September 27, 2007

Notes from Ms. Heffron

September 27, 2007

Generally during the week that the PTO newsletter is distributed I do not write a principal letter. This week there are a couple timely things that I want to let you know about so today in the folder, you will receive this letter and the PTO Cougar Chronicle.

As you know, all classes are scheduled for specials classes at set times during the week. (art, music, physical education, Spanish, library) A class may have Physical Education on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, Art on Tuesdays and so on. When we do not have school on a particular day, the class misses any special classes that they are scheduled to have that day. In order to try to equalize the number of times any one class is missed, we artificially change one day's schedule into another. We call these changes 'Switch Day Schedules.' On Monday, October 1^st, instead of following a Monday schedule, we will be following a Friday schedule. So, students who have band or orchestra on Fridays will need to bring their instruments on Monday. Students who have PE need their tennis shoes on Monday. Teachers usually note these Switch Days in their weekly newsletter and I will mention them in my Thursday letter. I am letting you know of Monday's schedule because we have just finalized the switches for the year and teachers may not have time to let you know. The web page shows these days on the calendar www.wfbschools.com follow the calendar link on the top of the screen.

Walk to School Day is an event that we hold each year. There is more information about this in my letter in the Cougar Chronicle. In case you do not get to that publication until later, though, I want to let you know that our Walk to School event is next Wednesday, October 3^rd. See you on the playground before school!

September 20, 2007

Notes from Ms. Heffron

September 20, 2007

I know that we are fully into the fall when our students show evidence of having head lice (Pediculus humanus capitis). And, this is the case today here at Cumberland. So that everyone knows our protocol, I am including it in this Thursday letter.

We usually find head lice initially when a student is scratching her/his head more than is typical. When this happens, the student goes to the clinic. In the clinic, Ms. Ackerman, Ms. Moret or myself will do a head check. This consists of going through the child's hair section by section looking for either the egg (nit) which appears as a small black or white speck attached to the hair itself or a louse itself. If we find either of these, the Health Department protocol requires us to contact you and have the child picked up. The child is then treated with a special shampoo that kills the lice, and the hair is repeatedly combed with a fine toothed comb to remove all nits.

When lice are discovered here we also take several other proactive steps. Siblings are checked and if they have lice, they go home, too. The students in classrooms of all students who are sent home are also checked, and these classrooms take a letter of notification home saying that your child may have been exposed and asking you to check your child's head.

Once students are nit free, they may return to school where they are checked in the clinic for verification prior to going to class. Adult lice can live up to 30 days on a person's head so parents/guardians need to continue to do head checks daily during this time. There are also other steps that need to be taken in the home to prevent reinfestation.

Having head lice is very common and it is a rare year here at school when we do not have outbreaks in the fall. A great source of current information is the Center for Disease Control website. If you have questions or need specific information about diagnosis or treatment I encourage you to use this resource. It is at www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dpd/parasites/lice.

Other than this development, things are going relatively smoothly here at school. One way you can help us is to closely monitor the Thursday folder. In our efforts to reduce the amount of paper in the folder, each family unit has the youngest child identified and school wide notices or forms should be going only in the youngest child's folder. If you find that you are getting multiple copies of things that you need only one of, please let your older child(ren)'s teacher know so they can correct this. Thanks!

Notes:

• The art department is in need of cardboard for a special project. They are collecting cereal box weight cardboard. If you use anything of this type, please have your child bring the cardboard to Ms. Purney. It can also be dropped off in the office. The project cannot be done with anything heavier than this type of cardboard.
• Bay Ball mailing stuffing: If you can help with this next Monday or Tuesday, please contact Lynn Short at LCS53217@AOL.COM.
• Cub Scout Registration: Today, September 20^th at 6:30 at Cumberland School.
• Fall Fundamentals Basketball Camp: Sponsored through the WFB Recreation Department. 2^nd and 3^rd grade boys and girls are eligible, Sept. 24-28^th 3:30-4:30. Questions to Dave Shaw at 228-7025.

September 13, 2007

A Letter from Ms. Heffron September 13, 2007 There are laughs enough to go around here at Cumberland and students often unwittingly remind me of how they view me. Walking through the first grade hallway yesterday I heard a teacher talking the class through getting their tennis shoes on for PE. Let me help you imagine this scene. There are approximately twenty-two students spread out on the floor trying to get shoes onto feet that seem to grow by the minute. Some students are not yet able to recognize their own shoes and many cannot yet tie independently. Add to this the teacher's effort to actually teach the students a routine of sitting down, changing shoes, and putting the other shoes into cubbies so as not to lose them. As I tried to wend my way through the students, the teacher said to the class, "Remember, boys and girls, how we are going to scoot to one side of the hallway when we are getting our shoes on so that friends can get past." To this, a student looked up to see who was going through, saw me and replied, "Yea, our friends or other people!" So, make no mistake about it, I am no friend of his! Thanks to everyone who was able to come to Orientation this week. We know that it can be difficult to get here as well as getting children dinner and arranging child care and we appreciate your efforts. If you were not able to attend, please do contact your child's teacher to get this important information. Continued overviews of some routines here at school: Attendance and tardies: Children need to arrive at school by 8:15 (9:15 or 12:40 for all day Sr. K and Jr. Kindergarten students) in order to be on time. If they come later than this, students need to stop in the clinic to check in and get a tardy pass. This provides the double check we need to ensure that we can account for all of our students. If your child(ren) will be absent from school, please call the clinic and leave the child's name, grade, teacher and reason for absence on the answering machine. That number is 962.8050. (It is incorrectly listed on the PTO calendar.) If your child is absent and we have not received a call or a note ahead of time, from you we will call you during the day. Medical appointments: If your child needs to leave during the day for a medical appointment, please let the classroom teacher know at the beginning of the day through a voice mail, email, or written note. Your child will be sent to the office at the time you specify and you will pick her/him up in the office. Because of safety concerns, we do not allow students to wait outside to be picked up. When a student returns from an appointment, please have her/him check in at the clinic. School Visitors: All visitors are to stop in the office, sign in and get a visitor pass. This applies to everyone who comes into the building, unless you are going directly to the clinic to check in a child or to pick up a sick or injured child. During the school day, please do not go to your child's classroom unless you have arranged it previously with the teacher. We appreciate your cooperation with this as it helps us keep classroom interruptions to a minimum and therefore learning at a maximum. Thanks for helping your child(ren) remember their lunches each day. There has been a remarkable rate of success with this! Notes: · Late Start Teacher Collaboration Time, September 19th: All students start at 9:15. The WFB Recreation Department is again offering on-site child care from 8:00-9:15. If you are interested in signing up for this service, you may download a registration form on our Web Page or stop in the office for a copy. (This flyer was included in the registration packets previously.) · Picture Day Reminder: Picture Day is Wednesday, September 19th. Order forms are being sent home today. Please return order forms and payment ASAP. Purchase is optional, however, if you wish to purchase pictures, order forms need to be turned in on or before picture day September 19th. Retake day will be on October 17th. · At Orientation, you received a form listing the student information that will be included in the Cougar Caller. Please return this form to the main office by September 14th ONLY if you DO NOT want your family information in the Cougar Caller. If you do not return the form, your information will be included. Any questions please contact Deb Dryden at #964-0539. · Registration meeting for NEW Girl Scouts on Saturday, September 22nd from 1 - 3 in the Cahill Warming Hut. We're forming 2 new troops - a K5 Daisy Troop and a 1st grade Brownie troop. Other girls who are new to Cumberland, or who want to give scouting a try are welcome to attend. Questions about Girls Scouts? Call Linda Hentzen, 963-9369 or send an email to Linda@hentzenfamily.com.

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