Last week the Counselling department held our final Parent Education Session of the year. We can’t help but fondly reflect on the full lineup of great presenters we’ve had this school year, from New York Times bestselling authors to leaders in understanding child development. It’s been a wonderful year of shared learning alongside our community of parents.
As we reflect on the year, we wanted to take the opportunity to look back at some of our favourite highlights, and to remind parents of the resources available to them. We’re also asking for your help to understand what you would like us to cover next year.
In September, we began the year with a warm, in-person morning with Dr. Deborah Macnamara, when she shared anecdotes and information about helping our kids feel set up for learning success. She reminded us that kids learn better when they are attached to their adults, and how parents and teachers can work together to be a strong team supporting children’s growth.
The enjoyment of this time together led the Counselling team to use one of the Parent Media Clubs as another opportunity to come together to engage in person—this time with Dr. Gordon Neufeld’s material about why your child needs to cry, as well as Marc Brackett’s new book Dealing with Feeling.
Busy lives and schedules were at play all year round, but it was great that we still managed to gather as a community for our online sessions throughout.
This year we:
- Learned about the Power of Sleep with Lisa Lewis
- Explored how to support our kids when they are Making up and Breaking up with Friends with Eileen Kennedy-Moore
- Discussed The Gift of Failure with Jessica Lahey.
- Welcomed Kristin Gilbert back as she shared her yearly introduction to body sciences and how we can all become the Askable Adults our kids need.
- Met with a new counsellor and educator, Melody Kwan, who discussed stigma around mental health and how we can support our children’s emotional needs.
All the links included above are to the Parent Education Session recaps with videos we were able to record. If you didn’t get a chance to watch them live with us over Zoom, we hope you can engage with any material that interests you on your own time.
We Want to Hear From You!
The Counselling department is already gearing up for 2026–2027! As we reach out to presenters and schedule sessions, we want to hear from YOU! Please tell us your feedback and suggestions using this form.
Thank you for spending another great year together with us, and we’ll see you in the fall!
