The national organization, ParentCamp is returning to Northern Kentucky. The event will be held on Saturday, January 27 at Beechwood Independent Schools (50 Beechwood Road, Ft. Mitchell) from 9 to 11:30 a.m. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m.
The first ParentCampNKY was held in June of 2017 at Boone County High School and was so well received, the attendees requested the event return to Northern Kentucky.
Boone County Schools Supt. Randy Poe facilitates a session on Growth Mindset at first camp.
ParentCamps are opportunities for parents, guardians, mentors, grandparents, educators or anyone involved in a child’s life to come together to ask questions, find resources and build a support system. ParentCamps are for both private and public school families. They are a time for communities to come together and have face-to-face discussions about topics affecting their families.
Attendees will begin the day by gathering in the cafeteria for a short kick-off session. There will be multiple sessions offered during three time frames and attendees are free to move from session to session. Everyone will gather back in the cafeteria for a short “share out” where attendees will share their “ah ha” moments.
Everyone will be given a pack of sticky notes to make notes during their sessions and are invited to stick them to the session “wall” to share what they learned with others. Photos will be taken of the “wall” and shared on social media so that others who could not attend the event can learn about what was shared during the sessions.
Share ideas
Topics at the past ParentCampNKY included:
identifying signs of depression and suicide,
growing up in a digital world,
preparing to enter Kindergarten, Middle School, High School or College,
talking to your kids about drugs,
understanding the process of how or when your child is identified as dyslexic
growth mindset,
understanding education lingo,
finding resources in your community.
The topics are determined by the attendees when they register, so each ParentCamp event is different.
The first ParentCamp was held in 2013 at Knapp Elementary School in Lansdale, Pennsylvania. ParentCamps have been held in many states since then along with a number of them being held at the US Department of Education in DC.
Chad Caddell, principal of Union Point Academy kicks off first ParentCamp NKY.
“It was great to meet and get to know other parents who are going through the same thing” Paula McPeake, attendee from the first ParentCampNKY. “We just sat around in circles and discussed what we were interested in, no one person monopolized the conversation and the facilitators in each session where very knowledgeable and kept the conversations flowing.”
The effort is designed to unite schools, families, and other members of a community. ParentCamp events, usually half a day, include a series of discussions that include the experiences and perspectives of everyone in the room using the un-conference style. Sessions are discussions rather than prepared presentations.
“We are so thankful to Beechwood Superintendent Dr. Mike Stacy and the whole Beechwood community for opening their doors to hosting the second ParentCampNKY.
They have been great to work with,” said Julia Pile, ParentCamp Board member.
“We must also thank Boone County Schools Superintendent Dr. Randy Poe, Northern Kentucky Education Council, Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence, Northern Kentucky Cooperative for Educational Services, Children’s Inc, Rob’s Kids, SEAS the Day Foundation and Dan Bisig of College and Beyond for their ongoing support of the ParentCamp initiatives in Northern Kentucky.”
Registrations for ParentCampNKY can be made by visiting the website.
ParentCamps are always free. If childcare is needed for you to attend, please RSVP by January 15 so that proper staffing will be on hand.
Questions may be sent to Julie Pile via email at julie@parentcamp.org
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