Principal's Newsletter -- 2/20/12

Dear Parents,

It is that time of year again when children and adults are ill with signs and symptoms of colds, flu and other infections. This is an excellent time to remember some healthy habits that may help us stay well.

We have recently experienced an uptick in health-related absences, along with specific reports of viral illness. At school, we are responding by focusing on sanitizing typical contact points like door handles, drinking fountains, and table surfaces. We would love your assistance in reporting any concerning illnesses, in order that we can alert our school nurse.

Please take a few moments to go over the following information with your child:

Keep away from germs!
♦ Cover your cough!
♦ Use tissue instead of hankies when ill, coughing or sneezing.
♦ Cough or sneeze into the elbow bend of the arm if possible, or into the hands and tissue, then….. Wash those hands effectively!
♦ Effective hand washing is the number one way to keep germs from entering our bodies. “Effective” means using plenty of soap and water, scrubbing palms of hands, fingernails, around wrists and in between fingers and under rings for 30 seconds then rinsing and drying.
♦ Wash hands after recess or gym, before eating or preparing food, after using the restroom or blowing a nose, coughing or sneezing and after handling pets.
♦ Do not share food, drinks or utensils; hats, combs, coats or clothing; make-up, lip balm or other personal items.
♦ Do not touch the blood or body fluids of another person. Ask an adult for help.

You will be asked to take your child home if there is:
♦ Rash or unusual skin color or marks with or without fever
♦ Skin lesions or sores that are “weepy” fluid or pus filled or draining
♦ Fever of 100.5 degrees or higher
♦ Vomiting
♦ Diarrhea
♦ Colored (yellow/green) drainage from eyes or ears

Call your health care provider for any unusual or concerning signs and symptoms:
♦ Stiff neck or headache with fever
♦ Behavior changes of irritability, sleepiness, fatigue or complaints of illness with inability to participate in school activities
♦ Prolonged diarrhea (three watery or loose stools per day or last more than three days).
♦ Breathing difficulties
♦ Yellow color to skin or eyes (jaundice)

You may contact the School Nurse or the Principal if you have any questions about this
information.

Parent Volunteer Opportunity

Recently, a number of parents have approached me with concerns about our street-side safety -- more specifically: with concerns that without a thoughtful intervention to a continuing problem, somebody may be hurt.

Obviously, I share these concerns. The positive news is that several parents have volunteered to participate in helping to create a solution. This is to ask if you are interested in partnering with me and several other parents, to devise and implement a more permanent plan. If so, please contact Betsy, and she will organize a meeting date and time for this work very soon!

a lovely poem, a former student

I am shamelessly stealing this post from Paula Robinson's RHS Principal blog -- a parent steered me in the direction. It is apropos because of something I've been feeling especially strongly as of late, affection for former students now attending the high school. Elanor's poem is just lovely.

Student Achievement:

Eleanor V B - GOLD KEY Award for Poetry - Scholastic Art and Writing Awards

Her poem is below --

Boxed-In Rain

At nighttime, I like to think

Of rabbit-raced brambles

And heated midday dirt.

Blueberries tarter than going a day

Without seeing you.

I bled till raw,

I picked it pink.

And it hurt, and it hurt.

But I forgave the things I went through.

If you don’t remember, you must forget

Unequivocal stares

And boxed-in rain.

Cross-stitched knuckles folded

Under covers,

Our secrets piled

Like dust.

Everything I don’t want is everything that does.

Back-seat stories,

Spoken ghosts I created.

Split in two if you must,

But please, speak the words as we did.

Then when my water begins to rust,

And like you I brave my fears

The dirt is hot, the berries bright,

And we don’t disappear.

Ping Pong Results!

And the winners are...

Grades 1-2:
first: Claes J
second: Edward B

Grades 3-5:
first: Justin N
second: Grant N

Grades 6-8:
first: Connor F
second: Seb F

Adult Beginner:
first: Tugrul D
second: Lanelle F

Adult Intermediate:
first: Ajay D
second: Ben H

Adult Advanced:
first: Olaf J
second: Jodi F

Thanks to Heather Westing for her superb organizational work!