Events feature Dr. Chaye Lamm Warburg, Dr. Rona Novick and Dr. David Pelcovitz

Dr. Chaye Lamm Warburg, director of Teaneck’s Pediatric Occupational Therapy Services, will be one of this year’s presenters as part of the Hidden Sparks Without Walls webinar series for parents and teachers. Dr. Lamm Warburg knows how keen both parents and teachers are to better understand the needs of children with sensory integration issues. “If children get too much or too little stimulation, their behavior can be altered,” she says, which is why, after the strong reception to her webinar last year that focused on sensory strategies for the home, she will be presenting a parallel presentation for teachers in this year’s series.

Hidden Sparks, a non-profit that offers professional development opportunities for yeshiva and day school-based educators, provides educational opportunities to parents as well as teachers through the Hidden Sparks Without Walls (HSWOW) webinar series. To date, over 70 webinars have been hosted, all of which are currently archived and available for viewing on the Hidden Sparks Website.

For Debbie Niderberg, executive director of Hidden Sparks, the drive to provide programming for parents across the country has been a major impetus for HSWOW, “The HSWOW program has enabled us to bring fantastic presenters and important subject matter to parents and teachers in Jewish day schools across North America—from the large urban centers to the small, underserved communities. Enhancing the understanding of learning and behavior for teachers and parents is core to our mission of helping children, and this webinar format is so easy, accessible and valuable. Says a local parent and educator, Racheli T., “Hidden Sparks’ webinars cover topics that are really geared to what I need to learn as a parent of elementary school children. [For example] I have gained so much insight into how to work one-on-one with my child to improve his reading skills and how to target his exact difficulties.”

This year’s presentations feature speakers such Dr. David Pelcovitz, presenting on “Balancing Love and Limits With Your Teen,” as well as experts in the fields of attention, dyslexia and math education. According to Racheli, “I have not found an organization which provides such easy access to relevant topics. There are some free seminars online but they make it difficult to access and often the topics are presented in a boring manner. The Hidden Sparks webinars are easy to access, interactive, engaging and relevant.”

Registration has opened on the Hidden Sparks website for this year’s kick-off webinar to be presented at the end of October by Dr. Rona Novick, dean of the Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education and Administration at Yeshiva University and a co-educational director of Hidden Sparks. Dr. Novick will be speaking to teachers on the topic of “Teaching Teens: What Every Educator Should Know About the Adolescent Mind, Body and Soul” with the goal of helping educators develop an understanding of adolescent development, an appreciation for teens’ approach to learning, their belief systems, their notions about rules and authority, and their passion for meaning and belonging, so they can increase the effectiveness of their teaching. Later in the spring she will be speaking to both parents and teachers on cultivating gratitude in children in today’s culture of entitlement and privilege.

Hidden Sparks Without Walls Webinars 2015-16. Teacher Series and Parent Connection

Past webinars for parents and teachers are archived on the Hidden Sparks website HiddenSparks.org and are accessible through a link on the homepage, where parents and teachers can also add themselves to the Hidden Sparks mailing list and find out more about Hidden Sparks programs. For more information, please contact Sara Diament, Director of School Services at [email protected].