Desert Messenger

November 18, 2020 www.DesertMessenger.com 17 Child Find Services available One day... Free business webinars READER'S OASIS BOOKS 690 E. Main - Quartzsite (one block east of Family Dollar) FREE Business Webinars: The Arizona Commerce Authority and Local First Arizona — supported by a dynamic group of community partners — have launched a state- wide initiative to help Arizona's small businesses respond to the im- mediate impacts of COVID-19, plan for the future and return stronger than before. Register online now or if you missed any sessions visit: https://www.azcommerce.com/ small-business-boot-camp/ Are you planning a large event in Quartzsite? Effective June 29, 2020, even if appropriate physical distancing is possible, organized events of more than 50 people are prohibited indoors or outside (does not apply to gatherings covered by the First Amendment.) AZ Governor Doug Ducey's Execu- tive Order #2020-043 enables lo- cal governing jurisdictions, such as the city, town or county, to approve events on the condition of meeting certain safety precautions. Contact Quartzsite Town Hall for permitting details. 928-927-4333. Town Hall is located at 465 N. Plym- outh Ave. www.QuartzsiteAZ.org. AZ Governor's Executive orders: https://azgovernor.gov/executive- orders Considerations for Events and Gatherings from CDC: https://www.cdc.gov/.../consider- ations-for-events... Mass gatherings still banned in AZ Child Find Services are available to students K-12 whose parents re- side within the Quartzsite Elemen- tary School District #4 attendance area and for any students K012 who attend a private school located within the Quartzsite and Ehren- berg attendance area. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act includes the Child Find mandate. Child Find requires all school districts to identify, locate and evaluate all children with disabilities, regardless of the severity of their disabilities. This obligation to identify all children who may need special education services exists even if the school is not providing special education services to the child. If parents don't think their child is growing or developing like other children the same age, they can request an educational evaluation, even if a pediatrician says there is no cause for concern. The national Center for Parent Information and Resources (CPIR website: Parent- CenterHub.org) provides a list of developmental milestones to help parents recognize potential delays. Early intervention can be criti- cal. Parents can contact their local school district at 928-923-7900. Child Find Services are also avail- able for Preschool students 3-5 years of age whose parents reside in the Quartzsite District. For infants and toddlers with disabili- ties, call 928-923-7900 and we will refer you to Arizona Early Inter- vention Services. Quartzsite District offers instruc- tional programs for students ages 3-22 who are eligible for special education services. This includes home schooled students and stu- dents attending private school K-12 in the Quartzsite attendance area. For more information contact the district offi ce at 927-923-7900. By Jackie Deal (still in Oregon) Wednesday, this past Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2020, there were 100,000 new, NEW, corona virus cases diag- nosed in the United States! In one day! Wait a minute, that's rounded off: actually there were 107,872 NEWLY diagnosed cases!! (Accord- ing to "Market Watch" on Yahoo Fi- nance) Doesn't mean much, does it? Okay, let's get real. Kill off the population of Med- ford and Ashland, Oregon (allow about 4,000 people to escape) and you have the newly diagnosed co- rona virus cases in the U.S in one day. (The total population of Med- ford and Ashland in 2018 census was 103,547.) In Arizona, Tuc- son population was 553,871 and Mesa 527,666 in 2020 for a total of 108,537, close to the number of co- rona virus cases. Moral of the story: Wear Your Face Covering, Wash Your Hands. Let me try to summarize the fi nal precaution: avoid strange people and strange settings, especially crowds. And those of us in the sus- ceptible age (isn't that all of us?) stay healthy, do get some exercise. With winter's cold gray days com- ing on, watch out for SAD. SAD stands for Seasonal Affective Disor- der. It mean when the weather gets gloomy, we get gloomy. Gloomy as in depressed. Ah, who cares? Why wear a face mask. Life's not worth living anyway. Turn on the lights. Open the cur- tains. Put on some music. Turn off miserable negative TV. Call a friend. Start a new hobby. Count your blessings; we live in a beauti- ful, serene, secure (I won't say safe) park with nature and friends all around. Count your blessings! • Birth • Obituary • Anniversary Place it FREE in the: Desert Messenger! 928-916-4235 Got something to share?

• Cover