Just for Parents

Educating a gifted child, let alone keeping up with one, requires energy and creativity. It’s also helpful to have support, and we have provided some parenting-related and school-related resources, below, to help you.

At SCDS, we think of our parent community — full of thoughtful, caring people — as another source of support, and we have also listed some community-related opportunities below. Participation is a wonderful way to make good friends and learn more about the school.

The Friday Flyer
While school is in session, you will receive a weekly email called the Friday Flyer. It contains valuable updates: everything from COVID-19-related policy changes to event invitations from the Parent Council. It’s a great way to stay informed about and involved in your school.

The Parent Council (PC)
The Parent Council’s mission is to support the school and the school’s objectives, and, with the help of several PC committees (auction, faculty-staff appreciation, book swap, and more), the council sponsors a variety of fun and educational activities for the SCDS community. Parents are warmly welcomed to attend the council’s formal meeting, which occurs approximately once a month while school is in session, and to volunteer. Learn more about the council and volunteer opportunities in the parent portal.

The Parent Education Committee
This committee is part of the Parent Council, and it invites informative, lively speakers to converse with parents on a regular basis. Recent topics have included using dinnertime for family bonding, learning how to have courageous conversations about race, and parental resilience.

The Parent Portal
The parent portal on Veracross is a central location for information on school events, getting involved, and more. Visit the portal here.

Social Media: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn
SCDS has accounts on all three of these properties. Please join us!

 

SCHOOL-BASED WORKSHOPS

Courageous Conversation The school partners with the Pacific Education Group (PEG), a racial equity organization based in San Francisco that works with our families, faculty, and students to help them engage, sustain, and deepen conversations about race. Specifically, SCDS offers the group's Courageous Conversation seminar yearly to employees, parents, and Middle School students. Through Courageous Conversation, the SCDS community develops its own racial literacy and consciousness, and examines the impact of race on the lived experience of people of color in the U.S. — allowing for better conversations about race and racism. In support of SCDS Next, we ask new families to participate in a Courageous Conversation workshop during their first two years at SCDS. Similarly, we ask returning families who have not already taken part in a Courageous Conversation workshop to set aside time to do so. In both cases, we ask that at least one parent or guardian (preferably both) take part in the conversation. Parent participation is central to our goal of becoming a more culturally aware and inclusive community.

Decoding the Language of Today's Social Activism
SCDS offers a series of stand-alone parent workshops called Decoding the Language of Today's Social Activism. Through the exploration of the history and meaning of terms such as "Black lives matter," "white privilege," and others that are widely used by social activists, the media, and popular culture, the workshops provide the context needed to develop culturally competent communication and parenting. These monthly workshops also deepen participants' understanding of the issues that have moved many in our country to work for racial equity and social change.  

RIPPLES
RIPPLES (Race in Parenting Learning Circles) is a parent-led group at SCDS, founded in 2020, whose mission is to facilitate open, honest conversations among parents about race and racial equity — both to promote their own understanding and to keep pace with what their children are learning at school and from a rapidly changing society. Sometimes, these conversations center around a shared resource, such as a book or article; others are informed by the exchange of ideas. Central to all RIPPLES discussions is the participants’ willingness to share their lived experiences, to accept hard truths, and to truly listen. Ultimately, RIPPLES aims to create ripples of reflection and growth in the school community by encouraging all parents to join in these enriching, growth-oriented, and deeply connective conversations. For more information, explore RIPPLES’ online FAQ or contact ripplesinformation@gmail.com.

SENG (Supporting the Emotional Needs of Gifted Children)
SENG is a national group dedicated to helping gifted, talented, and twice-exceptional people reach their full potential, and they train facilitators to help parents enable their gifted children to thrive socially and emotionally. At SCDS, our school counselors facilitate SENG meetings, which review topics related to gifted children: characteristics, motivation, discipline, stress management, peer relations, sibling rivalry, and tradition-breaking.

 

OTHER RESOURCES