Those who came to our recent Parent Partnership meeting heard from US Counselor Miki Darby and US Student Resource Coordinator Maego Powers about their roles in the Upper School before going into breakout sessions to discuss prompts based on issues facing students today. Great ideas for future parent meetings came out of that session and we look forward to exploring various topics including screen time, social media, and navigating relationships. This meeting was just one way to engage in the ongoing conversation about supporting all students as they navigate adolescence.
As a parent of a teenager, you know that adolescence can often come with powerful emotions and complex challenges. Between academic, emotional, and social stressors, and concerns about the future, it’s natural for teens and their parents (and their teachers!) to feel overwhelmed.
You may have heard about Dr. Lisa Damour’s recent book, The Emotional Lives of Teenagers. I have started reading it and have been listening to podcasts and interviews with Dr. Damour since I picked it up. In this book, Dr. Damour helps parents to identify patterns of emotional development and when to be concerned, and to help their children understand that mental health is not feeling good all of the time, but it’s having emotions that align with the situation. She also provides techniques for helping teens manage emotions, approaches for handling issues that typically arise in adolescence, and strategies for maintaining relationships with teenagers. I hope if you decide to pick this one up you enjoy it as much as I have thus far.
A MESSAGE FROM CAREERS EXPLORERS CLUB LEADERS GRANT ‘24 AND EDWARD ‘24
We are writing to inform you about our club called Career Explorers which is designed to give students the opportunity to learn about various parents' professions. Every two months or so we have a Zoom meeting which includes 1-3 OES parent speakers detailing their job and how they ended up there. This gives students the opportunity to explore various professions that might interest them as well as an understanding of what their path ahead might look like. If you are interested in being a parent speaker at a future meeting, we invite you to fill out this Interest Form.
Important Updates:
Upper School Semi has been rescheduled for April 15! Please note: There will not be a parent social for the rescheduled semi.
March 11: Blue Jean Ball at the Redd
March 16: 9th grade Parent College Night, 6:30-7:30 PM. This is a virtual event for parents of 9th graders to offer information and perspective on the OES college counseling process. A Zoom link will be emailed out to all freshman parents.
March 16-23: Winterim
March 24: Spring Break
April 3: Professional Growth & Development Day - NO CLASSES
April 14: Teacher Work Day - NO CLASSES
May 25 & 26: A two-day experiential education opportunity for our 10th graders, this special programming is the first step in our thorough preparation for the backpack experience that serves as the fall opening class trip for our 11th graders. The programming will take place between 8:25-3:10 each day. Students will be on campus on Thursday and off campus on local hiking trails on Friday. A letter went out on Wednesday with more details.
Questions? Contact Brooke DeLeon or Stephen Pyle in the Upper School Office.