Why I Like St. Joe's:
[by the First Grade class]
Robert Crown Programs
Each year, the students from grades are invited with their parents to attend an age-appropriate session on Health and Human Development at the Robert Crown Center for Health Educationin Hinsdale. The Robert Crown Center is the preeminent provider of health education for school-aged children and young adults in the Chicago region. Their professional staff of health educators present classes that aim to influence children and their parents to adopt and maintain healthy lifestyles. When children and young adults understand how their bodies work, they are better prepared to make healthy, safe, and non-abusive choices. St. Joseph School has conducted significant research into options for education on adolescent development and has found the Robert Crown Center to be most professional, effective, and consistent with our Catholic Christian beliefs and values.
2006-07 sessions are held as follows:
7th Grade: Tuesday, October 10, 7 pm
8th Grade: Tuesday, October 23, 7 pm
6th Grade: Tuesday, February 26, 7 pm
All sessions are held at the Robert Crown Center for Health Education Center, 21 Salt Creek Lane (near Ogden and York) in Hinsdale. Directions and more information are available at the Center's Website: www.robertcrown.org.
Parents and students alike have great reviews of the Robert Crown programs. Last year, parents of 5th graders commented that they had never seen these sometimes difficult topics presented with such finesse and in a manner that the students could truly relate to. Many parents expressed that the program was extremely well presented and that it was very worthwhile.
For fifth graders: The presentation introduces the topics of hormonal changes in your body, peer pressure, bullying, and an introduction to human reproductive systems. Meetings are held separately for boys and girls. Both parents are encouraged to attend. The introductory program offered by the Robert Crown Center is termed “Michael” for the boys and “Linda” for the girls. The Robert Crown Center has many audiovisuals, and the presenters are adept at working with children in an age-appropriate manner.
For sixth and seventh graders, the Center uses a Family Life Series that is tailored to each age group. The emphasis is to provide accurate information about human growth and development. Two goals are to provide the children with age-appropriate information and to involve the parents in order to promote opportunities for communication. Each year, new material is introduced. Each program is designed to help students understand the normal changes that are occurring in their bodies. The emotional aspects of puberty are discussed as well as the biological. The focus of the presentation is to show each person as a unique being who reaches maturity in his/her own time and way.
For eighth graders, in addition to some review on hormonal changes, peer pressure, and more, the program also discusses specific challenges young people face during adolescence. Abstinence is stressed. The risks of unhealthy choices, including teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases are made clear. The program concludes with a video on AIDS which accurately explains the disease, its transmission, and its effects.
ALL sessions include a question-and-answer period. While the sessions are scheduled specifically for St. Joseph students to attend with their own grade, arrangements can sometimes be made to attend a separate session if a student is unable to attend the scheduled session with his/her classmates. Contact the Robert Crown Center for more information.