This series of Parent Talks is a coordinated effort between the Hollis Parent Teacher Association and the Hollis School District. We are excited to offer these presentations to community and look forward to you contacting us with your feedback.

April: Abuse Prevention, Questions You Must Ask about Any Activity or Event

Thursday April 20th 6:15-7:15pm at Hollis Brookline Middle School

Megan Oliveira from the Granite State Children's Alliance will be coming next Thursday the 20th to speak with our parents about prevention of child sexual abuse and abuse overall. http://www.cac-nh.org/about/granite-state-childrens-alliance/

March: Talking about Loss & Tragedy

Thursday March 23rd 6:15-7:15pm at Hollis Brookline Middle School

January: Developing Resilience and Persistence in Your Children

January 26th 6:15pm @ Hollis Brookline Middle School - Let's Discuss Grit!

"A passionate commitment to a single mission and an unswerving dedication to achieve that mission". - Angela Duckworth

We will be looking at parenting and teaching strategies that can effectively change the way children view their own abilities using a "growth mindset"....to enhance persistence, self-control and student success.

Presentation will be given by the Hollis Primary School Staff:

• Amy St. Hilaire, M.Ed., C.A.G.S Certified School Psychologist
• MaryLee Walsh, M.Ed., School Counselor
• Ellen Lenseck, BSN, RN, NCSN, School Nurse

This event will be held at Hollis/Brookline Middle School, on Thursday, January 19, 2017, from 6:15-7:15 pm. Childcare, for four and over, and pizza will be available for those who register in advance. If using this option, please consider a donation of $2 per child. If you missed the presentation it is visible here.

While this time of year may lead us to think about gratitude and seek to practice some specific acts, infusing everyday life with an awareness of one’s strengths, assets, and opportunities has been proven to increase over-all happiness and reduce stress and anxiety.

Charity Bell is the Director of Training for Massachusetts Department of Mental Health. She will help us understand the role of gratitude in building resilience and self-esteem. She will then provide resources and suggestions for building gratitude practice into everyday life in ways that are simple but powerful.

In this session we will learn more about the research and leave with specific steps to begin practicing gratitude and see how your family and your community will benefit.

“Gratitude improves psychological health. Gratitude reduces a multitude of toxic emotions, from envy and resentment to frustration and regret." - Robert Emmons, a leading gratitude researcher. His research confirms that gratitude effectively increases happiness and reduces depression. - from 7 Scientifically Proven Benefits of Gratitude, Psychology Today.

Charity Bell has been recognized as an “Everyday Hero” by Brian Williams of NBC and featured in Good Housekeeping Magazine for her work with more than 150 foster children in Massachusetts. Charity grew up in an intensely chaotic environment, involving parental addiction and mental illness. With the support of incredible mentors, she attended New England Conservatory of Music majoring in Classical voice.

After her mothers’ early death, Charity applied to the Peace Corps, and spent 18 months in a remote West African village as the only English speaker within 15 miles. She ended up working with women and infants and delivered more than 60 babies as a lay midwife. She returned and spent time as the Founding Director of an arts/youth development foundation, as Director of Training for a large child welfare organization, and she also began her life as a foster parent. She has worked mainly with drug addicted newborns, going so far as to take them with her as she pursued a graduate degree at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. Alone and now with her family, she has cared for more than 150 infants and children. She is now the Director of Learning and Development at the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health, NE.

She has spent the past 10 years researching and implementing mindfulness and positivity in environments ranging from after-school programs to schools to government agencies. Her commitment to gratitude and compassion has inspired those who hear her to take action, dramatically improving outcomes and lives. She is an engaging and inspiring speaker, bringing joy and laughter to the important messages that audience members have called "transforming" and "utterly on-point".

She can be reached at cbell.lewitt@gmail.com or Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/relentlesspositivity/.

Upcoming Events:

January:

1/26/2017 Grit, Developing Kids with Resilience and Persistence

February:

2/23/2017 Anxious Kids, Anxious Parents: Seven Steps to Stop the Worry Cycle

March:

3/23/2017 Talking about Loss and Tragedy

April:

4/20/2017 Abuse Prevention, Questions you must ask any activity or event.