With the school year rapidly approaching, a series of Zoom conversations for parents of different age groups are helping parents de-stress and make informed decisions.

Karen Twain will facilitate conversations with parents of middle school and high school students on Aug. 9 and 10. She will also facilitate a conversation on finding balance for parents of kids with special needs on  Aug. 19 at 8:30 pm. Twain is the director of programs at the Children’s Institute and former assistant superintendent of the Tigard-Tualatin School District. The sessions will explore what the fall will look like for middle and high school families. There are no right answers, but there is the opportunity to learn and process through these hard topics as a community.
Programs are confidential and not recorded, so parents can feel free to share real world issues. They are designed to help parents find balance in this shifting reality.
“We have had two sessions already and look forward to continuing the series,” says Rachel Nelson, director of educational initiatives for the Jewish Federation of Greater Portland. 
By the Aug. 9 and 10 sessions, school districts should have plans in place for fall, unlike during the session for elementary parents, which took place just hours after Gov. Kate Brown announced schools would be starting the year online. At the request of several parents on that call, an additional elementary session will likely be held in September.
Previous sessions for parents of preschool and elementary children were facilitated by Dinah Gilburd, LCSW, from Jewish Family & Child Services. 
Two sessions – one for college students and one for parents of college students – are being planned for late August. A facilitator for those sessions has not yet been selected.
Middle School Re-Entry session will be 8:30 pm, Aug. 9.
High School Re-Entry session will be 8:30 pm, Aug. 10.
Preregistration is required. For more information, email Rachel at rachel@jewishportland.org.