top of page
Events - 2011-2012 Summary
Summary of Recent Events 2012-2013

 

PfA Speaker Series: Dr. Mitesh Parekh on Social Media and its Effects on Middle School Children (04.24.2012)
Dr. Mitesh Parekh spoke on the emotional and mental aspects of social media on children ages 10-14 years old. The event was held in the Valentine Elementary School Little Theater. Dr. Parekh addressed many important topics such as:

  • The positive and negative effects of social media;

  • How social media effects children differently than adults;

  • How we can help our children "turn off" the impulse to stay connected to friends online 24/7;

  • How to create boundaries with your children and how to keep them safe in the cyber world;

  • How to set limits around social media.


Dr. Parekh is a licensed psychologist who specializes in working with children, adolescents, and young adults as well as their families. His expertise is in treating anxiety and depression and has extensive experience working with pervasive developmental disorders and impulse control disorders. For more information on Dr. Parekh, click here.

San Marino High School Students Learn How to "Keep Friendship Alive" (04.10.2012)
PfA provided SMHS students (approximately 1,200) with an assembly featuring the Keynote Speaker, Erica Upshaw.

In 2000, while they were both in college, Erica Upshaw's brother died from a lethal dose of alcohol and another common recreational drug. In the months and years that followed, she had to come to terms with the careless attitudes she and her friends had about drugs and alcohol. Now Erica does an amazing job of speaking to students from a point of view close to their own. This keynote isn't simply a story of personal loss; she does not preach. She challenges students to openly question the behavior in their own social scene, to talk to each other and take action.

PfA encourages you to talk to your children about this assembly and discuss what they might feel about this subject.

Related Resources include:

PfA Speaker Series: J.D. Rothman, Author of The Neurotic Parent's Guide to College Admissions (03.22.2012)

Is college anxiety getting you down? Stressing over SATs and over-scheduled kids? Judy Rothman, author of the new humor book, The Neurotic Parent's Guide to College Admissions, read some of the most hilarious accounts from her book. She was joined in conversation with Pati Pineiro-Goodenberger, Associate Dean of Admissions at Occidental College, who brought tales from the trenches and advice for parents and prospective applicants. Visit Rothman's website to follow her blog.

 

PfA Speaker Series: Tina Payne Bryson, PhD, Co-Author of The Whole Brain Child (01.19.2012)
Speaking on a practical approach for using leading neuroscience research as a guide in everyday parenting to address mood swings and meltdowns, boundary-setting, and effective communication.

Tina Payne Bryson, PhD, is a psychotherapist at Pediatric and Adolescent Psychology Associates in Arcadia, CA, where she sees children and adolescents, as well as parenting consultations. She is a frequent lecturer to parents, teachers, and clinicians, and writes for numerous venues. She also co-hosts a web-based parenting show called "The Intentional Parent". Her book The Whole-Brain Child (Random House, 2011, co-authored with Dr. Dan Siegel) gives parents practical ways to transform difficult moments into opportunities for children to thrive. Dr. Bryson earned her PhD from the University of Southern California where her research explored attachment science, childrearing theory, and the emerging field of interpersonal neurobiology. She lives in San Marino with her husband and three children. You can visit Dr. Bryson's website to learn more about Tina.

 

PfA Speaker Series: Michael G. Thompson on The Pressured Child: Helping Your Child Find Success in School and in Life (11.21.2011)

Michael Thompson, PhD, came once again to speak to a large crowd at the San Marino High School Neher Auditorium on the pressures children in today's stressful and competitive environment face and how we as parents, educators, and loved onces can help our children through these everyday struggles. Due to the successful speaking event last fall at the Huntington Middle School Auditorium, a repeat performance was highly anticipated and of course, Dr. Thompson did not disappoint! Michael Thompson, PhD, is a clinical psychologist lecturer, consultant specializing in children and families.

Some of his best selling books are:

 

The Pressured Child

Raising Cain

Speaking of Boys

Best Friends, Worst Enemies

It's a Boy!

Mom, They're Teasing Me

Homesick and Happy

​

 

Red Ribbon Week - October 17-21, 2011
Red ribbons tied on trees down Huntington Drive and on campus, brochures and educational material about drugs/alcohol/tobacco, and daily announcements with facts about healthy and unhealthy choices.

Family Day - A Day to Eat Dinner with your Children (09.26.2011)
Family Day was launched in 2001 by The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University. Family Day is a national movement that informs parents that the engagement fostered during frequent family dinners is an effective tool to help keep America's kids substance free. Dinner Makes a Difference! There was no school on Monday, September 26th as it was a Professional Development Day for teachers K-12 in San Marino. Please visit this link for more information: Casa Family Day.

​

​

bottom of page