Community Fund of Darien 2021
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‘The Pressured Child: Helping Your Child Find Success in School and Life’ Presentation, Thursday Night

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New York Times bestselling author Dr. Michael G. Thompson will speak Thursday, Nov. 18 at the Middlesex Middle School auditorium at to speak about “The Pressured Child: Helping Your Child Find Success in School and Life.” Dr. Thompson’s presentation, one of a series of events to address student mental health and substance use from the Thriving Youth Task Force (TYTF) in response to its recent student survey findings about Darien 7th-12th grade students’ mental health and substance use. “The Pressured Child” presentation is recommended for “pressured parents” who have forgotten what school is actually like for children and who may mistakenly believe that there is a one-to-one correlation between school performance and success in life. Dr. Thompson will remind adults that children are almost never judging themselves by grades: they are always monitoring their own development and constantly searching for three things: connection, recognition and a sense of power.  Each journey has its own different pressures, and every child is constantly developing strategies for coping with the pressures that they feel.

Healthy Living
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Access Health CT Can Help You Enroll in a Health Insurance Plan — Online, By Phone and at a Fair on Saturday

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Access Health CT will hold a health insurance enrollment fair from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 6 at 42 Bellamarine Road on the Fairfield University campus in Fairfield. The event is meant to give Connecticut residents another opportunity to shop, compare and enroll in quality health insurance plans. On its website, Access Health CT says:

“The Open Enrollment Period for 2022 health coverage begins Nov. 1.

Coronavirus 2021
COVID-19 Coronavirus

[UPDATE] With All Slots Filled for Darien COVID-19 Vaccine Clinics for Kids, Info on Other Opportunities Promised

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Update, 5:58 p.m.: Schools Superintendent Alan Addley has told Darien elementary school parents that the district will tell them about other opportunities for getting vaccinations after reservations for a town sponsored clinic were snapped up quickly — in roughly as little as half an hour, according to one parent. “We will communicate all opportunities for vaccination with you in a timely manner,” Addley said in an email Darienite.com received at 12:30 p.m., Thursday. An earlier announcement about the availability of registration for the clinic went out at 7:15 p.m., Wednesday. Darien resident Liz Anderson Steinke posted a comment on Darienite’s Facebook post linking to the story, saying, “They [registration slots] were filled up in half an hour, give or take. Hopefully the town will expand the time slots or add more clinics as demand is clearly there.”

Healthy Living
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First Selectman: Vaccine Shots Soon Available at Darien Clinics for Children, Seniors, Others at Risk

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A COVID-19 vaccine clinic for children ages 5 to 11 will be held in the Town Hall gymnasium will be held for two days in November, and second doses for two days in December, First Selectman Jayme Stevenson said in a Code Red message to the town Thursday night. Seniors and others eligible for booster vaccines can get them on Tuesdays in the same gym, beginning Nov. 9. Getting appointments goes through Darien Public Schools (for children), through Town Hall (for seniors) and through a state agency (for non-seniors getting booster shots). The town hasn’t had a resident hospitalized for COVID-19 since last March, and Darien’s weekly positivity rate is 0.13.

Letters to the Editor
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Kindness Matters? Kindness With Action Matters. Let’s Practice What’s Being Preached

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To the editor:

Here is a quote from a Darien High School student speaking at the Board of Education meeting on Oct. 12.:

“I was at a friend’s house and a group of DHS boys I had never met came up and started shouting ‘You’re a dyke!’ and the words ‘faggot’ and ‘lesbian’ were also shouted. They then hurled a can at my head and splashed their drinks in my face.”

Three more students also described incidents of racist and homophobic acts at DHS. Some described the fear of attending the school. In the words of so many yard signs in Darien: Kindness matters.

Darien Thriving Youth Task Force 2021

Findings From Darien Student Survey on Substance Abuse, Mental Health To Be Presented Wednesday

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Findings from the a survey of students from the 7th through 12th grades about substance abuse and mental health will be shared with parents at a public meeting  at 7 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 20 in the Middlesex Middle School auditorium. — an announcement, partly reworded, from The Community Fund of Darien

Among the findings from the survey, from the Student Assets Survey conducted last February for the Thriving Youth Task Force (TYTF) in partnership with the school district:

——”[G]etting into a good college and getting good grades are the primary sources of stress” across all grades surveyed, from 7th thrugh 12th, “even in middle school!” according to an Oct. 7 post on the TYTF Facebook timeline.

Community Fund of Darien 2021
Thriving Youth Task Force TYTF square logo

Five-Year, $625K Fed Grant Includes Funds to Expand Pot, Alcohol Education for Darien Kids, Parents

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More education efforts about teen marijuana and alcohol use will be coming in the next five years now that the Thriving Youth Task Force of Darien has been awarded $125,000 per year for the next five years by a grant from the federal government. The federal Drug-Free Communities (DFC) Grant, managed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, will support TYTF activities. The task force is organized by The Community Fund of Darien, which runs the TYTF program. Janet King, executive director of The Community Fund of Darien, said the funding will not only allow her organization to continue the Thriving Youth Task Force’s programs in teen substance use prevention and education, but to expand them. “The DFC Grant gives us a fantastic opportunity to further engage our community to work together towards this goal,” she said.

Parents & Kids
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‘Parenting in the Digital Age’ — School District Offers Workshop in November

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The Darien school district is providing parents with workshops next month about children’s use of social media. Each workshop is for a different children’s age group, takes place at the district headquarters at 35 Leroy Ave. and starts at 10 a.m. on a weekday. Schools Superintendent Alan Addley announced the workshops in a message to parents on Friday. Here’s what he said about the workshops:

“We share in the challenge of navigating the increasing role that social media and technology play in the lives of students and ourselves.

Alcoholism Treatment 2021
Group Counseling Women Mountainside

New Financial Help Announced for Women With Substance Use Disorders:

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For women battling substance use disorders who can’t afford medical and clinical care, a new “scholarship” program has been announced this month, National Substance Abuse Prevention Month, by Mountainside treatment center and Release Recovery Foundation. — an announcement from Mountainside Treatment Center

The aim of the scholarships is to offer life-saving inpatient treatment services to women struggling with alcohol and drug addiction who are not otherwise able to afford treatment. Release Recovery Foundation, co-founded by “Bachelorette” Season 16 winner Zac Clark and Justin Gurland, is a nonprofit dedicated to getting professional treatment for people with substance abuse, despite financial barriers. A Need Now to Treat Women
There is no better time to launch this partnership than National Substance Abuse Prevention Month, which aims to raise awareness of the impact of substance use disorders. Unfortunately, women face additional barriers — both emotional and societal — to seeking treatment.

Healthy Living
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Flu Vaccines from Darien Health Department Now Available by Appointment

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You can now get an appointment to get the influenza vaccine from Darien Health Department on a Tuesday in October. It’s important to note that the cost is $40, payable by check, cash, ConnectiCare insurance or Medicare Part B ONLY. We do not participate with any of the Medicare Advantage Plans. The vaccine is preservative-free and available for people over 3 years old. To get your flu shot: schedule your appointment at DarienCT.gov/Flu for one of our clinics in the Town Hall Gymnasium:

—Tuesday, Oct.

Coronavirus 2021
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Superintendent to Parents: School Buses Will Run as Normal on Monday

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Darien Schools Superintendent Alan Addley told parents in a 3 p.m. email Sunday that they should expect school buses to be running normally on Monday — because the drivers all got their vaccines or are getting tested, as mandated. “The drivers for Darien’s bus company, First Student, have complied with the executive order to be vaccinated or submit to weekly testing and we are not anticipating a disruption to bus transportation tomorrow,” Addley wrote. Addley noted that there have been news reports that drivers in some districts might not be showing up for work Monday because they’ve refused to either get the vaccine or the tests, as mandated by an executive order from Gov. Ned Lamont. Across the state, about 350 bus drivers are expected not to report for work Monday morning, according to a Friday report by WTNH-TV news. The Hartford Courant says only about 200 in Connecticut are expected not to show up.

Coronavirus 2021
COVID-19 Coronavirus

Where Darien Stands on New COVID-19 Rules: First Selectman’s Update

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The town government won’t impose indoor mask mandates for businesses and other places in town (although they’re already required in Town Hall), First Selectman Jayme Stevenson said in part of her CodeRED update to residents late Thursday afternoon about COVID-19 rules in Darien. Anyone who is immunocompromised and had the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines can get booster shots now, the first selectman said. “You must be at least 8 months from receipt of the last shot in your initial vaccine series. Boosters for the general public are anticipated to be available by the end of September. Plans for offering local booster clinics is underway.”

Healthy Living
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Commuter Advocates to the Governor: Metro-North Needs to Enforce Mask Rules

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The lives of thousands of daily passengers on Metro-North are being jeopardized by the railroad’s refusal to enforce federal and state safety rules requiring face masks, according to the Connecticut Commuter Action Group and the Connecticut Commuter Rail Council in a joint announcement. Here’s most of the news release from the two groups:
Writing to Governor Lamont, the leaders of the independent CT Commuter Action Group and state-created CT Commuter Rail Council appealed to the Governor to safeguard passenger safety by having authorities issue citations to those refusing to wear masks. “Metro-North says it wants passengers to come back to the trains but their refusal to issue a single ticket to mask scofflaws says the opposite,” said Jim Cameron of the CT Commuter Action Group. [Cameron is a Darien resident.]
“Metro North clearly needs to do a better job with mask enforcement if they wish to motivate and convince riders that rail transportation is safe to use.  The Commuter Council continues to make that request however nothing seems to change.” noted Jim Gildea, chairman of the state-created CT Commuter Council. Both advocates called on the Connecticut Department of Transportation to require Metro-North, the state’s vendor, to enforce the  masking rules.  To date, not a single citation has been issued to offenders by MTA Police, despite the rise in cases of the COVID  Delta Variant.

Education
Darien Public Schools

Superintendent: Board of Ed to Discuss COVID Regulations Tuesday — What the Plan Says

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The Board of Education, at its meeting Tuesday night, will discuss a proposed plan for COVID-19 regulations in Darien schools when they reopen for the upcoming school year, and members of the public can tell the board what they think about the plan. In a message to parents on Friday, Schools Superintendent Alan Addley described highlights of the district’s plan, called the “Safe Return Plan” or “SRP.” The plan follows mandates and guidelines already sent out by the state government, along with recommendations from the federal government, Addley said. Those mandates and guidelines often change, he said, especially now in response to the Delta variant. “Preparations are well underway to welcome all of our students back to school in the fall,” the superintendent said. Remote learning will only take place with students in quarantine, he said.

Avon Theater 2021
Avon Theatre Film Center

Avon Theatre Announces Free One-Year Memberships If You Get Vaccinated in August

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In the spirit of encouraging the entire community to stay safe, the Avon Theatre in Stamford is offering a limited special offer to anyone getting a COVID-19 vaccine in August or who already has been vaccinated in the month of August. — an announcement from Avon Theater in Stamford

Anyone stepping up to get a Covid-19 shot between August 1 and August 31 will be eligible for these perks:

Moviegoers presenting proof of August vaccination at the Avon Box Office will receive a FREE MEMBERSHIP for one person (Individual/Student/Senior) for one year. Current Avon Members who present proof of an August vaccine will receive a FREE MEDIUM POPCORN with each movie ticket they purchase throughout the month of August. The benefits of Avon membership include discounts on movie tickets all year, one free movie admission ticket upon joining, as well as invitations to members-only screenings. To take advantage of this special offer, please visit the box office.