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Empowering Families (cont.) Parents Helping Parents Problem Solve (Parent Consultation Group) The Parent Consultation Group helps parents discover parenting solutions and strategies that enhance their teen’s self-discipline, responsibility, cooperation and problem-solving skills. Problem-solving is a way of identifying solutions when working through issues. The facilitator will help the parent toward looking more at solutions than at the problem by understanding the four goals of misbehavior. Once the misbehavior is understood, the parents help each other figure out strategies for working toward a solution. This process provides a fun and effective way for parents to get specific help with real problems. Parents will learn what wonderful consultants they can be to each other. During the parents helping parents problem-solving steps a volunteer presents a real problem. The group then suggests the child’s possible motivation (or ‘Mistaken Goal’) and brainstorms suggested approaches. The volunteer then chooses the approach that fits him or her, and practices it through the week. Parents report back and make adjustments, as needed, for another week, up to four weeks. LEARNING OBJECTIVES: • Learn why teens misbehave and how to respectfully encourage change in ways that eliminate most behavior prob- lems. • Learn from the participant’s own experience and solve real life problems. • Learn (and practice) how to effectively “get into your teen’s world.” • Build tools and resources to parent effectively for today’s world.
Student Council With the craziness of Homecoming week in the past, MVHS Student Council has had a quieter month of October. On October 14, seventeen student council members attended the Capital Division Fall Convention, hosted by East Ridge High School in Woodbury. This day featured a guest speaker, breakout sessions with council members from surrounding capital division schools, and even a dance to end the day. The student council members who attended came away inspired with some ideas for how to make StudCo at Mounds View even more successful. October for Student Council also means that preparations for the Halloween Dance are in full swing. We’re looking forward to seeing the creative and silly costumes that students don for the dance. All proceeds will benefit the Ralph Reeder Food Shelf, located right here in the Mounds View School District. The Ralph Reeder Food Shelf seeks to provide food assistance to individuals and families in our community, and MVHS has a long history of partnering with this organization, specifically through our annual fall Food Drive. This year’s Food Drive will be held the week of November 7-11. Both non-perishable items and cash donations will be accepted throughout the week, and prize raffles will be held to encourage student participation in this event. Student Council is looking forward to sponsoring this event and hopes that students and families will participate in partnering with Ralph Reeder through their donations! Please watch the e-news for more information about how to donate.