Picture of the Day – Pledge Allegiance to the Earth

 

By Shelly
August 28, 2009
US Constitution Watchdog

 

Do you want this poster on the walls in your child’s classroom? A listener sent in the following…

“My Husband and I are avid fans of the Glenn Beck show. Glenn said to send in anything strange we are seeing…so here is my strange sighting. This poster is in the very front of my son’s 2nd grade classroom…along with the latest book about Obama’s new dog….”

Thanks to Shelley for sending this in.

 

Source: Glenn Beck

Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think? dan@youngchronicle.com

Jaycee Lee Dugard Press Conference 8/27/09 Part 1

Jaycee Lee Dugard Press Conference 8/27/09 Part 2

Jaycee Lee Dugard Press Conference 8/27/09 Part 3

Are You A Positive Parent?

By The Schoolmarm
August 27, 2009

Dad and Jack were talking before the t-ball game.

Jack blurted out, “We’re gonna lose!”

Dad said, ” Son, you need to be more positive.”

Jack agreed, ” I’m positive we’re gonna lose!”

Okay, that story is so old that Jack is probably a grandfather by now, but it helps to make the point that we don’t always understand how to think in a positive way.

Many people approach situations from fear, and fear fosters negative thinking.  Expecting the worst perhaps is a vain effort to prepare oneself for the worst.  Anyway, it is far from life affirming.

How about you?  How do you approach daily events in your life?  Do you speak to your children from a positive or negative point of view?  Have you ever stopped to think how you sound to your kids?

For a little exercise, how could you restate these three sentences to make them more positive?

• Don’t even think of turning on that TV until your homework is done!
• If you don’t eat your green beans then forget about having the dessert!
• Why don’t you ever find your shoes before we get ready to leave?

How’d you do?  Did you think of better ways to say the same thing?  Were yours similar to mine?

• After your homework is done you can watch some TV.
• Finish your green beans so you can have some dessert.
• I really like it when you find your shoes before we get ready to leave.

It takes practicing self control to think before making threatening, or demeaning statements. You can’t un-ring a bell, and harsh words can be carried for years. Can you think of something hurtful someone said to you when you were just a kid?  I can too.

Try a more positive approach.  Censor yourself until you learn to accentuate the positive. It will make a difference in the way you feel, too.

Source: Bing Note

Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think? dan@youngchronicle.com

Kidnapped – Jaycee Dugard Turns Up Alive 18 Years Later

California Girl Kidnapped 18 Years Ago Found Alive

By Fox News
August 27, 2009

An 11-year-old California girl kidnapped in 1991 while waiting for a school bus has been found alive, and a convicted sex offender is accused of raping her and fathering two children with her while he and his wife held her captive in their backyard.

Despite the shocking revelations, the discovery of Jaycee Lee Dugard brought sudden relief to her family 18 years after their young girl disappeared.

Dugard was being kept with the two children in a series of tents and sheds hidden behind the Antioch, Calif., home of Phillip and Nancy Garrido, the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office said Thursday at a news conference.

Dugard and her two daughters are “in good health, but living in a backyard for the past 18 years does take its toll,” Undersheriff Fred Kollar said.

The Garridos were arrested Wednesday after Phillip Garrido raised suspisions of campus police at the University of California, Berkeley. Garrido was spotted there with two young girls trying to gain access to the campus library, Kollar said.

Campus police then notified Garrido’s parole officer who arranged an interview. Garrido, who was on parole from a 1971 conviction for rape and kidnapping, arrived for the meeting accompanied by the two girls, ages 11 and 15, as well as wife, Nancy, and another woman, named Allissa.

Allissa was then identified as Jaycee Dugard, the blond, pony-tailed 11-year-old who was taken from the school bus stop minutes after she left her South Lake Tahoe home in 1991.

Dugard was reunited Thursday with her mother, who was overjoyed to learn the ordeal was over and the daughter she feared dead was actually alive and well.

Dugard’s stepfather, the last person to see her in 1991 and a longtime suspect in the case, said he was overwhelmed after doing everything he could to help find her. He said the news that she was found was like winning the lottery.

“To have this happen where we get her back alive, and where she remembers things from the past, and to have people in custody is a triple win,” he told The Sacramento Bee.

The Garridos are being held in the Contra Costa County Jail in Martinez on potential charges of kidnapping and conspiracy on Wednesday, police said. Phillip Garrido also could face charges of rape by force, lewd and lascivious acts with a minor and sexual penetration.

Click here for more on this story from FOX40.com.

At the Garrido’s house, barriers were constructed to “inhibit outside viewing and prevent the victims from contact with the outside world,” Kollar said. Police described the situation as a compound with sound-proof walls and no electricity.

The neighborhood is described as a residential area, with the Garridos home raising no suspicion from the outside world as to the horrific compound concealed in the backyard.

Neighbor Helen Boyer, 78, described the Garridos as nice and friendly and said they cared for Phillip Garrido’s elderly mother.

“If I needed something, they would be the first I would call on,” Boyer said.

Dugard left for school the morning of June 10, 1991, dressed all in pink and stood at the bus stop two blocks from her house. As her stepfather watched from the driveway, a gray car with two people inside pulled up, grabbed the child and sped away, according to witnesses.

In media reports at the time, the girl’s stepfather said he heard Jaycee scream then jumped on a bicycle and frantically pedaled after the car in a failed effort to follow it up a hill. He then turned around and shouted at neighbors to call the police.

The case attracted national attention and was featured on TV’s “America’s Most Wanted,” which broadcast a composite drawing of a suspect seen in the car.

Probyn said his wife, Terry, spoke with Dugard by phone on Wednesday.

“She got a call from the FBI, they said they had found Jaycee and she was alive,” Probyn told KTVU. “My wife talked with her and is convinced she is Jaycee. Jaycee remembers everything.”

Click here for more on this story from KTVU.com.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Editor”s Note: We would like to know what you think? dan@youngchronicle.com

Source: Fox News

Tips for New Kid in Class

By Kathie Felix
August 26, 2009

For students of any age, there is nothing that compares to the first day at a new school. It’s a mix of excitement for a new start and apprehension about the unknown—combined with a powerful need to fit into a new setting. As a parent, you’ve been focusing for weeks now on the good parts of the new school year ahead—the opportunity to make new friends, the bigger and better features of the new school, and even new class selections that the old school may have been unable to offer. You’ve still got a few more weeks ahead to help your young learner develop a sense of confidence about their new school experience. This is the perfect time to develop a checklist designed to make the first day of school a breeze.

Before School Starts

Make an appointment to tour the new school. The month of August is a good time to work with school staff members to make sure your new student gets a leisurely and comfortable start in his or her new surroundings.

A tour of the building can be a real confidence booster. When students know where things are, they will feel much more secure about a new setting. It’s a great relief for youngsters to know in advance how far they may be from their classrooms, the cafeteria, the gymnasium, and other locations.

Ask if you can make an appointment to meet your child’s new teacher or teachers in advance. Learners of any age will welcome seeing a familiar face when they walk into a new class setting for the first time.

Help your student to make appropriate clothing choices by obtaining a copy of any student dress code well in advance of the start of school. If the school has a uniform, buy it early and let your child get accustomed to their new daily look. Some students entering Kindergarten may enjoy putting their uniform on in a game of dress-up for friends and relatives; just make sure to hang the clothing up out of reach to keep it in the best possible condition for the start of school.

If possible, make new friends before the school year begins. For any child, life at a new school is all about making friends quickly. Once you’ve looked around the neighborhood, check a little farther afield. Some local libraries welcome volunteer workers of school age; some youth centers and swimming pools offer paid or unpaid employment opportunities. Get creative; brainstorm with your new neighbors and see what you can come up with.

Youth-oriented membership service organizations are another great way to make new friends—for parents, as well as for children. Camp Fire USA, Girl Scouts of the USA, and Boy Scouts of America offer supportive environments and activities for a range of ages. Each organization has an online locator feature that will help you find the group near your home.

Encourage students who may be struggling with starting over in a new place by reminding them that a new school is a new opportunity to reinvent their image. They can emphasize interests that may have been under the radar at their old school. It can be very cool to be the new girl or guy in town; new classmates will be trying to figure out this mysterious new person who suddenly appeared in the classroom.

The First Day of School

Make sure you know what time school starts. This may seem obvious, but some schools don’t include start time information on their advance paperwork or web sites. You don’t want to be guessing at information this important on a stressful first day.

Keep an eye on your child’s first-day clothing choices. Although younger children may look charming in sweet little outfits and dressy shoes, these may not be the best choices for the rough-and-tumble world of the playground or the long (for a Kindergartner) school day. With older kids, talk about first impressions and ask them how they’d like to launch themselves at their new school by dressing for success.

Know how the lunch plan works. If your child will be bringing lunch, make sure it’s something they will eat. Have prepaid lunch cards or lunch money ready well in advance to avoid morning scrambling.

Be sure your child understands how their school transportation will work and where to find their ride home. Children of all ages need some type of reassurance in this area. Make sure younger children understand that Mom or someone will be there for them when they get home.

The School Days Ahead

A routine has been established; it’s time to explore and enjoy the new school. Your child may enjoy blogging about the start of school with friends from the previous school.

As the days go by, new friendships will bloom and the new school will begin to seem less strange. Talk to your youngsters often and let them tell you what they think of their new surroundings; help them find the best parts of the new world around them.
 

Editor’s Note: Kathie Felix writes about education for a variety of national news media outlets.

We would like to know what you think? dan@youngchronicle.com

Source: Apples 4 Teachers

How To Pick Pediatrician

By Parents
August 27, 2009

Please speak for all doctors.

What is the most annoying thing we parents do?

Overreact to the little ills of childhood. American kids are the healthiest humans who have ever lived. But their parents often fear they’re one sniffle away from certain doom. So, please, have confidence that you can handle most of the little throat itches, earaches, goopy eyes, and low fevers your child has. You don’t need me; you just need a little chicken soup and love.

As much as you want a prescription to fix everything, your kid probably doesn’t need antibiotics. For example, 80 percent of ear infections go away without them. It’s a dirty little secret of pediatrics that ear infections pay our bills. Doctors are nice, and sometimes we write prescriptions because we want to feel like we’re doing something to help, even though you’ll be fine without it.

But what about medicine?

What’s another secret?

There’s a syndrome called “Sick enough to see the doctor, but well enough for baseball.” The kid absolutely must see me on Sunday, but just not until after his game. If your child is well enough for school or practice, he’s really not sick enough to see me. On the other hand, if your kid is sick enough to see me, he’s probably sick enough to have an adult stay home with him. I can’t magically make him well enough to get back to school or daycare.

P.S. The people pictured here are all models — we had to swear to protect our sources.

Source: Parents

Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think? dan@youngchronicle.com

Childcare – While at Work

By ARW
August 27, 2009

When you decide to return to work after having your children you will need to arrange adequate childcare provision.

This is one of the most important decisions that you can make as it affects the upbringing of your child. You will need to pay a great deal of attention to this decision and as such you need to allow plenty of time. Many of the best childcare providers have long waiting lists, especially those in high income areas where people are prepared and able to pay for the best possible care.

The various types of childcare may not all be available in your area. Give yourself plenty of time before you return to work to weigh up the possibilities and to see which option best suits your circumstances. Please be aware that some childminders and nurseries accept children on their waiting list when the mother is only three months pregnant!

Be armed with a list of questions to ask whoever will be looking after your child, so any expectations are clarified from the beginning. Depending on your preferences and attitude, the list may include such questions as –

• Do you have any outdoor space for the children to play?How many other children do you look after?
• How flexible are you if I am required to work late at short notice?
• What transport do you have?
• What insurance do you have?
• What food will you provide for the children?
• What relevant qualifications do you have?
• What fees will you charge during holidays (i.e. when you look after your child)
• What would you do in an emergency?

Do check if you are entitled to any financial help to pay for childcare. The current tax credits system allows families with an income of up to £55,000 to receive some help. Look at the government website to find out what you are entitled to claim.

Relatives

You will truly be subject to ‘babysitter envy’ if your mother, mother in law or another relative is happy and able to look after your child on a regular basis after you return to work. This has a great number of benefits – invariably you will have similar views on childcare, such as healthy eating and manners – and your child will be able to bond with a family member rather than a ‘stranger’.

If you are lucky enough to be able to have regular childcare from a close relative, make sure that you confirm the terms of employment, however happy they are to do it. Over time, goodwill can be eroded by differences in expectation, so be honest and open upfront. If they do not want to be paid for their time, you could still arrange some sort of monetary remuneration – vouchers or payments directly into their bank. It may just be that they don’t want to ask for money but it would still be appreciated.

Childminders

Childminders vary greatly. The best way to find a reputable childminder is through word of mouth – ask your friends with children if they know of any vacancies. Arrange to meet the childminder and take your child with you – you will be able to sense if they will be compatible and you can see how they interact with your child.

Work Crèche

Large organisations may have a subsidised crèche for you to use. This is very practical because you will be able to take your child to work with you and will be nearby if required. You will also be able to call in unannounced to assess the environment.

Work crèches tend to be well run, with plenty of qualified staff and good learning and playing facilities.

Nursery

Nurseries are actually the least regulated of all non-family childcare facilities, so it is worth checking the government approved list before you commit. This can provide the most flexible type of childcare though, as there will usually be a number of staff able to provide early and late cover.

Source: Return To Work

Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think? dan@goldcoastchronicle.com

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