The Education Welfare Officers from the Department of Education, Ms. Conisha Gumbs and Ms. Natasha, hosted a parental session on “Empowering Our Children”. The session was held on Tuesday May 24, 2016 at the Soroptimist Centre.
Parents and guardians of all students were invited to hear and gather useful information from dynamic speakers like Ms. Georgia Matthew (Guidance Counsellor), Mrs. Melody Hodge (School Nurse), Mrs. Dana Ruan (Senior School Nurse) and Pastor Rodwell Grant (Senior Juvenile Care Worker).
Ms. Georgia Mathew, a Guidance Counsellor at Campus B, eagerly spoke on the topic, “The Social Aspect of Your Child”. Ms. Mathew focused on the social context of child and adolescent development and learning. She explained the impact of the family, school, society, culture, and the media on the physical, cognitive, and socio-emotional development of children and teens. Special emphasis was placed on the media’s impact on our children’s development. She highlighted the inappropriate and excessive use of cellphones and video games, and the easy access to pornography via various social media. Ms. Mathew also pointed out the lack of parental supervision of children using social media as being a pressing issue today. Her words of advice to the parents and guardians were: “If you can’t use it, don’t buy it. If you buy it, learn to use it”.
The school nurses, Mrs. Melody Hodge and Mrs. Dana Ruan, presented on the topic, “The Health of Your Child”. Mrs. Hodge stressed the importance of nutrition and exercise to avoid ailments like obesity. Mrs. Ruan emphasized healthy lifestyles and proper hygiene. She also called on parents and guardians to be positive role models for their children.
The final speaker for the night was Pastor Rodwell Grant who spoke on the topic, “The Spiritual Aspect of Our Children”. His focus, “Passing Faith On To The Children”, was underscored by Deuteronomy Chapter 6, verses 1-9. He shared six points with the audience:
1. Know who your God is.
2. Love the Lord your God with all your heart.
3. The commandments are to be upon your heart.
4. Impress upon your children the importance of having God in their lives.
5. Talk about the commandments.
6. God’s word should direct what we do.
In conclusion, Pastor Grant stated that children are watching us. He asked parents and guardians to reflect on what they are passing on to their children.
Education Welfare Officers, Conisha and Natasha, express sincere thanks to all presenters and parents/guardians who attended the session. They hope that parents and guardians would make every effort to be positive role models for their children.
– Contributed
