The Melrose Messenger

Parent University Returns This Saturday!

By Ellen Putnam

On Saturday, November 22nd between 8am and noon, all Melrose caregivers and community members are invited to attend the annual Parent University, a free event sponsored by the Melrose Education Foundation. This popular event is now in its tenth year, with some workshops returning from previous years, and others new this year.

The event will feature a welcome address from Melrose Public Schools (MPS) Interim Superintendent Cari Berman and two sessions where attendees can choose from a list of 17 workshops. In between the two workshop sessions, there will be a full-group session led by Berman and Interim Deputy Superintendent Ken Kelley about allocating resources from the recent override vote to the schools.

While participants can register the morning of, it is recommended that attendees register ahead of time, since some workshops might fill up, or might not run if too few people have signed up.

The Melrose Education Foundation, which was founded in 2013, raises money from the community to support grants for MPS teachers who want to try something new or innovative in their classrooms. Mary Caddle, the Melrose Education Foundation’s president, explained that the foundation’s goal is “to bring in interesting and exciting new things; to make our teachers feel supported and engaged, and allow them to try something new that might work better.”

The Melrose Education Foundation also runs Parent University, with the goal of giving caregivers the tools they need to be effective partners in their children’s education.

Caddle pointed out that, while some of the information shared at Parent University might be available online in articles or webinars, the community feeling of being together in a shared space is something that can’t be replicated online. “It feels like the parenting version of going to a conference for work,” she said. “You learn things, but you also get the boost of being with other people who are working towards the same thing and going through the same things. You get energized by being together and talking together.”

“It’s a community builder,” added Melrose Education Foundation board member Lisa Lewis. “You get to see friends, but you also get to meet new people.”

Among the new workshops this year is a session on “Managing Kids, Families, and Technology in the 21st Century” led by Katie Greer, an internet safety educator who has been working with educators and students at the Lincoln School this year.

“This has been a hot topic in the schools this year,” said Caddle, “so this presentation should be a really good one for parents.”

“Some of our educators and students have already heard from Katie (Greer),” added Lewis, “so having parents hear from her too will create a good synergy, where everyone is using the same language and talking points, and supporting the same message.”

While Greer’s workshop is aimed at fourth grade and older, psychiatrist Niels Rosenquist will be running a session on “Digital Diet, Exercise, and Modeling: How to prepare your kids for their digital lives, at home and as a community” for caregivers of younger children who are looking toward what their children’s digital lives might look like in the future.

Parent University will be offering another pair of workshops about fostering independence, one geared toward parents of younger kids and another for the older age group.

“I’m very excited about those two sessions,” said Caddle. “That’s been a big topic in the news lately - that kids are not independent enough, and they don’t have enough control and agency.”

The session that is designed for parents of elementary-aged children - “Fostering Age-Appropriate Independence by Empowering Children’s Capabilities” - will be led by two psychologists who will talk about supporting children’s independence and capabilities.

“We often see these kinds of questions from parents of younger kids,” Caddle described, “‘Do you let your eight-year-old walk on their own?’ ‘Do you let your ten-year-old do this?’ So this session should be really helpful in fostering independence in younger kids.”

For parents of older middle school and high school aged kids, local career coach Stephanie Turner is offering “Is My Kid Ready for the Next Step? - Skills for Managing the Transition to Young Adulthood,” with the goal of helping parents help their children prepare to live independently after high school.

“It’s aimed at helping parents scaffold those skills,” said Lewis, “so you’re sending out a child who’s got the basic life skills to go out and be successful.”

Also new this year is a workshop on financial literacy, which is likely to be helpful to parents with kids of any age. “This is something a lot of people struggle with,” reflected Caddle. “They’re not sure where to begin, and how much is appropriate at each age.”

Last year’s Parent University featured a panel on resilience, and that theme will be carried over into some of this year’s workshops.

Becca Lewis from the Stoneham Health Department will be leading a session on “A Framework for HOPE” on helping children build resilience through positive childhood experiences.

Sheilah Gauch, who was a presenter in last year’s panel, will present sessions on “Overcoming School Avoidance” and “Understanding and Supporting Anxiety.”

And, for parents of children who are on Individualized Education Plans or 504 plans, or who are looking into pursuing those supports, three presenters from the Newton Neuropsychology Group will be offering a workshop on “Understanding Your Child’s Learning Supports: A Caregivers Guide to Testing, IEPs, and 504s.”

Sam Healy will return with the popular workshop on the Nurtured Heart Approach for dealing with difficult behaviors. “I’ve been to that one more than once,” said Caddle, “and every time, I needed it really badly. It helped me think about engaging with my kids differently.”

Beth Hampson and Rebecca Taplin of Pathways to Restorative Communities will return to lead a session on using restorative practices at home. They have been working with the Melrose Public Schools to incorporate restorative practices into classrooms, and this workshop offers an opportunity for parents to learn some of these skills as well.

Meredith Shaw, the new executive director of Melrose Alliance Against Violence, will be leading this year’s session on Healthy Friendships.

And Melrose High School students will be leading the World of Difference workshop, which focuses on teaching anti-bias skills. “A lot of parents who choose this workshop are already working on these skills for themselves,” said Caddle, “but it can be helpful to learn new ways to engage kids in learning anti-bias skills.”

“And,” added Lewis, “it’s always good for parents of younger kids to see what the older kids are doing at the high school - to see what they have to look forward to.”

Bert Whittier, the co-facilitator of EPiC-Melrose, will be leading a session on “Parenting and Supporting LGBTQ+ Youth in Uncertain Times,” which, Lewis noted, will be helpful not just for parents of LGBTQ+ children, but for anyone who wants to learn more about how to support these children.

“It’s an extra hard time for these kids,” she reflected, “with a lot of uncertainty, and this workshop will be about working through that.”

Parents of high schoolers can attend workshops on college admissions planning and financial planning for college, or a new workshop from John Martino of Martino Law Group on legal protections for young adults.

Between the two workshop sessions, all participants will attend a session led by Berman and Kelley on “The Override Vote is Over; Now What?”

“It’s a chance for everyone to hear from Cari (Berman) and Ken (Kelley) about how they plan to put the additional funds from the override to work,” said Caddle. Audience members will hear from Berman and Kelley about the process, and there will also be a participatory aspect for attendees to share ideas and feedback.

“I hope more people will come and check out Parent University,” said Caddle, noting that, while parents of older children often know about the event and have been attending for years, parents of younger children might not yet be familiar with what Parent University has to offer.

“We have a lot of really interesting experts and community members participating this year,” she added, “and the offerings are really deep for every age group.”

“And you don’t have to be a caregiver to come,” Lewis pointed out. “The sessions about the school budget, about supporting LGBTQ+ kids - there are plenty of sessions that could be helpful for anyone in the community. If you want to come and learn and support people who are in the trenches, this is a great opportunity.”

You can register for Parent University on the Melrose Education Foundation's website.

Posted November 15th, 2025