Back-to-School Prep Week 2024 - Beautifully Complex

done-with-you live workshops

back-to-school prep week

let's prepare for success!

I've learned over the years that there are many preparations that can ease the back-to-school transition and set your neurodivergent kid up for success. But, I'm not going to just tell you what to do… we're going to do the preparations TOGETHER, in real time.

July 22-27, 2024

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We'll prep you, your kid, and their teachers to

stress less and succeed more.

Back-to-school is a stressful time full of unknowns and little to no control — for kids and their parents. In addition, there's a lot of stress and worry and fear when your kid can't simply go to school and do well academically, behaviorally, and socially. It can be traumatic and often comes with feelings of shame and failure.

I want a better experience for you and your kid this school year!

Back-to-School Prep Week will not only result in less stress and worry for your kid, but less stress and worry for you too.

You'll walk away from these workshops with:

a clear, detailed blueprint of your kid's strengths and struggles so you can advocate for and support them proactively and meaningfully.
a focus on where exactly to spend your energy for the greatest impact.
completed introduction letters and goals and accommodations summaries to prep your kid's educators for teaching them.
an action plan to help your child feel less anxious and more settled and confident going into the new school year.
customized routines for smoother mornings and bedtimes, in a format that makes success more achievable for your kid.
a comprehensive shopping list of top organizational and school products, everything needed to create a homework station, and supplies for noticing and celebrating wins.

The transition from summer into a new school year can be extra tough for both neurodivergent kids, and their parents. Let's change that…

the workshops

we're going to get prepped together!

We are taking action TOGETHER! These workshops will empower you to help your kid feel safe by making plans for challenges before they arise, giving them some control, and accommodating their unique learning needs.

ALL LIVE WORKSHOPS INCLUDE A Q&A AT THE END.
Replays available the following day (and forever).

Click here for a pdf of the schedule.

Get Clarity: Go deep on your child’s profile.

LIVE Monday, July 22
12-1 PM EST

with Penny Williams

Go deep on your child’s profile.

Ready to zoom in on your child's unique needs? By completing our child's profile worksheet together, you'll identify your kid’s struggles and strengths to help both you and your child’s teachers know how to best support their lagging skills, learning challenges, and sensory needs, in addition to academics.

By the end of this workshop, you'll have a blueprint of your child’s profile, mapped out and ready to share with teachers, understanding areas of strength and weakness to help your child succeed in all aspects of school.

Map It Out: Identify your kid’s executive function profile.

LIVE Monday, July 22
7-8 PM EST

with Seth Perler, M.Ed.

Identify your kid’s EF profile.

Executive function skills are life skills, imperative for school and life success. If a child of any age struggles with motivation, focus, homework, getting started, follow through, organization, planning, procrastination, distractibility, remembering details, prioritizing the important things, decision making, responsibility, overwhelm, or underachievement, then demystifying “Executive Function” is critical if we want to help. Seth will walk you through the 13 different executive function areas and help you identify present skill levels for your child or teen.

You'll walk away with a list of specific executive function areas where your kid needs more intentional support.

Get Centered: Identify where your energy will have the greatest influence.

LIVE Tuesday, July 23
12-1 PM EST

with Penny Williams

Identify where your energy will have the greatest influence.

We will pinpoint what you can and can’t control among the worries you have about your child, record and put away what you’re going to quit stressing about (at least for now), brainstorm ideas for how you can support your kid creatively, and identify how you can reduce the pressure you put on your kid (and why that’s so important).

You’ll walk away feeling a little lighter, focused on where to spend your energy based on what you can influence/control, and with the permission and ideas to think out of the box on how your kid learns.

Get proven solutions! Up-to-date organizing, time management, &study tools.

LIVE Tuesday, July 23
7-7:45 PM EST

with Leslie Josel

Up-to-date organizing, time management, &study tools.

If you've tried every student organizing product under the sun and nothing has worked for your student, or you're overwhelmed by all the productivity, homework, and study tools out there, then this workshop is for you! Leslie opens the door to the world of student organization and why YOUR organizing strategies don’t always work for YOUR student. Learn Leslie’s favorite products and apps for school organization, learning time management skills, and creating effective study habits.

You’ll walk away with a done-for-you linked resource and shopping list for students all the way through college.

Get Organized: Build your IEP/ 504/ advocacy binder.

LIVE Wednesday, July 24
12-1 PM EST

with Penny Williams

Build your advocacy binder (physical or digital).

Let's get you organized to maximize your advocacy capabilities. I’ll walk you through the sections you should have in your advocacy binder, what to file in each, and we will build it together.

You’ll walk away with a physical or digital binder with all of your school documentation (including 504 plan or IEP) organized for successful advocacy.

Reach Out: Prep your kids’ educator(s) for teaching them.

LIVE Wednesday, July 24
7-8 PM EST

with Penny Williams

Prep your kids’ educator(s) for teaching them.

We’ll use my templates to write your letters to introduce your kid to their teacher(s) and create your 1-page 504 plan/IEP summary so your kid can start the school year off with the support they need.

You’ll walk away with your completed introduction letters and your 1-page 504 or IEP summary, ready to hand to the teacher(s).

Make the unpredictable, predictable: prep your kid for the new school year.

PRE-RECORDED, Releasing Wednesday, July 24, with Penny Williams

Prep your kid for the new school year.

I’m outlining the four steps you’ll take before the first day of school to prepare your child for starting a new school year, including meeting the teacher, a walkthrough, and more.

You’ll walk away with a step-by-step plan to ease the anxiety of a new school year for your kid. After you implement the plan, you and your child will have less anxiety about the new school year.

Get Structure: Make routines like mornings and bedtime a lot easier.

LIVE Thursday, July 25
12-1 PM EST

with Penny Williams

Make routines like mornings and bedtime a lot easier.

My son's morning routine card was by far the most successful checklist/chart we ever tried (most were unsuccessful). I’ll provide the templates and images and we will create your kid's morning and bedtime routine cards together. You can work on making additional routine cards as well.

You’ll walk away with tailored morning and bedtime routine cards to help your kid get everything done and to improve the morning and bedtime experiences for your household.

Foster Confidence: Give your child a sense of agency and control.

LIVE Thursday, July 25
7-7:45 PM EST

with Sarah Wayland, Ph.D.

Give your child a sense of agency and control.

Kids often feel overwhelmed by the demands adults make of them. To help them feel competent to solve problems and do what needs to be done, we need to give them experiences that are hard, but not too hard. In this workshop you'll learn a process to keep kids learning at their edge of competence, so they feel empowered to do hard things.

You’ll walk away with a plan for an activity to do with your kid that will be fun and engaging — providing an opportunity for your child to learn and grow, and to feel great while they do it.

Reinforce: Create systems to help kids feel seen, heard, and understood.

PRE-RECORDED, Releasing Thursday, July 25, with Penny Williams

Create systems for noticing small wins and successes.

Kids who feel truly seen, heard, understood, and accepted for who they are and what they need feel SAFE. And, when kids feel safe, their brains are available to learn, tasks become more doable, and they're willing to push through discomfort and take risks. A great way to help with this is to notice and celebrate wins and success, no matter how small. I’ll provide a list of ideas and examples for you to create things like lunchbox notes, a gratitude jar, and more.

You’ll walk away with some great ideas and a shopping list for items used to create notes and other systems to help your kid feel, seen, heard, understood, and valued.

Mitigate Distractions: Create a homework station.

LIVE Friday, July 26
12-1 PM EST

with Penny Williams

Create a homework station.

Kids can find lots of ways to procrastinate with homework, including looking for supplies. A homework station resolves that. I’ll share my ideas and best practices on what to include in your homework station and you’ll plan your child’s as we go. Then you’ll just purchase what’s on your list.

You’ll walk away with a shopping list for your family’s homework station and ideas for using creativity to support areas of weakness for homework success.

Boost Wellness: Create a back-to-school blueprint for your teen.

LIVE Friday, July 26
7-8 PM EST

with Kristi Simons

Create a back-to-school blueprint for your teen.

Get empowered to create a personalized blueprint for the upcoming school year, focusing on how you want to feel and the actions you can take to support your teen's mental well-being and growth. Through a guided mind mapping activity, you’ll identify desired feelings, establish supportive routines and habits, set boundaries, build a support network, and develop a self-care plan. There is a pre-recorded companion workshop for your teen too.

By the end of the workshop, you’ll have a tangible blueprint to empower your teen toward a fulfilling and successful school year. (And knowing how to create one with your TEEN as well.)

TEENS: Create your back-to-school blueprint (B2SB).

PRE-RECORDED, Releasing Friday, July 26, with Kristi Simons

TEENS: Create your back-to-school blueprint (B2SB).

FOR YOUR TEEN: This workshop will empower teens to create a personalized blueprint for the upcoming school year, focusing on how they want to feel and the actions they can take to support their mental well-being and growth. Through a guided mind mapping activity, participants will identify their desired feelings, establish supportive routines and habits, set boundaries, build a support network, and develop a self-care plan.

By the end of the workshop, each teen will have a tangible blueprint to guide them towards a fulfilling and successful school year.

Make It Simple! Create menus for breakfasts, lunches, and snacks.

LIVE Saturday, July 27
4-4:45 PM EST

with Penny Williams

Create menus for breakfasts, lunches, and snacks to avoid decision overwhelm.

We’re going to swap ideas on meals, snacks, and good on-the-go foods for busy families and you’ll create menus for your child to choose from each day during the workshop.

You’ll walk away with completed “menus” for breakfasts, lunches, and snacks, as well as some new and creative ideas from other parents in the group.

Connect! Virtual Wrap-Up Q&A and Community Gathering

LIVE Saturday, July 27
5-6 PM EST

Virtual Wrap-Up Q&A and Community Gathering

Feeling less alone is enormously powerful! This Zoom gathering will give you a chance to ask questions about what you’ve learned throughout the week, as well as gain community and connection with other parents who have similar struggles in their parenting.

We will learn, laugh, and maybe even cry, together.

“I implemented some of the strategies you suggested, Penny… OMG!!! The dynamic is COMPLETELY different, in just a few days. And you're right, it is all about how I approach everything.”

Vickie

“You are the first of all the people we've sought help from that we’ve really connected with and that really ‘gets it.' Thank you for your openness and mindfulness.”

Maureen

“I still actively reference my notes from the coaching program I did with Penny years ago — the content was great and so helpful — it will last me a lifetime.”

Stephanie

Grab hold of this lifeline.

Join Me for Back-to-School Prep Week

Here's what you get:

11 live, done-with you workshops, 2 pre-recorded workshops for parents and 1 for teens, and a wrap-up Q&A, all with forever access to the replays
a companion workbook that includes every activity we will complete and checklist we will create
linked up shopping lists we will fine tune for your kid's individual needs
templates and images to make routine cards
templates for letters to teachers, IEP/504 summaries, and parent concerns letters
visual supports to use at home and share with teachers
child's profile and executive function assessments

PLUS! I'm giving one participant a complete homework station valued at over $300!

Just $47 USD

(a $325 VALUE)

Hi! I'm Penny.

Your school struggles coach.

My kid used to get so excited about the first day of a new school year. Novelty got his brain spinning fast and his body amped up. He'd bounce in the door and skip down the hall, flashing his big toothy smile at everyone.

But, the bounding joy he brought with him was often viewed as potential trouble at school, and they'd start from the moment they met him assuming his energy and distractibility would only cause problems.

It felt like they were trying to crush his spirit before they even got to know him.

I remember walking him to the classroom the first day of kindergarten and a teacher stopping him and saying, “Stop skipping! We walk calmly in the halls at school.”

Then, my kid's kindergarten teacher called me in for a meeting on the second day of school. The 2nd day!

I figured I was going to get a talking-to about my kid's boundless energy, and I certainly did. Through gritted teeth she let me know that my kid was “wreaking havoc on her classroom” by not being still and quiet and compliant.

We didn't yet realize that he had ADHD or any other learning disabilities, so I just sent him to school like everyone else. I couldn't prep for what I didn't yet know. And that lack of preparation bit me in the ass repeatedly. Kindergarten was one of the toughest years of his entire school career.

Once we got a diagnosis, I began to learn how to prep myself, prep my kid, and prep his teachers before the school year started, so we could all stress less and succeed more.

That's exactly what we're going to do during this BACK-TO-SCHOOL PREP WEEK: we're going to make most of the preparations for a successful transition into a new school year together.

here's the secret...

Kids need to feel seen, heard, and understood to succeed.