AISNE Parent Series Webinars

Through ASINE (Association of Independent Schools in New England), all members of the GUS community now have access to a series of six one-hour webinars for independent school parents and guardians. Each session is designed to offer practical insights, encouragement, and meaningful guidance—supporting families while nurturing their child’s growth and wellbeing. Details of each webinar and instructions for registration are below.

If you are unable to attend a webinar, a recording of each will be available one hour after the live webinar. You must register to access the recordings.

WEBINAR I

September 29, 2026 | 7:30 – 8:30 PM | Recording available until December 31, 2026
School Readiness: Executive Function Needed to “Do School”
Presented by: Sarah Ward, M.S., CCC/SLP
As school begins, we focus on giving students the right tools—planners, folders, schedules, and routines—to set them up for success. What if these tools aren’t the starting point? What if they depend on executive function skills that many students are still developing? We will shift from tools to the underlying skills students need to successfully “do school.” Gain a deeper understanding of executive function skills—such a working memory, time awareness, task initiation, and organization—and why challenges in these areas can make even the best systems fall apart. Explore how everyday school demands—getting out the door with materials, recording and completing homework, managing time across the day, and following through independently—require more than just reminders and checklists. Learn strategies to help start the school year strong.

WEBINAR II

December 1, 2026 | 7:30 – 8:30 PM | Recording available until March 1, 2027
The Power of Beliefs: How Strengthening Seven Core Beliefs Predicts Greater Success & A Better Life
Presented by: Shawn Achor
A great predictor of future educational performance is the beliefs that a student holds about the world. Beliefs change the math about what is possible and probable, whether it’s making a team, getting accepted to a great school, or thriving with ADHD. By changing the math, beliefs change our path. Parents can actively shape those beliefs in ways that measurably increase student resilience, happiness, and long-term success, and Achor will reveal the seven core beliefs that predict educational outcomes and wellbeing. Gain practical tools to help kids strengthen the most predictive core beliefs like “I am not alone,” “My behavior matters,” “I have something to give,” and “I matter” and leave with strategies that can rewire how children see themselves and their world. Learn how to improve your child’s emotional immune system, especially in the midst of social media and technology. Beliefs about ourselves, our children, our work and our world don’t just reflect reality. Beliefs bend our future reality. Same world. Different beliefs. Different outcomes.

WEBINAR III

January 13, 2027 | 7:30 – 8:30 PM | Recording available until June 30, 2027
The Family Guide to Screen/Life Balance: What to Do About Tech & Kids
Presented by: Catherine Price
For many parents and educators, fights over screen time seem like an inevitable part of raising kids. But what if it didn’t have to be this way? What if it were possible to transform these conflicts into conversations, and work on better screen habits with our children and students, instead of engaging in endless battles against them? Drawing from a decade’s worth of work—as well as her bestselling books How to Break Up With Your Phone, The Power of Fun, and The Amazing Generation (co-authored with Jonathan Haidt)—Price will reveal why it’s essential to rethink our approach to kids and screens, and will offer a fresh and empowering perspective on how we can talk with our kids instead of at them. She’ll discuss strategies for how to inspire kids to choose to delay smartphones and social media, rethink their relationships with devices, create better boundaries with technology, and prioritize real-life friendships, skills, and experiences. She’ll also address newer challenges, including AI and chatbots, and offer ways to help our children—and ourselves—create healthier relationships with technology and build lives full of real friendship, freedom, and fun.

WEBINAR IV

February 9, 2027 | 7:30 – 8:30 PM | Recording available until June 30, 2027
Protecting Your Child in the Age of Deepfakes
Presented by: Evan Harris
Deepfake technology is no longer a future concern. Students are encountering AI-generated scams, manipulated media, and abuse through the apps, games, and platforms they use every day. Most parents know the term but aren’t sure what it means for their family or what to do about it. Walk through the deepfake landscape in plain language: what these tools can do, where children are most exposed, and what the new federal law means for families. Learn how to recognize warning signs that a child may be targeted, how to have age-appropriate conversations about online manipulation, and what steps to take if an incident occurs. Leave with a framework for ongoing conversations with your children, a clear response plan, and the confidence that comes from understanding what they’re dealing with. The single most protective thing a parent can do is make sure their child knows they can come to them without fear of judgement.

WEBINAR V

April 8, 2027 | 7:30 – 8:30 PM | Recording available until June 30, 2027
How Temperament Shapes Who We Become: Why Some Children Need More than Others to Flourish
Presented by: Aliza Pressman, PhD
What if the traits that make a child more sensitive to stress are the very same traits that allow them to flourish most powerfully in the right environment? Every child is born with a nervous system uniquely wired to experience the world. Some children feel everything deeply, process intensely, and require specific conditions to thrive. Others are more adaptable, flexible, seemingly unfazed. And most fall somewhere in between. Yet, too often, we parent toward an imagined “average child”—one that doesn’t exist. Drawing on research and science around temperament, Pressman offers a clarifying lens: the goal is not to toughen children up or shield them from all stress—but to understand which stress builds resilience, which requires support, and which demands protection. This session challenges two common but costly parenting extremes—dismissing children’s experiences on one end and over-accommodating on the other. Gain a practical, science-backed approach to raising children who feel seen, understood, and capable. Because when children are known for who they truly are, they stop trying to be someone else and start becoming, fully and confidently, themselves.

WEBINAR VI

May 4, 2027 | 7:30 – 8:30 PM | Recording available until June 30, 2027
The Power of One
Presented by: John O’Leary
Playing with fire and gasoline at nine years old, O’Leary created a massive explosion in his garage and was burned on 100% of his body. Given less than a 1% chance of survival, O’Leary is proof of the power of the human spirit. His unlikely recovery meant a journey of pain and loss that could have easily been insurmountable. Far from simply enduring tragedy, he became a luminous example of thriving through adversity. And surprisingly, this “survivor” story isn’t focused on O’Leary—rather, it is a celebration of heroes who intimately supported him and his family. Every individual involved in this fire teaches us this truth: one person can make a profound difference in the lives of others. Using emotional storytelling and unexpected humor to highlight the powerful role parents and caregivers play in shaping resilience, perspective, and hope in their children; he reminds us that the impact of our daily attitudes, the power of gratitude, and what it looks like to model courage and compassion—reinforcing that even small, intentional moments of connection can leave a lasting imprint on the lives of our kids. Reawaken a sense of purpose—both in parenting and beyond—that what we do everyday matters.