Yearly Archives: 2021

February 7th – Super Bowl Sunday!

The Super Bowl is the annual championship game of the National Football League (NFL), the highest level of professional American football in the world.  It’s a popular time for family and friends to gather in front of the TV. 

This year’s game features the Kansas City Chief vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Each year millions of people watch the game, the half-time show – or just the commercials (people will be talking about the commercials for days!).  This year, singer Miley Cyrus will headline the first TikTok Tailgate show, a special pre-game event for the 7,500 vaccinated healthcare workers attending the game. It will be streamed live in its entirety on TikTik while will air portions of it. R&B singer H.E.R. will perform “American the Beautiful”, and country music singer Eric Church and R&B singer Jazmine Sullivan will perform ‘ The Star-Spangled Banner” while pop star The Weeknd will take to the world’s biggest stage for the half time show.

The 55th Super Bowl will take place at the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida on Sunday February 7th, 2021.  Kickoff is scheduled for 6:30PM ET on CBS.

To learn more about football visit the “Life in the US” section of Au Pair in America website.

Avoid Falling Victim to Scammers

There are always people out there who are looking for ways to trick people out of their money and personal information. There have been several new scams recently, so we are going to explain ways to identify scams and how to protect yourself.

SCAM #1 – A caller says they are a contact tracer and you may have been exposed to COVID-19 and asks you to pay for a test kit.

  • Contact tracers will not ask you for payment.

What to do? Do not give any payment information to someone who calls you on the phone.

SCAM #2 – Calls asking for your PIN, password, personal information or a payment.

  • Your bank will not call you and ask you for your PIN number or password.
  • IRS and Social Security Administration will not ask you for payment or personal info over the phone. Government agencies usually handle issues like this by sending a letter.
  • The number shown on caller ID can be manipulated, don’t take that as a sign that a call is legitimate.

What to do? Whenever you are in doubt, hang up and call the bank (or company) directly using a number you already have for them.

SCAM #3 – Email asking you to click a link to verify your personal information or share your password or PIN.

  • Be very suspicious of emails asking you to click links.
  • Scammers are very good at creating official looking emails and webpages.

What to do? Whenever you are in doubt, go directly to the website (not using the link in the email).

SCAM #4 – You see an offer online telling you to send them some money and they will double it or a pop-up ad says that you have won a great prize and just need to give them your information.

  • When something sounds too good to be true, it usually is.

What to do? Do not give your personal information or any money to people you don’t know.

SCAM #5 – You receive a call and you are told to stay on the phone while you go transfer or withdraw money from the bank and if you don’t you will be arrested or your bank account seized.

  • They are using the idea that this is an urgent situation to make you act quickly without thinking to avoid the consequence they have told you.

What to do? Do not follow their instructions.

Whenever you are in doubt, do not do as the caller or email asks. Check with your host parents or community counselor.

One other note: It is very important to keep your social security number private. There are very few situations where you will need to share this (bank, IRS, motor vehicles). Those are times you are taking an action and need to provide it. There is not a legitimate time where someone would be calling you on the phone or emailing you asking for that number.

 

Fire Prevention Tips

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Here are some Fire Safety Tips from http://www.usfa.fema.gov/

Control Kids’ Access to Fire

  • Keep all matches and lighters out of the hands of children. If possible, keep these sources of fire in locked drawers. Consider buying only “child-proof” lighters—but be aware that no product is completely child-proof.
  • Children as young as two years old can strike matches and start fires.
  • Never leave children unattended near operating stoves or burning candles, even for a short time.
  • Teach children not to pick up matches or lighters they may find. Instead, they should tell an adult immediately.

Fire Safety at Home

  • Smoke alarms should be installed on every level of the home, especially near sleeping areas.
  • Smoke alarms should be kept clean of dust by regularly vacuuming over and around them.
  • Replace batteries in smoke alarms at least once a year. And replace the entire unit after ten years of service, or as the manufacturer recommends.
  • Families should plan and practice two escape routes from each room of their home.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day

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“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”
– Martin Luther King, I Have a Dream Quote

Martin Luther King Jr. was the most important voice of the American civil rights movement, which worked for equal rights for all. He was famous for using nonviolent resistance to overcome injustice.  He also did all he could to make people realize that “all men are created equal.” Because of his great work, in 1964 King received the Nobel Peace Prize — the youngest person ever to receive this high honor. King was also a Baptist minister. He was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee, when he was just 39 years old. His birthday is now observed as a national holiday on the third Monday in January. Congressman John Conyers first introduced legislation for a commemorative holiday four days after King was assassinated in 1968. Petitions endorsing the holiday containing six million names were submitted to Congress.  Public pressure for the holiday mounted during the 1982 and 1983 civil rights marches in Washington.  Congress passed the holiday legislation in 1983, which was then signed into law by President Ronald Reagan.

If you want to visit the MLK Memorial, it’s located in downtown Washington D.C. along the Tidal Basin.

Here are some links about the history of this holiday including a biography of Dr. King, a quiz for kids and a junior crossword.  Maybe you can do something special with the kids to acknowledge the day.

http://www.infoplease.com/spot/mlkbiospot.html

http://www.infoplease.com/spot/mlkjrday1.html

To read the full I Have a dream Speech go to:

http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkihaveadream.htm

Do I Need Sports Insurance?

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Trying out winter sports like ice skating, skiing and snow boarding can be very exciting, especially if this is your first time experiencing winter weather. However, you should also know the risks and be prepared.

Is it risky to do Winter sports without the sports insurance?

Yes. If you have to pay your own hospital bills for a broken bone, you might be shocked at how much that would cost. I checked this website for some cost estimates.

Here are a couple examples:

  • Without medical coverage, to treat a broken arm or leg (that does not require surgery) it could cost up to $2,500.
  • Without medical coverage, to treat a broken arm or leg (requiring surgery) it could cost $16,000 or more.

I wanted to make sure everyone understands how the medical coverage works for sports related injuries. There is a list of “high-risk sports/activities” that are not covered with the basic or upgrade medical insurance plans. Those activities are only covered with the Sports Insurance Package (also known as Option A.)

The Sports Insurance Package was available pre-departure and may also be purchased at any time during your year. It takes effect within 48 hours of your enrollment and it is good for 12 months. The cost will be the same ($90) whether you have a month left or your whole year ahead of you. I recommend you pay for it early on, if you didn’t already purchase it. You never know when an opportunity might present itself and you don’t want to miss out on an adventure. You also don’t want to take a risk on getting injured and being responsible for the bill on your own.

Below is a partial list of sports that are only covered with the sports insurance package:
Football, Rugby, Scuba diving, Ski-doo,  Wakeboarding, Skydiving, Parachuting, Rock climbing, Zip line, Skate boarding, Rollerblading, Roller skating,  Ice Skating, Skiing, Snowboarding, Snowmobiles & Snowshoeing.  View the full list on page 3 of the insurance brochure HERE.
Note: Injuries sustained while partaking in these sports are covered with purchase of the Sports Insurance ONLY.

How to register for the Sports Insurance
Contact Adriana if you are unsure which insurance package you have. It takes a few days for your coverage to begin. If you think you will be doing any of these sports, you should get it now.

SPORTS INSURANCE FORM