– Choose the order which students will play and start the game
– Ask students to give 3 answers to each category on-screen within 5 seconds
– Whoever can’t answer or reaches the time limit is out
– Winners move on to the next round
– Last one standing wins
BONUS GAME: Try a Virtual Escape Room!
These will run a little longer than the other virtual games (give at least 45 mins) and don’t necessarily have to be on Zoom, but are super fun and engaging for students. Here’s how they can play:
What are you doing for brain breaks in your virtual classroom?
Let us know in the comments below! 🙂
This article is furnished by California Casualty, providing auto and home insurance to educators, law enforcement officers, firefighters, and nurses. Get a quote at 1.866.704.8614 or www.calcas.com.
We have amazing employees at California Casualty. The Employee Spotlight is a new series aiming to highlight those talented individuals that make up our successful company culture and community. From human resource recruiters and learning and development trainers to claims adjusters, marketers, customer support specialists, partner relations, sales representatives, and beyond; each week, we’ll highlight a new team member, so you can get to know us better and see how our employees make us who we are as a company.
This edition of the Employee Spotlight will feature our Senior Field Marketing Manager, Bonnie Harber
Bonnie has been with for over 5 years and works remotely in the Field for the Central New Jersey Region (Monmouth, Middlesex, Mercer, and Ocean County).
Let’s get to know Bonnie!
What made you want to work as a Field Marketer for California Casualty?
I’m motivated by people. This position was a perfect match because it is all about building relationships with people. Throughout my time here, I’ve been able to build many long-lasting relationships externally and internally.
What is your favorite part about your job?
I love working with our American Heroes. This is the most rewarding aspect of my job. I’m able to serve those who serve the community on a daily basis.
I absolutely love my job at California Casualty. The company really treats their employees like family. I always feel that my efforts are acknowledged and appreciated.
What have you learned in your position at California Casualty?
I’ve learned a lot about building relationships and how valuable it is to listen and use an outward mindset. This has helped me both personally and professionally.
What are your favorite activities to do outside of the office?
I enjoy spending time with my husband, two kids, and dog outside of the office. We love to walk and ride bikes to the beach.
In addition, I enjoy doing house projects (interior design is one of my many passions).
Anything else you would like the audience to know about you?
I married my brother’s best friend from childhood. We’ve been married since Nov. 2007
I have a daughter (Abbie, 11 years-old) and son (Jacob, 8 years-old)
I have a 4-month-old charcoal Labrador Retriever
We live in the same town we grew up in. My kids both went to the same elementary school as me.
I love running. I used to run track and cross country in high school and college. I occasionally participate in local road races with my daughter.
If you want to learn more about Bonnie or are interested in a career at California Casualty, connect with her on LinkedIn! Or visit our careers page at https://www.calcas.com/careers
Studies have shown that first responders are at a much greater risk to develop post-traumatic stress disorder than the general public due to their exposure to high levels of physical and emotional stress. Sadly, throughout their career, many first responders will develop anxiety, depression, PTSD, and other mental health issues, that are oftentimes linked to suicide.
Mental health, a once-taboo subject for departments, is now becoming more normalized with the aid of department programs, advocacy campaigns, and initiatives that help educate and bring awareness to PTSD, depression, and other types of mental health issues commonly found in first responders.
September is Suicide Awareness Month. Do your part in helping decrease first responder suicide by learning how to spot the early signs of PTSD in your first responder friends, family members, or colleagues.
Early signs of PTSD to look out for include:
Intrusive Memories
Memories of the traumatic event
Flashbacks
Nightmares or upsetting dreams
Emotional reactions triggered by a reminder of the traumatic event
Eluding & Avoiding
Not speaking of the event
Avoiding people, places, or activities
Behavioral Changes
Irritability
Lack of Interest
Feeling detached
Memory problems
Physical Reactions
Easily startled or frightened
Trouble sleeping and concentrating
Exhibiting self-destructive behavior
Always being on guard
Over time, these symptoms can differ and vary in intensity.
If you or someone you know is struggling with any of these signs of PTSD or other mental health issues, you are not alone. Please reach out to a mental health professional. If you do not feel comfortable speaking to a professional, start by reaching out to a close colleague, family member, or friend.
This article is furnished by California Casualty, providing auto and home insurance to educators, law enforcement officers, firefighters, and nurses. Get a quote at 1.866.704.8614 or www.calcas.com.
This afternoon Arlene Brown, California Casualty RUS Analyst, reaches a milestone in her career, that few ever see in their lifetime, as she celebrates her 50th anniversary as a full-time employee.
In recognition of this incredible achievement, Joe Volponi, President and CEO of California Casualty, honored Arlene in an email sent to all CalCas employees telling Arlene’s career story and highlighting the significant impact she has made at CalCas within her 50 years. Read an excerpt below.
“It is not often in this company (maybe never) that an employee reaches 50 years of service as a full-time employee. Arlene Brown will reach that incredible milestone and a well-deserved retirement on September 8th.
She started as a Coder, working with Assigned Risk paper files. She quickly progressed to become the Auto Coding Assistant Supervisor in charge of Assigned Risk and was given the nickname “Queen of Assigned Risk.” She worked with both agents, and customers, often remembering their names and policy numbers from year to year! Those were the days when every detail had to be transferred to a grid, which a keypunch operator entered. Rating was done by hand and with a 10 key calculator spitting out the answers on paper tape. Her other daily tool was a pro-rata wheel, a few relics of which still survive today, although they remain a mystery to those familiar with more modern devices.
Arlene’s reputation for accuracy followed her throughout her career. She was a strong underwriter who was frequently overheard teaching sales reps how to find the answer to their question in the underwriting manual (a large binder with hundreds of pages). Online reference tools didn’t exist back then, so it was a manual process. She didn’t just want to give an answer, but rather help them understand where to find the answer for next time.
Similar to the Guidewire conversion we are going through today, the company as gone through several system conversions in the span of 50 years. One such conversion to the Policy Management System (PMS), as part of that effort, she ultimately wrote much of the PMS manual that defined each field of entry into PMS. The effort of proofreading draft procedures for accuracy and consistency became known as “Arlene-a-sizing”.
Arlene was a founding member of the QAD team, a group formed to improve quality assurance of PMS (Series 2) entries. As things evolved, she was a natural to become part of the RUS team, when it was formed to oversee the automation of rating, underwriting, and system processing. She became an expert in writing QMF queries, and could apply them against different generations of the system since she was one of the few that had worked in all the different systems!
Aside from all her accomplishments on the insurance side of the business, she was a tireless worker on the In-Club committees that coordinated many employee events over the years. In addition to coordinating the details for these events, she put together photo albums to commemorate them.
Arlene considered California Casualty her family, and did everything in her power to bring success. In her half-century here, she’s touched many people in a variety of ways. People like her have made this company successful.”
Arlene’s successful career is full of many achievements, but one of her favorite memories in her time with CalCas is winning the well-deserved Carl G. Brown, Jr. Award of Excellence, which is an employee-nominated award given annually to an employee whose sustained excellent contribution to the company is matched by a substantial contribution to his or her community.
When asked what the secret is to her 50-year career, she says, “It’s true what ‘they’ say about loving what you do – the time just flies. When you love your job it leads to honing your skills, seeing opportunities to improve things (processes), and finding the needles in haystacks to resolve system/policy problems. That being said, I couldn’t do the job I’ve done without the support of my work family.”
And we couldn’t do it without you, Arlene. Congratulations, and thank you for all you have done for California Casualty. You have helped turn us into the company we are today. Your presence in the office will be missed each and every day. Have a great retirement!
Power outages can last anywhere from a few hours to days or even weeks. In the latter case, an outage can affect entire communities, disrupting communications, transportation, and emergency response or health care services. It can also close businesses, banks, gas stations, grocery stores, and other services.
Understanding why and how they happen can help you better prepare. Next, having a plan and taking precautions ahead of time will help you and your family ride out the outage with less stress and a greater sense of control.
When and Why They Happen
Knowing how outages happen can sometimes help you predict when they’re most likely to occur – for instance, during storms or heatwaves. Other times, they’re random and unpredictable.
Weather – Storms and weather events such as high winds, ice, and snow are the most common cause of outages, oftentimes due to trees and limbs taking down power lines. Rain and flooding can also damage above-ground or underground electrical equipment. And earthquakes of all sizes can damage electrical grids.
Animals – Far and away, squirrels cause the most damage to power lines, but snakes and other critters can prompt an outage by nesting in or climbing on transformers, boxes and other equipment.
Human Error – Car accidents and digging mishaps — when underground lines are hit — are a common cause. Additionally, electrical overuse during heatwaves and other times of unusually high demand can overburden cables, transformers and other links in the system.
Get Ahead of an Outage with Smart Planning
Planning and preparation are key to making a power outage manageable. There’s no better time than today to get started on the steps below.
Communications
Download the NOAA radio app, your local weather alert app, and any other emergency app of your choice.
Talk to your medical provider If anyone in your household requires electric medical devices or refrigerated medication. Get guidance on what to do if you lose power.
Update your phone number and contact information with your electric provider.
Plans and kits
Assemble or update your emergency kit – one for your family and another for your pet(s). Be sure to check and replace all batteries and have fresh back-ups. Also make sure you have COVID-19 supplies such as hand sanitizer, wipes, masks, and gloves.
Make sure your household evacuation plan is current, and all household members and pets are accounted for.
Know your local community’s risk and response plans.
Have a plan, budget, and some extra cash on hand in case power restoration is delayed.
In Your Home
Install surge protectors to help safeguard expensive appliances, computers and entertainment systems.
Install carbon monoxide monitors with battery backup on every level of your home.
Have at least a half tank of gas in your car at all times.
Purchase household and food supplies ahead of time and stash some extras in case of an extended outage.
A Go-To Plan for When the Grid Goes Dark
Ideally, you and your family will have been able to take the above steps before the lights go out. If so, you’ll be ready to put the following strategies into place in order to remain as safe and comfortable as possible during the outage.
Communications
Tune into the NOAA radio on a battery-powered or hand-crank radio, and/or the local radio station for news and weather updates.
Report the outage immediately to your local power provider (have their info printed out and handy).
In Your Home
Turn off and unplug all appliances, including the air conditioner, water heater, furnace, and water pump, as well as any sensitive electronics. Leave one light on to know when the power’s been restored – this helps prevent a circuit overload when everything comes back online.
Keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed. Frozen food will stay frozen for 24-48 hours, depending on how full the freezer is. For refrigerated items, after about 4 hours, move perishable items into a cooler with ice (they should remain at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or colder to be safe).
If using portable stoves or lanterns, only use them in sufficiently ventilated areas.
Use flashlights instead of candles.
Outside
Report any downed power lines to your electric company. Keep yourself, family, and pets away from downed lines, flooded areas, and debris.
Avoid driving if you can. Traffic lights will be out and roads will be chaotic and unsafe.
If you’re operating a generator, follow safety protocols. Never operate it in your home, garage, or other enclosed spaces.
Check on your neighbors. The elderly and young children are especially susceptible to extreme temperatures.
The length of time it takes to restore power can vary according to the cause of the outage, the extent of damage, and the geographic area affected. Electric companies have detailed plans and procedures for restoration — starting with repairs to damaged power infrastructure, then re-powering critical community services, and finally restoring power to individuals and businesses in order of density.
By following the tips above, you can ride out the worst of it with less stress, knowing you prepared well.
This article is furnished by California Casualty, providing auto and home insurance to educators, law enforcement officers, firefighters, and nurses. Get a quote at 1.866.704.8614 or www.calcas.com.
This afternoon Arlene Brown, California Casualty RUS Analyst, reaches a milestone in her career, that few ever see in their lifetime, as she celebrates her 50th anniversary as a full-time employee.