The Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting occurred ten years ago today on December 14, 2012, in Newtown, Connecticut.
Ten student survivors participate in the Prtrait Process—to mark the 10th anniversary of the Sandy Hook shooting. The Dear World Foundation gave ten student survivors of the Sandy Hook shooting a camera, a set of questions, and a challenge.
Facilitated by Dear World founder Robert X Fogarty, pairs of young adults who survived the Sandy Hook shooting explored their shared experience through the Prtrait Process by Dear World.
During the Prtrait Process:
Students began with a self-portrait sketch exercise, asking themselves and each other, “How do I hope people see me?”
We gave them cameras in a professional studio setting and they photographed each other.
Then they interviewed each other with pre-selected introspective questions.
This week on 60 Minutes, Sharyn Alfonsi reported on the harmful effects social media can have on adolescents across the U.S. Read their story and watch their segment HERE.
Resources for adolescents and family: Sourced and Provided by CBS News.com
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is a US-based suicide prevention network available to anyone in suicidal crisis or emotional distress. More than 200 crisis centers provide 24/7 service via a toll-free hotline.
The Crisis Text Line serves people across the United States experiencing any type of crisis and provides free, 24/7 emotional support and information through text message. A live, trained specialist will receive the text and respond, all from a secure online platform.
Boys Town helps all children (including girls) and families, regardless of a person’s background, race, or religion. The Boys Town National Hotline is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and staffed by specially trained counselors. Parents, teens, and families can find help with a range of issues including abuse, anger, depression, school issues, bullying, caring for a child in crisis, and treating complex health care conditions.
Spanish-speaking counselors and translation services for more than 100 languages also are available 24 hours a day. The speech- and hearing-impaired can connect through the email address: hotline@boystown.org
Confidential 24/7 hotline for the NYC-Metropolitan area that provides non-religious emotional support for those who feel overwhelmed, depressed or in crisis.
Call 212-673-3000
https://samaritansnyc.org/24-hour-crisis-hotline/
National Eating Disorders Helpline
Support, resources, and treatment options for your or a loved one who is struggling with an eating disorder. Helpline volunteers are trained to help find the support and information you need.
Call 800-931-2237
Monday to Thursday 11am–9pm ET
Friday 11am–5pm ET
Text 800-931-2237
Monday to Thursday 3pm–6pm ET
Teen Line
Teen Line provides support, resources, and hope to young people through a hotline of professionally trained teen counselors, and outreach programs that de-stigmatize and normalize mental health.
IMAlive is a live online network that uses instant messaging to respond to people in crisis, giving them a safe place to go during moments of crisis and intense emotional pain. All of its volunteers are trained and certified in crisis intervention.
https://www.imalive.org/online/
notOK App
notOK App® is a free digital panic button to get you immediate support via text, phone call, or GPS location when you’re struggling to reach out. The app notifies your trusted contacts that they’ve been selected as your support group, so when the time comes and you need to reach out, you’ll just have to open the app and press the large, red notOK® button.
https://www.notokapp.com/
Active Minds
Active Minds is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting mental health, especially among young adults, via peer-to-peer dialogue and interaction.
StopBullying.gov provides resources for both youth and adults about bullying. It includes information from various government agencies on what bullying is, what cyberbullying is, who is at risk, and how you can prevent and respond to bullying.
https://www.stopbullying.gov/
Youth Suicide Warning Signs
Youth suicide warning signs from the American Association of Suicidology (AAS) and the National Center for the Prevention of Youth Suicide (NCPYS)
https://www.youthsuicidewarningsigns.org/youth
My Life is Worth Living
My Life is Worth Living is the first animated series to address suicide prevention for teens. Some of the topics it tackles include the fear of rejection for being LGBTQ+, living with depression, substance abuse, and fear of disappointing your parents.
The SPTS is dedicated to increasing awareness, saving lives and reducing the stigma of suicide through specialized training programs and resources that empower teens, parents and educational leaders with the skills needed to help youth build a life of resiliency.
Log Off is movement dedicated to rethinking social media by youth for youth. The organization is dedicated to lowering social media’s impact on mental health, while teaching teenage users and their parents about how to navigate the vast innerworkings of life on social media. They use an array of mediums, such as a website, podcast, blog, and the Character Ed program to further investigate how social media is affecting its adolescent users worldwide.
Tech(nically) Politics is a teen-led movement that collects youth testimonials relating to social media and the impact on adolescents’ mental health in order to push forward legislation for regulating social media.
Loveland, Ohio – In their home opener on Monday, December 5 before the Women’s Varsity game began, former Head Coach Darnell Parker was recognized for the impact his life made on the Loveland and regional athletic community.
The evening was also a fundraiser for the Foundation set up by his daughters, Alexis and Madison Parker to raise scholarship dollars for deserving graduates.
Jessica Early (alumni parent) spearheaded the tribute night, along with help of Athletic Director Rich Bryant, Assistant Athletic Director Shayne Lyons, (alumni parent), and with the help of all the current Loveland basketball parents, coaches, and players.
Early said afterward, “We wanted to make sure that Coach Parker’s family felt our love. We wanted the girls to have the opportunity to publicly dedicate the season to Coach Parker. Our Loveland community and basketball program were so greatly impacted and inspired by Darnell.”
Here is a LOVELAND MAGAZINE TV video from December 2021 the night before Coach Parker went to the Cleveland Clinic for cancer surgery.
Split-the-pot raffle tickets and half-court shot tickets were sold throughout the JV and Varsity games.
You can continue to donate to the Darnell Parker Memorial Athletic Scholarship…
If you are interested in applying for this scholarship, information will be available in Spring 2023 to apply.
If you would like to contribute to the Darnell Parker Memorial Athletic Scholarship, click here. Donations may also be venmo’d to @Dana-Parker-41 or checks made payable to S3C, Inc. may be mailed to 6187 Cardington Place, West Chester, OH 45069.
Coach Parker told Cassie Mattia in January 2022, “This community needs a win, and I have to deliver it to them.” He said it with his legendary smile when Mattia interviewed him for a “What’s In Loveland’s DNA” interview.
Mattia said at the time, “Coach Parker has certainly become a big part of the Loveland community spreading positivity among his student-athletes and the cancer community. There’s no question that Coach Parker is a part of ‘What’s in Loveland’s DNA!”
Cultivating Kingdom Culture compels us to arrange our conversations, thoughts, plans, and prayers around what God is doing now.
Join thousands of Kingdom-minded leaders of all denominations and cultural expressions as we explore together, as the Church, how we are impacting the mission of Jesus through prayer, evangelization, renewal in the Spirit, and unity in the body of Christ.
It is a moment where we collectively ask the Holy Spirit to come and transform our lives, our churches, our communities, and our nation.
Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration amended the emergency use authorizations (EUAs) of the updated (bivalent) Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines to include use in children down to 6 months of age.
“More children now have the opportunity to update their protection against COVID-19 with a bivalent COVID-19 vaccine, and we encourage parents and caregivers of those eligible to consider doing so – especially as we head into the holidays and winter months where more time will be spent indoors,” said FDA Commissioner Robert M. Califf, M.D. “As this virus has changed, and immunity from previous COVID-19 vaccination wanes, the more people who keep up to date on COVID-19 vaccinations, the more benefit there will be for individuals, families and public health by helping prevent severe illnesses, hospitalizations, and deaths.”
What parents and caregivers need to know:
Children 6 months through 5 years of age who received the original (monovalent) Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine are now eligible to receive a single booster of the updated (bivalent) Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine two months after completing a primary series with the monovalent Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine.
Children 6 months through 4 years of age who have not yet begun their three-dose primary series of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine or have not yet received the third dose of their primary series will now receive the updated (bivalent) Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine as the third dose in their primary series following two doses of the original (monovalent) Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine.
Children 6 months through 4 years of age who have already completed their three-dose primary series with the original (monovalent) Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine will not be eligible for a booster dose of an updated bivalent vaccine at this time. Children in this age group who already completed their primary series would still be expected to have protection against the most serious outcomes from the currently circulating omicron variant. The data to support giving an updated bivalent booster dose for these children are expected in January. The agency is committed to evaluating those data as quickly as possible.
The Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech bivalent COVID-19 vaccines include an mRNA component corresponding to the original strain to provide an immune response that is broadly protective against COVID-19 and an mRNA component corresponding to the omicron variant BA.4 and BA.5 lineages to provide better protection against COVID-19 caused by the omicron variant.
Individuals who receive the updated (bivalent) vaccines may experience similar side effects reported by individuals who received previous doses of the original (monovalent) mRNA COVID-19 vaccines.
The fact sheets for both bivalent COVID-19 vaccines for recipients and caregivers and for healthcare providers include information about the potential side effects, as well as the risks of myocarditis and pericarditis.
“Vaccines remain the best defense against the most devastating consequences of disease caused by the currently circulating omicron variant, such as hospitalization and death. Based on available data, the updated, bivalent vaccines are expected to provide increased protection against COVID-19,” said Peter Marks, M.D., Ph.D., director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research. “Parents and caregivers can be assured that the FDA has taken a great deal of care in our review, and we encourage parents of children of any age who are eligible for primary vaccination or a bivalent COVID-19 vaccine booster dose to consider seeking vaccination now as it can potentially help protect them from COVID-19 during a time when cases are increasing.”
Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine, Bivalent
The monovalent Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine is authorized as a two-dose primary series in individuals six months of age and older and as a third primary series dose for individuals 6 months of age and older who have been determined to have certain kinds of immunocompromise. With today’s authorization, the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine, Bivalent is now authorized for administration in individuals 6 months through 5 years of age as a single booster dose at least 2 months after completion of primary vaccination with the monovalent Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine. The Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine, Bivalent is also authorized for use in individuals 6 years and older as a single booster dose at least two months after completion of either primary vaccination with any authorized or approved COVID-19 vaccine, or receipt of the most recent booster dose with any authorized or approved monovalent COVID-19 vaccine.
For the authorization of a single booster dose of the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine, Bivalent for children 6 months through 5 years of age, the FDA relied on immune response data that it had previously evaluated from a clinical study in adults of a booster dose of Moderna’s investigational bivalent COVID-19 vaccine that contained a component corresponding to the original strain of SARS-CoV-2 and a component corresponding to the omicron lineage BA.1.
In addition, the FDA conducted an analysis of data from a clinical study that compared the immune response among 56 study participants 17 months through 5 years of age who received a single booster dose of monovalent Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine at least six months after completion of a two-dose primary series of the vaccine to the immune response among approximately 300 study participants 18 through 25 years of age who had received a two-dose primary series of monovalent Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine in a previous study which determined the vaccine to be effective in preventing COVID-19. The immune response to the booster dose of monovalent Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine in the 17 months through 5 years age group was comparable to the immune response to the two-dose primary series in the adult participants.
The safety of a single booster dose of the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine, Bivalent for children 6 months through 5 years of age is supported by safety data from a clinical study which evaluated a booster dose of Moderna’s investigational bivalent COVID-19 vaccine (original and omicron BA.1), safety data from clinical trials which evaluated primary and booster vaccination with the monovalent Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine, and postmarketing safety data with the monovalent Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine and Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine, Bivalent.
In one clinical study, the safety of a single booster dose of monovalent Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine was evaluated in 145 clinical study participants 6 months through 5 years of age who received a booster dose of monovalent Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine at least six months after completion of the monovalent Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine two-dose primary series. The most commonly reported side effects after a booster dose of the monovalent Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine across this age group included pain, redness and swelling at the injection site, swelling/tenderness of the lymph nodes of the injected arm or thigh, and fever. In clinical study participants 17 months through 36 months of age, other commonly reported side effects included irritability/crying, sleepiness, and loss of appetite. In clinical trial participants 37 months through 5 years of age, other commonly reported side effects included fatigue, headache, muscle pain, joint pain, chills, and nausea/vomiting.
The data accrued with the investigational Moderna bivalent COVID-19 vaccine (original and omicron BA.1) and with the monovalent Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine are relevant to the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine, Bivalent because these vaccines are manufactured using the same process.
Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine, Bivalent
With today’s authorization, children 6 months through 4 years of age who have not yet received the third dose of the three-dose primary series with the monovalent Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine will now receive the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine, Bivalent as the third dose of the primary series. The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine, Bivalent is also authorized for administration in individuals 5 years of age and older as a single booster dose at least two months after completion of either primary vaccination with any authorized or approved COVID-19 vaccine, or receipt of the most recent booster dose with any authorized or approved monovalent COVID-19 vaccine.
With today’s action, the monovalent Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine is no longer authorized for use as the third dose of the three-dose primary series in children 6 months through 4 years of age. The monovalent Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine remains authorized for administration as the first two doses of the three-dose primary series in individuals 6 months through 4 years of age, as a two-dose primary series for individuals 5 years of age and older, and as a third primary series dose for individuals 5 years of age and older who have been determined to have certain kinds of immunocompromise.
The authorization of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine, Bivalent for administration as the third dose of a three-dose primary series following two doses of the monovalent Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine in children 6 months through 4 years of age is supported by the FDA’s previous analyses of the effectiveness of primary vaccination with the monovalent Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine in individuals 16 years of age and older and individuals 6 months through 4 years of age, and previous analyses of immune response data in adults greater than 55 years of age who had received a two-dose primary series and one booster dose with the monovalent Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine and a second booster dose with the investigational Pfizer-BioNTech bivalent COVID-19 vaccine (original and omicron BA.1).
The safety of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine, Bivalent for administration as the third dose of a three-dose primary series following two doses of the monovalent Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine in children 6 months through 4 years of age is based on safety data from a clinical study which evaluated a booster dose of Pfizer-BioNTech’s investigational bivalent COVID-19 vaccine (original and omicron BA.1) in individuals greater than 55 years of age, safety data from clinical trials which evaluated primary vaccination in individuals 6 months of age and older with the monovalent Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine, safety data from clinical trials which evaluated booster vaccination in individuals 5 years of age and older with the monovalent Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine and postmarketing safety data with the monovalent Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine and the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine, Bivalent.
The data accrued with the investigational Pfizer-BioNTech bivalent COVID-19 vaccine (original and omicron BA.1) and with the monovalent Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine are relevant to the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID 19 Vaccine, Bivalent because these vaccines are manufactured using the same process.
The amendments to the EUAs were issued to Moderna TX Inc. and Pfizer Inc.
The virus that causes COVID-19 changes over time. Keep your protection against COVID-19 up to date by getting a bivalent COVID-19 vaccine booster dose.
The bivalent COVID-19 vaccines include a component of the original virus strain to provide broad protection against COVID-19 and a component of the omicron variant to provide better protection against COVID-19 caused by the omicron variant. These are called bivalent COVID-19 vaccines because they contain these two components. A bivalent COVID-19 vaccine may also be referred to as “updated” COVID-19 vaccine booster dose.
COVID-19 vaccines can help protect against severe illness, hospitalization and death from COVID-19. As the virus changes and your immunity naturally decreases over time, you may lose some of that protection.
Search in your zip code to find a location where a bivalent COVID-19 vaccine booster dose is available near you.
What bivalent COVID-19 vaccines has FDA authorized for use as a booster dose?
Video: Why should I get the updated COVID-19 vaccine now? [1:35]
The FDA authorized bivalent formulations of the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines for use as a single booster dose.
The Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine, Bivalent is authorized for use as single booster dose in children 6 months through 5 years of age at least two months after completion of a primary series with the monovalent Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine. It is also authorized for use as a single booster dose in individuals 6 years of age and older at least two months after completion of either primary vaccination with any authorized or approved COVID-19 vaccine, or receipt of the most recent booster dose with any authorized or approved monovalent COVID-19 vaccine.
The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine, Bivalent is authorized for use as a single booster dose in individuals 5 years of age and older at least two months after completion of either primary vaccination with any authorized or approved COVID-19 vaccine or receipt of the most recent booster dose with any authorized or approved monovalent COVID-19 vaccine.
Am I eligible for an updated (bivalent) COVID-19 vaccine booster?
Eligibility for a booster depends on:
Your age
When you completed your primary vaccination OR
When received your most recent booster dose of a monovalent COVID-19 vaccine
If eligible, consider getting a bivalent COVID-19 vaccine booster dose.
Video: Are the new bivalent COVID-19 vaccines safe? [1:57]
A single booster dose with an updated bivalent COVID-19 vaccine provides broad protection against COVID-19 and is expected to provide better protection against COVID-19 caused by the currently circulating Omicron variant.
The Loveland Board of Education will conduct a special meeting on Thursday, December 10th, 2022, at 8:00 AM in the Board of Education Offices at 757 South Lebanon Rd, Loveland, Ohio 45140, for the purpose of considering the following agenda items:
Action Items
Request to file Modified Tax Budget – Action
Board 2023 Calendar – Potential Action after discussion
Discussion Items
District Finances
Board Officers and Administrative Committees
Board Appointees to Loveland City Committees
Board Meeting Processes, Recordings and Minutes
By-Laws
The agenda is active on BoardDocs - https://go.boarddocs.com/oh/love/Board.nsf/vpublic?open
Pursuant to Board Policy 0169.1, there will be no Public Participation at this Special Meeting.
Loveland, Ohio – Tigers Incorporated, Loveland Spirit Club, and Jarvis Global Investments have launched the second annual “3’s For LIFE” Fundraiser.
This community outreach program will take place from December 3rd to February 2nd benefiting the Loveland LIFE Food Pantry. Jarvis Global Investments will donate twelve canned goods to the LIFE Food Pantry for every three-point shot made at Loveland High School’s Men’s and Women’s home basketball games.
The two Tigers Inc. students on the lead, Elly Steinbrunner and Brady Steiner, have secured a five hundred dollar donation from Meijer which will also be given to the LIFE Food Pantry.
Throughout the fundraiser, donation boxes will be set up at Loveland Biggby Coffee (732 Middleton Way), to collect food donations from community members.
If you’d like to help the cause you can donate canned food items, or venmo @Tigers-Inc and donate monetarily! All donations will go directly to the food pantry in the form of canned goods.
To stay up to date with the progress of the fundraiser visit Loveland Spirit Club on instagram @lovelandspiritclub or twitter @TigerSpiritClu1.”
Loveland School Treasurer Rob Giuffre – Photo Provided
Loveland, Ohio – Andrew Setters the Loveland City School District Director of Communication and Community Engagement sent this message to Loveland Magazine saying, “I’ve included the Superintendent’s Message from our December Community Newsletter below. It has a pretty clear message about the district’s five-year forecast and the financial decision-making that will need to take place in the months ahead.”
Setters added, “We’ve gotten good feedback on this, and I thought it might be of interest to your readers.”
Superintendent’s Message
Loveland Tiger Community,
Treasurer Rob Giuffre presented the five-year forecast during our Board of Education Meeting on November 15. You can view it under “important documents” on the Treasurer’s webpage by following this link. Watch the discussion around the Five Year Forecast at the two hours and thirty-five-minute mark of the Board Meeting recording by following this link.
The Five Year Forecast is a tool to allow school districts and communities to plan for future needs by looking at our projected financial situation over the next five years. It’s a lengthy document, but the most relevant information is on page three. It shows that we are in deficit spending for the current fiscal year by $3.7 million and projects a $3.8 million deficit in the following fiscal year.
Deficit spending means the district is spending more money than we receive from local, state, and federal tax revenue. The district is making up that deficit by using our cash reserves. Because we only get tax revenue deposits twice a year, those cash reserves are necessary to pay bills, payroll, and other expenses.
There are two paths ahead - a reduction in expenses or an increase in revenue. Salaries and benefits make up 86% of our costs, so a reduction in expenses means a decrease in staff positions. Because the district already implemented staff reductions in 2020, it will be difficult to make additional cuts without impacting educational opportunities for students. Increasing revenue means asking voters for additional funding through a levy.
Loveland City School District receives very little state funding compared to other districts around Ohio, and we do not expect the situation to improve. The state funding model is expected to eliminate more funding for suburban districts like Loveland in the future. The district’s financial situation cannot wait for help from state lawmakers who have been unable to fix the unconstitutional school funding system for decades.
In the weeks ahead, the Treasurer and I will look at options to present to the Board of Education as they consider which path to take.
If you have any questions, please contact me: broadwmi@lovelandschools.org
Go Tigers!
Mike Broadwater
Superintendent
Loveland City Schools
Loveland, Ohio – This Saturday you can bid on some beautiful Christmas Trees crafted by the artists at the Loveland Art Studios on Main and decorate your home if your bid wins.
Win or lose, you’ve taken a chance that 80% of your winning bid will go to help those Loveland Area residents served by the Loveland Inter-Faith Effort (LIFE) food pantry.
You can bowse and bid through Saturday from 11 AM until 4 PM.
The Winter Art Show and open studios are Saturday evening December 10, and the Silent Auction will continue until 9 PM.
The Bobby Sharp Trio will perform Saturday during the Winter Art Show.
