Academics
Student Support Services

Parent Resources

Welcome

The Dwight Englewood School supports a community of learners and an atmosphere to facilitate communication amongst parents, faculty and staff in order to help our children grow and thrive. D-E,  in collaboration with the D-E Parents' Association (PA) www.d-e.org/pa, strives to provide resources to help parents navigate the ups, downs and various twists in the developmental pathways of our children. There is no one size fits all formula and there is no right or wrong way. In addition, the members of the Student Support Team are always available to support your child and family.

The websites noted below have been selected by the D-E Leadership Team and Student Support Team, Social Emotional Learning, DEIB, Technology and other departments, to represent a range of topics and resources that may aide families.

Suggested Resources from the NAIS

The below links have been curated from resources provided by the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS). 

GENERAL PARENTING RESOURCES

List of 7 items.

HEALTH AND WELLNESS

List of 3 items.

INTERNET USE AND SAFETY

List of 2 items.

ELECTION PREPAREDNESS

List of 3 items.

LEARNING DIFFERENCES

List of 2 items.

MENTAL HEALTH

List of 3 items.

RECOMMENDED BOOKS:

List of 14 items.

Sexuality Education: Deborah Roffman Workshop Follow-Ups

List of 3 items.

SUBSTANCE USE

List of 2 items.

TRANSITION TO COLLEGE

List of 2 items.

D-E "Digital Wellness"

During a Digital Wellness Event on Monday, September 23, 2024, hosted by the PA Parent Education Committee and Dwight-Englewood School leaders, D-E parents learned how to foster healthy habits with their kids regarding technology use. Presenters included D-E’s Chief Innovation Officer, Diana Gross; Interim Head of School Preeti Fibiger; Dr. Deirdre O’Malley, Director of Counseling Services; Lisa Wittner, Director of Social Emotional Learning; Middle/Upper School Innovation Coordinator Colleen Larionoff; and Student Leader Georgia Unger ’25. All D-E parents/guardians are welcome to check out our "Digital Wellness" page on our Parent Resources Board. (Note that this is restricted to D-E parents/guardians; LogIn to MyD-E is required to view! For MyD-E LogIn help, please email help@d-e.org).

A Look Back: Max Stossel on "Social Media & Your Kids" - May 8, 2024

D-E welcomed Max Stossel, CEO of Social Awakening, for a series of discussions and presentations for both students in Grades 5-12 and parents/guardians. 

D-E Parents/guardians can view Max's "Social Media & Your Kids" PPT presentation on our Parent Resource Board; please click here. (Note: MyD-E Log-In is required to view.) 

Learn more about Social Awakening.org: click here

Resources from "This is So Awkward" Book Talk Parent Ed. Zoom Event



In November 2023, D-E Parent Ed. was excited to welcome Dr. Cara Natterson and Vanessa Kroll Bennett, co-authors of the best-selling book "This is So Awkward: Modern Puberty Explained", for a Zoom (virtual) event with our parents and guardians and faculty/staff. 

Here are additional resources now  available and suggested by Dr. Natterson and Ms. Kroll Bennett 
 
"This is So Awkward" Book Club Kit (PDF): Click here to view/download!

Listen to The Puberty Podcast, an epicenter of information about puberty and adolescence.

Subscribe to the Authors' newsletter, The Awkward Roller Coaster, a weekly email missive covering the latest news about tweens and teens.

Link to the Resources We ❤️, a growing list of the very best books, videos, and websites (for both adults and kids), organized by topic and covering every corner of growing up.

A Look Back... Parent Ed. presents Signe Darpinian

In October 2023, we were excited to offer a Zoom virtual event to D-E families, friends, and faculty/staff, featuring Signe Darpinian, LFMT, CEDS. Ms. Darpinian spoke on the topic of "Building a Peaceful Relationship with Food & Body: What Parents Need to Know." 

Worth A Read (& Suggested by Ms. Darpinian)!: 
"The Sticky Topic of Halloween Candy" from Ellyn Satter Institute: Click here. 

Click here for additional, timely resources suggested by Ms. Darpinian!
"Taking Care of Ourselves When News is Scary"
October 2023 

When a global crisis occurs, we can be bombarded with news and images that can be very upsetting and can even affect our mental health. Here are a few strategies that can help: 
  • Today’s global crises are different than ever in that images from war and tragedy are immediately available to people all over the world. Live streams and pictures can come up on your social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram, and can be deeply disturbing. Consider blocking accounts or news organizations that might share these images, or even try staying off these apps all together for a while.
  • Try to limit the amount of news you consume in a day, and trust that you can stay informed about a situation even if you aren’t constantly checking for updates.
  • Talk to people you trust in real life to process information. The act of communicating about what upsets us helps us cope. (It’s science!) And conversations in person help us process information in a healthier way than when we communicate online. 
We are always here if you want to talk. 

Sincerely, 
Dr. Dierdre O'Malley and Dr. Vanessa Vitiello
D-E Counseling Services / Student Support Services Team 
Back-to-School Butterflies:  An Opportunity to Reframe Anxiety 
by Dr. Dierdre O'Malley, Director of Counseling Services 

September 2023

During the opening days of school, the energy in the air was palpable. Students, faculty and parents alike were feeling the back-to-school jitters, some of us experiencing butterflies in our stomachs and a couple of restless nights. Certainly, many of us wish these feelings would just go away. Anxiety can be deeply uncomfortable and at its worst can make us feel miserable, emotionally and physically. 

But, as I often ask my students, what would happen to us if anxiety didn’t exist? At first, many students sigh and smile and describe what an idyllic world that would be. But with some thought, they realize that they probably wouldn't have gotten up out of bed when the alarm rang that morning, they certainly wouldn’t be prepping for a history exam and they might have been injured on their last bike ride. 

Anxiety gives us essential signals about how to keep ourselves safe, and can help us move smartly and quickly. It motivates us to do things that are important and concentrates our focus. We can think of emotional stress like the physical stress that happens to our bodies when we exercise; it’s something that can be temporarily uncomfortable, but can also greatly improve our functioning. When we think back to the first days of school, our anxieties probably helped us tune into what was most important to know and helped us be alert enough to navigate all of the newness. 

I often have students imagine their anxious feelings as a wave - one that rises, but inevitably falls. We have never experienced an emotion that didn’t end. By the second week of school, the most intense nervousness has typically started to soften. I like to have students reflect back on what they were worried about the week before. How long did it last and how did they get through it? What can we learn from that experience that can help us the next time we feel stressed? 

Of course, just like with physical exercise, rest and recovery are essential for staying healthy and preventing harm. As we all fill in our calendars with after-school activities and obligations, let’s be serious about leaving room for downtime and recuperation. Giving teens time to just be can be crucial to making sure the stress they experience at school remains at a healthy level. Guarding sleep and downtime can be hard but are key to mental health. 

By viewing our anxious feelings as both helpful and temporary, and ensuring we get rest and take breaks, we can all be in a better position to endure and manage feelings of worry and stress. 

If you have concerns about your child’s level of worry, consider reaching out to myself or Vanessa Vitiello, Ph.D. here at D-E.
Mailing Address: 315 East Palisade Avenue Englewood, NJ 07631
gps: 81 Lincoln Street, Englewood, NJ 07631
201-569-9500 Email: d-e@d-e.org
Located in Englewood, New Jersey, Dwight-Englewood is a greater New York City area private school with a rigorous college prep curriculum for boys and girls in preschool through grade 12.