martensville messenger - december 8, 2016 - Page 11
Grade 6 Movie
Night at VMS
On November 25th the grade 6 classes hosted a movie
night in the school gym to raise money for their field trips and
collected donations for the Food Bank. 269 people came out to
watch Finding Dory and enjoyed popcorn, pop and candy. Boxes
of food were collected and are being added to on a daily basis as
our students bring more donations everyday.
Will You Be Home For Christmas?
Can Family Count On You?
Impaired driving is the traffic safety focus for December
As the holiday season nears, impaired driving will continue to be top of mind for SGI and law enforcement
throughout Saskatchewan in December. It should be top of mind for Saskatchewan residents as well.
Police will be targeting impaired drivers with stop checks and strategic enforcement. They’ll be looking
for any sign of impaired driving including erratic or aggressive driving, weaving in and out of traffic, driving too
fast or too slow, driving without lights at night, tailgating, delayed response time to hazards or traffic signals and
driving on the wrong side of the street. Drivers are encouraged to pull over and call 911 if they see a driver they
suspect is impaired.
“The holidays are a time for family get-togethers and festivities with friends,” said Earl Cameron,
Executive Vice-President of the Auto Fund. “To quote a popular holiday song, ‘I’ll be home for Christmas, you can
count on me’ - you really do owe it to yourself, your family, your friends and everyone else on the road to drive
sober and safe.”
Last year over the holiday season, seven people died and 33 more were injured in 119 impaired drivingrelated crashes in Saskatchewan.*
On top of the life-shattering consequences, impaired drivers could face licence suspensions, vehicle seizures,
education programs and mandatory ignition interlock.
Currently, there is zero tolerance for drugs and alcohol for new drivers and all drivers under
19, and penalties for experienced drivers start at a blood alcohol content of .04. A conviction could cost
up to $8,770, plus legal fees. Consequences are even steeper starting Jan. 1. Changes include a threeday vehicle seizure for experienced drivers charged with having a blood alcohol content (BAC) over .04,
strengthened ignition interlock laws and zero tolerance for drugs and alcohol to drivers 21 and under.
“Alcohol-related driving deaths and injuries shatter families,” said Cameron. “Fines, jail time and loss of
licence resulting from impaired driving can also cause significant financial stress. How will your family be affected
if you’re injured in a crash, end up in jail, lose your job or cannot pay the bills?”
Get home safely this holiday season with these tips:
• Arrange a limo, party bus or shuttle for larger groups
• Give taxi vouch ers or safe ride rebates to employees attending office parties
• Get you and your vehicle home safe with Operation Red Nose or a designated driving service
• Volunteer one of your free nights to drive friends and family to their parties
• Incentivise your teen driver to drive you to and from your holiday party, ensuring they follow all GDL
restrictions outlined on their licence.
• Book a hotel room at or near the event and spend the night.
You can also help family and friends get home safely by offering to be the designated driver, calling them
a safe ride, or letting them stay the night. “Promise you’ll be home for Christmas,” said Cameron. “Your loved ones
are counting on you.”
Visit SGI’s website at www.sgi.sk.ca for more
information about the upcoming impaired driving law
changes and details on current impaired driving laws.
Follow SGI on Facebook and Twitter for safety tips to
#TakeCareOutThere. * Includes preliminary statistics
for Dec. 1, 2015 - Jan. 3, 2016.
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Temper Tantrums
and How to Handle
Them
Written by: Dr. Allison Adamus from Martensville Collective
Health and Wellness
HELP! We’ve all been there, whether with our own
kids or watching someone else’s. What is a temper tantrum and
why do kids have them? What should I do when my kid is in the
middle of one?
At the St Paul’s Continuing Medical Education
Conference in November 2015, I was able to sit in on a session
about just that, led by a pediatrician.
Temper tantrums were described as the brain being hijacked by the child’s emotion center (the amygdala). Because
the brain is being held hostage, a child’s ability to learn during
these tantrums is quite minimal (ie: not a good time to “teach
a lesson”). It is best to just let the tantrum pass and try to do as
little as possible to bring the child out of it.
When the peak of anger has past, the child is left
embarrassed and sad, perhaps even frightened by the hi-jacking.
They often reach out for comfort or try to distance themselves
from the event. They may be reluctant to discuss what just
happened or why they reacted that way.
The ABC’s of tantrums were reviewed at the
conference:
A: Attention. A child may have a tantrum due to too little or too
much attention.
B: Basics. Children are more likely to have a tantrum when they
are hungry, thirsty, tired, in pain, sick, or over stimulated. These
situations may be preventable (eg: avoid grocery shopping with
a hungry child!)
C: Control. Children strive for autonomy, or the right to make
their own choices. This often leads to power struggles. It’s a
good idea to set firm boundaries of who is in control of what
(eg: I choose what time you go to bed, but you can choose
which pajamas to wear).
D: Distraction. If you see a tantrum coming, try to distract the
child before it happens.
E: Education. Children will need your help to learn how to
cope with situations and their emotions, but remember that this
education is often more effective outside of a tantrum episode.
F: Follow Routines. Children respond best to predictability.
Routines, time warnings, and activity cues can help prevent
anxiety and tantrums.
G: Guarantee Safety. Remember to keep in mind the safety
of the tantrum-ing child, his/her parents, and those around.
This may mean needing to physically remove the child from a
particular situation.