September 2014 - Vol.07, No.09 
In This Issue
September is National Preparedness Month
Asset of the Month
Digital Safety Workshops
MedDrop
Brain Freeze Champion
Sunnyvale Public Safety Special Olympics Athlete of the Month
Pancake Breakfast with Firefighters
Jr. Giants 2014 Season Highlights
Nixle
Event Calendar
September 17        

Mercury Thermometer Exchange and MedDrop @

Sunnyvale Senior Center  

11:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.

                                               

Sept 24

Challenge Team Meets 

7:00 - 8:30 a.m. 

Columbia Neighborhood Center.

ChallengeTeam.inSunnyvale.com

 

October 4                              

Knock Out Litter in Sunnyvale Gateway Neighborhood Center and SunnyvalePAL

9:00 - 11:30 a.m.  

Ice Cream Social immediately following

[email protected]

flyer

 

October 7

Digital Safety Workshops

6:00 - 8:00 p.m. Flyer

Columbia Neighborhood Center
785 Morse Avenue, Sunnyvale  

 

October 11                            

Firefighters Pancake Breakfast at Station 2, 8:00-11:00 am.

flyer

 

October 28                            

Firefighters Peninsula Burn Relay

8:00 a.m. 
Olive Ave. between Pastoria Ave. and Mathilda Ave.

Digital Safety Workshops

6:00 - 8:00 p.m. Flyer  

Sunnyvale Public Library

665 W. Olive Avenue, Sunnyvale 

 

October 29                            

Sunnyvale Challenge Team Meets

7:00 - 8:30 a.m.

DPS HQ

ChallengeTeam.InSunnyvale.com

 

Message from the Chief
This month, I want to share a letter co-written with Dr. Ben Picard, Superintendent of Schools, regarding school safety that I believe would be informative to all of our residents.  The letter is being sent out to all parents in the Sunnyvale School District, but I believe that information regarding school and home safety is appropriate for everyone. 

 *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *

Creating a safe and supportive environment in our schools is essential to ensuring students' academic and social success. To that end, the Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety (DPS) and the Sunnyvale School District (SSD) are committed to collaboratively working together to ensure school campuses safety. We strive to accomplish this goal through partnership with students and parents. We also recognize that school safety involves safe practices both on and off campus.

 

Violent acts on school grounds have become more frequent across the nation, particularly incidents involving the use of a firearm or other dangerou

s weapon. These types of events highlight the need for proactive efforts in education of firearm regulations, safety measures, reporting options, response preparedness and immediate enforcement action. This is an area where we cannot afford to lose focus!

 

Parents and guardians are an essential part of helping keep students safe by keeping guns out of the hands of children as required by California law. There have been many news reports across the country of children bringing guns to school. Many times the child has obtained the weapon from their home. These incidents can be easily prevented by storing firearms in a safe and secure manner, including keeping them locked up when not in use and storing them separately from ammunition.

 

The DPS Crime Prevention Unit (CPU) provides direct support to each school throughout the City with a staff of four officers (Neighborhood Resource Officers, or NROs) and one lieutenant on a full-time basis. This level of staffing allows the Department to establish strong relationships with the schools to ensure that problems or concerns are quickly identified and addressed. CPU works with the school districts to provide prevention programs such as Drug and Alcohol Awareness, Digital Safety (Cyber Bullying),

Gang Awareness, Teen Domestic Violence, Stranger Awareness and "Choices," a course that gives students tools to overcome peer pressure and make good decisions. These programs combined with a steady physical presence by our officers at our schools helps our students navigate the challenges they face.

 

In the unlikely event of an incident on or near a school campus, DPS will work with SSD to push out pertinent information as soon as possible. This can include information on school lock-downs, active police incidents near schools, shelter in place advisories, and information for parents regarding staging and unification areas after an incident on a school campus.

 

DPS utilizes the Alert SCC (County emergency alert system), the Reverse 911 system (automated phone calls to specific geographical areas) and Nixle (community messaging via text, web, and email) to send out alerts, advisories and community messages. Nixle is the primary community communication system utilized by DPS to send out critical information, advisories and community messages. We encourage everyone to sign up for the free Nixle service at www.nixle.com.

  

Working together as students, parents, school administrators, public safety officials and community members, we can continue to ensure a safe and healthy environment for all!

    

     Dr. Benjamin H. Picard,
   Superintendent of Schools

     Frank. J. Grgurina, Chief  

 

Chief Grgurina         

TEL (408) 730-7140
TDD (408) 730-7501            

or email to: [email protected]    

September t is National Preparedness Month

September 2014 marks the 11th Annual National Preparedness Month, sponsored by the Federal Emergency Management Agency in the US Department of Homeland Security.

Throughout September, more than 3,000 organizations - national, regional, and local public and private organizations - are supporting emergency preparedness efforts and encouraging all Americans to take action.

 

Join the effort now by following these four steps:

Get an Emergency Kit: If disaster strikes our community, you may not have access to food, water, or electricity for some time. By taking time now to prepare emergency water supplies, food supplies and a disaster supplies kit, you can provide for your entire family. Review a list of recommended items to include in an emergency supply kit here: www.bt.cdc.gov/preparedness/kit/disasters/  

 

Make an Emergency Plan: Make plans with your family and friends in case you're not together during an emergency. Discuss how you'll contact each other, where you'll meet, and what you'll do in different situations. Read how to develop a family communication plan here:    

www.bt.cdc.gov/preparedness/plan/

 

Be Informed: Being prepared means staying informed. Check all types of media - websites, newspapers, radio, TV, mobile and land phones - for global, national and local information. During an emergency, the City of Sunnyvale Office of Emergency Operations Team will provide information on such things as open shelters and evacuation orders.

 

Get Involved: Look into taking first aid and emergency response training, participating in community exercises, and volunteering to support local first responders. The City of Sunnyvale offers FREE Personal Emergency Preparedness training, for more information visit Sunnyvale Emergency Preparedness page 

 

The United States Department of Homeland Security promotes emergency preparedness all year round via the Ready America campaign. Checklists, brochures, and videos are available online at www.ready.gov and by phone at 1-800-BE-READY.

 

Asset of the Month-Parent Involvement in Schooling
Asset #7: Youth perceive that adults in the community value
children and youth.
COMMUNITY VALUES YOUTH


Research shows that youth who feel valued in their community enjoy better mental health; a greater sense of personal control and optimism; reduced delinquency, violence, and fighting; less substance abuse; and higher academic performance.

All adults in the community have a role to play in showing their support for youth. If young people
perceive that they are valued only by the adults that they know, they are not fully connected to their
community and miss the benefits that such a connection can provide. But, it can be difficult for even the best-intentioned adults to explicitly communicate that they value youth: frequently, adults feel that youth already know that they're valued and appreciated.

The following discussions topics can help you work with young people to identify the ways that the community does, and does not; provide them with the empowerment associated with this asset:
  • Do you ever encounter adults who have negative perceptions about people your age? Do you know how to respond politely but effectively to their criticism or comments?
  • Are there good places for kids your age to hang out after school and on the weekends? If there aren't, what kind of place would you like to see?
  • Do you feel that adults at school and other organizations give you an opportunity to voice your opinion? Can you suggest some ways that adults could provide opportunities for youth to provide feedback and suggestions about programs?
Community Values Youth is intrinsically linked with other external assets-the more that adults provide children with support, empowerment, boundaries, and positive expectations, the more children and youth will feel that they are welcomed and valued by the community at large. In other words, the more effective that we are as a community at building assets in general, the more effective we will be at raising the levels of this woefully lacking asset.

 

ACTIVITIES
The activities below are a starting point to help adults find ways to show youth that they are valued and appreciated. 

 

FOR FAMILIES  

  • One way to help young people understand that they are valued is as simple as pointing out that many of the programs, activities, and facilities they enjoy-e.g., libraries, parks, and playgrounds-are created and maintained by the community.
  • Your children can participate in civic life regarding issues that concern them. Help them identify issues that affect young people and write letters to newspapers or government officials about ways to address their concerns.
  • Encourage your children to write letters of appreciation to the organizations and businesses that treat young people well. Doing so will encourage them to continue their efforts, and your child's letter may be publicly displayed.

FOR ALL ADULTS

  • Remember to treat all young people-regardless of their age or appearance-with respect, and take their ideas and suggestions seriously.
  • If you work in a business where youth may be customers or clients, train your staff to treat young people respectfully make sure that your policies are youth-friendly. If your business serves adults who may have children with them, make sure the space is inviting and provides age-appropriate diversions.
  • Publicly celebrate youth contributions to your organization, and recognize individual contributions daily.
  • Attend and contribute to local government meetings to make sure that the needs of young people are being addressed.

 AT SCHOOL OR IN YOUTH PROGRAMS 

  • Ask businesses in the community to show support for your program. In addition to financial donations and sponsorships, they can display artwork, host tours of their facility, or find other ways to demonstrate that they care about the youth in the community. (Doing so makes good business sense-today's youth are Tomorrow's customers!)
  • With older children and teens, discuss whether the community has good places for kids and teens to hang out, and whether there are more positive opportunities for younger kids than for older ones. Use the results to create an action plan to make adults in the community more aware of the issue.
  • Invite distinguished members of the community to attend performances and events.

This article was provided courtesy of Project Cornerstone. For more information, visit www.projectcornerstone.org.

  

Digital Safety Workshops

MedDrop

Help the Environment by Properly Disposing of Mercury and Pharmaceuticals!

 

  Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Sunnyvale Senior Center, Sequoia Room

11:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.

 

This event offers a great opportunity to safely dispose of mercury-containing fever thermometers

and unused or expired medications.

 

Thermometer Exchange Info: 

The first 100 individuals who bring in their mercury thermometers will receive a free, solar digital fever thermometer in exchange (limited to one (1) per household). To avoid breakage and contamination, mercury fever thermometers MUST be contained in an unbreakable, closed container -  the original case, a plastic toothbrush holder, or a soda/water bottle with a screw-on cap.  As a second measure of protection, the closed container must be placed in a plastic zip-locked bag.  Other mercury-containing products will not be accepted at this event.    
 
MedDrop Info: Residents can bring their unneeded prescription and over-the-counter medications, ointments and creams for proper disposal. Pill containers are not accepted, please place all pills in a sealed zip-locked bag, and remove all personal information from ointments, liquids, and creams This program does not collect sharps, medical equipment or personal hygiene items.

  

For more information on this event, call (408) 730-7717, TDD (408) 730-7501, or email [email protected].    

 
Event sponsored by Sunnyvale's Environmental Services Department, Department of Public Safety and Senior Center.  

Brain Freeze Champion
On August 22, Silicon Image Inc. at 1140 E Arques Avenue invited Sunnyvale public safety members to their version of the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge.  In the interest of water conservation, they chose to change up their Ice Bucket Challenge to a Slurpee Challenge.  
 
The participants, in this case, Silicon Image employees and Neighborhood Resource Officers Amy Pistor and Eric Fujii, risked severe brain freeze by drinking down large frozen Slurpees as fast as possible.  NRO Fujii came in first place by drinking down his Slurpee in under nine seconds. He won the coveted Brain Freeze Champ trophy.   

Sunnyvale Public Safety Special Olympics Athlete of the Month - Christine Vasquez

Christine has been in Special Olympics since 1997. Her top favorite sports are basketball, bowling and track where she competes in shot put and long jump. Christine is a 1997 graduate of Prospect High School and currently works at a pre-school/day care in Palo Alto where she has been employed for the past nine years. Christine lives in Sunnyvale with her husband Mark. In her free time, she enjoys doing cross stitch, working on puzzles and going to the mall.

 

Christine and the other 2014 DPS Athletes of the Month played a key role in helping Public Safety raise nearly $17,000 for Special Olympics this year!

 

Pancake Breakfast with Firefighters

 

Jr. Giants 2014 Season Highlights

Sunnyvale PAL's Junior Giants just completed their second successful season, serving over 200 families and 300 players in a non-competitive baseball league that stresses character development within the framework of playing baseball.

 

The San Francisco Giants Community Fund provides free uniforms, equipment, and coach training clinics, along with weekly prizes and incentives for each team as they reach goals for reading, healthy living and anti-bullying activities. The Giants also provide teams with free tickets to games at AT&T Park, giving families the opportunity to experience a major league baseball game.

 

The four bases of character development are woven throughout the eight-week season. At the first few practices, the kids are taught their positions and basic baseball skills, and by mid-season their confidence shines through as they successfully throw, catch, and make great plays.

 

Coaches and team parents meet weekly with the players to talk about the other three bases of character development: integrity, leadership and teamwork. Discussions revolve around applying these principles in their daily lives, and they practice them on the field by being honest in their play, leading exercises and drills and supporting their team members.

 

Reading is an important component of the Junior Giants program. The Community Advisory Committee of Columbia Neighborhood Center collects books at CNC events and the SNAIL neighborhood association annual garage sale, and distributes them to each team to share so that they can complete their reading assignments. The league also received a generous donation of 200 books from the Institute for the Study of Human Knowledge through the Hoopoe Books Share Literacy Program, and this helped many of the teams reach their reading goals. Those teams were rewarded with a trip to AT&T Park for the annual Junior Giants Festival.

 

Players were treated to batting practice on the field, healthy snacks in the Giants dugout, and a gift of a special Giants book to encourage them to continue reading. The Sunnyvale teams immediately settled down to read their books as soon as they received them.

 

Each year, the Giants choose a teammate who embodies the spirit and character of Willie McCovey, one of the team's most revered players and a huge supporter of the Junior Giants program, and honor him with the Willie Mac Award. The Junior Giants also have a Willie Mac Award for a player and coach, and each are honored on the field before a game The coach, who was chosen by the other coaches, was Chris Ochoa. Last year, Chris' daughter Cassie was chosen as the player Willie Mac winner. The two of them teamed up with Sunnyvale's JG Ambassador, Sara Patterson, to take on the ice bucket challenge for ALS, giving the Sunnyvale league great visibility with the Giants.

 

Parents are an integral part of the Junior Giants program. One of the coaches encouraged each family to take some part in helping with the team, either by bringing healthy snacks or providing opportunities for the team to complete their reading. They also supported the teams at the end of each game by forming an arch that the players ran through after the game.

 

Sunnyvale's Junior Giants League owes its success to the 50+ coaches, assistant coaches and team parents who volunteer their time to provide a good experience for players on the 16 teams. Leading the program is Commissioner Ross Spencer, who organizes the teams, sets the schedules, and provides support to the coaches. He is assisted by League Coordinator Carolyn Lutticken and PAL Program Coordinator Dori Fontaine.

 

For information on the program, go to SunnyvalePAL.com or email [email protected]  

 

Nixle

What is Nixle?

Nixle is a free community messaging system which utilizes a secure network to ensure creditability and reliability of information. DPS will use the NIXLE system to notify residents about important events happening within, or affecting the city. Residents receive updates via text, web, and email to stay informed of important notifications.

 

How can I sign-up for Nixle notifications?

  1. Go to www.nixle.com 
  2. Click on "Sign Up Free!"
  3. Enter information on this screen (There is no need to enter home phone since the cell will be used for text alerts)
  4. Your account is started. Go to "Settings" and sign up for "Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety." Just be sure to click "Save" when completed. (You can sign up for other agencies by using either their name or a zip code to receive alerts.)
     
Follow us on Twitter
 
Sunnyvale City Logo ColorFor questions and comments about the Sunnyvale DPS newsletter Beyond the Badge, you can e-mail us at: [email protected]
� 2010-2014 City of Sunnyvale, CA