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        <title>Student Support</title>
        <link>http://nusd.ca.schoolloop.com</link>
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                <title>Gang Prevention through Parental Involvement</title>
                <description><![CDATA[Signs your Child May be in a Gang Parents often lack factual information about gangs. Many gang members have become knowledgeable about the law and, as a result, have minimized their visibility. In the past, there was a high level of pride associated with the display of gang symbols (i.e., style of clothing, tattoos, hand signs), but today it is no longer easy to identify a gang member. As a result, a growing number of youth are being recruited into gangs without the awareness of parents, teachers, law enforcement officers or community members. While no single sign is proof that a teen is in a gang, the risk factors increases with each additional indicator your child exhibits as listed below: -Truancy -Decline in grades -Change of friends -Keeping late hours -Alcohol and other drug use -Having large sums of money or expensive items that cannot be explained -Developing attitude problems with parents, teachers, or others in authority -Intensifying anger -Sudden hatred for another group -Glamorizing gangs -Wearing gang clothing or an importance placed on certain colors -Withdrawing from the family -Secretive or abrupt changes in behavior -Abrupt changes in music tastes, clothing styles -Presence of body modifications, including tattoos, scarring, burns and brands. -Presence of gang graffiti in bedroom or on books, clothing, shoes, or posters -Using hand signs to communicate with other gang members, siblings, teachers, and parents -Displaying photos showing gang names, slogans, insignia, hand signals, or people involved in gang activities -Using gang-style language -Participating in gang activities -Associating with known gang members What You Can Do About Gang Involvement Parents are an important factor in preventing high-risk behavior like gang involvement in youth. Below are some tips to help parents keep their children away from gang activity. 1. Talk to your teen about high-risk behavior with gangs and drugs 2. Monitor your teen and set clear rules 3. Identify risk factors for delinquent behavior, violence and gang involvement 4. Recognize warning signs indicating your teen may already be involved 5. If your teen is involved with a gang - ACT QUICKLY 6. Get involved in your child&amp;rsquo;s life 7. Get involved in your community 8. Let your child know you love and care about him or her There are some simple steps parents can take to keep track of their child&amp;rsquo;s activities. Of course, their child might not like them keeping tabs on where he or she is and what he or she is doing. It won&amp;rsquo;t be a democracy and it shouldn&amp;rsquo;t be, according to many parenting experts. In the end, it&amp;rsquo;s not pestering, it&amp;rsquo;s parenting. 1. Set rules 2. Praise and reward 3. Know where your teen is and what he or she will be doing 4. Talk to your teen 5. Keep them busy - especially between 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., when the majority of juvenile delinquency is committed 6. Check on your teenager 7. Establish a &amp;ldquo;core values statement&amp;rdquo; for your family. Establish a clear family position on drugs and repeat it often 8. Be a good example 9. Spend time together 10. Take time to learn the facts about drugs and alcohol 11. Get to know your teen&amp;rsquo;s friends (and their parents) 12. Stay in touch with your child&amp;rsquo;s adult supervisors Bottom line: &amp;ldquo;Get involved with your child&amp;rsquo;s life. Show them you care and DO NOT tolerate criminal behavior!&amp;rdquo; ]]></description>
                <link>http://nusd.ca.schoolloop.com/news/view?id=1356607079186</link>
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                <pubDate>Tue, 31 Jul 2012 00:00:00 -0700</pubDate>
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                <title>Never Leave a Child or Pet Alone in an Unattended Vehicle</title>
                <description><![CDATA[With the temperature in Fremont projected to be more than 80 degrees today, it&amp;rsquo;s time to remind our community not to leave children or pets alone in unattended vehicles. From 1998 to May 2011, a reported 500 children died in locked vehicles, according to Consumer Reports. Children and pets are less able to handle extreme heat and are more susceptible to hyperthermia, which can lead to brain damage, kidney failure and death. San Francisco State University (SFSU) put out a recent study that stated temperatures in closed automobiles rose approximately 19 degrees in just 10 minutes, even in moderately warm weather. The API (Animal Protection Institute) conducted a study, which showed that even at 9:00 a.m., with an outside temperature of 82 degrees, the closed vehicle registered at 109 degrees inside. The study went on to say that if the automobile window was left cracked on an 88-degree day at 9:00 a.m., the vehicle turned into a 103 degree sauna, by 10:00 a.m. inside the vehicle. Leaving a child or pet in a vehicle remains a perilous choice, even for just a short time. Never leave a child unattended in a vehicle. If you should see a child in a hot vehicle, call 9-1-1 immediately. To learn more about this topic or other child safety topics, visit Safe Kids USA at ]]></description>
                <link>http://nusd.ca.schoolloop.com/news/view?id=1356607078475</link>
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                <pubDate>Tue, 10 Jul 2012 00:00:00 -0700</pubDate>
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                <title>Wear Your Seat Belt!</title>
                <description><![CDATA[Although California boasts one of the highest seat belt use rates in the nation at 96.6 percent that still leaves more than one million motorists who are at risk for serious injury and death. In 2010, estimates are that over 1,300 lives were saved by seatbelts in California. Another 110 could have been saved if seat belts had been used. Nighttime passenger vehicle occupants are among those least likely to buckle up and most likely to die in crashes when unrestrained. In California in 2010, the number of those who died in crashes and were not wearing seat belts was nearly 60 percent higher at night. WORTH IT? The cost of a seat belt ticket is at least $159 on a first offense. The cost of failing to properly buckle up any child under the age of 16 is at least $479 per child for a first offense, plus having a violation point added to the driver&amp;rsquo;s record, and $1,079 or more on a second offense. If the parent is not in the car, the driver gets the ticket. If a driver is found to be in violation of both the seat belt and hands-free or no texting law, they can be cited for both infractions with a combined ticket cost of $318 or more! ]]></description>
                <link>http://nusd.ca.schoolloop.com/news/view?id=1356607077151</link>
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                <pubDate>Mon, 9 Jul 2012 00:00:00 -0700</pubDate>
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                <title>Stop Bullying</title>
                <description><![CDATA[Information and Resources to Help Prevent the Serious Problem of Bullying Bullying has become a tidal wave of epic proportions. Although bullying was once considered a rite of passage, parents, educators, and community leaders now see bullying as a devastating form of abuse that can have long-term effects on youthful victims, robbing them of self-esteem, isolating them from their peers, causing them to drop out of school, and even prompting health problems and suicide. A recent study by the Family and Work Institute reported that one-third of youth are bullied at least once a month, while others say six out of 10 American teens witness bullying at least once a day. Witnessing bullying can be harmful, too, as it may make the witness feel helpless - or that he or she is the next target. Children who are bullied are often singled out because of a perceived difference between them and others, whether because of appearance (size, weight, or clothes), intellect, or, increasingly, ethnic or religious affiliation and sexual orientation. Bullying can also be a gateway behavior, teaching the perpetrator that threats and aggression are acceptable even in adulthood. In one study by Fight Crime: Invest in Kids, nearly 60 percent of boys whom researchers classified as bullies in grades six to nine were convicted of at least one crime by the age of 24, while 40 % had three or more convictions. What Parents Can Do A big, tough kid stops a smaller kid on his way to school and threatens to hurt him unless he hands over his homework. The popular girls at school won&amp;#39;t let anyone sit at their lunch table except their friends. These two bullying scenarios and others happen more often than most adults realize. Nearly 74% of eight to 11-year-olds say teasing and bullying happen at their school. But what exactly is bullying? Bullying is: &amp;bull; Fighting, threatening, name-calling, teasing, or excluding someone repeatedly and over time &amp;bull; An imbalance of power, such as size or popularity &amp;bull; Physical, social, and emotional harm &amp;bull; Hurting another person to get something Many parents don&amp;#39;t think that bullying is as big a problem as bringing a weapon to school or drug use but its effects can be severe and long lasting. Every day, nearly 160,000 children miss school because they are scared of bullying, according to the National Education Association. Bullying doesn&amp;#39;t only negatively affect its victims, but also the bullies themselves. Kids who are bullied are more likely to &amp;bull; Do poorly in school &amp;bull; Have low self-esteem &amp;bull; Be depressed &amp;bull; Turn to violent behavior to protect themselves or get revenge on their bullies Parents can play a central role to preventing bullying and stopping it when it happens. Here are a few things you can do: &amp;bull; Teach kids to solve problems without using violence and praise them when they do. &amp;bull; Give children positive feedback when they behave well to help their build self-esteem. Help give them the self-confidence to stand up for what they believe in. &amp;bull; Ask your children about their day and listen to them talk about school, social events, their classmates, and any problems they have. &amp;bull; Take bullying seriously. Many kids are embarrassed to say they have been bullied. You may only have one chance to step in and help. &amp;bull; If you see any bullying, stop it right away, even if your child is the one doing the bullying. Encourage your child to help others who need it. Don&amp;#39;t bully your children or bully others in front of them. Many times kids who are bullied at home react by bullying other kids. If your children see you hit, ridicule, or gossip about someone else, they are also more likely to do so themselves. Support bully prevention programs in your child&amp;#39;s school. If your school doesn&amp;#39;t have one, consider starting one with other parents, teachers, and concerned adults. For more information on bullying, visit ]]></description>
                <link>http://nusd.ca.schoolloop.com/news/view?id=1338041109939</link>
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                <pubDate>Wed, 9 May 2012 00:00:00 -0700</pubDate>
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                <title>Social Networking Safety Tips</title>
                <description><![CDATA[It&amp;rsquo;s no question that social networking Web sites are growing rapidly every day. This growing trend of sharing yourself more and more online; safety is often overlooked. Setting forth some safety guidelines will benefit the users of social networks, parents and children. Social Networking Safety Tips &amp;bull; Review the Web site&amp;rsquo;s safety notifications, standards, and learn how to report violating content. Most often it will be disclosed at the registration phase. Otherwise, might be noted at the bottom of the site. This information will educate users about the function of their web site in regard to Internet safety. &amp;bull; Parents: Talk to your children about social networking. Suggested topics to discuss would include not posting private information; explaining what information is private and public, pictures, and declining requests to meet people. &amp;bull; Understand that people are not who they claim they are. You wouldn&amp;rsquo;t reveal your personal details to just anyone, would you? Don&amp;rsquo;t post it on your profile unless you want everyone (including bad people) to see it. Don&amp;rsquo;t agree to meet anyone online unless you specifically know that person. &amp;bull; Parents, if you learn of your child&amp;#39;s intent to meet someone based on an online interaction intervene immediately! This is not a safe practice! If you wish to meet someone, do it safely.This discretion can be a difficult one to judge, but if you do choose to meet someone online, make sure you&amp;rsquo;re in a safe location. Select that is public, indoors, safe and provides either of you the option of &amp;ldquo;running errands&amp;rdquo; if you wish to not meet. Bring a friend with you just to be safe. &amp;bull; Be careful &amp;mdash; Social Networking is a double-edged sword. It&amp;rsquo;s okay to have fun and connect with other people on social networks, but just be alert to the fact that criminals may prey on others. Take precautions to prevent possible negative outcomes. &amp;bull; Setting your profile &amp;lsquo;Private&amp;rsquo; to screen outsiders. Most social networks will permit you to set your profile private to prevent outside individuals from viewing your profile. This enables you to reach out to others who you are friends with, but exclude incoming profile requests. It is strongly suggested parents enforce that their children&amp;rsquo;s profiles remain private. &amp;bull; Maintain your computer&amp;rsquo;s defenses. As a general precaution, it&amp;rsquo;s important to make sure you have an updated anti-virus, firewall, anti-spyware and operating system updates. It&amp;rsquo;s been noted previously, some social networking site&amp;rsquo;s advertisements contain malicious code and can infect your computer system. &amp;bull; Don&amp;rsquo;t get &amp;lsquo;Phished&amp;rsquo;. Phishing is a common tactic of spammers to compromise some else&amp;rsquo;s account and send messages purporting their products. Take a moment to understand how to properly login to the social network. Don&amp;rsquo;t click links you didn&amp;rsquo;t ask for or expect. If a link prompts you to log in again &amp;mdash; it&amp;rsquo;s most likely a phishing scam. Research other online internet safety resources. There are plenty of other resources to help you learn more about Internet safety. One place to start is the Connect Safely website at . ]]></description>
                <link>http://nusd.ca.schoolloop.com/news/view?id=1335084770785</link>
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                <pubDate>Tue, 24 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0700</pubDate>
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