Parent Weekly Update 02/10/17

Hi parents,

I guess it's time for truth in advertising. I am producing this weekly update on Tuesday, Feb 14th, at 3 PM. So, even though it says that it's from the previous Friday, I just forgot. My apologies.

Groups for This Week

This week we have the following groups:

• 6 to 8-year-old group meets on Tuesday, February 14, from 40 6 PM
• 11-13 year-old group meets February 15 from 4:15 to 6:45 PM
• Teen year-old group meets February 16 from 4:15 to 6:45 PM

For 11-13 and 13-17 March meetings only, please read:  

I am away at two conferences in early and mid March for a couple of days. As a result, we have moved the March meetings to fall on the 2nd and 4th weeks of the month. Since there are 5 Wednesdays and 5 Thursdays in March, this shouldn't be a problem. You can see the current information on the LUNCH Groups calendar. The scheduled dates for our March community outings appear below.

Raffles

We are doing raffles this week. Sometimes, parents will comment that their child made a rash decision or felt rushed. Please be aware that we do give them plenty of time to choose their prizes. My advice to you is that, if your child complains that they didn't like what they got, let them know that there will be other opportunities. The purpose of this activity is to help them practice making effective decisions. Also, we focus on them not making too big a deal out of something ("letting go," emotional control) when they make decisions that, in retrospect, they're not happy about. Finally, we focus on "good sportsmanship." Of course it's disappointing when you don't win, but that's how things work at times. We encourage group members to congratulate others or, at least, to keep their negative thoughts private when someone else wins.

I would advise against lengthy discussions at home about this, mainly because that turns the topic/subject into the "bigger deal" we were trying to avoid in the first place. I would suggest that, if your child expresses unhappiness about the raffle that you both thank them for telling you and let them know they are welcome to bring it up in group at the next meeting. If you feel this advice is ill-conceived or have different views, please feel free to share them with me.

LUNCH Points

Some of you are using LUNCH Points regularly. If you haven't given your child a LUNCH Point recently, please consider doing so. It takes just a couple of minutes and is part of our program. Keep in mind, it has nothing to do with rewards and everything to do with your child's emotions and social behavior. There is one password being used by all parents, just email me if you forgot it.

Parent Meeting Attendance

Parents seem to be falling into two groups regarding the parent meetings. Those who come regularly and those who have not attended. The parents who do attend continue to consistently report they find the information discussed and shared to be valuable. Especially for those of you who reported your child is not showing progress in many areas, coming to the meetings would provide you with an opportunity to discuss strategies, view videos, and solidify your use of techniques to use at home or in the community. We have 3 months of parent meetings left. If you haven't made use of them yet, please consider attending. We have finished our parent meetings for February. I will be announcing March meetings in next week's parent update.

Upcoming Community Events

March and April are laser tag months. Here are the details

• 11-13 Group will be attending Laser Tag on Wednesday at 4:15pm, March 22
• 13-17 Group will be attending Laser Tag on Thursday at 4:15pm, March 23
• 6-8 Group will be attending Laser Tag on Tuesday at 4pm, April 11
• 8-11 Group will be attending Laser Tag on Tuesday at 4pm, April 18

We will send you maps, directions, as well as provide telephone reminders for the weeks your children are going. Please remember: drop-offs and pickups occur at the UltraZone on that day.

Other News

• Additional Community Outings  - We also are planning to go bowling the first sessions in May. More information about that will occur around the time we go to Laser Tag.
• Parent Meetings for February - We are done with parent meetings for February, however you are welcome to contact me by email if there is anything that you would like to discuss.
• Upcoming Summer Program - Information was posted back in the 01/20/17 Weekly Update. Click here if you missed it and wish to learn more.