RCPS Community Partner Cafe

What can parents and caregivers do to help students enhance their cognitive abilities? Although learning about the brain can be complex, the steps parents and caregivers can take to help with cognitive development can be quite simple.

RCPS school psychologist Dr. Phil Wickline shares with host Donna DeLisle about cognitive functioning, developing background knowledge, inspiring creativity, and considering the impact of technology. Donna and Phil discuss what parents can do to help support optimal cognitive abilities and brain development for their children. Phil also shares about the role anxiety can play when it comes to learning and shares simple steps parents can take to help kids manage anxiety.

What will the first one hundred days look like with the new RCPS superintendent, Dr. Larry Shifflett? In episode 5 of RCPS Community Partner Café, your host Katie LaPira talks with Dr. Shifflett about his plans for the first one hundred days in his time as the new superintendent of Rockingham County Public Schools.

More information about the plan can be found at https://www.rcps.net/en-US/superintendent-e41f0da9.

Do you know the role of school nurses and the vital role they play within our school communities? 

Listen in to hear helpful tips for maintaining strong communication with school nurses and the larger medical community. Check out the practical advice about when to keep children home from school and when to send them back as well as how to handle yearly appointments and physicals for sports. 

Do you know what services are available to your student with an IEP or a 504 plan? Do you know how to get support for a student who could qualify for special services but has not yet been assessed?

What do you know about how public education came to the United States? In this episode, Donna Delisle talks with RCPS Social Studies Supervisor Beau Dickenson about the history of public education in the US and specifically in Virginia. With a grounding in major historical events, historian Beau Dickenson reflects on the beginning of American public education, how it has evolved, and how it looks today going into the future. 

As Beau shares in the episode, Rockingham County Public Schools were founded in 1876 as a result of changing legislation as Virginia rejoined the Union. Beau talks about the progression of public education, in the US and specifically in Virginia, beginning with the founding of the United States and moving through the Civil Rights era continuing into present day. 

Be sure to check out this fascinating episode where Donna and Beau reflect on the power of public education in Virginia. 

Are you looking for ways to better support your child? In this episode, Katie LaPira, RCPS Coordinator of Community Engagement, talks with RCPS social workers including Donna Delisle, Ashlea Link, and Alexis Dovel, who share about specific challenges for each age group and what you as parents and guardians can do to best support your children as they grow and develop socially and emotionally.

Listen in to hear these tips about friend groups, social media, email etiquette, and other common struggles that your child may be facing. 

Listen to the RCPS Community Partner Café with your host Katie LaPira of Rockingham County Public Schools in Virginia.

As Katie shares in the trailer, this podcast focuses on achieving the RCPS mission to empower all learners through conversations with guests who work within the RCPS schools and community. Subscribe to stay current and to hear new episodes.