As part of the College’s Living Well program, we aim to provide numerous parent sessions throughout the year. Previous sessions over the years have included Melinda Tankard Reist, Dr Arne Rubinstein and Paul Dillon. Please save the date for our upcoming online parent sessions with Paul Dillon and Maggie Dent.
Early in Term 1, Y Safe presented to our parents in the Maali Mia, providing tips around safety on social media. With COVID restrictions in place, the following presenters will be presenting via Zoom which will be accessible by all parents/guardians in our College community. The Zoom details will be provided closer to each event via SMS and email.
Please mark the dates of the following sessions on your calendar:
Session 1
| Speaker: | Paul Dillon |
| Topic: | Teenagers, alcohol and other drugs 2020: What’s happening, what’s out there and how much influence do parents really have? |
| Date/time: | Monday, 7 September 2020 at 7:30pm |
| Access code: | Available on Zoom – Will be communicated closer to the event via SMS and email |
| About Paul Dillon: |
Paul Dillon has been working in the area of drug education for more than 25 years. Through his own business, Drug and Alcohol Research and Training Australia (DARTA) he has been contracted by many agencies and organisations across the country to give regular updates on current drug trends within the community. He continues to work with many school communities across the country to ensure that they have access to good quality information and best practice drug education. He has worked extensively with a range of sporting organisations including the Australian Cricketers Association, the Rugby Union Players Association and the Football Federation of Australia to provide training workshops to elite athletes on a range of alcohol and other drug issues. In 2009 his best-selling book for parents was published titled ‘Teenagers, Alcohol and Drugs‘ and has since been released internationally, being translated into a number of languages. With a broad knowledge of a range of content areas, Paul regularly provides media comment and is regarded as a key social commentator in Australia, appearing on a wide range of television programs including Sunrise, TODAY and The Project discussing topical issues. Paul also had a regular spot on a national radio program on Triple J for seven years where he dealt with current youth drug issues. Paul also has a blog where he discusses topical issues of the day, as well as addressing some of the questions and queries he is regularly asked by those attending his presentations. |
Information for pre-reading:
If you would like to learn more about this topic, please access these resources provided by Paul Dillon as well as Fact Sheets on the topic.
Session 2
| Speaker: | Maggie Dent |
| Topic: | From the Sandpit to Adulthood: Helping Today’s Children to Thrive (TBC) |
| Date/time: | Wednesday, 14 October 2020 at 5:30pm |
| Access code: | Available on Zoom – Will be communicated closer to the event via SMS and email |
| About Maggie Dent: | Commonly known as the ‘queen of common sense’, Maggie Dent has become one of Australia’s favourite parenting authors and educators, with a particular interest in the early years, adolescence and resilience. Maggie’s experience includes teaching, counselling, and working in palliative care/funeral services and suicide prevention. She is a dedicated advocate to quietly changing lives in our families and communities. She is the mother of four sons and a very grateful grandmother. Maggie is host of the ABC podcast Parental As Anything and author of six major books, including the bestselling Mothering Our Boys and 2020’s From Boys to Men, which explores raising teen boys. |
Mr Simon Bergin
Deputy Head of Middle School
