Back-to-School Prep Week 2024 - Beautifully Complex

done-with-you workshops

Back-to-School Prep

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.

July 22-27, 2024

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Transform back-to-school in just a few days

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!

The Back-to-School Prep workshops 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 WORKSHOPS ARE ON-DEMAND & AVAILABLE IMMEDIATELY.

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

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, 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, 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.

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 kid 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, including where they need support.

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

with Penny Williams

Identify where your energy has the most 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 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.

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 kid, 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.

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

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.

with Penny Williams

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

You’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 summary, ready to hand to the teacher(s).

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

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 practice 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.

with Penny Williams

Make routines 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’ll walk away with tailored morning and bedtime routine cards to help your kid get things done.

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

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 provides an opportunity for your child to learn and grow.

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

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.

Mitigate Distractions: Create a homework station.

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 just have to purchase what’s on your list.

Boost Wellness: Parents! Create your back-to-school blueprint.

with Kristi Simons

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

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 own mental and emotional well-being. Through a guided mind mapping activity, you’ll identify desired feelings, establish supportive routines and habits, set boundaries, and develop a self-care plan.

At the end of the workshop, you’ll have a tangible blueprint for your mental wellness. (And know how to create one with your TEEN.)

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

with Kristi Simons

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

FOR YOUR TWEEN/TEEN: This workshop will empower tweens/ 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, they will identify their desired feelings, establish supportive routines and habits, set boundaries, build a support network, and develop a self-care plan.

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

with Penny Williams

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

Decisions can overwhelm kids, especially when there are unlimited options. We’re going to create decision cards/menus from templates I designed and get ideas from other parents for meals, snacks, and good on-the-go foods for busy families.

You’ll walk away with decision cards for meals and snacks, as well as some new and creative ideas from other parents.

Miranda FEELS MORE AT EASE

“This was exactly what we needed to prepare for a big transition.”

As we prepare for our son to enter public school, this was exactly what we needed to help us feel ready for such a big transition. I feel so much more at ease, and I know that feeling will help our son feel more at ease also! Each session was so practical, and I appreciated that we could work along with you and come out of the sessions with ready-to-go materials. I am certain that the resources you shared will serve us for many years to come.

Tracy D. WALKED AWAY WITH AN ACTION PLAN

“The action is built right into the workshop!”

This week of learning with hands-on activities was beyond helpful! Each workshop was specific with concrete and actionable information that I was able to use during/after the workshop. With Back-to-School Prep, the workshops are specific and I learned to take action (not just absorb information) and the action is built right into the workshop! After each workshop, not only did I have useful and practical information, but I learned concrete steps to put that information into action! This week of workshops and activities was truly an invaluable way to get this school year off to a fabulous start!

Grab hold of this lifeline.

Get the Back-to-School Prep Workshops

Here's what you get:

14 on-demand, done-with you workshops and a Q&A replay, all with forever access
a companion workbook that includes every activity you'll complete and checklist you'll create
linked up shopping lists you'll fine tune for your kid's individual needs
templates and images to make routine and decision 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

Just $67 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 you're going to do during the BACK-TO-SCHOOL PREP WORKSHOPS: you're going to make most of the preparations for a successful transition into a new school year… step-by-step.

Hi! I'm Penny.

Your school struggles coach.

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!

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 you're going to do during the BACK-TO-SCHOOL PREP WORKSHOPS: you're going to make most of the preparations for a successful transition into a new school year… step-by-step.

here's the secret...

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