Cures for Cabin Fever
Creative ideas for housebound parents and children.
Winter brings frigid temperatures, icy roads, snow and often school closures. While sledding and building snowmen are fun, hazardous weather conditions mean much of the time is spent indoors, and soon the novelty of time off can become cabin fever. Local child education experts offer activity suggestions for filling those long winter days. Susan Friedman, executive editor for digital content at the National Association for the Education of Young Children and a Bethesda resident, suggests parents encourage a child’s natural curiosity. "In the same way that school classrooms have activity centers, parents can create boxes that focus on different activities like playing dress up with clothes, hats and neckties," she said. "You can create a box with art supplies and a box with games or puzzles."
In Defense of My Own Mechanism
So much of what I feel as a cancer survivor comes from the feedback I receive from others. Positive, complimentary, flattering characterizations are crucial to my optimistic outlook. Negative descriptions, reactions, etc., are not. Not to discount honesty, but the emotional divide on which a cancer patient’s self-assessment/attitude teeters is delicate indeed and honesty is sometimes (I said "sometimes") not the best policy. If I’m in the right mood, negativity can be deflected, absorbed even; not a problem. If I’m in the wrong mood, however, the negative can push me into a black hole of emotional despair. Regardless of whether the comment/observation is well-intended, accurate or even prudent under the circumstances, its effect can be deeply felt. Getting back to normal is not impossible and mostly within my control, but if it’s all the same to you, I’d rather not have to claw my way out.
Editorial: Looking to Hear from Readers in New Year
As local, weekly newspapers, the Connection’s mission is to deliver news readers need close to home, to help readers enjoy great local places and events, to advocate for community good, to call attention to unmet needs, to provide a forum for dialogue on local concerns, and to celebrate and record milestones and events in community and people’s lives. To succeed at any of that, we need your help.
New Deputy Chief of Police Selected
Chief of Police Jim Morris has announced the appointment of Daniel Janickey as Vienna’s new Deputy Chief of Police. He will succeed Captain Mike Miller, who retired on Oct. 1, after serving 29 years with the Vienna Police Department. Janickey was selected from among 103 candidates. "Dan has over 24 years of local law enforcement experience and brings with him a very diverse resume of accomplishments," said Chief Morris. "He will be a great addition to the Town of Vienna Police department and the community." Commenting on Chief Morris’ selection, Town Manager Mercury Payton said, "This selection for Deputy Chief is indicative of the Town’s commitment to excellent service. I expect that Dan will immediately assist the Chief in advancing the goals for the department."
Vienna’s Top Stories of 2013
Sequestration and two-week-plus federal government shutdown in October of 2013 loomed over the local economy as thousands of federal employees were furloughed during the shutdown. Essential personnel did show up but with no bonus compensation even after furloughed federal employees were paid for their time not working. Essential personnel were heard to grumble on social media about the inequity.
A Look Ahead at 2014
Elected officials discuss the year 2014 in Vienna.
What’s the outlook for 2014? The economy, health care and federal government take center-stage in the theatre that is Northern Virginia and Vienna, specifically. Here’s what some of the area’s elected officials see through the looking glass.
Colvin Run Elementary Students Donate Food for Those in Need
Boxes of non-perishable food that filled the trunks of eight large SUVs were donated on Monday, Dec. 16, by Colvin Run Elementary School families to a local Fairfax County elementary school.
Vienna, Oakton Home Sales: November, 2013
Vienna, Oakton Home Sales: November, 2013
Classified Advertising December 25, 2013
Read the latest ads here!
Children's Connection 2013
Annual children's issue showcases artistic talent of local students.
We asked principals and teachers from local schools to encourage students to contribute their stories and artwork for our annual Children's Issue. The responses as always, was enormous. While we were unable to publish every piece we received, we did our best to put together a paper of a balanced sampling of submitted stories, poems, drawings, paintings and photographs
Letter: Parents Advocate for Class Size Caps
On Saturday, Dec. 7, Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) Superintendent’s (Dr. Karen Garza) conducted a "Listening Tour" meeting at Cooper Middle School in McLean. Many parents who spoke at the meeting were concerned about large class sizes in their children’s schools. This is not a problem in most FCPS schools - the average elementary school class in FCPS has only 21-22 students, and plenty of FCPS elementary schools average 20 or fewer students per class.
Teaching Love of Music in Vienna
Hyun-Mi Chung, owner of Elite Piano Academy, is announcing the third anniversary of her studio in Vienna. Chung has brought her 28 years teaching experience to Vienna to the delight of her many students who share the desire to learn. She expresses her gratitude to the students and their parents for their support during this time. Chung, a graduate of Juilliard School (B. M. & M. M.), the first woman pianist to have recorded all 35 Beethovens Sonatas, has a love of music that has been the motivation for her dedication to teaching. Since coming to Vienna, she has maintained a class of 50 students in a six day-a-week schedule. In addition, she has held two recitals per year (one per semester) for her students at the Vienna Presbyterian Church.
Vienna/Oakton Students Perform in The Nutcracker
On Dec. 11 through the 15, 16 students from Vienna/Oakton elementary, middle & high schools took the stage to perform in the Conservatory Ballet’s annual production of The Nutcracker. Performances took place at the Reston Community Center’s CenterStage.
Fundraising for a Good Cause
The fourth graders at Vienna Elementary School raised $2,156.09 to donate to Jill’s House, a respite facility for children with special needs, by selling wrist-bands the students made. They also collected loose change at school and from friends. The students’ aimed to raise $500, but they ended up raising much more.
A Visit from St. Nick
Vienna’s traditions shine during holidays and, in December, it shines an awful lot. Traditional activities and events abound, from the Church Street Stroll to Santa visits. Every year, Santa takes time out of his busy toy-making schedule to stop by the Vienna Volunteer Fire Department’s pancake breakfast. He turned up there again on Dec. 14 to the cheers of young children. He listened to wish-lists and sat for photos and seemed to know the names of many of the children and their parents. Parents rushed to take photographs.
Santa Run Begins
Vienna Volunteer Fire Department volunteers cruise Vienna neighborhoods in antique fire engine.
In most places, people go to events. In Vienna, occasionally, events go to the people. And the annual Santa Runs, operated by the Vienna Volunteer Fire Department and volunteers, is an event that goes out to the people, the whole Vienna community, for a full week leading up to Christmas. The 2013 Santa Run kicked off on Dec. 15 with drives through side streets off Beulah Road near Meadowlark Gardens.
Vienna Celebrates "First Night" on New Year’s Eve
Vienna Business Association and Town of Vienna debut family-focused New Year’s Eve celebration on Historic Church Street.
First Night Vienna is planned to be the best family-friendly New Year’s Eve celebration the community has ever seen.
Family Science Night at Colvin Run Elementary
Colvin Run Elementary School (CRES) hosted its second annual Family Science Night on Dec. 6, with hands-on experiments from the Children's Science Center's Museum Without Walls Mobile Labs.
Backwards Thinking
Considering that I’ve been cancer-centric now for nearly five years, one would have thought I might have learned and totally embraced an alternative concept: forward living – and less thinking about past causes and their possible current effects. Certainly cancer causes physical manifestations and symptoms that are diagnosable and indicative of trouble. But it’s the unseen effects that in some cases cause as many difficulties. What I am referring to is the mental and emotional toll a terminal diagnosis and short term prognosis can have on the patient’s perspective on life and living, and what’s presumptively thought to be left of it.
Preserve 3-2-1 for Housing
Housing for all income levels near transit supports vibrant communities and job growth, reduces traffic.
In the latest edition of The Herrity Report, Springfield Supervisor Pat Herrity proposed "redirecting developers’ $3 per square foot contribution for buying rent-controlled housing units into a trust fund to pay for public school renovation and construction."