Volusia November 2020
The Giving Thanks Issue
Volusia November 2020
The Giving Thanks Issue
November 2020
St. Johns November 2020
The Giving Thanks Issue
St. Johns November 2020
The Giving Thanks Issue
November 2020
Flagler November 2020
The Giving Thanks Issue
Flagler November 2020
The Giving Thanks Issue
November 2020
From the Volusia County School Board
Every other year, my extended family celebrates Thanksgiving with three days of cooking and fellowship. I provide the turkeys and am known for cooking tasty sweet potato and squash casseroles. It’s a tradition that means so much to my family – a dedicated time when we reconnect and enjoy time with those we love.
What are your family’s Thanksgiving traditions?
This year the holiday will definitely be different. Large gatherings will be reduced. Chairs will be spaced apart. The number of chefs in the kitchen will be limited. Menus will be simplified. And here in Florida, many of us will set up outdoors on the porch.
But traditions are…well, traditions! The menu itself is a tradition, with turkey, dressing, sweet potatoes, pumpkin pie, and other dishes your family has grown to love. Some families go around the table to share something they’re thankful for. After dinner it’s time to watch football, go for a walk, or take a nap. Maybe this year we’ll add a new tradition of Zooming with our loved ones.
No matter these adjustments, there is always something to be thankful for.
With the holiday season officially under way, the focus shifts to children. Our little ones – and even our older children – love the holidays!
They’re learning in their classes about pilgrims and Native Americans. Social studies classes will learn the history of the first Thanksgiving at Plymouth Colony in Massachusetts in 1621. Only 53 of the 102 colonists survived the Mayflower trip and made it through that first winter. The colonists relied on the local Wampanoag tribe, who taught them how to hunt local animals, gather shellfish and grow corn, beans and squash, www.History.com reports. The next fall, sometime between late September and mid-November, the colonists and Native Americans celebrated the harvest – and the colonists’ survival – with a feast. Historians report many children and teens were there!
Giving thanks and sharing what we have with family, friends, and those in need is an important part of our American culture. Thanksgiving is the perfect time for parents to teach children to be appreciative, and it’s a great time to share stories about people helping other people. The holidays provide an excellent opportunity to teach children values and the importance of community. The pandemic has shifted our focus to home this year, and we care deeply for those who have become ill or lost someone close to them. Our hearts go out to them.
As we reflect on all that has occurred this year, we also look forward to a new year and the hope of good health for everyone.
As the Chair of the Volusia County School Board, I wish all of our families a very happy Thanksgiving. Take the time to share the meaning of the holiday with your children. Start some new traditions. And show your appreciation for the special people in your life.
You may also like:
From The St. Johns Superintendent
On behalf of the School Board and staff, I want to wish each of you a Happy Thanksgiving!
This time of year reinforces how grateful I am to serve the district with so many caring and selfless individuals. It is a blessing to have the opportunity to work for an institution whose sole purpose is to serve children, and every day I witness acts of kindness by people throughout our school district and community.
This season of giving is one that our parents, teachers, staff, school board members and students open their hearts and hands to help others. I am filled with pride at the effort our schools put into helping those in need and humbled by the overwhelming generosity. Seeing students have compassion and empathy toward others in our community shows the true character that our faculty, staff and families are working so hard to build. Each of our schools pride themselves with using this Thanksgiving season as a time to give back to the community in various ways. Over the last month, I have seen schools collaborating with one another to share resources, writing letters to our veterans and nursing home residents, donating to local food pantries and taking time to plan ways to give back to others in our community in the approaching holiday season.
I am grateful for the seemingly limitless and unwavering support of our community and faith-based organizations that helps to meet the needs of our most vulnerable students and families. Through the generous donations we receive daily of clothing, care packages, weekend food bags, school supplies, and the dedication of mentors, we can rise above external challenges and make a difference in the lives of students and families.
While the holiday season rushes in, I encourage you to be patient with yourself, show care to others and enjoy your family and friends. This time of the year is special, and each day is a gift. May God bless all of you and your families this Thanksgiving and may you have a joyous, safe and restful holiday!
Sincerely,
Tim Forson, Superintendent of Schools,
St. Johns County School District
You may also like:
From the Editor
We are so grateful to share our November issue with you. November is a special month for us – it ushers in the holiday season, starting with Thanksgiving. It is also the month we exercise our civic duty in voting, and honor our veterans. All of these events offer great conversation points within your family.
This year, we were unable to provide the list of volunteer opportunities that we normally offer in this issue, due to the ever-changing nature of the pandemic. We have shared ways to show your gratitude and show your civic responsibility. We also expect that for many of us, Thanksgiving will look and feel differently. We have some ideas for new traditions, and ways to take the stress out of the holiday. Give yourself permission to make it special in your own way instead of what you think you have to do. Embrace the time with your family and relax and enjoy.
Last month we welcomed a new social media manager to our team. Welcome Alejandra Galan! She is also the editor of our weekly newsletter. Like and follow us on Facebook and Instagram, and let us know what you would like to see! We are still running our cover contests! Come to the contest page on www.parentmagazinesflorida.com to submit your family or children, and to vote for your favorites!!
Thank you for your continued support. We think of you every month as we pull together content for you. Let us know if we are covering what you want to know!
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Dr. Barbara Holley
You may also like:
Mental Wellness, Health & Supports
Mental wellness includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, act and our ability to learn. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices. Flagler Schools recognizes the importance of the overall mental wellness of our students. Flagler Schools has developed an organized system of services for addressing the mental wellness of all students. The approach works to identify, assess, intervene, treat, and monitor the recovery of students.
Flagler Schools has a team of personnel with specific roles to support students according to their identified needs which include school counselors and school psychologists. Mental health counselors and clinical social workers are available to provide clinical services to identified families who meet certain diagnostic criteria. Additionally, Flagler Schools maintains ongoing partnerships with community agencies for referral of additional mental health services. These agencies provide services such as counseling, psychiatric care, case management, crisis support and substance abuse counseling. Agency providers are reviewed on an ongoing basis to determine if additional services are needed, as well as monitoring the connection rate to families to evaluate the quality of service received.
This year we have made additional efforts to use our social media platforms to combat the negative stigma of mental health services and share Mental Wellness Minutes. These are video vignettes with a mental health theme, designed to bring awareness to mental wellness and the resources available to Flagler students. If you would like more information regarding the mental wellness supports that Flagler County Schools has to offer please visit our website at https://flaglerschools.com/family/mental_wellness or call the Office of Student and Community Engagement at (386) 437-7526 ext.1265.
You may also like:
Ask The Doctor: Keeping Your Child's Spine Healthy
Did you know that your child’s spine is a vital component to his or her health? The nervous system is so important that the first cells to differentiate at about seven hours after conception become the brain and spinal cord! Your child’s spine is literally his or her lifeline, because running through it is the spinal cord with its billions of nerve fibers sending messages and energy from the brain to all areas of the body.
A chiropractic adjustment reduces misalignment of the spine that may potentially cause interference in the nervous system. Adjustments are safe, gentle and effective. When applied to a baby or small child, adjustments are made with no more pressure than you would use to test the ripeness of a tomato. Many times a sleeping baby can be adjusted without even being awakened.
When should you take your child to a chiropractor?
- At regular milestone intervals during the first year of life, such as learning to hold the head up, sit up, crawl, stand and walk. Your child’s spine grows almost an additional 50 percent of its original birth length during the first year of life!
- Dr. Marriott adjusting a child
- At regular milestone intervals during the first year of life, such as learning to hold the head up, sit up, crawl, stand and walk. Your child’s spine grows almost an additional 50 percent of its original birth length during the first year of life!
- When your child takes a fall. Youngsters take numerous tumbles while jumping or running around, when learning to ride a bike, and during their day-to-day activities at home and on the playground. And just as cavities develop in your child’s teeth without symptoms, subluxations can be present without causing pain. It’s important to visit your chiropractor for a check-up at least as often as you visit your dentist.
- When your child participates in athletic activities. A tackle on the football field can twist a young spine. A softball pitcher could throw a vertebra or shoulder out of alignment. A soccer player could injure the neck while “heading” the ball. Regular spinal check-ups can detect underlying injuries such as subluxations, and early correction can reduce pain and improve performance.
- When you want to give your child a head start on good health. Doctors of Chiropractic believe that it’s important to prevent disease rather than to wait until a disease or illness occurs. With regular adjustments and counseling on proper nutrition, sufficient rest, exercise, good posture, and a positive mental attitude, the Doctor of Chiropractic can help you raise a child whose body is structurally and functionally sound. Your child will also learn good health habits that will be of benefit for a lifetime!
Cherie Marriott, D.C., is a 1986 graduate of Palmer College of Chiropractic. She’s been a faculty clinician in the Palmer Chiropractic Clinic since 1990 and earned her Diplomate in Chiropractic Pediatrics in 1996.
Palmer Chiropractic Clinics delivers more than 75,000 patient visits in the Quad Cities every year. Learn more at http://www.palmer.edu/clinics/quad-cities/.
You may also like:
