February 21, 2008

Notes from Ms. Heffron February 21, 2008

I am really looking forward to the PTO outing to the Admiral's game tomorrow night, especially since Maestra Abts has agreed to be the human hockey puck this year, relieving me of that opportunity. It will make it easier for me to enjoy some sweets or nachos at the game if I am not ramping up to be flung across the ice at high speed. Thanks to Maestra and I hope to see you there!

The students have been extremely well behaved during our endless inside recesses. The days can seem long when there is no outside time, and because of scheduling complications in the gym and room four, the inside recesses are being held in the regular classrooms, in the hallway common areas, or in the library playing chess. The change in routine presents challenges as we ask students to transition to places and in ways that are not routine. Please take a minute to complement your child(ren) on their contributions to the smooth community operation of the school.

Fevers: According to the Health Department protocol, a student must be fever free without medication for 24 hours before returning to school. This means that if your child is sent home from school with a fever one day, s/he should not be returning the next day. Please help us prevent the spread of diseases by complying with this policy.

Other health notes: Several Cumberland students have recently been diagnosed with strep throat and while this is not uncommon, the circumstances have been. The students did not have sore throats, yet they developed other related things such as the scarlet fever rash. According to the Mayo Clinic web site, signs and symptoms of strep throat can include:

• Throat pain
• Difficulty swallowing
• Red and swollen tonsils, sometimes with white patches or streaks of pus
• Swollen, tender lymph glands (nodes) in your neck
• Fever
• Headache
• Rash
• Stomachache and sometimes vomiting, especially in younger children

It's possible for you or your child to have many of these signs and symptoms, but not have strep throat. The cause of these signs and symptoms could be a virus, tonsillitis or other illnesses. That's why your doctor generally tests specifically for strep throat. It's also possible to have the bacteria that cause strep in your throat without having a sore throat. Some people are carriers of strep, which means they can pass the bacteria on to others, but the bacteria no longer make them sick.

Notes:

• The PTO Family Dinner is next Tuesday, February 26^th, from 5:00-7:00. Please note the corrected ending time of 7:00. Cougar Wear will be available for immediate purchase.
• NEW THIS YEAR - Our 5th Grade Community Service Club is holding a Silent Auction Bake Sale the night of Family Dinner (Tuesday, February 26) to help raise funds for their year-long campaign to support Second Harvest's Back-Pack Buddies program. The club is trying to raise $3,000 to provide school supplies and backpacks for kids in a needy inner city school. They have formed teams and solicited local businesses to donate "sweet treat" packages (bagels, cakes and desserts from your favorite local places) and will be auctioning off packages in the lobby the night of family dinner. Also look for some special "teacher features" - our teachers have put together some fun items to support this cause. It's going to be a really fun night!