You can receive Featurettes by e-mail daily, weekly or monthly by request. We can e-mail by your choice of topic or all stories as you may prefer. NORTH AMERICAN PRECIS SYNDICATE, INC. 350 Fifth Avenue New York, NY 10118-0110 PRESORT STANDARD U.S. POSTAGE PAID North American Address Service Requested Precis Syndicate, Inc. To make it even more convenient for editors to use our stories, NAPS has added an RSS syndication feed to our Web site. Simply hit the RSS button on our site for automated updates on available content. Please contact us to arrange to receive Featurettes in the format that works best for you at (800) 222-5551 or e-mail your request to us at printmedia@napsnet.com. We can provide Featurettes on CD-ROM or you can download it online at www.napsnet.com. Gary Lipton Media Relations Manager Phone: 1-(800)-222-5551 Fax: 1-(800)-990-4329 Web site: www. napsnet .com e-mail: printmedia@napsnet.com #2417 North American Precis Syndicate, Inc., 350 Fifth Avenue, 65th Floor, New York, N.Y. 10118-0110 Tips To Keep Schools Safe In A Crisis (NAPSA)—The best way to cope with a crisis may be to prepare for the worst. Fortunately, a free new guide that helps schools prepare for the worst is now available online from the National Education Association Health Information Network (NEA HIN), the health and safety nonprofit arm of NEA, which represents 3.2 million educators. Developed with a grant from the Sprint Foundation, “School Crisis Guide: Help and Healing in a Time of Crisis” provides step-bystep advice for schools and districts to use before, during and after a crisis. The new guide comes at a time when schools and college campuses nationwide are revamping their emergency response systems and updating safety preparedness practices. “No one wants to think of the worst-case scenario, but knowing what to do in an emergency situation can be the difference between stability and upheaval,” said NEA HIN Executive Director Jerald Newberry. “Schools increasingly understand that strong safety plans are a result of having everyone at the table together—including school employees, administrators, parents, students and first responders.” Here’s how parents can prepare for a school crisis: • Be informed. Learn about the prevention programs your school offers and how you can reinforce those teachings at home. • Be aware. Teach your child the difference between tattling and reporting dangerous situations, and encourage your child to immediately share safety concerns with an adult. Follow The Money (NAPSA)—Using a spending plan and keeping a budget book can help you know where your money is going. To get more from your money: • Look for movie theater price specials, perhaps weekend mornings. Look for listings of free entertainment in local papers. • Visit secondhand stores for furniture and other items that need not be brand new, particularly if you might move soon. 2007 by NEA Health Information Network. All Rights Reserved. Courtesy of NEA. Preparing for a school crisis is now easier with a free new guide filled with step-by-step advice from the experts. • Be prepared. Develop a family plan for responding to crises such as fires, floods, tornadoes and hurricanes, or a medical emergency. • Be a listener. Keep communication lines open with your child by asking questions like “What do you know?,” “What have you heard?” and “What are your concerns?” • Be educated. Find out about local, state and national tip lines where safety concerns can be shared anonymously. “Whether it’s a natural or human disaster, every school should have a crisis plan,” said Newberry. “Parents, principals and students can take comfort in knowing that the answers to those questions are now just a click away.” Visit www.neahin.org for more tips, resources and emergency response information to help keep your child safe at school. • Use lists when food shopping. • Buy limited amounts of fresh produce, to reduce spoilage. • Avoid shopping with children. • Read newspapers and magazines in libraries. • Look for coupons in newspapers and file them by expiration date or type of product. • Spend less on trendy clothing items than classic styles. • Buy a belt in a new pattern or style rather than a whole highfashion outfit. • Stay current by visiting thrift shops for recent best-selling books, CDs and DVDs. • Designate a drawer or metal box for all your receipts and current financial information to keep it organized and in one place. Budget books and receipt filing books by Dome are in office supply stores. Or visit www.domeproducts.com. Give Those Fat Pants To Santa This Holiday Season Five Defense Tips For Holiday Overfeasting (NAPSA)—“I’m so stuffed I couldn’t possibly eat another bite,” we mildly insist before taking a bit more. Then out come the “fat jeans” and, in more severe cases, the elastic-waist pants. At every turn, women face tinseled temptation: cookies, pies and eggnog. Throughout this two-month holiday time “moment of truth,” one anxiety lurks in our thoughts— how to undo the damage the holiday season imposes on weightmanagement goals. A recent survey confirms that most overindulgent holiday moments are as predictable as getting the itchy wool sweater from Aunt Edna. It’s no secret that many people gain weight during the holiday season. The average weight gain during the holiday season is almost 5 pounds. To help take the guesswork out of staying committed to weightmanagement goals during the tempting holiday season, Special K partnered with registered dietitian Lisa Cohn. Cohn offers the following five strategies for consumers to stay committed to their weight-management goals during the holidays: Don’t Skip Meals Eat small, healthy snacks such as fresh vegetables regularly so you’re less likely to overindulge during meals. Bring Your Shopping List And A Snack When you go shopping, take along a Special K Protein Snack Bar. Waiting in line for gift wrap can take a long time and a sensible snack bar will help keep you from snacking on less than healthy choices. Graze, Don’t Gorge Eat a sensible salad before attending a holiday dinner party so you will be less likely to overindulge while at the party. Don’t Ignore Your Sweet Tooth Choose a smart indulgent snack before baking cookies in the evening, such as Special K Chocolatey Delight cereal. The chocolatey bites in the cereal will satisfy the desire for something sweet. Have A Cookie, But Not All The Cookies Some people use the “I break off small pieces of cookies because they have fewer calories” excuse. But having bits and pieces of 12 cookies can add up quickly. Indulge by having a cookie, but remember to enjoy everything in moderation. Learn more by searching for “Special K” on Yahoo!