Chesterfield County Public Schools Better Together Family and Community Engagement, Cat Tompkins

SAMHSA’s “Talk. They Hear You.” campaign is geared to help  parents and caregivers prepare for some of the most important conversations they may ever have with their children. A newly updated app for the cell phone takes parents through scenarios of everyday situations and turns them into opportunities to talk with their children about alcohol and other drugs. Working through the app equips parents and caregivers with the necessary skills, confidence, and knowledge to start and continue conversations about drug and alcohol use as their kids get older. In this podcast,  Melissa Ackley and Eric Faw of Chesterfield County Prevention Services share the conversation goals of the Talk They Hear You application and simple small ways to effectively  talk to your child about underage alcohol use.

It is estimated that people change careers an average of 5-7 times throughout their working life.  The 21st century world is full of career possibilities. Technological advancements will likely increase the 5-7 career  average for our students and many occupations they will seek, do not yet exist. 
How do we prepare our students for the future workforce? How does a student seek out the most interesting career path that will meet his/her needs? One answer may be considering the Career and Technical Education, or CTE.
CTE facts: 
95% of CTE students graduate high schoolCTE has incredible career demandCTE students achieve better grades...they are more satisfied and engaged in course work and they have direction in lifeThis Engage Chesterfield podcast explores the “W's” of CTE...What is it? Who benefits from it? Where is it available? What is the application process and when can students apply?  Can Career and Technical education support your child's dreams? We all want our children to be prepared for their future, to grow and be self sufficient productive members of the community doing something they love. Is the CTE right for your child? 
Special thanks to guests:
Chad Maclin, Career and Technical Education Director
Georgia Kasper, Career and Technical Education, Implementation Coordinator
Sarah Jurewicz, Baking & Pastry Arts Instructor
Paul Lathrop, Mechatronics and Robotics Instructor

Helpful links:
CCPS Tech Center Website
Association for Career and Technical Education

How do you want your child to be online? What will his/her digital footprint look like? How should children behave in digital platforms? Often times, we focus on the things that we do not want our kids to do online. For a change, let's ponder what we want them to do online. Let's think about all the positive ways our children and students can interact with technology and use the tools for good. The International Society for Technology Education or ISTE has come up with 5 key competencies that 21st century learners should all possess. Listeners will gain insight to each competency via conversations with CCPS experts Doug Fordham, Kelsey Pacer, Laurie Surles, Teresa Woodroof, and Suzanne Heath.  This podcast will give the listener food for thought in  helping shape their personal tech use and that of their children.

What kind of mindset do you have a fixed mindset or a growth mindset? A person with a “fixed mindset” assumes that our character, intelligence, and creative ability are static givens which we can’t change in any significant way, and if we experience success it is because we are a "natural" at certain tasks. On the other hand, a person with a “growth mindset,” is up for a challenge and sees failure as evidence opportunity for growth. We can manifest a fixed or growth mindset from a very early age, and it affects us in both personal ways and ultimately professional ways. It can even make a difference in our overall happiness. 

In this episode of the Engage Chesterfield podcast, you will learn the characteristics of a Growth mindset, the difference between growth and fixed mindset, learn how mindset affects learning, and discover ways that you can help foster growth mindset with your children or students. In addition, our three expert CCPS teachers, Shelby Bartilotti, Paula Spencer, and Erin Guthe share the positive impacts of using growth mindset strategies in the classroom.

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Do you have a little guy or gal heading off to "big school" this year?  If so, this episode of the Engage Chesterfield Podcast is for you!  We will share a few things parents can do over the summer to prep for this monumental first day and year of elementary school.
Jana Kline, principal of Alberta Smith ES, shares important self-help skills that kindergartners need and bus riding tips. Kristen Hepburn, CCPS Literacy Specialist talks about everyday tasks and teachable moments that parents can sneak in throughout the day to make learning fun and get their wee one started off on the right foot academically. Leslie Lenhart, Gordon Elementary Kindergarten teacher, informs parents on first-week expectations. 
Parents and teachers alike want to children to get on the bus and walk into school that first day feeling comfortable, confident, and excited to learn. Listen and find out how you can support the Class of 2032!