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South Country Library Weekly Round-Up March 28, 2020
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Library Budget Announcement As an act of good faith toward the community in these uncertain times, the library board has voted to cancel this year's proposed budget vote which was scheduled for April 7, 2020. The library trustees decided that there will be no increase in library taxes for the coming fiscal year due to the hardship and financial impact of the pandemic on our community. More information will be available in the future regarding the trustee election.
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We are proud to have contributed our 3D printers as part of a collaborative effort organized by the Suffolk Cooperative Library System, to produce face shield headbands for the medical staff at Stony Brook University Hospital. Over 50 printers from libraries across Suffolk County make up this "print farm" in the SCLS auditorium (above). We're thankful to the staff at SCLS for organizing this and thankful we could play our small part!
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Since you can't come to the library right now, we're offering an online-only reading challenge for Children and Teens! Keep track of the minutes you read or the number of books to earn points (it's okay for parents to read to their children). When you earn 500 points and the library re-opens, you can claim a prize! |
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Trivia for Ten Take the South Country Library Kahoot Trivia Challenge! This week's theme is all things movies & TV (Netflix included). To participate, click this link and put in the game code 023177. Game is limited to the first ten people who enter. The challenge will conclude at 9:00 pm Tuesday night, and the winner will be announced in next weeks' Round-Up.
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Don't forget the Census! Please set aside a little bit of time to respond to the census. You should have received an official letter from the US Census a couple weeks ago, with a unique code to submit your household's response online — a quick and easy process.
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You may also respond by phone or mail. Responses are critical for our community to receive government representation and funding for schools, roads, and other public necessities. For more information, go to 2020census.gov.
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Reporting Non-Emergency Incidents The Suffolk County Police Department has ordered that people in Suffolk must file all non-emergency incidents online at www.suffolkpd.org or by phone at 631-852-COPS (631-852-2677). Non-emergency incidents can be reported in both English and Spanish, and are the following types: Minor traffic accident, theft without invasion (such as something stolen from your yard or driveway, for example), lost property, identity theft, non-criminal property damage, criminal mischief/vandalism, and harassing communications. Note that crimes in progress, threats of physical violence, injuries, firearms, incidents with known suspects, and incidents resulting from discrimination are considered emergencies and should be reported by calling 911. |
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Get COVID-19 updates at www.suffolkcountyny.gov or by texting COVIDSUFFOLK to 67283.A testing site for COVID-19 has opened at Stony Brook University Hospital for those with symptoms. You must call first to be pre-approved and receive an appointment. Call 1-888-364-3065. |
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Food Assistance for Neighbors in Need Lighthouse Mission is providing free food delivery for homebound seniors in Brookhaven Town. Click here for more information, and then call 631-758-7584 to make arrangements. The South Country School District is continuing to provide meals for school-age children. Click here for details. Federal Nutrition Programs: If you or your family have been affected by the COVID-19 outbreak, you may be eligible for food assistance programs such as SNAP or WIC.
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Grocery Stores & Restaurants |
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Cirillo's Market Bellport IGA is offering curbside grocery pickup for seniors and disabled people. Call 631-286-2772 to make arrangements. Several restaurants in the area are offering takeout and/or delivery. Click here for info and phone numbers. |
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Keep Cautious -- Avoid Getting Scammed In times of crisis, there are always people looking to take advantage of the situation. Please be cautious regarding any calls, texts or emails dealing with COVID-19 / Coronavirus.
Beware of pressuring emails claiming to be from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other attempts to ‘phish’ for personal information.
Ignore online promotional items regarding cures for COVID-19. There are currently NO vaccines or over-the-counter products available to treat or cure COVID-19 online or in stores. Be cautious of anyone going door-to-door offering COVID-19 testing or temperature readings and requesting personal information. Avoid organizations and other groups pressuring you into donating via cash, gift cards, wire transfer or prepaid money card. Legitimate sources will never ask you for an immediate response. If you're feeling pressured to make an immediate decision or provide personal information, walk away (hang up the phone, delete the email, close the door) and reassess the situation.
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Mortgage Payments: Governor Cuomo is giving borrowers the option to waive mortgage payments for 90 days, based on financial hardship. Getting the mortgage payment waived will not harm the borrower's credit score. If you do need to waive your payment, you should contact your bank to notify them. In case you missed it, the federal tax filing deadline has been extended to July 15. We encourage you to use the IRS FreeFile service to file your taxes for free online, or to print off the necessary tax forms. |
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The New York State COVID-19 Emotional Support Helpline Call 1-844-863-9314 Available 8 AM — 10 PM, every day Even if this virus isn't affecting your physical health, chances are it's affecting your mental health. Please be sure to take self-care measures — there are some great suggestions for coping in this article. If you’re feeling alone and struggling, you can also reach out to The Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741741 or National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK.
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Bellport Boys & Girls Club will be offering child care for healthcare professionals, law enforcement, and other mandated government workers during this time of crisis. Please view their flyer for details, and contact Mrs. Shawnté Carter-Okojie at Shawnte@bgcbellport.org for more information. As another option for essential workers with children, please contact the Child Care Council of Suffolk at 646-926-3784 for help in finding appropriate child care. |
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K-12 Education AP Courses The College Board is offering free, live AP Review courses, delivered by AP teachers. To access the live classes and recordings, visit the AP YouTube channel. For a schedule of daily AP Courses and other important information about this year's exams, click here. Khan Academy A useful site for educating your children during this time. They also have an educational and entertaining app for young learners 2 to 7 years old -- Khan Academy Kids is free to download and play, with no ads. You can get it on a tablet or smartphone through the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store. This edWebinar will be of interest to kindergarten through high school teachers, librarians, and school and district leaders.
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COVID-19 Youth Webinars for Elementary-High School Students There's a lot of information going around and youth may have trouble processing it all to understand what is happening. Dr. Anthony Santella, Associate Professor of Public Health from Hofstra University is hosting FREE Youth Webinars to help kids make sense of it all. Visit anthonyjsantella.com to register for Elementary/Middle or High School webinars. Parents, educators, and any other interested adults are also welcome. Dates available through May. Questions? Email asantella@gmail.com |
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(ebooks, audiobooks, and video) For Families & Children... |
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Looking for something to do with your kids? Send fan mail to Pete the Cat!
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Here are a few games, possibly from your childhood, that meet the important criteria for our time at home: the games can be played in your house, they require no equipment, they can be modified for different age groups and best of all, they require little or no touching. Have fun! |
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Notice regarding recreation areas: Brookhaven town has closed all town playgrounds, basketball, tennis, pickleball, handball and volleyball courts, until further notice. Sale of resident stickers has been suspended as well. New York State Parks remain open for solitary walks, but you must keep six feet of distance from others. |
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Ancestry is making it's library database available from home during this time. What a great time to begin researching your family tree! Click here to get to the login page, and login with your library card barcode number, and the password for your account. (if you don't have a password, or forgot it, there are links there to help you)
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Use some of this time to continue lifelong learning! With your library card, you have access to The Great Courses through Kanopy and Overdrive. From science, to cooking, to history, there's a wide range of subjects for you to learn about!
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If your library card is lost, expired, or you've never had one, visit https://search.livebrary.com/selfreg to get a temporary 90 day library card so you can utilize our free digital services. Unfortunately, the following services are not accessible with a temporary card: Brainfuse, Flipster, Pronunciator, and RB Digital.
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South Country Library 22 Station Road Bellport, NY 11713 (631) 286-0818
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Library Hours [closed until further notice] Mon-Fri: 9:30 am - 9:00 pm Sat: 9:30 am - 5:00 pm Sun (Sept-June): Noon - 4:00 pm
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