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Mental Health Summit 2025

The Mental Health Summit is presented with support from and in partnership with the Ruderman Family Foundation.

Register before:

Wed, 02/26/2025 - 23:59
Date(s):
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Date(s):
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Registration Fee:
Prizmah Network schools $280 per person
Non-network schools $350 per person
Canadian Prizmah Network schools $210 US per person
Canadian non-network schools $262.50 US per person (Code: CADNON)

 

The registration system will automatically determine whether or not your school has joined the Prizmah Network, and will charge the appropriate price for all US schools and for Canadian Prizmah Network schools. Participants from Canadian non-network schools should use the discount code CADNON to activate Canadian school pricing.

Schools with more than two participants will receive $50 off per person.

Presenter(s)
Carly Namdar, Rona Milch Novick, Tamar Appel, Betsy Stone, Dan Rothstein, Janice Fialka, Jennifer Wallace, Monica Adler Werner
Facilitator(s)
Debra Drang
Audience(s)
Educational Administrators / Directors of Teaching and Learning, Student Services Professionals / School Counselors / School Psychologists

Register before:

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MHS Banner

For school counselors, school psychologists, learning specialists, educational administrators, and school service professionals

Partnering with Parents: Collaborating Effectively to Support Student Success and Wellbeing

February 25-26, 2025 // 27-28 Shevat 5785

Engage in high-level learning and collaboration around mental health challenges and opportunities in Jewish day schools and yeshivas. Over the course of two days, participate in interactive learning, gain skills, perspectives, and new approaches to navigating mental health challenges in your school community.

Take the dedicated time and space to nurture your skills and grow your knowledge to enhance your practice. School teams are encouraged to register together. Schools with more than two participants will receive $50 off per person.

Program

During this online summit, school mental health professional teams will engage in workshops focused on building meaningful connections with parents to enhance student success and wellbeing. Sessions will emphasize practical strategies, innovative frameworks, and collaborative approaches to address the challenges schools and families face together. Through open communication and trust, you will leave with tools to strengthen partnerships and make a lasting impact on your school community.

Please note that only the Wednesday morning sessions will be recorded, to accommodate school professionals in Mountain and Pacific time zones. Participants are encouraged to join in real time to create a collaborative learning experience with colleagues.

Schedule at a Glance

Tuesday February 25, 2025
The Mental Health Summit will open at 12:30 PM ET // 9:30 AM PT. Dive right into your first day of learning with a powerful opening keynote, followed by the opportunity to choose from two engaging panel discussions.

12:30 PM - 1:30 PM ET // 9:30 AM - 10:30 AM PT
Opening Keynote: Creating a Culture of Mattering in Schools for Students, Parents, and Staff
Jennifer Wallace

This opening keynote explores the transformative power of creating a culture of mattering in schools. Drawing on the latest research, Wallace will highlight how fostering a sense of mattering, where students feel valued for who they are rather than for what they achieve, is critical to their emotional wellbeing and success. Wallace will also discuss how schools can ensure that parents and staff feel they matter too, emphasizing the importance of strong, collaborative partnerships between schools and families. Participants will learn about a practical mattering framework that schools and parents can use to cultivate healthy achievers and create environments where every member of the community feels seen, supported, and valued.

2:00 PM - 3:30 PM ET // 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM PT
Panels - Please choose one of the following options

Seeking Understanding, Relationships, and Belonging: Partnering with Parents When Children Are Struggling Socially
Rona Novick, Tamar Appel, and panelists: Amy Grolnick, and Nicole Rzonzew

This panel discussion explores how schools and parents can work together to support children facing social challenges. Panelists will discuss the importance of understanding the positions and emotions of all stakeholders, fostering open communication, and creating space for addressing complex, difficult-to-solve problems. Learn about effective communication strategies and collaborative approaches that foster strong partnerships with parents and surround the struggling child with a network of supportive adults.

Collaborative Care: Partnering with Parents of Children With Eating Disorders
Carly Namdar and panelists: Sarah Roer, and Rayzel Yaish

This panel discussion explores strategies for fostering effective partnerships between schools and parents to support students with eating disorders. Panelists will discuss challenges such as stigma, confidentiality, treatment coordination, and the delicate balance of trying to maintain a student life for the child while navigating their recovery journey. Learn best practices for enhancing communication and collaboration between schools, mental health professionals, and families to create a supportive and understanding environment for students.

Wednesday February 26, 2025
The second full day will continue with sessions to explore the vital collaboration between schools and parents to support students in meaningful and impactful ways. Our closing keynote will leave everyone inspired with renewed commitment to working together for every student's growth and success.

9:15 AM - 10:30 AM ET// 6:15 AM - 7:30 AM PT
Cultivating Strong School-Parent Partnerships for Neurodiverse Students
Monica Adler Werner

Consider mindsets and ideas that foster meaningful partnerships between schools and parents of neurodiverse students. This session explores how to set realistic expectations, acknowledge where families are, and address challenges with empathy and collaboration. Learn how to align school goals with family priorities, foster trust, and build a shared path to success. Together, we’ll uncover the power of slowing down to deeply understand and support every student’s unique journey.

10:45 AM - 12:00 PM ET // 7:45 AM - 9:00 AM PT
Fostering Post-Traumatic Growth: Empowering Families for Resilience and Renewal
Betsy Stone

From the rise in antisemitism, to political anxiety, to the pandemic and climate change, our students and their parents have faced many years of disruption, loss and trauma. Research tells us that trauma presents opportunities for personal and communal growth. Explore how we can partner with parents to understand this paradigm, so that adults can both model this growth for children and give students the inner tools they need to meet whatever challenges lie ahead after their Jewish day school experience.

12:45 PM - 2:15 PM ET // 9:45 AM - 11:15 AM PT
Empowering Parent-School Partnerships with the Right Question Strategy
Dan Rothstein from Right Question Institute (RQI)

Learn how the Right Question Strategy equips parents to actively and effectively partner with educators and other members of the school team. This simple, adaptable approach enhances parents’ ability to ask meaningful questions, support their children, and engage constructively in dialogue. The session will introduce you to a model for facilitating more effective partnerships with parents who are less involved, as well as with those who may need more guidance in how to advocate for their children strategically and productively.

2:30 PM - 3:30 PM ET // 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM PT
The Dance of Partnership: Why Do My Feet Hurt? Strengthening the Family- Student- Professional Partnership
Janice Fialka

This closing keynote addresses the challenges and joys of cultivating partnerships among families, students and professionals. Using humor and compelling stories, Janice explores the unique dimensions that often complicate this “dance.” Drawing from her 45 years as a social worker and mother, she understands why and how it is necessary to build relationships based on kindness, compassion, and respect. She weaves in stories of her two adult children and the partnerships experienced over the decades. Micah, her son, is a nationally recognized disability activist, featured in the film, Intelligent Lives. Her daughter, Emma is an elementary school principal in Boston Public Schools with a strong practice in inclusion. Janice’s stories and practical wisdom have energized audiences across the country to return to the “dance floor” with renewed respect, empathy and appreciation for the slips and swirls of the dance!

Presenters

Upcoming Sessions

Tuesday, February 25 - Wednesday, February 26, 2025, All day

Upcoming Sessions

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Presenter(s)

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Monica Adler Werner
Monica
Adler Werner

An LCPC counselor and educator, specializing in program development, executive function interventions, and supporting neurodivergent people.  She consults extensively with schools and provides training to professionals on executive functions, neurodivergence, and developing collaborative problem solving systems.  Formerly, she was a leader at the Ivymount School where she served as Director of Training, Consulting and Program Development and the Director of the Model Asperger Program. She also collaborates with a multidisciplinary team to develop and research the Unstuck and On Target executive functioning curriculum.

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Appel_Tamar_07_2022
Tamar
Appel
Director of Education

Tamar is the Director of Education at Hidden Sparks, an organization that partners with Jewish day schools to increase their capacity to serve all learners. Previously, she was the Associate Principal of Ma’ayanot Yeshiva High School for Girls for 12 years. Tamar believes that communication and understanding one’s own areas of strength and opportunities for growth are crucial components of leadership development. Tamar was a member of the 2015-2016 YOU Lead (then YU Lead) cohort and then served on the editorial board of the Prizmah journal HaYidion. She also participated in the 2018 Harvard Graduate School of Education’s Summer Institute for Principals. Tamar has undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Pennsylvania. She lives with her husband and sons in Englewood, NJ.

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Janice Fialka
Janice
Fialka

An LMSW, ACSW, and is a nationally recognized speaker, author, advocate, and social worker specializing in disability justice, inclusion, and family-professional partnerships. For ten years, she was a Special Projects Trainer for Michigan’s Early On (Part C of IDEA). An award-winning storyteller, she has keynoted and led workshops across North America, drawing from over 40 years as a social worker and as the mother of two adult children: Micah, a disability activist featured in Intelligent Lives, and Emma, an elementary school principal. Janice’s essays, poems, and books, including Parents and Professionals Partnering for Children with Disabilities and What Matters: Reflections on Disability, Community, and Love, inspire more meaningful partnerships and inclusion. Learn more at www.danceofpartnership.com.

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Carly Namdar
Carly
Namdar
Educational psychologist and a doctoral candidate

Carly is an Educational Psychologist and doctoral candidate at the Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education & Administration.  Carly was recently awarded the Robert M. Sherman Young Pioneer Award from the Jewish Education Project in 2020 for her work in the field of social-emotional learning.  Carly is currently completing her doctoral studies as a means to combine her passion for Jewish education and positive psychology and promote holistic wellbeing throughout school communities. 

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Rona Novick Headshot
Rona
Milch
Novick
Dean of Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education and Administration

Rona Milch Novick PhD is the dean of the Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education and Administration at Yeshiva University and a licensed clinical psychologist. She holds the Raine and Stanley Silverstein Chair in Professional Ethics. Dr. Novick provides consultation and professional development to schools, is the author of numerous journal articles and book chapters and two children’s books: Mommy, Can You Stop the Rain? and Daddy, Can You Make Me Tall?

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Dan Rothstein
Dan
Rothstein

Co-founder of the Right Question Institute, an Adjunct Lecturer at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and co-author of Make Just One Change: Teach Students to Ask Their Own Questions (Harvard Education Press: 2011)  and Partnering with Parents to Ask the Right Questions (ASCD: 2016). Dan started his career as a youth worker and organizer in the Katamon Tet neighborhood of Jerusalem, was a Fulbright Scholar in Israel and a post-doctoral fellow and lecturer at Ben-Gurion University. He was also selected as one of The Forward’s 16 over 61 in 2021.

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Betsy Stone
Betsy
Stone

A retired psychologist and engaging speaker, is dedicated to enhancing wellness in families and communities. Her warmth and expertise shine in her work with clergy and congregations, guiding them through the complexities of personal and professional relationships. A scholar-in-residence and leader of impactful webinars, Betsy addresses topics such as trauma, anxiety, grief, and resilience. Teaching across North America and Europe, she bridges psychology and education, offering thoughtful insights on connection, growth, and balance in life’s challenging spaces.

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Jennifer Wallace
Jennifer
Wallace

An award-winning journalist and author of the instant New York Times bestselling book Never Enough: When Achievement Culture Becomes Toxic – and What We Can Do About It.  Her second book Mattering in the Modern World:  A Solution for the Crises of Our Time is based on five years of research and an original global mattering survey.  Wallace is the founder of The Mattering Institute, whose mission is to create cultures of mattering in homes, workplaces, and communities, and co-founder of The Mattering Movement, a nonprofit whose mission is to create cultures of mattering in schools and educational spaces. Wallace is a highly sought-after speaker and has spoken at more than 100 Fortune 500 companies, conferences, non-profits, and schools about mattering.