New Step Books

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  We have a new supply of Step Books courtesy of the State office.


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  They are in black binders on the bottom shelf on the short book shelf in my office.


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  White ones will be in Spanish.


• 
  
  As these binders are thinner than the previous ones,


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  I am going to leave it up to each of you as to which extra handouts you include.


• 
  
  I do want you to include extra handouts however.


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  They are still in the tub next to my desk.


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  Also remember that there are


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  dividers to better organize their books


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  and the glossy Emergency Preparedness Booklet.


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  Each book should come with those.

The Tentative schedule for In-services for the coming year

September 22 - Peer Parent Appreciation

October 19 - Supporting QCR

November 17- Nutrition from the Pyramid to the Plate

December 14 - Holiday party

January 19 - Our program and spirituality

February 15 - Going to court

March 15 Activities from the Resource room

April 18 Get those kids outside and moving !

May 17 - Expectations of a case worker

June 20 Individual Evaluations

July's in-service was small but informative.

Thank you Linda for

providing the videos and

great information about meth.

We chose to honor Faye pilcher as

this months Case Worker Extraordinaire

Don't tell her.

I will be presenting her with a

certificate at her staff meeting next week.

There will be NO

In-service in August

due to low summer turn out.

How ever there will be an opportunity for interested peer parents to participate

in a special "Team meeting" with me as the subject and you guys as my support system.

The Adminstration has been conducting these meeting

with all the supervisors and their teamsin the Region.

In other words the Adminstaration will be DCFS

I will be a 'client' and you are my team

as we talk about strengths, concerns,

what is going well and what can be improved about our little Peer Parent Family.

( I hope it wn't be like some of the mock ones we had in our in-service)

We don't have a date yet

but I anticipate that it will be during normal state business hours.

I hope to see lots of you there.

And finally I will be out of the office

between July 22 thru July 26, over the Pioneer Day Holiday.

I am going back to Santa Fe to pick up my granddaughter!

In-service

Thursday, July 14

6:30 to 8:30

Linda Cannon Presenting

Meth Use

Signs and Effects

Pot Luck as usual

Great Meeting

And the Oscar goes to Linda Cannon

for her insightful rendition of a tweaking parent

at a family team meeting.

The Oscar for best supporting role

goes to Cheryl Lee

as her inappropriate friend.

We had a great turn out. Eight Peer Parents were there.

• There was a demonstration of a genogram.


• We talked about when a team meeting might be called.


• We discussed a glossary of terms that are used in team meetings.


• We went over the structure of a team meeting.

Then we had some fun but disruptive mock team meetings.

I want to appreciate everyone who participated.

And as usual there were great things to eat as we learned.

Remember June's billing

must be on my desk by July 5th!

This includes mileage!

I will be on vacation from June 16 until June 27. Contact Wendy Hamner for assistance.

Tenative date and topic for July meeting

July 14th.

"How to spot meth use in a parent."

presented by Linda Cannon

Participant in survey below about the need for an August In-service as many people are out on vacation then.

In-service

Getting the Most Out of Team meetings

Thursday June 9

Pot Luck as Usual

6:30 to 8:30

Many of you have only one in-service so far this year so be sure to make this one to get in the two a year that are required! Call me if you need to know if I Mean You!

If you haven't scheduled your annual review besure to call or e mail me and get it scheduled.

Wonderful In-service

Thank you to

Holly Willard

and everybody

for the shared goodies

and ideas!

Thirteen out of twenty peer parents attended. Holly gave a great presentation. Copies of her handout will be in the extras box in my office. I always look forward to the excellant sharing of ideas that happens at our in-services. Sharing challenges and successes are important to mainitaining quality interactions and relationships. I guess it works for peer parents just like it works for families.

Quote of the Evening;

"You can pretend to care but you can't pretend to be there"

Thank you to Janette Barker for that one.

A few announcements and reminders;

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  I will be putting together a peer parent directory. Please send me contact info, a blurb and a picture that you want to share . If you don't send me a story I will be forced to make up some wild stories.


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  June In-service will be Thursday June 9, 6:30 to 8:30, Pot luck as usual. Tentative topic, "Participating in Team Meetings" Remember this will be you last chance to get an inservice in this fiscal year. Two are required.


• 
  
  June is the time for anuual reviews. Send some times in June that you have time for me to come over and reminice about the last wonderful year in peer parenting.


• 
  
  The fiscal year is over June 30th. June billing will be due on my desk no later than Tuesday July 5th. There will be a small prize for the the first billing submited in july. Turning in your billing late in july will result in piles of paperwork the attainment of impossible signatures and extensive delays in payment. Consider yourself fair warned!

Teaching Empathy

with special speaker

Holly Willard

Wednesday May 11

6:30 to 8:30 PM

Pot Luck as usual