Eastern Middle School Presents
"The Amazing Tween Years"

 

The Amazing Tween Years is a PTA committee dedicated to helping parents better understand and support their children through the rapid changes of the tween and early-teen years. Through expert speakers, discussions, and other parent-enrichment programs, we explore topics such as emotional and social development, communication, stress, anxiety, and the changing parent-child relationship. Our goal is to give parents practical insight and tools to help us navigate these years with greater confidence and connection.

 

Last year, we hosted a virtual evening with renowned psychologist and author Dr. Lisa Damour. She answered parents’ questions and shared practical, reassuring guidance about raising middle-schoolers. The program was hosted by the EMS PTA, with families from WMS and CMS also invited to participate. It was a wonderful example of what the Amazing Tween Years committee can bring to our parent community.

 

  

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Past Events 2025-2026

Eastern Middle School PTA Presents:
New York Times Bestselling Author Dr. Lisa Damour

Parents were invited to join an inspiring conversation with three-time New York Times bestselling author, podcaster, and thought leader Dr. Lisa Damour, who helped participants understand and build better relationships with their middle-school-aged children. Dr. Damour covered topics such as:

Where’s the line between typical adolescent angst and
a serious mental health concern? 

 

What can be done at home to support adolescent mental health and
help teens safely weather their emotional storms?

Here is a recording of the presentation
 
 

Information about Dr. Lisa Damour

Three-time New York Times bestselling author, podcaster, and thought leader Dr. Lisa Damour is known for her critically acclaimed books Untangled, Under Pressure, and The Emotional Lives of Teenagers, which have been translated into twenty-three languages.

 

She co-hosts the Ask Lisa podcast, works in collaboration with UNICEF, and is recognized as a thought leader by the American Psychological Association. Dr. Damour is a regular contributor to The New York Times and CBS News and the creator of Untangling 10to20, a digital library of premium content to support teens and those who care for them.

 

Dr. Damour’s compassionate and actionable talks on adult mental health, managing anxiety and chronic stress, cultivating well-being, family life, and more have positively impacted audiences worldwide.

 

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Past Events 2024-2025

Speaker Presentation: 'Connection between Belonging and Identity' on 12th Nov 2024 at 9 a.m. in Large Cafeteria

 

Our first presentation in the series for this school year was a presentation by Dr. Christopher Bogart, PhD Co-Executive Director of Sasco River Center. We discussed Belonging and Identity in depth.

 

Humans are wired for belonging, and a strong sense of connection is key for children's identity and emotional development. Dr. Bogart discussed how adults can support belonging across diverse identities, which helps build compassion, empathy, and resilience in children.

 

Here is a recording of the presentation.

(Please note the first few minutes are missing)

 

 

Speaker Presentation: 'The Impact of Parenting Styles on Child Development' on 4th Feb 2025 at 9 a.m. in Large Cafeteria

 

Our Second presentation in the series for this school year was a presentation by Dr. Christopher Bogart, PhD Co-Executive Director of Sasco River Center and Family Therapist, Carrie Ross. Participants will leave with a deeper understanding of how parenting approaches can impact resilience, self-esteem, and success in various life domains.

 

Parenting our children has been described by many as the most fulfilling yet challenging "job" that a person can accept. The presenters shared information that we hope will help reduce our stress by using research-based information that points to the places a parent's actions can have the greatest impact on our children's development.  

 

Here is a recording of the presentation.

 

 

Parent Roundtable: Belonging and Identity in Large Cafeteria

20th Nov 2024 at 9 a.m. in Large Cafeteria

In our first Parent Roundtable, we further discussed the topics raised about Belonging and Identity. Ms Meghan Moore & Mr Guarino moderated the parent roundtable.

 

 

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Past Events 2023-2024

 

Parent Roundtable: Social Media in Large Cafeteria

25th April 2024 at 9 a.m. in Large Cafeteria

Our third Parent Roundtable will further discuss the topics raised about Social Media and our Tweens and develop a personalized summary of your own key takeaways and any actions you may want to implement with your tweens. Coffee will be provided. 

 

The parent roundtable will be moderated by Mr. Marc Guarino, Principal & Mr. Anthony Duncan, Assistant Principal, and Loren Rubino of Sasco River Center.

 

 

Speaker Presentation: Social Media and Our Tweens on 9th April 2024 at 9 a.m. in Large Cafeteria

 

Our fourth presentation in the series for this school year will be a presentation by Dr. Christopher Bogart, PhD Co-Executive Director of Sasco River Center. This time we will be digging into Social Media questions in depth.

 

This presentation will focus on the cognitive and affective impacts of screen time, and research findings on the impact/effects of alternative reality, cyberbullying, and addiction to social media on our children's development and parenting tools.

 

Speaker Presentation: Executive Functioning -Skills for Life and Learning on 6th February 2024 at 9 a.m

 

Our third presentation in the series was a presentation by Dr. Christopher Bogart, Ph.D. Co-Executive Director of Sasco River Center.

 

This presentation provided parents with an overview of what executive functions are, their developmental progression and impact on our children's affective and cognitive growth, skills needed to "execute", parent strategies and tools to support and develop executive functions, parenting tools, and research and literature for further reading.

 

 

Parent Roundtable: Executive Functioning led by Mr. Anthony Pavia, our seventh-grade counselor. Mr Pavia discussed the tips and activities to promote executive functioning skills in our tweens and the measures taken at EMS. It included a fun game and helpful tips! Here is his presentation.

 

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