This is a busy week at Mabel Rush ..........................
Can you help us tomorrow morning, Tuesday Nov. 13th, from 9:30-11:00 with 1st grade vision checks? We need 6-8 more to efficiently move students through this annual screening! See Shanna if you can help.
Wednesday is the Superintendent's Conversations with Parents on 21st Century Learning in our own backyard! Although parents may attend any session, this one will be at Mountain View Middle School from 1:00-2:00. There are four remaining sessions -- see the flyer in your child's backpack
It's Civil War Canned Food Drive week. All non-perishable items are accepted as we gather items for local Thanksgiving food boxes -- all items will be donated to FISH on Tuesday, Nov. 20th. Students can put their items on the "duck" or the "beaver" side of the lobby as a way of voting for their team
All are invited to wear OSU or UofO colored attire this Friday, Nov. 16th to join the Civil War fun. Students enjoy the fun, but staff get the craziest!
November is always the most challenging month for head lice, although it's with us all year and most common where children gather -- schools, day cares, camps, etc. Mabel Rush has had about 15 cases since September. We had scheduled a school-wide check last Friday but didn't get enough volunteers so we're trying again this Thursday with our School Nurse doing the training for us. Please call Shanna at 503-554-4452 if you can help us that morning. Students must be treated and nit free to attend school. It's critical that all have the facts about head lice to get ahead of this frustrating and challenging experience:
lice crawl -- they do not fly or jump
head lice is not a sign of poor hygiene -- they prefer clean hair because it's easier to hold on to
lice is spread through head-to-head contact and sharing infected items such as hats/helmets, jackets, towels, brushes, pillows/blankets/sleeping bags gathered in tents or sleep over events
lice live only on humans, not cats or dogs
nits (the eggs) will not hatch if it is not on the human -- they need the heat. The louse can only live 24-72 hours without the human host.
since nits stick to the hair shaft they must be individually pulled off. A nit will hatch every 7-19 days and the lice will live for 30-35 days so it's imperative that every nit is removed or reinfestation occurs every week.
treating the head and environment is necessary -- 90% of the infestation is on the head, 10% in the environment
head lice do not carry or spread disease
checking your child's head on a regular basis is essential.
If you want more information, and pictures of what to look for, or treatment guidelines go to: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001843/
The Parent Group meets Tuesday morning, Nov. 13 at 8:35. I'll present the School Improvement Plan and discuss what the Common Core means and how the state will be reporting school progress. They will be finalizing the Holiday Bazaar plans -- there is still room for additional booths if you want in!! We're hoping all of Mabel Rush and the community at large will stop by for holiday fun, friends, crafts, and refreshments.
The Parenting Boys class also starts this week at the Foursquare Church. This class has an excellent reputation for helping parents understand how to be most effective understanding and raising boys. It is free.
Teachers are sending home Conference forms with students tomorrow, Tuesday, the 13th. The form will outline a proposed date/time for a conference, mark that you've already discussed a conference time, or outlines a conference isn't needed at this time unless the parent requests one. The office will begin taking phone calls to reschedule the proposed date/time or to schedule those that seek a conference. We're trying to make it work for everyone with limited conference time.
Have wonderful time with your family/friends enjoying the Thanksgiving Holiday. My family gathers every Thanksgiving morning to do a community service project -- this year we are trail grooming at Tryon Creek State Park. This year I'm also cooking the dinner, which I haven't done for numerous years. There is nothing better than family, good food (I hope), friends, and football..................... Ahhhh.
