No. 2 Vol. 11
November 2020
Passaic Valley Partners with Imagine Loss and Recovery Center to Help Community Cope
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By Devyn DiPasquale his fall, Passaic Valley partnered with Imagine, a center for coping with loss, to offer webinars educating the community on how to support children, parents/ guardians, and staff who are grieving. Providing emotional support to the PV community is a priority of the school during these difficult times. To view the parent/guardian version of the webinar, click the following link. Imagine provided PV with customized individual webinars for parents/guardians, students and school staff detailing how to talk about grief. Imagine, along with a school support team, will also provide professional coping strategies in school workshops. The goal in forming a coalition with Imagine was to restore and establish a social and emotional learning (SEL) program at PV. Through the webinars, parents/ guardians and staff can learn efficient ways to support their children and themselves. Superintendent Dr. JoAnn Cardillo and Director of Special Education Mr. Mike Paternoster established the partnership with Imagine. Mr. Paternoster, who has provided therapeutic
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workshops to students and staff for the past 10 years, felt that the Imagine program was the best way to get such valuable information out to the community. “When we deal with stress or anxiety by ourselves, it can be extremely hard to deal with without becoming self judgmental. But when we talk about it with someone else, all of a sudden our thoughts become mitigated and mediated. Whereas on our own, they can be overwhelming,” explained Mr. Paternoster, loosely quoting author and psychoanalyst Adam Phillips. “The goal of these webinars, is to provide professional tips on how to better deal with loss, grief, anxiety and stress.” New Jersey instituted a state-wide mandate called “The Road Back” on April 27, 2020. “The Road Back” details the restore, restart, and recovery plans of the state and establishes the steps that schools should take to ensure the health of their students. Due to the turmoil from COVID-19, it is important that children and families know that the school and community are there to support them. Parents/guardians: Please note that a customized student version of the “Coping with Loss” webinar will be shown
to our PV students in Physical Education classes. If you have concerns and prefer that your child not see the webinar, please contact Mr. Paternoster at paternosterm@pvhs.k12. nj.us by October 14.
Operation Helping Hand
embers of the Totowa, Wayne and Woodland Park police departments helped recently assist Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia Valdes with “Operation Helping Hand,” an innovative initiative targeting the opioid crisis. Members of the Prosecutor’s Office Narcotics Task Force recently conducted a one-day street operation, which resulted in nine arrests. “Operation Helping Hand” provides an alternative to immediate incarceration and offers substance abuse treatment. Those arrested were screened by a specialist in an effort to connect them with treatment and recovery services.
All individuals arrested that day accepted substance abuse treatment. They either made arrangements to begin outpatient treatment at a later date or were transported directly to treatment facilities by a member of law enforcement. “The Woodland Park Police was glad to be a part of the program,” said Acting Police Chief John Uzzalino. “A lot of times people that are suffering from addiction want the help, but do not know or are afraid to find help. This program gives them that opportunity to get the help they need.” The WPPD will continue to be a part of this program and if anyone is in need of any help from addiction, they can contact Det. Leonard Schaefer at 973-345-8117 or lschaefer@
wpnj.us. Acceptance of treatment is not in lieu of arrest. Rather, the process creates an opportunity for individuals to break the cycle of addiction by connecting with treatment, recovery and support services. In 2019, county law enforcement agencies administered 329 Narcan deployments. Narcan, which is also referred to as Naloxone, is a medicine administered by way of a spray into the nostrils of someone suffering from an opioid overdose, in an attempt to counteract that overdose. In addition, there were 103 fatal overdoses reported in Passaic County in 2019.
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