Dear Common Ground Community,
February is the season of love and we hope you take a moment to hug your kids, reach out to someone in need, and indulge in a moment or two of self-care. Let’s remember what we love about each other and celebrate it!
Here are a few things we love:
*
Upcoming Events on
Raising Sons – Jackson Katz and Michael Reichert
are two nationally renowned educators who delve into the world of boys, their desire for connection and belonging, and how we can best support and celebrate their development.
Parents of both boys AND girls are highly encouraged to attend.
Let’s make this a date night!
* Common Ground’s Annual School Leadership Breakfast –
Michael Reichert
will be our featured keynote speaker for this breakfast conversation titled
Reaching Boys, Teaching Boys
. This event is open to
all school administrators and educators
and will be held on Tuesday, March 3 from 7:30-9am at Menlo School. Please contact
Cynthia Ptacek
if you are an educator and are interested in attending.
* The Children’s Health Council –
This transformative non-profit, in collaboration with Common Ground, will be on hand at Menlo School tonight (SOLD OUT) to share their expertise and guidance surrounding learning differences, anxiety and depression and how they might intersect. Stay tuned for more collaborative efforts.
* John O’Sullivan –
His three-venue talk about
Changing the Game
is helping to bring the joy back into competitive youth sports. As Ronnie Lott highlighted during his magical introduction of O’Sullivan at Woodside Priory: "Every moment matters." Here’s the video of one of his talks:
John O'Sullivan: Changing the Game.
*
Jennifer Eberhardt and Julie Lythcott-Haims –
These two local luminaries came together at Sacred Heart Schools in January for a consciousness-raising and deeply personal conversation about Implicit Bias (link to video below).
* Finally – we love you!
We are filled with deep gratitude for this fantastic community of parents and educators. Your enthusiasm, insights and support keep us moving forward in providing parent education that is timely, relevant and thought-provoking. Keep the ideas coming!
With appreciation,
The Common Ground Leadership Team
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Back-to-Back Events on Raising Sons!
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These events provide an extraordinary opportunity for
all parents
to learn about navigating critical gender issues that impact every family.
For a deeper perspective,
consider attending both speaker talks
. Katz and Reichert each bring specific insights that will reinforce the importance of examining our ingrained assumptions about masculinity and encourage new perspectives in raising our children.
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Raising a Stand-Up Guy Not a Stand-By Guy
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Society's understanding of masculinity is changing – redefining culture and challenging long-held beliefs.
Author, educator, filmmaker and activist
Jackson Katz, PhD
supports parents in fostering balanced, fulfilling and realistic masculine identities for our boys
. He
guides us toward an expanded definition of masculinity, moving beyond the portrayals of maleness that dominate our media and are harmful to both genders. Dr. Katz will also discuss the role boys and men can play amidst the #MeToo movement and shine light on how this momentum is a positive step forward for all.
Parents will hear essential strategies for
guiding our sons
in becoming principled, confident young men and for
helping our daughters
navigate this evolving landscape.
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This talk is most appropriate for
parents of preteens and teens,
although ALL parents are welcome and encouraged to attend. Dr. Katz's dynamic, thought-provoking approach to the serious topics of masculinity and gender issues in the 21st century will resonate with
parents of both boys AND girls
.
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Jackson Katz, PhD
is a long-time thought leader and activist in the growing global movement of men working to promote gender equality. His calls for change in gender-related attitudes have been featured in the films
Wrestling With Manhood, Miss Representation
and
The Mask You Live In
and in his TEDx Talk: “Violence against Women – It’s a Men’s Issue.” He is co-founder of the multiracial, mixed-gender Mentors in Violence Prevention (MVP) program, an early architect of the “upstander” approach to prevention, the creator of the award-winning
Tough Guise
video series, and author of
The Macho Paradox: Why Some Men Hurt Women and How All Men Can Help
.
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Nurturing the Emotional Lives of Our Sons
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Michael C. Reichert, PhD
encourages those in charge of boyhood – parents, educators, coaches – to challenge masculine stereotypes and create a new paradigm for raising resilient boys who are emotionally astute and morally grounded. Dr. Reichert will draw upon his decades of research and experience as a nationally recognized developmental psychologist to deepen our knowledge of how boys think and feel. He reveals how a relational approach to parenting and mentoring boys nurtures their inherent goodness and strengthens their resilience.
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This talk is appropriate for
parents of children of all ages,
as Dr. Reichert's work spans early childhood through the teen years
.
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Michael C. Reichert, PhD
is an applied psychologist who has studied and worked with children for over 30 years. His research focuses on helping schools and organizations overcome historic myths and biases that confound children's possibilities. He is Executive Director of the Center for the Study of Boys' and Girls' Lives, comprised of independent schools in partnership with the University of Pennsylvania, combining research, advocacy and service. He is the author of
How to Raise a Boy: The Power of Connection to Build Good Men
;
I Can Learn From You: Boys as Relational Learners; Reaching Boys, Teaching Boys: Strategies That Work, and Why
; and
Bearing Witness: Violence and Collective Responsibility
.
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All Common Ground Speaker Series events are free of charge to the parents, faculty and staff of our member schools. Unless otherwise indicated, adults not affiliated with a member school may attend for a $20 fee at the door.
Please register on Eventbrite for each event.
Registration is optional and offered for attendees’ convenience to receive reminders and event updates. Also please plan for early arrival to ensure seating which will be first come, first served.
Directions and more information about Common Ground Speaker Series, including a list of our
member schools
, may be found on our
website
.
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Video Highlights from
Biased
Event
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Thank you to member school
Sacred Heart Preparatory
for hosting our January event
Biased
:
How Unconscious Bias Shapes Behavior
with
Jennifer Eberhardt
, in conversation with
Julie Lythcott-Haims
.
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We are pleased to share the video of their powerful discussion about the impacts of implicit bias.
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Continue the Conversation on Unconscious Bias
Subscribe to
Dear White Women,
an award-winning podcast
dedicated to starting
real
discussions about racial and social justice. The weekly podcast is co-hosted by two Bay Area parents (one a Common Ground leadership team member) who
believe that when we learn about our nation’s history and look more deeply at our personal experiences with race and identity, we gain the power to effect personal and systemic change.
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Distinguished Speaker: Esther Wojcicki
author of
How to Raise Successful People: Simple Lessons for Radical Results
March 30, 7:30pm
Addison-Penza
JCC Auditorium, Los Gatos
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Feb 25, 6:30 pm, Palo Alto
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A Leader in Parent Education on the San Francisco Peninsula Since 2002
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