Nothing seems to stir up feelings quite like the holiday season. Celebrations that should be joyful can become a source of conflict, and finding solutions that make everyone happy can be difficult.

Christmas and Chanukah, Easter and Passover, December and April can be challenging times for Jewish families and interfaith families. The whole country seems to be wrapped up in a holiday that Jews don't observe.

Can an interfaith family celebrate both holidays? How would that work for the kids? Will children raised celebrating Christmas and/or Easter feel Jewish when they grow up?

How do you decide which traditions to celebrate in your family?

Join other interfaith families from Temple Israel and around Fairfield Country to explore these issues.

Date: Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Time: 8:00 to 9:30 p.m.

Place: Temple Israel, 14 Coleytown Road, Westport

The event is open to all and is FREE to TI members and the community.

Drinks and a nosh provided. Bring your friends!

For more information or to sign up contact Rabbi Alysa Mendelson Graf at

amendelson@tiwestport.org or 203-227-1293.

The Discovery Center at Ridgefield is presenting ‘Animal Detectives – Brrr… is is cold outside’ for children ages 3 to 6 on Saturday, January 21^st at 2:00 P.M. in the Ridgefield Recreation Center in Ridgefield. 

Where do animals go during the long, cold winter?  How do they survive the chilly temperatures?  Answers to these questions, and more, will be provided at this interactive program.  This is the second of the ‘Animal Detectives’ series, where children learn about our local wildlife each month.  There will be a visit with some mounted animals, story reading, making a special animal craft, and a leisurely walk outside to look for squirrels, chipmunks, birds, and whatever else might be wandering around the trails.

Program is suitable for ages 3 – 6 years old.  Members are free, and non-members are $7 per person. Please call 203.438.1063 or visit the DC website www.ridgefielddiscovery.org to make reservations.

Program is co-sponsored by Ridgefield Parks and Recreation.

College Goal Sunday Connecticut is here to help you get to college! This January 29th College Goal Sunday Connecticut is offering free help filling out the FAFSA between 1:30pm and 4:30pm.

At College Goal Sunday^SM, students and parents can talk to experts and get in-depth help filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). In addition to receiving assistance in filling out the FAFSA, participants will receive general information regarding state and federal financial aid programs.

You can get more information about College Goal Sunday here.

According to the website, Sixty-three percent of college students get an average of $7,400 each year to go to college. But the paperwork can be confusing, making it difficult for students to get money for college. At College Goal Sunday, students and parents can talk to experts and get in-depth help filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

They strongly encourage students and parents to attend College Goal Sunday together. Because household financial information is needed to fill out the FAFSA, it’s easier if you approach it as a team. Learn more about what to bring in our “What to Bring” section.

The list of locations where College Goal Sunday will be held is below.

 Eastern CT State University
83 Windham Street
Willimantic, CT 06226
Neville R. Brown
%22brownn@easternct.edu%22">brownn@easternct.edu
(860) 465-4428

Gateway Community College
Long Wharf Campus
60 Sargent Drive
New Haven, CT 06511
(203) 285-2129

Manchester Community College
Great Path
Manchester, CT 06045
Ivette Rivera-Dreyer
%22irivera-dreyer@mcc.commnet.edu%22">irivera-dreyer@mcc.commnet.edu
(860) 512-3382

Middlesex Community College
100 Training Hill Road
Middletown, CT 06457
Michael Folly Amouzou
%22mamouzou@mxcc.commnet.edu%22">mamouzou@mxcc.commnet.edu
(860) 343-5737
Ceclia Nugent
%22cnugent.conntac@snet.net%22">cnugent.conntac@snet.net
(203) 634-7669

Naugatuck Valley Community College
750 Chase Parkway
Waterbury, CT 06708
Anita Pelletier
%22apelletier@nvcc.commnet.edu%22">apelletier@nvcc.commnet.edu
(203) 575-8274

Norwalk Community College
188 Richards Avenue
Norwalk, CT 06854
Norma l. McNerney
%22mcnerney@ncc.commnet.edu%22">mcnerney@ncc.commnet.edu
Gail Stevens
%22gstevens@ncc.comnet.edu%22">gstevens@ncc.comnet.edu
(203) 857-6824

Sacred Heart University
5151 Park Avenue
Fairfield, CT 06825
Kelly Jambo
%22jambok@sacredheart.edu%22">jambok@sacredheart.edu
(203) 365-7581

Science and Technology Magnet High School of SE Connecticut
490 Jefferson Avenue
New London, CT 06320
Ann Gaulin
%22Ann.gaulin@ct.gov%22">ann.gaulin@ct.gov
(860) 713-6544

University of Bridgeport
126 Park Avenue
Bridgeport, CT 06604
Ms. Faith Harrison-Villegas
%22fvillegas@bpef.org%22">fvillegas@bpef.org
203-338-0517

University of Hartford
Hillyer Hall
200 Bloomfield Avenue
West Hartford, CT 06117
Ms. Stefania Campbell
%22SCampbell@hartford.edu%22">SCampbell@hartford.edu
860-768-4296

Western CT State University
Westside Campus
43 Lake Avenue Extension
Danbury, CT. 06811
Nancy Barton
Melissa Stephens
%22bartonn@wcsu.edu%22">bartonn@wcsu.edu
%22stephensm@wcsu.edu%22">stephensm@wcsu.edu
(203) 837-8582

Windsor High School
50 Sage Park Road
Windsor, CT 06095
Ms. Lori A. Foote
lfoote@windsorct.org">lfoote@windsorct.org
860-687-2020 ext 381

Enjoy light hors d'oeuvres and liquid refreshments.  Meet and socialize with other parents of children with special needs in the Wilton School District.

Friday, November 11

6:30 - 8:30

Wilton Library Gallery

Please RSVP by November 4

Laurie Collins

203.834.2720 or collinsl@optonline.net

The Wilton Special Services PAB is comprised of parents and administrators.  The PAB Board memebrs are devoted to helping chilren with specials needs and their familes

For more information about the PAB

A town vote on Wilton Commons to give it another six months to complete the final paper work for its 51 (+) units of affordable senior housing, which has now secured the needed federal, state, and private funding approvals, is scheduled for December 1st, and the Wilton Commons board has asked us to call this town vote to your attention. 

7:30 p.m. on December 1st at the Middlebrook School Auditorium.

The Discovery Center at Ridgefield is presenting ‘Animal Detectives – Home for the Holidays’ for children ages 3 to 6 on Saturday, November 19th at 2:00 P.M. in the Ridgefield Recreation Center in Ridgefield.  

What would our local wildlife feast on if they celebrated Thanksgiving?  Learn about which foods our woodland critters like to eat, and how they are getting ready for the long winter.  This is the first of the ‘Animal Detectives’ series, where children will learn about our local wildlife each month.  There will be a visit with some mounted animals, story reading, making “bird cookies,” and a leisurely walk outside to look for squirrels, chipmunks, birds, and whatever else might be wandering around the trails.

Program is suitable for ages 3 – 6 years old.  Members are free, and non-members are $7 per person. Please call 203.438.1063 or visit the DC website www.ridgefielddiscovery.org to make reservations.

Program is co-sponsored by Ridgefield Parks and Recreation.

For more information:

Contact:

Ann Murray

(203) 438-1063

BERLIN, Conn. – November 5, 2011 – Over 2,140 line and tree crews are at work today across Connecticut as Connecticut Light & Power (CL&P) pushes to restore power to approximately 214,000 of its customers affected by last weekend's snowstorm.
"The goal has not changed for the nearly 6,000 people involved in the restoration work," said Jeff Butler, CL&P president and chief operating officer. "There is still plenty to do. We're rebuilding entire parts of the system. I am confident we have the resources to get 99 percent of all customers back on by Sunday night."
CL&P has also committed to waive late payment fees for its customers and arrange flexible payment programs for those customers who experienced unprecedented losses and disruptions to their lives.
Units of the Connecticut National Guard are again teaming up with CL&P crews to open roads in the Farmington Valley and other areas.
CL&P has over 200 service crews working exclusively on reattaching the service wire - the line that runs from the utility pole to a home. CL&P reminds customers that if your neighbors have power and you do not, please call CL&P at 800-286-2000.
Restoration estimates by town are available online at www.cl-p.com/stormcenter/estimates. Customer can also call 800-286-2000 for restoration information.
CL&P continues to remind customers of the following important safety messages:

· Always assume any downed or hanging wire is live and dangerous. Stay at least 10 feet away and call 9-1-1 immediately to report the dangerous situation. · To avoid the accumulation of deadly carbon monoxide, only use a generator outdoors. Never use a generator indoors, in an attached garage, a basement or a crawl space. Make sure it has been installed correctly into your home’s wiring to avoid “backfeeding” onto our system which can endanger our crews.

Evensong for All Souls

Commemoration of All Faithful Departed

SUNDAY, November 6 at 5 p.m.

As people have worshipped for centuries,

come join in this timeless experience -

a respite of prayer, scripture, beautiful music, meditation,

and remembrance of loved ones who have gone before us.

Special Music sung by the St. Matthew's Youth and Adult Choirs

St Matthew's Episcopal Church

36 New Canaan Road

Psalm 130, Anglican chant by Howells

Stanford: Magnificat and Nunc dimittis

Rutter: Lux Aeterna and The Lord is My Shepherd