Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) Student Services Community Day will be 3 to 6 p.m., Thursday, May 16, at St. Charles High School. Parents and caregivers are invited to attend free behavioral health workshops hosted by representatives of CCPS, the Center for Children, Center for Abused Persons, the Maryland School Mental Health Response Program and PFLAG SoMD.
The workshops are designed to help parents and others understand and recognize mental and behavior health issues that could affect children and young people. Among the topics covered at the workshops will be recognizing self-harm behaviors, learning the signs of dating violence, understanding indications of raising a bully and promoting resilience, creating safe spaces for LGBTQ+ youth and teaching emotional regulation and coping skills.
Workshops will be held during the event from 4 to 4:45 p.m., and 5 to 5:45 p.m. St. Charles is at 5305 Piney Church Road in Waldorf.
Parenting SOS Workshop — 4-4:45 p.m. — Center for Children Empowering parents and caregivers by providing valuable insights, tools and resources to support their children’s mental, emotional and behavioral wellbeing. This workshop equips participants with practical knowledge and skills to create a nurturing environment that promotes their children's mental health and resilience.
Topics include:
Recognizing underlying reasons for behaviors and managing them effectively.
Signs of ADHD.
Understanding trauma and its effects on brain development.
Promoting resilience.
Identifying and intervening in self-harm behaviors and suicide warning signs.
Teaching emotional regulation and coping skills.
Emphasizing self-care for both children and adults.
Exploring budget-friendly family activities.
Being Proactive with Securing and Maintaining Healthy Relationships — 4-4:45 p.m. — Center for Abused Persons — Parents and caregivers can gain valuable insight and practical tips to foster dating violence prevention as your teen navigates healthy dating and relationships.
The Bullying Decoded Workshop — 5-5:45 p.m. — Charles County Public Schools — Parents and caregivers can explore the mind and motives of a bully to prevent these behaviors in their children. The workshop will also help parents and caregivers learn ways to “bully-proof” their children to keep them safe.
Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports at Home Workshop — 5-5:45 p.m. — Maryland School Mental Health Response Program — Learn the philosophy of positive behavioral intervention and supports and how to implement the strategies at home with pre-adolescents and adolescents. Learn about brain development, basic behavioral functions, de-escalation, redirection and prevention within a behavioral health framework applied to the family setting.
What the +? Understanding and Supporting LGBTQ+ Identities — 5-5:45 p.m. — PFLAG SoMD — During this workshop, participants will learn important LGBTQ+ terms, understand what it means to be an ally, how to create a safe space for people who identify as members of the LGBTQ+ community and learn more about resources to seek help.
About CCPS
Charles County Public Schools provides 27,765 students in grades prekindergarten through 12 with an academically challenging education. Located in Southern Maryland, Charles County Public Schools has 38 schools that offer a technologically advanced, progressive and high quality education that builds character, equips for leadership and prepares students for life, careers and higher education.
The Charles County public school system does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age or disability in its programs, activities or employment practices. For inquiries, please contact Kathy Kiessling, Title IX/ADA/Section 504 Coordinator (students) or Nikial M. Majors, Title IX/ADA/Section 504 Coordinator (employees/ adults), at Charles County Public Schools, Jesse L. Starkey Administration Building, P.O. Box 2770, La Plata, MD 20646; 301-932-6610/301-870-3814. For special accommodations call 301-934-7230 or TDD 1-800-735-2258 two weeks prior to the event.
CCPS provides nondiscriminatory equal access to school facilities in accordance with its Use of Facilities rules to designated youth groups (including, but not limited to, the Boy Scouts).