Parents and caregivers from the Wantagh community gathered at Mandalay Elementary School for Parent University, an engaging event designed to provide valuable parenting strategies for those with students in PreK thru 8^th grade. Attendees explored a series of 45-minute informative sessions covering essential topics such as executive function skills, anxiety, healthy afterschool routines, and managing difficult conversations to name a few. Each session aimed to equip families with practical tools to navigate the challenges of parenting with confidence.

Attendees left with clearer parenting goals and recognizing various social media icons and the hidden dangers each may present. During the “Raising Resilient Kids – Strategies & Tools to Help Resiliency in our Children” facilitated by Michelle L. Grabovsky, she shared that a parent’s goal is to make themselves “unnecessary” in their kids' lives as they grow older by preparing them for adulthood. “As parents, are we showing them how to problem solve effectively?” says Grabovsky. “Are we helping them think through problems?”

During the “Encouraging a Growth Mindset” workshop, Dr. Sharon Grand shared that kids fail all the time using the turning a cardboard box into a submarine example. It’s important to look at how children approach the task rather than the result. “It’s important to praise effort and not just the success.”

Additional workshops included "Executive Functions: Why They Matter and How to Strengthen Them in Your Child" (Dr. Caryl Oris), "After-School Champions: Empowering Kids with Positive Routines!" (Nicole Caprio & Elise Curcio), "Managing Anxiety in Adolescence" (Jennifer Sedler), and "Having Difficult Conversations with Your Children" (Amy Callahan).

If you have topics of interest to suggest next year, please contact Donna Shulman at shulmand@wantaghschools.org.