January Is National Mentoring Month

President George W. Bush has proclaimed January 2008 as National Mentoring Month. The full text of the presidential proclamation follows:

Millions of Americans lend their time, talent, and energy to become mentors and make a difference in children's lives. During National Mentoring Month, we honor these caring individuals for their dedication to changing our country one heart and soul at a time.

By sharing their knowledge and experiences, mentors serve as examples for young people and help teach them the skills they need to succeed in life. They also provide stability, instill important values, and build confidence in those they assist. Mentors are soldiers in the armies of compassion, and they encourage children to set goals and achieve their dreams.

My Administration is committed to helping our Nation's children realize their full potential by expanding opportunities for Americans to mentor. To raise awareness of the challenges facing our youth and encourage adults to connect with young people through family, school, and community, First Lady Laura Bush is leading the Helping America's Youth initiative. Through the USA Freedom Corps, we are connecting individuals with volunteer opportunities, including mentors who work with young people in schools and community organizations. By encouraging Americans to mentor, we are doing our part to see that more of America's children grow into strong, confident, and successful adults.

I appreciate all those who reach out to young people and inspire future generations to pass on this rich tradition that makes our country strong. I urge all Americans to get involved in mentoring programs and to visit the USA Freedom Corps Web site at volunteer.gov to learn more about mentoring opportunities in their communities. Together, we can build a culture of service and foster a more compassionate society that recognizes the value and purpose in every single human life.

Now, therefore, I, George W. Bush, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim January 2008 as National Mentoring Month. I call upon all Americans to recognize the importance of mentoring, to look for opportunities to serve as mentors in their communities, and to observe this month with appropriate activities and programs.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this nineteenth day of December, in the year of our Lord two thousand seven, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-second.

George W. Bush

Resources:

To access the USA Freedom Corps Web site, referenced above, visit http://volunteer.gov.

Legislative Affairs

House and Senate Pass Spending Bill, Includes Increase for ESSCP

Before heading home for the holidays, the House and Senate passed HR 2764, an omnibus spending bill that finally completes the fiscal year 2008 budget cycle. The omnibus bill includes funding for 11 of the 12 annual spending bills for the government and provides $555 billion in domestic funding for the year, which includes approximately $62.3 billion for the U.S. Department of Education.  It also includes $70 billion for military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq and $11.2 billion in so-called “emergency spending” for veterans health care and a long list of unforeseen disasters. To craft a measure that the President would not veto, Congress had to make some very difficult spending decisions.  This resulted in a spending package that is less generous than the conference agreements which had been previously adopted by the House and Senate and ultimately vetoed,   However, the plandoes include some increases for priority programs for the Democrats – including the Elementary and Secondary School Counseling Program (ESSCP). 
 
While some education programs saw modest increases, most program funding was decreased or level funded.  However the news for school counselors is extremely positive!  One of the programs that received the largest increase in the bill was the ESSCP.  The ESSCP received $48.62 million in funding for FY 2008, which is a 40.31% increase over FY 2007 levels.  Once this bill is signed by the President (which he expected to do in the next two weeks), this would be the highest funding level the program has received to date and make it possible for the first time in the history of the program for secondary school counselors to apply for ESSCP grants since the $40 million trigger has been reached!
 
Thanks to your ongoing support in the form of calls to members of Congress, this increase in funding should be viewed as a huge victory for school counselors and our ability to provide more comprehensive school counseling programs to students across the nation.

The Department of Education has issued the following memorandum regarding the Major Areas of Interest 2008-2009 Submission.  The memorandum may be viewed at:

   http://info.fldoe.org/docushare/dsweb/Get/Document-4768/K12-2007-198.pdf

The California Counselor Leadership Academy at the Los Angeles County Office of Education will send, free of charge, a DVD highlighting the Support Personnel Accountability Report Card (SPARC) 2007 Awards Ceremony. Superintendents, administrators and counselors share their experiences in working as a team to produce an award-winning document that was sent to Governor Schwarzenegger's office in May of 2007.

All of the report cards may be reviewed at www.sparconline.net.  To receive a copy of the DVD, please email Bob Tyra at tyra_bob@lacoe.edu with your mailing address.

http://www.asainstitute.org/schoolcounseling/

The American Student Achievement Institute (ASAI) is pleased to provide counselors, teachers, parents, and community members with resources and technical assistance as they design and implement student guidance initiatives to help ALL student master defined student standards and indicators in the areas of academic, career, and citizenship development.  The goal of the Redesigning School Counseling initiative is for EVERY student to have:

1. a personal vision of his or her future that includes postsecondary eduction; employment in a high-skill, high-wage career within a global economy; and responsible citizenry,
2. a working knowledge of the steps required to move toward that vision,
3. access to a rigorous K-12 curriculum and engaging instruction, and
4. an adult mentor who holds high expectations for the student and provides academic and career guidance on a regular basis.

The content on these pages originally appeared as ASAI's Guiding All Kids document published in the mid-1990's and upon which the Indiana Gold Star School Counseling model is based. All documents may be duplicated with proper citation for educational purposes.

The U.S. Department of Education, Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools announced on December 13, 2007, that it is accepting applications for the FY 2008 (i.e., 2008-2009) school year for the 

Grants for Elementary and Secondary School Counseling Programs. 

http://www.ed.gov/programs/elseccounseling/index.html

The Grants for Elementary and Secondary School Counseling Programs will provide funds to Local Educational Agencies (LEAs), including charter schools considered to be LEAs under State law, to establish or expand elementary school and secondary school counseling programs.

Award Information:

Applications available: December 13, 2007

Deadline for Transmittal: January 28, 2008

Eligible Applicants: Local Educational Agencies, including charter schools that are considered LEAs under State law.

Estimated Range of Awards: $250,000 - $400,000

Estimated Average Size of Awards: $350,000

Maximum Award: $400,000

Estimated Number of Awards: 50

Note: The Administration’s budget request for FY 2008 does not include funds for this program. However, ED is inviting applications to allow enough time to complete the grant process if Congress appropriates funds for this program. Contingent upon the availability of funds and the quality of applications, ED may make additional awards later in FY 2008 and in FY 2009 from the list of unfunded applicants from this competition

Application Information

Address to Request Application Package: You can obtain an application package via the Internet or from the Education Publications Center (ED Pubs). To obtain a copy via the Internet, use the following address: www.ed.gov/programs/elseccounseling/applicant.html 

To obtain a copy from ED Pubs, write, fax, or call the following: Education Publications Center, P.O. Box 1398, Jessup, MD 20794–1398. Telephone, toll free: 1– 877–433–7827. Fax: (301) 470–1244. If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), call, toll free: 1–877–576–7734.

You can contact ED Pubs at its Web site, also: http://www.ed.gov/pubs/edpubs.html or at its e-mail address: edpubs@inet.ed.gov. If you request an application from ED Pubs, be sure to identify this program or competition as follows: CFDA number 84.215E.

Individuals with disabilities can obtain a copy of the application package in an alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer diskette) by contacting the program contact person, Loretta McDaniel at: U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Room 3E214, Washington, DC 20202-6450. Telephone: (202) 260-2661 or by email: Loretta.McDaniel.ed.gov. If you use a TDD, call the Federal Relay Service, toll free, at 1-800-877-8339.

2. Content and Form of Application Submission: Requirements concerning the content of an application, together with the forms you must submit, are in the application package for this program. Applications for grants under this program may be submitted electronically using the www.grants.gov.  Apply site (Grants.gov), or in paper format by mail or hand delivery.

NOTE: Deadline for Transmittal of Applications is January 28, 2008

For additional information, contact: Loretta McDaniel at: U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Room 3E214, Washington, DC 20202-6450. Telephone: (202) 260-2661 or by email: Loretta.McDaniel.ed.gov

*******************************************************************
  Elementary and Secondary School Counseling Programs
*******************************************************************
Purpose of Program: The purpose of the Elementary and Secondary
School Counseling Program is to support efforts by local
educational agencies (LEAs) to establish or expand elementary
school and secondary school counseling programs.
    Applications Available: December 13, 2007.
    Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: January 28, 2008.
    Eligible Applicants: (a) LEAs, including charter schools that
are considered LEAs under State law.  (b) LEAs that currently have
an active grant under the Elementary and Secondary School
Counseling Program are not eligible to apply for an award in this
competition.  For the purpose of this eligibility requirement, a
grant is considered active until the end of the grant's project or
funding period, including any extensions of those periods that
extend the grantee's authority to obligate funds.

    Estimated Range of Awards: $250,000-$400,000.
    Estimated Average Size of Awards: $350,000.
    Maximum Award: $400,000.
    Estimated Number of Awards: 50.

    Additional Information: Applicable regulations, priorities, and
other information are available in the Federal Register notice.

Additional information is available online at:
http://www.ed.gov/legislation/FedRegister/announcements/2007-4/121307a.html

82nd Annual American School Health Association Conference

November 12 – 15, 2008

Hyatt Regency Downtown Tampa, Florida

Finding Common Ground in Human Sexuality and Other Adolescent Health Issues

Theme Relevance

Finding Common Ground refers to the shared, core beliefs that adults have about the health and well-being of school-aged children and other youth. Finding ways to work with other individuals and groups, including those who often don't share the same philosophy as you as an individual, are key to reducing controversy and increasing health outcomes for children. Preference will be given to proposals that describe successful collaborations with other groups to address the health issues of school-aged children and other youth.

Application deadline: February 15, 2008

The program applications are available through on-line submission at ASHA’s web site www.ashaweb.org/annual_conferences.html. 

About ASHA

The American School Health Association’s members are the administrators, community members, government agencies, health educators, mental health professionals, nutritionists, pediatricians, physical educators, school nurses, and others who work together to promote, protect and improve the health, safety, well-being and school success of all children. 

For additional information, contact:

Mary Bamer Ramsier

Meeting Planner & CE Coordinator

American School Health Association

PO Box 708 / 7263 State Route 43

Kent, OH  44240

330.678.1601, x127

Fax: 330.678.4526

mbramsier@ashaweb.org

Happy Holidays!

The College Navigator website developed by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and launched in September has been named by Money Magazine as one of the magazine's top 28 websites and one of the best places to start a college search.

College Navigator (http://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/) replaced the College Opportunities Online (COOL) website and offers a variety of enhanced and easy-to-use features to help students and parents learn about colleges and universities. The site offers information about nearly 7,000 postsecondary institutions in the United States.

"Select basic constraints like location, public or private college and major," the Money article states, and College Navigator will "pump out a list of colleges. Click on any of them and you get a full set of the latest data on expenses, aid, enrollment, admissions and graduation rates, majors and more, along with a Google map pinpointing location. There's also a good comparison tool, and you can export data into an Excel sheet." 

Since its launch on September 26, 2007, the website has received nearly 500,000 visitors who made more than 6.2 million page views.

To read the Money Magazine article online, visit  http://money.cnn.com/2007/11/29/pf/bestweb_college.moneymag/index.htm

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2007-12/ucl-uca121807.php

Public release date: 18-Dec-2007

Contact: Dave Weston
d.weston@ucl.ac.uk
44-020-767-97678
University College London

Unsupervised children are more sociable and more active

Youngsters who are allowed to leave the house without an adult are more active and enjoy a richer social life than those who are constantly supervised, according to a study conducted at UCL and reported in a special edition of the journal Built Environment (19th December).

The project helped to inform the Government’s new Children’s Plan and was led by Professor Roger Mackett of UCL’s Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering. His team studied 330 pupils from two schools in Cheshunt, Hertfordshire, all aged between 8 and 11. The children completed questionnaires, kept travel diaries, had their movements logged using GPS monitors and wore portable motion sensors to measure their speed of travel, changes in direction and the number of ‘activity calories’ they consumed. (‘Activity calories’ are those burnt during activities, rather than those used to maintain core bodily functions.)

Professor Mackett says: “We asked children whether they were allowed out without an adult and then looked at where they go and how they behave. In general, children who aren’t constantly supervised tend to leave the house more often – exploring their surroundings, playing with other children and using up more calories than their sedentary, house-bound peers.”

Key findings from the paper include:

• Children allowed out without adult supervision are more active, being found at home less often. Statistically, they are more likely to be found playing out or visiting the homes of friends than children who aren’t allowed out alone.
• Children walk faster and take a more direct route when an adult is present, but they do not use more energy than unaccompanied children. This is because unsupervised children move in a more meandering fashion as they investigate their environment and socialise with other children.
• Access to local open space is a significant factor in determining whether boys are allowed out of the house without an adult. 71% of those with access to open space were allowed out, compared to just 51% of those without such access.
• Of the three types of activity monitored during the study (walking, unstructured play and participation in organised clubs), walking used up the most activity calories.

Professor Mackett goes on to say: “Fears over road safety and ‘stranger danger’ need to be balanced against soaring levels of childhood obesity and poor health. Letting a child out to play is one of the best things a parent can do for their child’s physical health and personal development.

“Allowing children to leave the house without an accompanying adult has significant benefits, but we need to design and build environments that children feel comfortable in and that parents feel confident to let them use on their own. The health benefits are clear, but without action the less tangible benefits of increased independence, self-reliance and general ‘growing up’ are in danger of being lost.”

###

Notes to editors

Contact details:

To obtain a copy of the paper or to arrange an interview with Professor Mackett, please contact:

Dave Weston in the UCL Media Relations Office on tel: +44 (0)20 7679 7678, mobile: +44 (0) 7733 307 596, out of hours +44 (0)7917 271 364, e-mail: d.weston@ucl.ac.uk

About the paper:

The paper “Children’s independent movement in the local environment” was written as part of the CAPABLE project (‘Children’s Activities Perceptions and Behaviour in the Local Environment’) which is being funded by the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC). It was carried out at UCL as a joint project between the Centre for Transport Studies, the Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis, the Bartlett School of Planning and the Psychology Department. The paper is available from the UCL Press Office (see above for contact details).

About UCL:

Founded in 1826, UCL was the first English university established after Oxford and Cambridge, the first to admit students regardless of race, class, religion or gender, and the first to provide systematic teaching of law, architecture and medicine. In the government’s most recent Research Assessment Exercise, 59 UCL departments achieved top ratings of 5* and 5, indicating research quality of international excellence.

UCL is in the top ten world universities in the 2007 THES-QS World University Rankings, and the fourth-ranked UK university in the 2007 league table of the top 500 world universities produced by the Shanghai Jiao Tong University. UCL alumni include Marie Stopes, Jonathan Dimbleby, Lord Woolf, Alexander Graham Bell, and members of the band Coldplay.

About The Children’s Plan:

The Children’s Plan was officially launched by the Department for Children, Schools and Families on December 11 2007. Further details can be found at www.dcsf.gov.uk/childrensplan

U.S. Department of Education -- Grants for the Integration of Schools and Mental Health Systems

The U.S. Department of Education Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools is accepting applications for its Grants for the Integration of Schools and Mental Health program. The purpose of the program is to improve mental health services for children by supporting the switch from a fragmented service-delivery model to a broad public health framework through programs that include all of the following: 1) collaborative efforts between school-based service systems and mental health service systems; 2) crisis intervention services, referrals, and on-going care; 3) training of school personnel and mental health professionals; 4) technical assistance and consultation to school systems and mental health agencies and families participating in the program; 5) linguistically appropriate and culturally competent services; and 6) program evaluation and sustainability.

Award amounts are $150,000-$350,000. Eligible applicants are state educational agencies, local educational agencies (LEAs), including charter schools that are considered LEAs under State law, and Indian tribes. Previous recipients of a Safe Schools/Healthy Students program grant are not eligible to apply.

Deadline: January 30, 2008

Please Note: The Center for Health and Health Care in Schools (CHHCS) does not administer this funding opportunity.

Contact the U.S. Department of Education grant program directly for complete program information and program guidelines:
http://www.ed.gov/legislation/FedRegister/announcements/2007-4/120707c.html

The U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics has released the report "Numbers and Rates of Public High School Dropouts: School Year 2004–05."

The report draws on diverse sources to provide data on the numbers and rates of public school students who dropped out of high school in school years 2002–03, 2003–04, and 2004–05, and includes dropout rates by state, region, school district size, and several student characteristics.

Resources:

To access the report, visit http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2008/hsdropouts/.

The Office of Justice Programs' National Institute of Justice (NIJ) has released "Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children: What Do We Know and What Do We Do About It?"

The summary reviews research into the organization of the commercial sexual exploitation of children, its effects on victims, and measures to prevent its occurrence.

Resources:

"Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children: What Do We Know and What Do We Do About It?" is available online at http://ojp.usdoj.gov/nij/pubs-sum/215733.htm.

Print copies may be ordered online at http://www.ncjrs.gov/App/shoppingcart/ShopCart.aspx?item=NCJ%20215733.

Sixteen Florida Students Selected into Disney’s Dreamers Academy
Sixteen Florida students were selected into Walt Disney World Resort’s Disney’s Dreamers Academy, an innovative program that will provide 100 teens the opportunity to go as far as their dreams and imaginations will take them. The program was created for high school teens from across the nation, and designed to immerse the students in creative and non-conventional career opportunities. This is the first-ever career enrichment program of its kind. The Academy will take place in the Walt Disney World Resort, Jan. 17-20, 2008. For more information on Disney’s Dreamers Academy, visit http://wdwnews.com. To log in, please use username – Disney; and password – magic.

http://www.ed.gov/programs/elseccounseling/index.html

Elementary and Secondary School Counseling Program Grant Announced!

The U.S. Department of Education, Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools, announced today that it is accepting applications for the FY 2008 (i.e., 2008-2009) school year for the Grants for Elementary and Secondary School Counseling Programs.

The Grants for Elementary and Secondary School Counseling Programs will provide funds to Local Educational Agencies (LEAs), including charter schools considered to be LEAs under state law, to establish or expand elementary school and secondary school counseling programs.

Award Information:

Applications available: December 13, 2007
Deadline for Transmittal: January 28, 2008
Eligible Applicants: Local Educational Agencies, including charter schools that are considered LEAs under state law.
Estimated Range of Awards: $250,000 - $400,000
Estimated Average Size of Awards: $350,000
Maximum Award: $400,000
Estimated Number of Awards: 50

Note: The administration's budget request for FY 2008 does not include funds for this program. However, ED is inviting applications to allow enough time to complete the grant process if Congress appropriates funds for this program. Contingent upon the availability of funds and the quality of applications, ED may make additional awards later in FY 2008 and in FY 2009 from the list of unfunded applicants from this competition.

Application Information: Download a copy of the application.

Content and Form of Application Submission: Requirements concerning the content of an application, together with the forms you must submit, are in the application package for this program. Applications for grants under this program may be submitted electronically using the www.grants.gov. Apply site (Grants.gov), or in paper format by mail or hand delivery.

NOTE: Deadline for Transmittal of Applications is Jan. 28, 2008

For additional information, contact: Loretta McDaniel at: U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Room 3E214, Washington, DC 20202-6450. Telephone: (202) 260-2661 or by email: Loretta.McDaniel.ed.gov

http://www.schoolcounselor.org/content.asp?pl=325&sl=127&contentid=271

National School Counseling Week is always celebrated the first full week of February, which is Feb. 4-8 in 2008. The theme for 2008 National School Counseling Week is "School Counselors: Creating Pathways to Success." This week helps focus public attention on the unique contribution of professional school counselors within U.S. school systems. National School Counseling Week highlights the tremendous impact that counselors can have in helping students achieve school success and plan for a career.

Anne Ford Scholarship for Seniors with an Identified Learning Disability – The Anne Ford Scholarship is a $10,000 award given to a high school senior with an identified learning disability who will be pursuing a four-year undergraduate program.  The applicant must 1) have an overall grade point average of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 point scale (or equivalent); 2) demonstrate financial need; 3) show documentation of an identified learning disability; 4) be a U.S. citizen; and 5) be enrolled as a senior in high school, public or private, with the intention of pursuing a 4-year undergraduate degree. Submissions must be postmarked by December 31, 2007.

·       Link: www.ncld.org/content/view/871/456074

NCTET Sponsors "Rethinking Education: Technology and 21st Century Skills" Event: Last week, the National Coalition for Technology in Education and Training (NCTET) hosted a briefing on Capitol Hill to examine strategies for effectively integrating technology into K-12 education to impart crucial 21st century skills. The event featured a number of anecdotes about how certain federal programs, such as Enhancing Education Through Technology, Ready to Teach and other efforts, have allowed schools to leverage and enhance other efforts related to using technology in K-12 schools. Ryan Imbriale, an assistant principal from Maryland, insisted that discussions in Washington, D.C., about policy and funding do affect classrooms and encouraged staff present to continue their work, since federal efforts serve as a catalyst for improvement and innovation at the local levels. Mary Ann Wolf, executive director for the State Education Technology Directors Association, shared a number of examples of states producing good results and improving student achievement from education technology efforts and echoed suggestions of fellow participants that embedded professional development for teachers is crucial to such efforts and positively affects not only student achievement but also teacher retention. For more information, visit www.nctet.org.

http://www.capenetwork.org/

Universal Encouragement Program?

The Universal Encouragement Program (UEP) is an online guidance assessment designed to help counselors and other youth-serving professionals document students' career and education needs, interests, and experiences. ESI has designed the assessments for the purpose of informing guidance and encouragement efforts that lead to improved educational attainment and career decision-making.

The UEP is a time-saving online tool that will gather and report critical data to inform guidance services, program development, and school improvement efforts.

A new report from the Bureau of Justice Statistics and the National Center for Education Statistics examined crime that occurred in, and on the way to and from, school. The study found that the victimization rate of 12- to 18-year-olds at school declined between 1992 and 2005, yet violence, theft, drugs and weapons continue to pose major problems. During the 2005-06 school year, 86 percent of public schools reported that at least one violent crime, theft or other crime had occurred at school. In addition, eight percent of students in grades 9-12 reported being threatened or injured with a weapon in the previous nine months, while 25 percent reported that drugs were available on school property. It also appears that school crime and violence affect minority students more than their white peers. For instance, African American and Latino students were more likely to fear for their safety in 2005. Furthermore, nine percent of African American students and 10 percent of Latino students feared being attacked by another student, while only four percent of white students reported such fears. Accordingly, Latino students were more likely to report being threatened or injured with a weapon on school property.
http://nces.ed.gov/programs/crimeindicators/crimeindicators2007/

Artsonia is the world's largest kids' art museum. Our dream is that every child will have an online art gallery, reflecting their masterpieces from pre-school through high-school, preserved forever! http://www.schoolcounselor.com/posters.htmhttp://www.artsonia.com/

IF YOU PUT IT ONLINE, THEY WILL LOOK AT IT
The San Diego Unified School District, which just last year exhibited the artwork of more than 1,000 students in a traditional gallery-type setting, looked to increase their arts programmatic reach even further, reports Kurt Dryli in District Administration. To increase involvement and scope, the district created an online gallery to display photos of student work in a variety of different media. More school districts are following suit and turning to online galleries because they permanently hold more artwork than schools have space. Still, since they are relatively cheap to maintain, online galleries are not just for the big districts. The Ontario (Ore.) School District, with just 2,800 students, has a substantial online gallery. One tool that helps districts move to the web to boost arts education is Artsonia, a free website focused on creating online galleries. Through Artsonia, family members and friends can join artist "fan clubs," post comments and purchase merchandise emblazoned with images from the galleries. A total of 15 percent of the proceeds are contributed to the school’s art program. "There isn't a downside to it," says Judith Davidson, who teaches art at Rocky Ridge (Ala.) Elementary (the top-ranked school for community involvement on Artsonia). "It gets the parents involved, and the students’ portfolios can grow."
http://www.districtadministration.com/viewarticle.aspx?articleid=1340

Written by siblings of abducted children, OJJDP's "What About Me? Coping With the Abduction of a Brother or Sister" provides information to help children of all ages when their brother or sister has been kidnapped. In child-friendly language, the guide offers such children insights into what they might expect to feel following the abduction, related events that may ensue, and steps that they may take to cope with their feelings.

Resources:

Print copies of "What About Me? Coping With the Abduction of a Brother or Sister" (NCJ 217714) may be ordered at http://www.ncjrs.gov/App/Publications/AlphaList.aspx. For quick access, search by document number. The print copy is accompanied by a DVD that features informative interviews with several of the guide's authors.

The guide is also available online at http://ojjdp.ncjrs.gov/publications/PubAbstract.asp?pubi=239397.

http://www.clevelandclinic.org/health/health-info/docs/2300/2361.asp?index=9293

Seasonal depression, often called seasonal affective disorder (SAD), is a depression that occurs each year at the same time, usually starting in fall or winter and ending in spring or early summer. It is more than just "the winter blues" or "cabin fever." A rare form of SAD known as "summer depression," begins in late spring or early summer and ends in fall.