares the following takeaway:  "What a thrill to hear Dick Butkus Monday night at GPS. I learned that steroid use happens at all levels and that coaches, parents and players need to learn about the damage they cause to the athlete's physical and mental health. I was also reminded that there are consequences to the teen developing brain, with the use of many legal and illegal drugs, and again as parents we need to be educated. Our athletes need to get strong through exercise and not through the use of performance enhancing drugs - play it clean. It was great to hear Dick's stories and enjoy his sense of humor. He talked about the changes in the game of football and his days at the U. of I., rooming with Glenbard West's original Hitter, Bruce Capel, on the Illini's 1964 Rose Bowl winning team. It was a very special event." Glenbard West alumnus Mike Hall with Dick Butkus

Wellness May at GPS brings three special events to conclude this year's programming.

Dick Butkus brings his "I Play Clean" to Glenbard West on May 4 at 7pm.  Working to strengthen the future of sports, the program offers advice to coaches, athletes & parents about training, nutrition, attitude and the health issues involved with taking steroids.  Also appearing is Dick's son Matt who played defensive lineman for the USC Trojan football team and drives wellness initiatives through the Dick Butkus Center for Cardiovascular Wellness; and DuPage Medical Group board-certified orthopaedic surgeon, Dr. Vijay Thangamani , who served as a former team sports physician for the Boston Celtics and the University of Notre Dame. Glenbard West alum Mike Hall, the winner of ESPN’s first season of Dream Job and current Big Ten Network anchor, will serve as moderator.

 On Thursday, May 7, GPS presents day of talks featuring acclaimed clinical psychologist Robyn Silverman, Ph.D.  Dr. Robyn Silverman knows how to inspire greatness in parents and their teens.  After spending years researching the areas of leadership development, wellness, and most recently, grit and fulfillment -- here is a positive approach to parenting filled with strategies to help youth set goals, realize their gifts, and achieve their dreams.

Dr. Silverman is an award-winning featured expert for the national media, regularly seen on The Today Show, ,the CBS Morning Show, and Good Morning America. Dr. Silverman is engaging, motivational, and passionate about helping youth overcome their barriers to achievement and success. She has been the consultant for 18 books on topics such as health, relationships, bullying, and child/teen development. Her book Good Girls Don’t Get Fat: How Weight Obsession Is Messing Up Our Girls & How We Can Help Them Thrive Despite It is based on her commitment to help all girls reach their potential, and expands upon her groundbreaking research on body image as an obstacle to accomplishment and acceptance.

“Helping Girls Thrive : Developing Their Confidence, Goals, and Leadership”12:00-2:00 p.m.Community Consolidated School District #93, Administration Center, 230 Covington Dr. in Bloomingdale.

"Thriving Under Pressure: How to Help Youth Set  Goals, Discover Their Strengths, and the Strategies for Motivation, Leadership and Good Health". Thursday, May 7 at 7 p.m. at Glenbard South 23W200 Butterfield Rd. In Glen Ellyn.    A 6:15 p.m. A Wellness Expo with over 20 vendors will precede the 7 p.m. program.

CPDUs are available for education professionals.

 On Monday, May 11, 2015,  Washington Post award-winning journalist Brigid Schulte presents "Overwhelmed: How to Work, Love and Play When No One Has the Time" 12:00PM -1:30PM   Marquardt Administration Center, 1860 Glen Ellyn Rd, Glendale Heights 60139.   

When Brigid Schulte, a harried mother of two, realized she was living a life of all work and no play, she decided to find out why she felt so overwhelmed.  This lead to a search for answers, and ultimately to her well-researched and bestselling book "Overwhelmed.” In this important GPS discussion we will examine contemporary scientific research on time management and learn why being overwhelmed can physically affect the brain.  What can we learn from the latest human performance and motivation-science to help us to make better use of each day? Enlivened by personal anecdotes, and humor, this program uncovers some of the misguided beliefs that – seemingly -- have made leisure feel like a thing of the past. Join us for this fresh perspective on a balanced life, as we present solutions that will lead to less stress as we discover how to find time for things that matter.

All GPS events are free and open to the public.

GPS is generously sponsored by the Cebrin Goodman Center, Cooperative Association for Special Education (CASE), College of DuPage,DuPage Medical Group, the Emmy Gaffey Foundation, and Trust Company of Illinois, with additional support from Northwestern Medicine Behavioral Health at Central DuPage Hospital, FORWARD and Helping Girls Navigate Adolescence.

For information regarding GPS programs, visit facebook.com/glenbardparentseries or contact Gilda Ross, at 942-7668 or gilda_ross@glenbard.org

Dr. Jason Washburn responds to a question from GPS "Recognizing the High School Blues"

On April 16, 2015 at Glenbard South, Dr. Jason Washburn spoke on “Depression: Recognizing the High School Blues”.  Discussion focused on what parents and schools can do to help prevent teens from developing depression, as well as the treatment options for teens when depression is identified. 

Question via Facebook:

Fabulous seminar! Any ideas on how to help our students cope once diagnosed? Distress tolerance? 4-square breathing? Practical tips?

Dr. Washburn's reply:

Once a student is diagnosed with depression, it is critical to get treatment.  A good licensed psychotherapist (psychologist, clinical social worker, licensed clinical professional counselor) trained in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy or Interpersonal Therapy for Adolescents is a great place to start.  A good psychotherapist will also know when to refer for a medication evaluation.  The therapist will be able to identify skills that can be helpful for students to cope with their symptoms. 

In the classroom, I recommend the following that teachers can do to help out: 

1.       Reinforce skills being learned in therapy, including deep breathing, problem-solving skills, mindfulness, etc… 

2.       Provide breaks when tearful or overly distracted, as long as the breaks are not being taken advantage of

3.       Give encouraging but direct/honest their performance in class, (social and behavioral, as well as academic).

4.       Support executive functioning as best as possible, such as helping the student to set appropriate goals, to organize and plan to accomplish those goals, and to monitor performance

5.       Look for opportunities to keep the student engaged social during the school; don’t make it easy to isolate!

6.       Check in on how he/she is feeling, and monitor suicidal thoughts. 

7.       Community with parents, such as through a home-note system. 


See also: http://www.schoolbehavior.com/Files/tips_mood.pdf

Educators, Student and Parent share takeaways from GPS event by Nick Sousanis


Glenbard staff members attend Glenbard Parent Series programs, too. Here are a couple of their takeaways from the April 21 program Do You Speak Visual: How Visual Literacy is Essential for School Work and Life with Nick Sousanis.

Glenbard South instructional tech specialist Stephanie Wallace said, "Nick Sousanis gave a compelling and thought provoking talk on the history of comics (and/or graphic novels), our perception of them as a society and their possible role in student literacy. Our students consume visual media in huge quantities. As teachers, we need to help them decode and analyze what they see. We also should encourage and guide them to create their own images to visualize understanding, organize thoughts and concepts and tell their own stories. This was a really rich experience!"

South instructional tech specialist Stephanie Wallace (left)
and South art instructor Tatiana Heise 

Glenbard South art instructor Tatiana Heise said, "Dr. Sousanis brought to life the idea that we all desire to speak our truths, to find a way to genuinely express our story and to help encourage and lead others to do the same. I walked away with a much deeper understanding of how we all break up space within our day and how the comic format is a powerful application and hotbed for rich learning opportunities and processing. Text is not isolated from image; image is not isolated from text. They are a conversation that informs its equal and respective parts.  It is within this natural application that we can understand the relationship of our thoughts and experiences in not only a linear and sequential way, as we are trained to do in traditional narrative texts, but also in a way that encourages relational processing - one that gives us opportunities and the responsibility to make connections - to fill in gaps, and to view information that came before, after, peripherally, as well in the moment of time we are currently experiencing."

St. Pet's 8th grade student, John Kenny, comments "I've learned that even though comic books and graphic novels are normally stereotyped against, they can be just as valuable as text-only books."

 

His mother, Polly Kenny said "I appreciated that Dr. Sousanis showed us powerful "cartoons" that we have valued throughout history (such as political cartoons).  And he explained how cartoons and graphic novels as a medium (in addition to all-text books) can expand our ways of sensing and "knowing" a topic.  Younger students and adults alike can benefit from this mix of visuals and text, how they interplay with one another, and how cartoons can cross time periods and bring together topics on one single page in a way that text media alone cannot.  I can see his work helping people understand how cartoons and graphic novels can add value both in the learning process and as a way for students to process and  express the things they are learning and trying to master!" 

Two Great Programs Next Week

by Dr. Edward Hallowell

Best selling New York Times author and world-renowned ADHD expert

April Glenbard Parent Series Events Cover Hot Teen Topics

Before you head off on Spring Break, mark these THREE April GPS events on your calendar:

“Where You Go Is Not Who You’ll Be:

An Antidote to the College Admissions Mania "

 Frank Bruni

Wednesday, April 8, 7:00 p.m. 

Glenbard West High School

“Parents, Teens, Parties and the Law- Surprising Trends in the Teen Party Scene” 

Hon. Judge C. Stride, Det. Bruce Talbot (Ret.) 

and Milton Creagh

Thursday, April 14 7:00 p.m.

Glenbard East Auditorium

“Depression: Recognizing the 

High School Blues”

Dr. Jason Washburn

Thursday, April 16, 12:00 p.m. to 2 p.m.

Glenbard South Auditorium

More information at: Glenbard Parent Series Web Page