Parent Education Series

The Saint Thomas' School Board and Advancement Office present a virtual parent education series for our current parents, prospective parents, church members, and alumni. Additional presentations will be scheduled throughout the school year.

2020-2021 Presentations

The end of school is near, which means parents everywhere are making summer plans for their students. Whether half-day or full-day activities are what you need, we’ve got you covered. Come learn about STE enrichment programs through Rice University’s School Mathematics Project, as well as our summer camp partner, KidVenture. Also hear from Houston Moms Blog about what you can expect from some of the best summer camps in and around Houston.

CAMPUS MOVE-IN PLANS

Wednesday, March 31, 2021
Presented by: Roger Herrscher and Mike Cusack, Headmaster, Saint Thomas' Episcopal School

Join us for a live and informative webinar to learn about move-in plans for our new campus, opening fall 2021. We will discuss what students can expect from the new campus, what changes you can anticipate, and when the move will occur. Come with your questions!

BOOK ADVENTURES

Thursday, February 11, 2021
Presented by: Erika Grove, Head Librarian, Saint Thomas' Episcopal School

Want to know what books your students should be reading this year? Join our Head Librarian, Erika Grove, on a book adventure and explore the books that will be available at this year’s virtual Book Fair. Because reading is fun and educational, Mrs. Grove will explore a variety of books, ranging from classics, to new titles, to best sellers, and everything in between. Learn more about the books your students are reading and get recommendations on what to purchase at this year’s exciting virtual Book Fair!

RETHINKING THE RESUMÉ FOR COLLEGE APPLICATIONS

Wednesday, January 27, 2021
Presented by: Nathan Barber, Director of Guidance and College Counseling, Saint Thomas' Episcopal School

Is the resumé an important piece of the college application? Absolutely. However, pressure to fill a resumé — either real or imagined — should not be the driving force behind the extracurricular activities a student chooses during high school.

STE’s Director of Guidance and College Counseling, Nathan Barber, shares valuable insight on rethinking the resumé for college applications. In this information session, he shares strategies to help you support your student in making choices that, first and foremost, will enrich his or her high school experience and, secondarily, demonstrate meaningful engagement to college admissions committees.

Professor and author Dr. Louis Markos discusses the Benefits of a Classical Education. In addition to arguing that a classical education instills necessary skills and improves critical thinking, this talk will show how such an education is an ideal training ground for shaping virtuous, morally self-regulating citizens who possess an ennobled but realistic view of man and a unified vision of the good, the true, and the beautiful. 

Louis Markos holds a BA in English and History from Colgate University and an MA and PhD in English from the University of Michigan. He is a Professor of English and Scholar in Residence at Houston Baptist University, where he holds the Robert H. Ray Chair in Humanities and teaches courses on British Romantic and Victorian Poetry and Prose, the Greek and Roman Classics, C. S. Lewis, and J. R. R. Tolkien. He is the author of twenty books, including The Myth Made Fact: Reading Greek and Roman Mythology through Christian Eyes, Ancient Voices: An Insider’s Look at Classical Greece, On the Shoulders of Hobbits: The Road to Virtue with Tolkien and Lewis, Apologetics for the Twenty First Century, From Achilles to Christ: Why Christians Should Read the Pagan Classics, Lewis Agonistes: How C. S. Lewis can Train us to Wrestle with the Modern and Postmodern World, Atheism on Trial, and The Dreaming Stone and In the Shadow of Troy, children’s novels in which his kids become part of Greek Mythology and the Iliad and Odyssey. 

He has produced two lecture series on C. S. Lewis and literary theory with The Teaching Company/Great Courses, published 300 book chapters, essays, and reviews, given well over 300 public lectures in some two dozen states as well as Rome, Oxford, and British Columbia, and had his adaptations of The Iphigenia in Tauris of Euripides, The Helen of Euripides, and The Electra of Sophocles performed off-Broadway. He is committed to the concept of the Professor as Public Educator and believes that knowledge must not be walled up in the Academy but must be disseminated to all who have ears to hear. Visit his Amazon author page at amazon.com/author/louismarkos.

Bay Area Alliance for Youth & Families presents a brief overview of current challenges facing kids in the Houston area. The discussion will include vaping, marijuana, prescription drugs and more as well as give you a peek into a teenage bedroom. You will also learn about strategies for helping your kids navigate the dangers of drugs and alcohol. We hope to leave parents with tools to empower them to combat the challenges facing our kids today. 

Presenter Amanda McLauchlin has been leading community prevention efforts in Texas for the last 15 years. She has been able to apply her experience in marketing and other non-profit leadership to establish meaningful partnerships among a variety of sectors and build collaboration for effective community change. Currently, Amanda leads the Bay Area Alliance for Youth & Families, a non-profit focused on the reduction of underage drinking, e-cigarette use, and prescription drug misuse and abuse in Harris and Galveston County. Partnerships with local law enforcement, city and school officials, and the DEA have allowed the Alliance to collect over 23,000 pounds of medications through the Medication Take Back Initiative.