by California Casualty | Nurses |
Now that winter is here; the winter blues can come fast. It’s not uncommon for this time of year to feel sluggish and sad. About 20% of people above the age of 20 have a hard time through this season. As a nurse, working a 12-hour shift can make the days feel longer, especially if you don’t get to see much sunshine, and feel like the days seem shorter. If you are feeling down during winter, we have tips to help make the season easier and keep the blues away.
• Eat a Healthy Diet: By eating enough protein, carbs, vitamins, and minerals can keep your nutrition on track. Drink enough water daily. Dehydration can cause fatigue and depression.
• De-clutter: Take on small jobs of getting rid of clutter to start. De-cluttering will give you a sense of accomplishment that makes you happier.
• Laugh: They say laughter is the best medicine, which is a big help if you get blue this time of year. Laughing reduces stress hormones that typically cause sadness for the winter season.
• Cheer Someone Else Up: Helping someone can help make yourself better.
• Get Enough Sleep: Long shifts can make for long days. If you can get a well-rested night of sleep, it will help lower stress.
• Exercise: Getting active can boost your mood and trigger positive feelings.
Being a nurse can be stressful, and having the winter blues doesn’t help either. Even if it means small steps, try some of these tips to help make the season pass and help boost your mood each day.
by California Casualty | Auto Insurance Info |
It’s a good idea to do an occasional review of your auto and home insurance policies; you’ll sleep better at night knowing you are protected against expected surprises if you have a claim. You might also find savings if a traffic ticket falls off your record or you are driving an older vehicle with a decreased value.
If you’ve never had a review, here are seven examples of when you should contact your insurance adviser for one:
- You got married. Newlyweds often pay less for insurance than when they were single. You can also find discounts by combining your autos with one insurance company. You should ask if all those expensive new gifts you received might need extra protection.
- You got divorced. You probably are no longer sharing a vehicle and moved into a different residence. You’ll need to inform your insurance company to set up separate auto and home or renters insurance.
- Your teen got a driver’s permit or license. You need to let your insurance company know if they are driving your vehicles, or if you bought them one. Make sure that you take advantage of good student discounts and additional multi-vehicle savings.
- You bought or inherited valuables such as antiques, fine art, jewelry or other collectables. Your standard homeowners or renters insurance policy provides limited coverage of high dollar items. This is a good time to purchase scheduled personal property endorsements to cover your new valuable possessions.
- You’ve added on to your home or done extensive remodeling. Improvements to your house mean there is more to protect. Contacting your insurance company is a good way to make sure that you have enough coverage. This also applies for a new gazebo, shed or hot tub.
- You’ve gotten your first apartment. You need renters insurance to protect your possessions and to provide liability coverage. Many renters think their landlord’s insurance covers them (it doesn’t) or that they don’t have enough things to cover. Renters insurance is a great value, costing between $15 and $30 per month – compared to the expense of replacing electronics, beds, clothing, bicycles silverware, kitchen and cooking items, etc.
- You’ve retired. This often means you are driving less, which could significantly reduce your insurance costs. Drivers over 55 also often get discounts from their insurance companies and you can further reduce your premiums by completing a driver safety course.
Knowing more about your insurance could save you money on your premiums and heartache if you ever need to make a claim.
by California Casualty | Educators |
Communication with the parents of students is one of the most important, if not THE most important components of student success. However, in between grading, paperwork, planning, copying, instructing, meetings, and tackling academic and behavior difficulties of students, I find it difficult to even squeeze in a restroom break! So where on Earth am I supposed to find the time to contact parents?
Communication with parents does not have to be formal or time consuming. It can be meaningful without you spending an entire plan period composing a perfectly-worded email or having a lengthy phone conversation.
Keep it brief. In many instances, parents are inundated with communication from teachers, school, and the school district. In my experience, for general school and classroom information, parents appreciate succinct messages from teachers. Get to the point and do it quickly. KISS (keep it simple stupid).
Printable, easy-to-fill-out forms are one of my favorite ways to communicate with parents when a phone call or email isn’t necessary. When a student has a minor behavior issue, consider using a form like this Behavior Alert from Floating Down the River. My favorite part of parent communication is when I can send a positive note home about a student. This editable positive note home from Classroom Freebies is easy to fill out. A Note From My Teacher from The Brown Bag Teacher can be used to communicate student accomplishments or struggles.
If you must contact parents by email or phone, keep the conversation focused on the area in which the student has the greatest need for improvement. Discussing multiple areas of need in one conversation can overwhelm parents and the teacher. Some questions to use when deciding what to say to parents: In what area do I want the student to improve? What am I doing in class to help the student improve? What are some resources I can share with parents to help the student at home? If you have additional concerns, you can save them for another conversation. Update parents as needed with concise messages.
Preparing templates for written notes or emails can speed up the process. Throughout the months of September and January I send home detailed, positive messages to the parents of each of my students. These are composed using a template of my own creation. I spend less than 10 minutes per student composing meaningful letters to parents. If this sounds like too much work, choose students worthy of praise.
Effective and efficient parent communication can be a powerful tool in achieving student success. How do you communicate efficiently with parents?
Author: Erin Randolph has taught elementary school for ten years. She lives in Olathe, KS with her husband, four-year-old son, and two-year-old daughter.
by California Casualty | Peace Officers |
January 9 is National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day. In today’s supercharged environment, it’s more important than ever that we all thank officers for what they do to protect us and make our communities better.
If you are stumped for ways to show your appreciation, here are 10 ideas to thank law enforcement officers:
- Put up a positive post on social media supporting peace officers
- Change your profile on social media to the .jpeg image provided at facebook.com/nationalcops
- Bring some treats to your local police substation
- Encourage your children and neighbors to write letters of support of law enforcement for local newspapers and take thank you cards to a substation or headquarters
- If you see police officers tell them thank you for what they do
- Pay for their cup of coffee or lunch if you see them at a coffee shop or café
- Make a donation to an organization that assists injured officers or supports families of fallen officers
- Take advantage of volunteer opportunities to help your local police or sheriff’s department
- Fill a need your local law enforcement office might need: office supplies, outside clean up or beautification, etc.
- Make and distribute appreciation gift baggies for officers that include items such as lip balm, energy bar and drink, hand sanitizer, tissues, etc.
Find more information about National Law Enforcement Appreciation day and ways you can let officers know that you care at https://www.nationalcops.org/lead.html.
Thank you from everyone at California Casualty!
by California Casualty | Safety |
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that traffic deaths across the U.S. jumped another 10 percent the first half of the year, following a seven percent increase the previous year. NHTSA and other safety groups fear the numbers will be even higher for the second half of 2016 due to increased driving and warm weather. NHTSA says we are at a crisis level that needs immediate action.
The crisis is more than statistics; it involves mothers, fathers, grandparents and children who will never again celebrate the holidays or the next family gathering. Some of these heart breaking stories include:
- 35 year old John T. Gordon, a law enforcement officer who was struck and killed while riding his motorcycle by a young man in a truck who was texting when he swerved into oncoming traffic
- Five year old Xzavier Davis-Bilbo who was hit and killed crossing the street by a young woman who was texting and driving
- 61 year old Linda Doyle who was killed by a young driver talking on a cell phone who ran a red light and smashed into her vehicle
- Nine year old Erica Forney who was fatally run over while riding her bike by a neighbor who had looked down at her cell phone and never saw the girl
What is surprising is that these tragedies come as new safety features – autonomous breaking, lane change warnings and rear view cameras – are now available in more vehicles. Unfortunately, human error is the cause of 94 percent of today’s crashes and it’s thought that distracted and inattentive driving continues to be a major contributor to these wrecks.
If you are a parent, that should make you shudder. That’s because motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for U.S. teens, and drivers 15 to 19 years old are three times more likely that drivers aged 20 and older to be in a fatal crash. Teen drivers are also much more likely to be distracted by a cell phone, passengers or other electronics in the vehicle than older drivers (yet adults are catching up).
Other factors contributing to teen driving deaths are that too many don’t wear seat belts, they are less experienced behind the wheel, and they are more prone to speeding.
NHTSA has mounted a campaign to remind us of the “5 to Drive” rules we all need to observe:
- No cell phones while driving
- No extra passengers
- No speeding
- No alcohol
- No driving or riding without a seat belt
California Casualty believes safe driving for teens is a year-round effort. We are a major supporter and charter member of the non-profit Impact Teen Drivers program, proactively using peer-to-peer influencing and education to prevent the tragedy of distracted teen driving.
