Hi Families,

Welcome back to school! We hope your return was as smooth as possible for you and your students. We are excited to be back with our friends and we are ready to learn even more this school year. The Parent Resource Center is NOW OPEN! The Parent Resource Center is a place to support families with information and partnerships within the Conroe ISD community.

When parents need resources for:

•Guardianship

•Social Security Disability

•Social Skills

•Financial Tools

•Therapies

•Counseling

•Volunteer Opportunities

•Summer Camps

•Day Programs

•Medicaid Waiver Program

•Job Opportunities

•and more....

Church Project, local county organizations, and other ministries are partnering to provide school supplies, haircuts, shoes, school clothes, hygiene and food kits, school portraits, and more. They hope to serve over 1,200 students in Spring and Conroe ISD. Families can also enjoy food trucks, fun and games throughout the day. The Community Assistance Center (Montgomery County) and Community Youth Services (Harris County), will be on site providing services.

• WHEN: August 10, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.

• WHERE: 602 Pruitt Rd., The Woodlands, TX 77380

1. Have a regular schedule and routine at home.

Establish regular times for going to sleep, eating meals, playing, doing chores, and doing homework. Even children who are not talking much may be able to follow a picture schedule. When you have to change your routine, give children some advance notice ad let them know what to expect. Knowing what to expect helps children feel calm and secure, which helps them behave better.

2. Pay attention to good behavior.

When you see your child doing something like (sharing, playing nicely with toys, or using a polite voice to ask for something), be sure to praise your child for this and let them know what you like about their behavior. Sometimes we pay a lot of attention to children when they are acting up (yelling, hitting, fighting, being rude) and forget to notice when they are acting nicely. We usually get more of what we pay attention to!

3. Spend some one-on-one time with your child every day.

Children often act up to get attention, so it's important to give them some positive attention on a regular basis. Small amounts of time (5-10 minutes) doing something fun with your child, like building with Legos or working on a puzzle, can be very meaningful for your child. Try to let your child choose what to play with and try to follow their lead while you are playing. Decide ahead of time how much time you can spend and let your child know how long you can play. For example, tell them at the beginning that you will have 10 minutes of "special time" with them. When the time is up, remind them that you will have a special time again tomorrow.

4. Set a few simple rules for your household and talk to your child about the rules.

Think about the behaviors that are most important to you and tell your children what you expect them to do. Have a "family meeting" to talk about the rules and make sure your children understand. Keep the rules simple (around 6 words) and post them on your wall so that you can remind children of the rules as needed. Rules such as "We walk inside the house" or "We keep our hands to ourselves" are simple and easy for children to understand.

5. Have a plan for when your child misbehaves.

Decide ahead of time what you will do when your child breaks one of your rules. For example, you can decide to use time out as a consequence whenever your child hits his sister. Parents sometimes fall into the trap of punishing when they are very upset or stressed and may say things they won't follow through with (like "We won't go to grandma's this weekend" or" I'm going to throw away all of your toys"). If you don't have a plan, you might also say or do things that are not as helpful in changing behavior, like threatening your child or spanking.

6. Ignore annoying behavior that does not hurt anyone.

Some behaviors are really annoying- such as whining, screaming, and tantrums- but they do not hurt you, your child, or other people. Try to ignore these kinds of behaviors instead of reacting to them. remember, we want to pay attention to positive behavior and take attention away from the behavior you don't like. When your child stops the annoying behavior, find something to praise right away.

7. Use time out effectively.

When your child breaks a more serious rule or behaves in a way that hurts someone or something, there should always be a consequence for this behavior. Time out can be very helpful in taking attention away from your child and giving him/her a chance to calm down and get back in control. Three things to remember about time out 1) it should be done in a boring place where your child won't get any attention; 2) It should be kept short (about 2-5 minutes, depending on your child's age); 3) after the time is up, your child can come out once he/she calms down. After time out is over, find something positive to do and praise your child for good behavior.

8. Get a good night's sleep.

Children who do not get enough sleep do not act like adults who are tired - they often become hyperactive and speed up instead of slowing down. They also tend to become grumpy and uncooperative. Toddlers (1-2 years old) need 12-14 hours of sleep. including naps' preschoolers (3-5 years old) need 11-13 hours, and school-aged kids need 10-11 hours. Having a regular bedtime routine (such as bath, story, bed) helps your child get used to going to sleep more easily.

9. Spend time being active every day.

All children need to play and be physically active, and some children need to move more than others. Spend some time playing actively with your child every day, and encourage them to play actively with their siblings or friends as well. Some ideas include going for walks, playing catch or kickball, swimming, etc. If playing outside is not an option due to weather or safety concerns, plan some active play that can be done indoors (for example, jumping on a mini trampoline).

10. Limit screen time.

We recommend limiting your child's screen time (including TV, computers, iPad, and smartphones), including no screens at all for children under 2. Screen time takes away time from other important activities such as play and social interaction, and can make problems with attention, learning, and behavior worse. Screen time too close to bedtime can also make it harder to fall asleep.

My name is Aurora C. Vazquez, the new Parent Resource Center Assistant and Spanish Interpreter. I was born and raised in Mexico City and moved to the US in 1997 when I got married. We established our home in Texas in 2000 and have two wonderful children, Sebastian and Santiago. Sebastian just graduated from college and Santiago is starting his senior year in college too. I started my career in the area of Education in 2004 and has become my passion since then. During all these years in Education, I have had the opportunity to work in different roles and levels which have left lots of teachings and experience. I started working for Conroe ISD in 2014 and I am very thankful of being part of this great school district. I am looking forward of starting this new role as your Parent Resource Assistant and Spanish Interpreter. Please do not hesitate to contact me for any assistance in the Parent Resource Center.

Aurora Vazquez

Para Parent Resource Center Asst/Sped Interpreter
Special Education

Conroe Independent School District

(936) 709-8171

parentresourcecenter@conroeisd.net

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Hi, my name is Nikole Crowder. I am the Parent Liaison at the Parent Resource Center for Conroe ISD. I graduated from the University of Phoenix in 2012 with my Master’s Degree in Business Administration. I am currently working on my Doctorate in Educational Leadership. This is my 4th year with Conroe ISD. I have 8 years of SPED experience and over 15 years of Early Childhood Development experience. I married my husband Chef Hamilton Crowder 21 years ago and we have two children Darius (20) and Jayda (18) a Freshman at the University of Texas-Dallas. I am passionate about Special Education and assisting families with the resources and support they need for their children. I look forward to assisting not only families but my fellow Conroe ISD faculty members in any way I possibly can. We are a team and my top priority is providing support for the students. Please view my contact information below and if there is anything I can assist you with I am happy to help.

Nikole Crowder, MBA
Prof Sp Ed/Parent Liaison
Special Education
Conroe Independent School District

936-709-8209

parentresourcecenter@conroeisd.net

The Conroe Independent School District (District) as an equal opportunity educational provider and employer does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, or disability in educational programs or activities that it operates or in employment matters. The District is required by Title VI and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, as amended, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities Act, as well as Board policy not to discriminate in such a manner.

For information about Title IX rights or Section 504/ADA rights, contact the Title IX Coordinator or the Section 504/ADA coordinator at 3205 W. Davis, Conroe, TX 77304; (936) 709-7752.

The resources shared in this newsletter are for informational purposes only and do not constitute approval by the Parent Resource Center, Conroe ISD.