Hark! The Herald.
Friday, October 27, 2017
Super Raffle 2017: AND THE WINNERS ARE.....
6th Prize - $150.00: Wendy Stearns of Springfield, VT
5th Prize - $250.00: Sharon Sparkowich (SMS Parent!) of Hinsdale, NH
4th Prize - $500.00: Inga Paluch (SMS Parent!) of West Chesterfield, NH
3rd Prize - $1000.00: Hildi Nolan of Jamaica, VT
2nd Prize - $2,000.00: Mike Davis of Keene, NH
1st Prize - $7,000.00: Pam Sweeney (SMS Grandparent!) of Brattleboro, VT
$150.00 prize for selling the winning ticket: Christine Gooley
$500.00 tuition voucher for family selling the most tickets (58 TICKETS!): Karlie Borst
Thank you for supporting SMS and for a fabulous 2017 Super Raffle!
Halloween at Saint Michaels!
A friendly reminder to all our families that SMS Halloween celebration will take place on Halloween: Tuesday, October 31st. We are so looking forward to seeing all those costumes! As you prepare for Tuesday, keep our rules in mind:
- No weapons of any kind (swords, light sabres, etc all count!)
- No blood
- Nothing gory or scary: The preschoolers will be joining us, and we don't want them to have nightmares!!
Festivities begin at 1:00 p.m. with an all-school Trick-or-Treat/Halloween Parade to several of our neighborhood businesses. We do have 6 stops this year, so please have your child bring a small basket or bag for their treats.
Please speak with your child's teacher if you would like to join us on the parade: we can always use extra hands for our many students!
When we return, around 2 p.m., we will have an all-school Halloween Party in Rand Hall! If you would like to help decorate on Monday or set things up Tuesday morning, PLEASE contact Mr. Thies @ bobthies@smsvt.info. We could still use some volunteers!
The party will go from 2-4 p.m., with parent attendance! Children who are not picked up by 3:15 will be sent to after-care until parents can arrive, or you can join us for music & food until 4. Thank you!!
SMS Office Hours
Just a reminder that although you may find us here a little later some days, the official SMS office hours are 8 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Please do your best to catch us during those hours! Thank you!
If you need to get in touch with aftercare after 3:30, please call their mobile phone:
802-451-6260.
VOLUNTEER HOURS Opportunity: November 4th!
Mark your calendars!
Our annual Fall Clean-up Day is November 4th, from 9 - 12.
We hope to see you there!
SMS High School Cross Country Team - VT State Meet
Our inaugural cross country season is already winding down, with the VT State Meet taking place this Saturday morning (10/28) at Thetford Academy.
Our runners have worked hard and put their best feet forward! We are proud of you.
Go, Saints!!
Next Week at SMS:
Monday:
- 3:30 SMS Soccer Game vs. Marlboro @ SIT field
Tuesday:
- Halloween at SMS!!
Wednesday:
- Student Mass - Families are always welcome to join us as we celebrate Mass.
- 3:30 SMS Soccer Games vs. St. Joseph's @ SIT field
- 3:15-4:30 SMS Drama Club
Thursday:
- 3:15-4:30 SMS Drama Club
Friday:
- 3:30 SMS Soccer Game vs. Trinity Christian @ SIT field
Household Hazardous Waste day - November 4th, from 8-12!
LAST CALL-Collecting for Groundworks Collaborative - LAST CALL!
We will be dropping off the donations next week, so if you would like to participate, please get it to us by Tuesday, October 31st!
Thank you to all who have donated - our neighbors in need will appreciate it!
Around town...
Kristallnacht Commemoration at the Colonial Theater in Keene, Nov. 9th @ 7 p.m.:
Presentation at Hilltop Montessori: November 16th
Afterschool Offerings at BEEC:
Tick Reminder:
Protect, Check, Remove, Watch for Ticks through Thanksgiving
BURLINGTON – Ticks are back for one more meal before winter, and health officials warn this means a high risk to Vermonters in a year that already has a record rate of the tickborne disease anaplasmosis.
Anaplasmosis is spread by the bite of an infected blacklegged tick — the same tick that transmits Lyme disease, babesiosis, Borrelia miyamotoi and Powassan virus. According to the Vermont Department of Health, the number of cases of anaplasmosis has dramatically increased from three (3) cases in 2010 to two hundred and one (201) cases in 2016. More than one-third of Vermonters reported to have anaplasmosis were sick enough to be hospitalized.
Ticks are generally active when the weather is warm, and lay low in late summer when they molt from smaller nymphs into larger adult ticks. Tick-related hospital visits increase this time of year when the adult ticks come out to feed before winter sets in.
Bradley Tompkins, an infectious disease epidemiologist with the Health Department said that between now and Thanksgiving, people should take extra care to protect themselves from tick bites. “We’re very concerned about the rate of anaplasmosis that we are seeing all over Vermont, and especially in the southern part of the state,” said Tompkins. “Even though it’s only October, we have already exceeded last year’s case count.”
The Health Department has been working with the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets and Lyndon State College to study the prevalence of disease in the state’s blacklegged tick population. Between 2013 and 2016, more than 2,000 ticks were collected and tested. According to Tompkins, 60 percent of the ticks tested positive for at least one disease.
“These numbers mean it’s even more important to be on your guard,” Tompkins said. “It’s easy to think of ticks as a summer concern, but they are out in force right now. If you’ll be one of the many Vermonters enjoying the outdoors — hiking, doing yard work, or out hunting, especially deer, grouse and hare hunters who spend a lot of time pushing through thick brush — make sure you know how to avoid tick bites.”
The best way to prevent tickborne diseases is to prevent tick bites — Be Tick Smart:
PROTECT
- Avoid areas where ticks live.
- Use EPA-registered tick repellent.
- Cover up to keep ticks off your body.
CHECK
- Don't let ticks hitchhike inside on your clothing.
- Check your whole body for ticks.
REMOVE
- Remove the tick as soon as you can.
- Stick with the removal method that is proven to work.
WATCH
- Keep an eye out for symptoms of tickborne illness.
- Symptoms may include fever, headache, joint pain, muscle aches, fatigue or nausea. Not all people with Lyme disease report a rash. Symptoms may begin as soon as three days after a tick bite, but can appear as long as 30 days after.
- Contact your health care provider if you do get symptoms. Tell them about recent outdoor activities and any tick bites you may recall.
Go to healthvermont.gov/BeTickSmart for more information about avoiding tick bites and tickborne diseases.
A Reminder from the Health Department:
It’s flu season, and school is a place where germs are shared generously among students, teachers and school staff. The single best way to protect your entire family against flu is for all people aged six months and older to get an influenza vaccine each year. Young children are among those at higher risk of flu complications. Every year thousands of children younger than age five are hospitalized because of flu illness, and while it is rare, some children die from flu each year. A recent study published in the medical journal Pediatrics is the first of its kind to show that flu vaccination significantly reduced a child’s risk of dying from the illness. The study looked at data from four flu seasons between 2010 and 2014, and found that flu vaccination reduced the risk of flu-associated death by nearly two-thirds (65 percent) among healthy children, and by half (51 percent) among children with underlying high risk medical conditions. Therefore, children, parents and school staff should be vaccinated in the Fall, preferably by the end of October because it takes about two weeks after vaccination for antibodies to develop in the body that protect against flu.
It is especially important for household contacts and caregivers of those with a higher risk for flu-related complications (children <5 years and adults ≥ 50 years) to be vaccinated. In addition to the flu shot, you can encourage the following precautions to help stop the spread of germs:
· Keep kids home when they’re sick. And try to avoid close contact with people who are sick.
· Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue away after use and wash your hands. If a tissue is not available, cover your mouth and nose with your sleeve, not your hands.
· Wash your hands with soap and water often, especially after you cough or sneeze. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand rub.
· Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth. Germs spread this way.
Both children and adults can get vaccinated at their health care providers’ office. Adults can also be vaccinated at public clinics or at pharmacies around the state
We're here for you!
Email: kimmorrell@smsvt.info
Website: www.smsvt.info
Location: 48 Walnut Street, Brattleboro, VT, United States
Phone: 802-254-6320
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Saint-Michael-Roman-Catholic-School-163298257197450/
Twitter: @StMikesVT