In partnership with the Hopewell Valley Regional School District and the Hopewell Valley Municipal Alliance, the Digital Wellness Initiative seeks to provide our community with resources and support for parenting in the digital age in order to raise kids whose use of technology is healthy, intentional, and safe.
We are pleased to announce that we have recently partnered with Common Sense Connected Schools to provide additional resources to our parent and school community.
CURRENT EVENTS
Connected Schools Live Parent Webinar Taming Your Family's Tech Use This Summer Connected Schools has organized a bonus 5th webinar for parents and caregivers as we head into the summer months. Here are the details: Tuesday, May 21, 2024 at 12noon ET Description: School schedules may be on pause, but the stress of monitoring your children's media consumption never goes on vacation. Why not reframe the summer months as a time to reset tech habits that may have gotten out of control during the flurry of school days? Join us for a live Connected Schools webinar with Dr. Jacqueline Nesi and Dr. Emily Weinstein and learn strategies to destress your tech parenting, moderated by Common Sense’s Merve Lapus. This conversation will be 45 minutes, will be recorded, and is appropriate for parents and caregivers with kids of all ages. Here is the registration link to attend the webinar.
Tech Talks at Tollgate: Spring Parent Series began Wednesday. February 28!
The Digital Wellness Initiative invites all HVRSD Elementary Parents to come join us for Tech Talks at Toll Gate: Spring Parent Series. The series is hosted by Toll Gate, but open to all district parents. Come discuss healthy use of technology, and get tips from the Digital Wellness Initiative, Middle School Administrators, Students and Parents!
Session I: Wednesday, February 28, 2024 at 6:30pm at Toll Gate Grammar Parenting and Technology: What do I need to Know? Presented by Dr. Suze Palinski, MD. Here's the link to the recording and resource provided. Session 2: Tuesday, March 26, 2024 at 6:30pm at Toll Gate Grammar Getting Ready to Give a Device? Come and learn about device options and imperative conversations to have with your children before middle school. Presented by Principal Melissa Lauri. Here's the link to join remotely. Session 3: POSTPONED Wednesday, April 17, 2024 Popular Apps and Peer Pressure presented by Central High School student panel Session 4: Tuesday, May 7, 2024 at 6:30pm at Toll Gate Grammar Habits and Rules to Set for Young Children and their Devices and Device Management Tips. Registration link to follow shortly.
Mark your calendar for the upcoming sessions. These talks are open to all district parents. We hope to see you! Tech Talks at Toll Gate Flyer
"The Hows and Whys of the Impact of Technology on our Children’s Healthy Development" presented by Laura Berness, PhD April 10 at 7pm How do I know if my child’s development is being affected by technology? Why do some kids seem to get more easily addicted to technology than others? How is technology affecting our family? Why don’t kids understand the responsibilities and consequences that come with technology? How can I nurture all of my child’s development in the age of technology? In the rapidly evolving world of technology, these are just some of the many questions that today’s parents are facing. The purpose of this workshop is to provide parents with facts around the connection between technology and our children’s development. We will explore answers to these questions in the context of childhood development, with consideration of our children’s cognitive, emotional, social, and physical needs. We will put ourselves in our children’s brains to better understand how technology affects them in different ways and how we need to protect our children’s development through informed, thoughtful parenting. There will be time for active discussion to address parents’ questions and concerns. Audience: While all are welcome to attend, the target audience is for parents of children in elementary and middle school _______________ Connected Schools Parent Webinar Recording Toxic Online Culture: Unpacking the Influence of Social Media, Memes, Gaming (and more) If you missed the webinar, or want to rewatch or share it,here's the link to the recording. The online world in which our kids are immersed is a mixed bag. It's full of connections to friends and avenues for learning, as well as wonderful reminders of the beauty of the world. But there are also toxic elements that pop up in gaming chat rooms, through viral jokes and memes, and across social media. The ubiquity of these elements, and the fact that they occur in private spaces, means that they’re often undetectable by parents. We’ll delve into the troublesome side of being online, including racial slurs, body image issues, and misogyny that can affect all kids. Our panelists will help parents understand why these influences have power over kids, and offer strategies for opening up conversations that will help kids manage the feelings and pressures they face. This webinar, which will be recorded, is designed for parents and caregivers of tweens and teens, but all are welcome. Questions for the panelists can be submitted live or in advance. Promotional flyer can be seen here. Panel Participants and Moderator: Dr. Lisa Damour, psychologist, bestselling author, New York Times and CBS News Contributor Christopher Pepper, award winning health educator Merve Lapus (moderator), Vice President, Common Sense Educator _______________
Global Day of Unplugging is March 1-2, 2024 Up your game with your tech habits! Whether it is 1 hour or 24 hours, at some point during the first weekend of March, join the thousands of people in multiple countries who will step away from their screens and intentionally shift into an offline activity, an in-person interaction, a real-life gathering or simply a meaningful conversation about their relationship with technology. What to do on Global Day of Unplugging? Attend the HVCHS Musical Production, “How to Succeed in Business Without Even Trying” on March 1 and 2 If you have a middle schooler, attend Timberlane Middle School’s Family Game Night on March 1 Many other ideas can be found here.Take this day to carve out precious time to unplug, relax, reflect, be active, visit the outdoors, and connect with loved ones. For more information visit Global Day of Unplugging. _______________
Connected Schools Parent Webinar Recording The Download on Device Adoption: The Skills Your Children Need Before Getting a Smartphone The hour featured a lively discussion with Common Sense's Head of Research Amanda Lenhart, Common Sense's Director of Family Engagement & Partnerships Jasmine Hood Miller, and Devorah Heitner, PhD, author of Growing Up in Public: Coming of Age in a Digital World. If you missed the webinar, or want to rewatch or share it, here's the linkto the recording. The conversation combined personal experience (each of the panelists is a parent!) with practical expert advice about the many considerations that go into decisions about devices in the home. Kids go online through gaming platforms and iPads long before they have cellphones, so our discussion focused on engaging them in ongoing conversations about the best ways to communicate online—a process that works best if it's started long before kids are handed their own fully connected device. _______________
Parent University "Screens, Social Media and Mental Health" April 20, 2023 at 6:00 pm Parent University presented by Ms. Samantha Awadallah, MS, LPC, Rutgers School Based Clinician for HVRSD View the recording here. _______________
Digital Pause 3-Day Challenge A community challenge! Take a break from the digital world! What would a day without phones look like? Research shows that digital devices impact our mental health. Click Digital Pause 3-Day Challenge to learn more. _______________
Digital Wellness Parent Talk: May 10, 2023 at 6 pm at Toll Gate Elementary Media Center Research shows that digital devices impact our mental health - join us for a conversation with local parent Suze Palinski, a member of HVRSD's Digital Wellness Initiative, and special guest Dr. Kate Doyle. May is Mental Health Awareness Month: we'll discuss opportunities and challenges facing families when it comes to smartphones and digital wellness. _______________ Digital Wellness Parent Talk: May 11, 2023 at 6pm at Hopewell Elementary Media Center Hopewell Elementary PTO and the Digital Wellness Initiative invite you to join former HES parent and pediatrician Suze Palinski to discuss technology's effects on things like sleep, mental health, and social skill development. Are screen time or technology use leading to frustration in your family? Come hear what resources are available, what's worked for other families, what Timberlane Middle School faculty and administrators are concerned about, and what steps you can take to raise kids whose use of technology (gaming, devices, social media and the internet) is healthy, intentional and safe. _______________
LIKE documentary and panel discussion March 22, 2023 at 6:30 pm Join the community for a free screening of LIKE, a film about the effects of social media on our lives. This film explores the effects of technology and social media on the brain, our lives, and our civilization, and how to navigate them more safely together. A panel discussion will follow. LIKE begins at 6:30 PM at Hopewell Valley Central High School Performing Arts Center. To learn more about the film, visit TheLIKEmovie.com. This film is appropriate for ages 11 and up, if you would like for your child to accompany you to the showing. LIKE documentary TIP SHEETS can be found here. The post-documentary panel discussion can be viewed here. Discussion begins shortly after opening remarks _______________ Max Stossel presents "Social Media and Your Kids" March 30, 2023 at 6:30 pm An award winning poet, filmmaker and speaker, Max Stossel was named by Forbes as one of the best storytellers of the year. He will present “Social Media and Your Kids” in the Performing Arts Center at Hopewell Valley Central High School. Mr. Stossel, Chief Executive Officer of Social Awakening will also be speaking to students at Timberlane Middle School during the day about ways technology is designed to be addictive and distracting.
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