WCK February Newsletter 2023

A free series of virtual events in March aims to help address concerns common to parents and guardians. The six-week series will continue every Wednesday from March 1st through April 5th with each one-hour session beginning at 6:30 pm (PST).

This year’s topics include:

• What Parents Need to Know about Anxiety and Depression in School-aged Children
• How to Help your Child Improve their Social Skills and Relationships
• Being a Trauma Informed Parent
• Safe and Healthy Screen Time in the Digital Age
• How to Support your Child’s Pathway/Journey through Gender Identity
• What to do if your Child is Experiencing Bullying

For parents and guardians of children in K-12, this series provides useful information, tips, and tools. Each session features an informative presentation by our speakers and time for participants to ask questions. All sessions will be on Zoom and have closed captioning translations, including Spanish. Please visit our event page for complete information including speaker biographies and free registration links.

REGISTER HERE!

Washington County Kids hosted its second annual “Afterschool is Cool!” poster contest open to all students in Kindergarten through 12th Grade who participate in an afterschool program in Washington County.  The purpose of the contest was to invite kids participating in Washington County after school programs to creatively share what they like best about their afterschool program. The contest received submissions from Tualatin Hills Park and Recreation Department (THPRD) THRIVE Cedar Hills and Conestoga programs, the Student Stop, Evergreen Middle School Bike Club, and the Forest Grove 21st Century program at Tom McCall Upper Elementary.

The winners of the Washington County Kids’ “Afterschool is Cool” poster contest are:

Middle/HS category:

1st place:  Harrison Bowden – Evergreen Bike Club- 8th Grade, Evergreen Middle School

Elementary school category:

1st place: Sage Kumabara – THPRD THRIVE- Conestoga –3rd grade, Hiteon Elementary.

2nd place: Evencio Ortiz – THPRD THRIVE- Cedar Hills – 4th grade, Barnes Elementary.

3rd place: Roselyn Dennis – THPRD THRIVE- Cedar Hills  – 3rd Grade, West Tualatin View Elementary.

Honorable Mention: Renzo Rust – Forest Grove 21st Century- 5th grade, Tom McCall Upper Elementary

Photos from the Showcase event are posted on the WCK website together with photos of posters. The posters from the 1st place winners of the Middle/HS category and the Elementary school category will soon appear on TriMet buses and bus benches in Washington County.  Watch for them!

We hope you have been enjoying the series of quotations by Black leaders that we have been posting on our social media platforms in honor of Black History Month.  In addition, we wanted to highlight another resource related to the Pulitzer Prize winning 1619 Project in a new docuseries streaming on Hulu.  A study guide is available from The 1619 Project.

Watch for our Women’s History Month quotations that will be posted in March.  Thanks to our volunteers – Maureen Barnhart, Erin Jeffries, and Adam Sievers who are coordinating our quotation series.

Naturally, we want all kids in afterschool and summer programs to feel welcome.  Here are some tips from the Harvard Graduate School of Education article on how to make schools welcoming for immigrants but they also apply to all kids in out-of-school-time (OST) programs as well:

• Be sensitive about the “extra baggage” that kids may be carrying – Many kids experience trauma, or their family members may have experienced trauma including concerns about finances.

• Know that a good program can make a difference – A quality program with caring staff can really help a kid go through tough times.

• Pay attention to the program climate – Having a positive atmosphere with quick intervention on negative experiences can create a forward – looking experience for kids.

• Take a good look at how people are viewing the experience – Get feedback from parents and kids.

• Don’t ignore bullying – Quick intervention lets kids know that these behaviors will not be tolerated.  Check out restorative justice methods.

• Build strong personal relationships – Nurturing relationships can provide the emotional support that helps kids feel valued and helps them engage positively with others.

• Encourage family engagement – Keep family members aware of what is happening and encourage their participation to help them feel that they belong and are part of the program.

• Include all students in planning – Having kids engage in planning for activities gives them ownership and identification with the program and lets them know all cultures are welcome.

For further references, check out the full article.