By Law, California 7th-12th Graders Must Receive Whooping Cough Vaccine by July 2011

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AB 354: The New 7th – 12th Grade California Immunization Law
California Department of Public Health, Immunization Branch

Whooping cough is a serious disease that causes coughing fits that can last for months. It can be deadly for infants. In recent years, whooping cough has been increasing in the United States. In 2010, whooping cough was widespread in California.

Starting July 2011, a new law (AB 354) changing California immunization requirements for all students entering 7th-12th grades goes into effect. The law requires:

  • This coming school year (2011-2012), all students entering into 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th or 12 th grades will need proof of an adolescent whooping cough booster shot (called “Tdap”) before starting school.
  • For the next school year (2012-13) and future school years, all students entering into 7th grade only will need proof of a Tdap shot to start school.

This law includes current students, new students and transfer students in both public and private schools.

Tdap is a booster vaccine for older children, adolescents, and

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The Curious Appeal of Curious George

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This is George. He was a good little monkey and always very curious.

These words are emblazoned in my brain as I've read Curious George books to my kids hundreds, if not thousands, of times.

There are so many great kids books to read but something keeps bringing me back to Curious George. Many books I find painful to read after awhile, but not Curious George.

Maybe it is the predictable storyline of the books:

  • George goes out on some type of excursion, usually with the Man with the Yellow Hat.
  • The Man with the Yellow Hat leaves George to go do som
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Conejo Chronicles by Sheli Ellsworth

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Conejo Chronicles

by

Sheli Ellsworth

Conejo is the Spanish word for rabbit. But when I relocated to the Conejo Valley I wasn’t worried.  After all, what’s in a name? Los Angeles is not over run with angels. When I realized that a dozen rabbits lived on my street, I begin to get a clue, and finally, when my backyard began looking like a rabbit refugee camp, I understood how aptly named the area is. But I didn’t mind. I liked bunnies.

In college, I collected bunny-themed children’s books with the excuse they were for future offspring. Not long after that, the occasional stuffed rabbit would wander into my dorm room and take up residence. I claimed homesickness and a love of anything small and furry. I also used this rationalization as a young professional when I built a hutch to house a real rabbit that lived on my patio. Meanwhile the stuffed rabbits had multiplied faster than real ones.  When I married, my husband agreed to have children in a desperate hope of relocating the 105 stuffed animals out of our bedroom.

So, when my T.O. neighbors pointed out that my dirt lawn was due to the bunny breakfast menu I served round the clock—grass over-easy, I felt betrayed by my furry friends.

In my first attempt to wean the rabbits off my grass, I planted Serbian bellflower in the beds for the bunnies’ dining pleasure. From the parsley family, bellflower grows in bunches and blooms a purple flower. The bunnies loved it.

Feeling inspired by my eco-friendly solution, I read Watership Down. For two weeks, I was complacent in the knowledge that the main rabbit characters:  Hazel, Silver and Fiver were smart

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Californians Help Eliminate All The Evasive Registration Scofflaws Program

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I thought this was a pretty clever acronym from the California Highway Patrol so why not share it here. Who knows, if we all participate in the Californians Help Eliminate All The Evasive Registration Scofflaws (CHEATERS) tattletale program, maybe we can eliminate our ongoing budget issues (ha ha)!

Report Vehicles with Out-of-State License Plates to the CHP

Did you know that the State of California loses millions of dollars a year in revenue from California residents who unlawfully register their vehicles in other states or countries?

Did you know that vehicle registration fees are due immediately upon accepting employment or establishing residency in the State of California?

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California Vehicle Restraint Laws from the California Highway Patrol

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CALIFORNIA VEHICLE RESTRAINT LAWS - A REFRESHER

INFANTS AND SMALL CHILDREN

www.chp.ca.gov


V.C. 27360(a) Cite parent/guardian for each child who is not properly restrained in the rear seat unless the child is six years or older or weighs 60 pounds or more.

V.C. 27360(b) Cite driver only if parent is not present.

Exceptions:

  1. Court sanctioned exemption, medical condition, physical unfitness, or size.
  2. Life threatening emergency or transported in authorized emergency vehicle.
  3. Child over 40 pounds in rear seat of vehicle with lap belts only.

Each child is required to be properly restrained in the back seat unless child is six years or older or weighs 60 pounds or more.

Exceptions: V.C. 27360(c) a child or ward under the age of six years who weighs less than 60 pounds may ride in the front seat of a motor vehicle, if properly secured in a Child Passenger Restraint System (CPRS) that meets applicable federal motor vehicle safety standards, under the following circumstances:

  1. There is no rear seat.
  2. The rear seats are side-facing jump seats.
  3. The rear seats are rear-facing seats.
  4. The Child Passenger Restraint System cannot b
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