Friday, December 21, 2012
A week after the Newtown, CT massacre, schools have reviewed their safety procedures. Now, should parents follow up with more coaching?
A week after the deadly elementary school attack in Newtown, CT that has rocked the the nation, some parents say their kids remain oblivious to the attack—and the danger. Most teens and children are wrapped up in their own worlds. One mom of a middle-schooler told me instead of being worried about how the Newtown deaths would affect her daughter, she is more concerned the girl is not aware enough of what took place. And there is only so much the schools can do. So this mom will spin out a scenario of danger and ask the daughter to think through how she might best respond. If you are a parent, are you doing the same kind of 'coaching' with your kids? Should parents be following up and expanding on the schools' safety procedures and …
Thursday, December 20, 2012
One school system says no.
Webster students were told to change out of their T-shirts that paid tribute to the victims of the Sandy Hook massacre last week, according to Fox 25. One of the students, a first-grade boy, was wearing a shirt that read "Rest in peace, the victims of Sandy Hook Elementary School. And in the front is all the kids' names," his parent Tiffany Elliot told FOX 25. Elliot told Fox 25 she talked to her son about the shooting and thought the best way to handle it was to have him show his support for the victims. But the school, said Elliot, disagreed, saying it wasn't their place to discuss the tragedy with students. Instead, Superintendent Dr. Barbara Malkas told Fox 25, "... I don't feel it is the school's right to take that privilege of …
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Does the massacre at Newtown, CT, signal the need for a political debate on gun regulations?
Before officials had even held their first press conference Friday, Facebook was abuzz with status updates about the Newtown, CT, massacre. The statuses were split between those sending their condolences and those asking if the country would finally deal with the issue of gun control. Some fought back, asking for respect and mourning before political debate began. Others remained fierce in their belief that stricter gun control regulations would have prevented such a mass killing, saying the victims were shot multiple times and with semi-automatic weapons, according to Fox News. The guns were not illegal and were, in fact, owned by the shooter's mother. Among them were a semi-automatic .223 caliber bushmaster rifle and two handguns. …
Sunday, December 16, 2012
Help Patch build a huge virtual card to the Newtown, CT community and let them know they are in your heart and on your mind.
“There is a saying in Tibetan, 'Tragedy should be utilized as a source of strength.' No matter what sort of difficulties, how painful experience is, if we lose our hope, that's our real disaster.” – The Dalai Lama When unthinkable tragedy strikes, we grapple for a way to come to terms with the how and the why. We search for ways to make sense of what happened, even when it doesn't make sense. The horrific shooting that took place at the Sandy Hook elementary school in Newtown, CT on Friday, Dec. 14, stunned a nation as the news broke that not one child, but 20, six- and seven-year-old children and six of their teachers had been shot and killed by a gunman who then took his own life. Most communities can only begin to imagine sorrow …
Saturday, December 15, 2012
An expert shares advice for parents who are trying to explain the Newtown school shooting to their kids.
In the wake of the Sandy Hook school shooting tragedy, parents are wondering what to tell their children about what happened and how to help them process what they may be hearing from friends, on television and via social media. Lauren Hutchinson, LMFT is a child and family therapist and parenting consultant with a practice in Bellevue, WA. She says step one for parents is to “turn off the TV”. “We don’t want to have the TV playing in the background all the time. It isn’t helpful and the news is traumatizing for kids to watch.” For kids age seven and younger Hutchinson says, “you want to shield them from the media coverage completely and parents should not initiate a conversation about the event because kids this age cannot make sense of…
People all over the world want to know how to help Sandy Hook residents following Friday's horrifying mass shooting. Post "I want to help" in this comment thread to get updates on what you can do.
In the wake of the unimaginable tragedy at Sandy Hook School Friday people from all over the world—in Connecticut, California, Canada and much farther away in Australia and India—sent an outpouring of support and want to know how they can help. If you want to be notified via e-mail of ways to provide comfort and support during this difficult time, please post in the comments section: "I want to help." Patch will continue to update this article with ways to help—posting updates to the story as well as in the comments thread, triggering an email notification to commenters—and if you know of an organization or fundraiser providing assistance, let us know in the comments section, too. Already the United Way of Western Connecticut, in …
Friday, December 14, 2012
Local and state police in Newtown, Conn. were called to an elementary school at about 9:30 this morning after a gunman allegedly opened fire at the school.
NEWTOWN, CT -- Connecticut police said Friday afternoon that 26 people, including 20 children, were killed at an elementary school after a gunman opened fire. Another adult was killed at a second location. The Scene Police in Newtown were called to the Sandy Hook School at about 9:30 a.m. after receiving a 911 call Friday morning. Authorities said the gunman was found dead inside the school. He was reportedly armed with four guns and a high-powered assault rifle. Authorities said during a press conference that they have retrieved three weapons from the scene. A parent interviewed on CBS News told the network on Friday that his 8-year-old daughter said she heard an argument and cursing over the school’s loudspeaker, apparently coming …
Keith Best
6:21 pm on Friday, December 28, 2012
Adama Lanza broke myriad gun laws as Connecticut has some of the strongest gun laws in the country. More laws is NOT the answer. Improvements in dealing with the mentally ill is. Blaming the guns is like blaming the fork and spoon for making Michael Moore and Rosie O'Donnell fat. Think about that. more ›