Flu Vaccine Clinics Open to Everyone

Date Time Location

12/30/09 9:00-3:00 Parkview Hospital, 329 Maine Street, Brunswick

12/30/09 10:30 AM - 4:30 PM *St. Maximilian Kolbe Church, 150 Black Point Road, Scarborough

01/04/10 10:30 AM - 12:30 PM *Westbrook Pointe Apartments, 26 Prospect St., Westbrook

01/05/10 12:00 - 8:00 PM Maine Medical Center, East Tower (park in Congress St garage), Portland

01/06/10 12:00 - 8:00 PM Maine Medical Center, East Tower (park in Congress St garage), Portland

01/08/10 10:30 AM - 12:30 PM *The Root Cellar, 94 Washington Ave., Portland

01/08/10 2:00 - 4:30 PM *South Portland Recreation Center, 21 Nelson Road, South Portland

01/10/10 10:45 AM - 1:00 PM *Sacred Heart Church, Mellon and Sherman Streets, Portland

01/13/10 5:30 - 6:30 PM *West End Neighborhood Council Meeting, Reiche School, Portland

Books for beginning readers

From the Portland Library website:
http://www.portlandlibrary.com/kidsplace/goodbooks/beginreaders.htm

For healthier parents of Saccarappa's school children

I have just confirmed that the Planet Fitness down the road in Westbrook offers again the $99/year pre-paid deal which is the best one around! Use their equipment, watch news and favorite shows and even sign up for group exercises, and the unbeatable hot shower! Just thought I would share this very useful info. Give yourself a present that will last you, well, at least a year, but may very well be life-changing or simply a good deal.
Just go to Planet Fitness and then navigate to your closest location. The $99/year offer is on the bottom of the page.

Saccarappa's November Newsletter

Please find the link below.
November Newsletter

Everyday Math comes to my Mac finally!

About a week ago, my son brought home a login info for everydaymathonline. I am a sucker for such things, besides I had heard a little bit about Everyday Math, in somewhat disapproving way, and was intrigued to see what it really was.
I logged in, using the info from the printout (with good visual memory, it's pretty easy to remember the login credentials, helps if you know your child's name, too!). I have a Macbook, and we used Firefox v3.0.10. So, it worked all right. This is what I saw after I clicked on the games.

Speaking of selective vision, I saw the grades buttons only! Until today! Today I also realized that Early Childhood is its own button! I guess I assumed, from the adult point of view, that until they are in high school, students are very much of the early childhood type. Anyhow, I didn't see the K level that time, and we tried Grades 1-3, of which only certain things my son could do. I wasn't excited, as this appeared to be beyond his level. I had dropped the subject, in the hopes of getting further instructions at some point.

This morning, I discovered the other, biggest and right in my face, button, and tried it. I have three browsers on my Mac, Google Chrome, Firefox and Safari, latest or quite recent versions. I tried all of them. They all refused to cooperate with the website, screaming for a missing plug-in which wasn't even available for automatic download. I gave up and proceeded to manual, not expecting much success, yet it was easy. Despite naming it "manual install", it found the missing plug-in on its own (Shockwave, in fact, if you bother to read the system requirements on the site, they tell you Firefox 1.0 and Safari 1.2 or something like that, for Mac OS 10, and please install Shockwave), then I did have to run the installer, which is not a big deal.

Upon installation, I discovered that Firefox doesn't really run it very well. The shockwave gadget keeps disappearing when you mouse off it or over it, or simply click. Not good. Safari seemed to work much better. Google Chrome continued to ignore the gadget.

It would be nice if these instructions came along with the login info, making my life a little bit better. Of course, I am still puzzled why it worked last week, although a bit unreliably, and today it just wouldn't until I installed the Shockwave plugin.

Anyway, now we are all set and ready to use this. My son will be excited - he is easily excited, in fact, you should have seen him help put up the Xmas tree! - about the newly acquired and found online math games, finally appropriate for his level! Phew!

Hope this information is helpful to other parents - who may find this blog via Google search or some other engine search I bet. I am hoping to share this blog with other parents.

H1N1 flu shot clinics

In case your child hasn't had an H1N1 flu vaccine yet, but you would like him/her to, check out this list of available upcoming clinics.
H1N1 Clinics for young children:
These clinics are open to children between the ages of 6 mos and 5 yrs. Only H1N1 vaccine will be offered (not seasonal). People do  not have to be from the town where the clinic is located to attend. Children myst be accompanied by a parent (unless the child is part of an organized daycare group that has worked with the clinic coordinator and collected signed consent forms in advance). Parent consent forms will be available at the door. These clinics are for first doses; a smaller round of booster clinics will be held in January - dates and locations to be determined. Third party insurance will be biled (parents should bring their insruance card with them); patients without insurance will not be charged.

Wed Dec 9, 9am-1pm

Scarborough, St Maximilian Kolbe Church, 150 Point Road

Gray, Country Day School, 119C Portland Road

Thu Dec 10 9-1pm

Freeport Fire Station Main St

Fri Dec 11, 9-1pm

Standish Community Center, 175 Northeast

Mon Dec 14 9-1pm

Yarmouth Sacred Heart Church, 326 Main St

Tue Dec 15 9-1pm

 South Portland, St John the Evangelist Church, 29 Aspen Ave

Wed Dec 16 9-1pm

Falmouth Congregational/UCC Church, 267 Falmouth Rd

Bridgton Municipal Building, 3 Chase St

Thu Dec 17, 9-1pm

Raymond Public Safety Building, 1443 Roosevelt Trail

Fri 18, 9-1pm

Westbrook, St. Anthony's Church, Brown St