by California Casualty | News, Safety |
Although many of us won’t be able to visit friends, family, or loved ones this holiday season, that doesn’t mean we can’t still bring them joy or spread the Yuletide cheer!
Check out these 20 great holiday gift ideas for everyone in your life – no matter where they are.
1. Printable Coupons – Flex your creative muscles by making personalized coupons that can be printed out and redeemed later – for hugs, virtual family time, happy hour or anything, really! For a handmade touch, draw or paint them and send via snail mail or a digital photo.
2. Streaming Service Subscription – These days, there is no shortage of streaming service choices. Would anyone on your list like a subscription for movies, shows or music?
3. Gaming Subscription – Gamers can never get enough gaming time. Make sure you know which app or platform the gamer in your life uses before purchasing.
4. Audiobook Membership – Audiobooks are a great gift for book lovers for several reasons: they can “read” on the go, listen to master storytellers bring books to life, and have access to unlimited audiobooks (for most subscription platforms).
5. Donation – For those who have everything, donating to a cause you know they care about will give them some extra good feels for the holidays.
6. Museum Pass – Many people assume museums are closed, but in fact many have done a ton of work to go virtual. Get your favorite art lover a pass and help them get their art groove on.
7. Online Grocery Shopping Service – Help loved ones stay safe and give them some extra time in their day by gifting a subscription to their favorite grocer.
8. Food Delivery – Go one step beyond groceries and send a subscription for a food delivery service in their area. No dishes to clean, and a hot cooked meal delivered straight to their door? – yes, please!
9. Meal Delivery Kit – Halfway between groceries and food delivery, meal kits take the guesswork out of dinner prep, and will be much appreciated by any home chef.
10. Wine Subscription – Wine lovers on your list will look forward to new arrivals all year long. For those who aren’t partial to wine, check out subscriptions for beer, cheese, olive oil or other specialty foods.
11. Coffee or Tea Subscription – Broaden your favorite coffee or tea drinker’s horizon by getting them something new for their morning ritual.
12. Magazine or Publication Subscription – There’s a publication for everyone – all depending on their interests. Have a friend or family member who’s been wanting a digital newspaper subscription? How about a magazine all about one of their hobbies or interests? A google search for “online newsstand” should spark a ton of ideas.
13. Virtual Yoga or Gym Membership – Taking care of our own health is often last on the to-do list. Keep your loved ones healthy and help them lower their stress by getting them the gift of health.
14. Meditation App – Who couldn’t use a little calm and peace right now? Check out the many meditation apps available and find the perfect ones for your favorite people.
15. Online Learning Subscription – Have any curious, knowledge-thirsty folks in your circle? Send them a subscription for language courses, higher education classes or another online learning opportunity.
16. Subscription For Creative Arts – Creative projects can help keep us inspired and motivated during the long winter months. For the creatives in your life, look into crafting subscriptions, online painting classes, virtual music lessons, and other right-brain endeavors.
17. Virtual Scrapbook – Send friends or family a reminder of great times together (pre-Covid!) by assembling a virtual scrapbook of favorite memories. The great thing about an online versus paper version is that you can include videos in the mix of photos.
18. Makeup or Beauty Subscription – Someday we’ll have a reason to go out again, but in the meantime, receiving a regular beauty box can give a boost to those on your holiday list.
19. Membership – There’s an association or club for just about every passion, hobby or interest. Birding? Definitely. Fishing? Yep. Quilting, classic cars, sculpture? – there’s a club for that!
20. Professional Membership – Give a loved one a career boost by getting them a membership to a professional association in their field.
No doubt – this holiday season looks different than all the years past. But with some flexibility and creativity, we can still connect and celebrate with our loved ones. And surprise them with the perfect gifts! Happy holidays to all!
This article is furnished by California Casualty. We specialize in 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.
by California Casualty | News |
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 Learning Instructor, Patty Pizer.
Patty has been with us for a whopping 23 years now and is based in our Arizona office.
Let’s get to know Patty!
Where are you from?
Winter Park Florida
What made you want to be a Learning Instructor California Casualty?
I love teaching; it’s my passion and I’ve been in the Insurance Industry for the majority of my working career. So, having the opportunity to work in all facets, personal lines, commercial lines, sales, service, underwriting, and claims, I get the best of both worlds.
Over the years, I have come to know and respect the values CalCas represents. I love my job and my current capacity to help others be successful in their insurance careers!
What is your favorite part about your job?
My favorite part of being a learning instructor is getting to work with all departments and interact with individuals within many different areas of the company. Being an instructor, my primary focus is helping prepare new hires for their new careers with CalCas, but another fun part of my job is having the opportunity to work on projects and company implementations that involve both existing and new staff.
I love it when the light bulbs go on and you can see the excitement of learning in others!
Seeing employees that I have trained grow and become successful, and knowing that I had a hand in helping make that happen, is the greatest reward.
What are your favorite activities to do outside of the office?
Traveling and learning new things! Hiking, swimming, reading, shopping and Gabby Gourmet are also on the list.
My dream job would be to become a famous restaurant reviewer and then relax by going to see all of the great movie premieres!
Anything else you would like the audience to know about you?
I was born in Iowa, grew up in Florida and moved with my husband (from North Carolina) to 5 different states and 8 different homes! All in 30 plus years of marriage.
We have 2 grown daughters with 5 grandkids in 5 different states, so we’re a family that likes to move around a lot!
If you want to learn more about Patty 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
by California Casualty | Auto Insurance Info, Safety |
Snowy and icy roads are the cause over a hundred thousand accidents every year, according to the US Department of Transportation. One of the most common, and arguably the most dangerous, parts about driving in the winter is hitting a hidden patch of ice called black...
by California Casualty | News |
‘Twas two nights before Thanksgiving…..
The Turkeys are busy unthawing and the smell of pumpkin & pecan pie lingers in the air. To some, it’s a comforting feeling, to have everything all planned and in the process of creation for their Thanksgiving feast, but to others, the mere thought of cooking for Thanksgiving dinner may bring anxiety- we’re looking at you, procrastinators.
If you are like the majority of the working class, you have yet to prepare much for your big dinner. Or, worst-case scenario, maybe some of you haven’t even been to the grocery store yet to buy supplies! Have no fear, we have created a list of simple, easy, last-minute Thanksgiving dishes that you can bring and show off to your family (just don’t tell them how long it took you to cook 😉 ).
Here are 10 Easy Thanksgiving Dishes:
Check out our Pinterest board “Last-Minute Thanksgiving Recipes” for more simple dish ideas! While you’re there, don’t forget to give us a follow at California Casualty to stay up to date on every new Thanksgiving classroom game and activity we discover! Scan our Pincode with your Pinterest camera to follow:
This article is furnished by California Casualty, providing auto and home insurance to educators, law enforcement officers, firefighters, and nurses. California Casualty does not own any of the photos in this post, all are sourced to their original owners. Get a quote at 1.866.704.8614 or www.calcas.com.
by California Casualty | Educators |
Our Education Blogger is a public school teacher with over a decade of experience. She’s an active NEA member and enjoys writing about her experiences in the classroom.
“Never Forget.” Americans associate this saying with the attacks on September 11th. However, many of our students weren’t even alive when the devastating attacks occurred. In many cases, if you ask a student about September 11th, they wouldn’t be able to tell you much, if anything, about the event. This is where our job as educators becomes critical. Teaching students about September 11th is a delicate, but necessary task. We’ve gathered tips and resources to help you teach your students about September 11th.
10 tips to remember before you begin teaching a difficult subject:
- Make parents aware you’ll be discussing the event in your classroom
- Find out what students know
- Listen to students
- Be as specific as possible, and clear up any misconceptions
- Answer questions with facts, and if you don’t know, don’t speculate
- Reassure students of their safety at school
- Be prepared with plenty of resources – limit graphic pictures and videos
- Talk about it – allow plenty of time for questions and discussion
- Keep it simple – mostly for elementary students
- It’s okay to get emotional – talk about why
Lesson Plans, Resources, and Videos:
9/11 Memorial and Museum – Explore the National September 11 Memorial and Museum’s lesson plans for all grade levels. Each lesson is tied to the Common Core Standards. Grounded in our collections, they are written for use throughout the school year and across subjects, including Social Studies, History, English Language Arts, and Art.
Scholastic: Understanding September 11 – Discover informative and poignant articles, lesson plans, activities, and stories. Use it as an interactive lesson for students or teach from provided lesson plans (along with printables).
History Channel: September 11 Attacks – Find out more about the history of 9/11 Attacks, including videos, interesting articles, pictures, historical features and more.
The Second Day– Watch this 40-minute documentary directed by a 14-year-old who was a kindergartener in Tribeca on 9/11. She interviews students, teachers, and first responders about the experience, how it affected them, and what they learned from the experience.
PBS: Reflections on the 9/11 Memorial– Watch this short video about the importance of the 9/11 memorial and what it means to the city of New York
Teaching Tolerance: Bringing 9/11 in the Classroom- Useful Lessons– Find multiple resources on the events of 9/11 and different cultural understanding
New York Times: The Reckoning– Discover stories, news articles, photos, and infographics on this interactive website about 9/11 and the world more than a decade later.
Education World: September 11 Lessons and Resources– Features a large list of lesson plans and resources from various websites that you can use to teach 9/11 in your classroom
BrainPOP: September 11– Find animated videos, related readings, worksheets and more on 9/11 and a basic understanding of what happened that day.
U.S. Department of Education 9/11 Teaching Materials– Find lesson materials based on The Consitution and 9/11 and extraordinary citizens during 9/11, as well as basic teaching resources to learn about 9/11 and strategies to teach the emotion subject.
Recommended Books:
The Little Chapel That Stood by A.B. Curtiss
America at War by Lee Bennett Hopkins
America Is Under Attack: September 11, 2001: The Day the Towers Fell by Don Brown
September Roses by Jeanette Winter
14 Cows for America by Carmen Agra Deedy
With Their Eyes: September 11th–The View from a High School at Ground Zero by Annie Thoms
We the People: September 11 by Mary Englar
Towers Falling by Jewell Parker Rhodes
Nine, Ten: A September 11 Story by Nora Raleigh Baskin
Messages from Ground Zero: Children Respond to September 11th by Shelley Harwayne
102 Minutes: The Untold Story of the Fight to Survive Inside the Twin Towers by Jim Dwyer & Kevin Flynn
Report from Ground Zero by Dennis Smith
Last Man Down by Richard Picciotto & Daniel Palsner
How do you teach about September 11th in your classroom? What tips would you give fellow educators when teaching this topic?
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.
