AUGUST 4 WORKSHOP HAS IMPORTANT 
BACK-TO-SCHOOL MESSAGE FOR PARENTS

How can parents enhance their children's academic performance, and keep them on track for college?  By instilling in them early the value and importance of doing well in school, and by taking an active interest and participation in the academic future of their children, says Janet Osterbye, academic coordinator of California Student Opportunity and Access Program (Cal-SOAP) for San Diego and Imperial counties.

Osterbye will be one of four academic and motivational experts speaking Saturday, August 4 at a college-preparation workshop for parents titled Education is a Family Affair.  The event will be held from 10 a.m. to 12 noon at Malcolm X Library (Multipurpose Room), 5148 Market Street, San Diego, one block from the Euclid Avenue trolley stop. Parents are encouraged to attend with their children.

The workshop is intended to emphasize that the foundation for academic excellence and motivation are most often laid in the family.

This is the third in a series of college-prep workshops sponsored by the University of California, San Diego, in partnership with Cal-SOAP and the federally funded GEAR UP (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs) initiative. The series is intended to advise parents on ways in which they can motivate and prepare their middle school children early for college, and to recognize the important role parents play in fostering a positive attitude about school.

The April 4 event will include presentations by:

·         Kelly Williams, motivational speaker, former TV news reporter, and author of the book Single Mammahood, who will speak on the power and impact that parental involvement has on children's academic success and future.

·         Cynthia "Cyd" Carpenter, guidance counseling expert, will provide advice to parents on the use of effective problem-solving techniques when communicating with their children about academic matters and other situations.

·         Amir Rahim, motivational speaker and magician, will intertwine magic with his presentation to illustrate essential tips that parents can use in effectively resolving misunderstandings or disagreements with their children.

·         A special one-act play will be performed to demonstrate the importance of parental concern and involvement in keeping children on track for college.

The workshop will also include Spanish translation, free food, on-site child care, back-to-school door prizes, study aid giveaways, and entertainment.

In past workshops during the series, parents have received essential information on how to find and access college financial aid, how to enhance their children's study and homework skills, how to begin preparing their children for all-important college admission tests, and how to communicate more effectively with their children.

For more information on the Aug. 4 event, please contact Michael Dabney at UCSD, (858) 822-3432