February, Month of LOVE

There are so many great things about this month that make it special. February is the month of love. It is a time for magical learning in the classroom when our students begin to hit their stride and "get it". All of our hard work IS paying off and we see the fruits of our labor.

Check out all that's happening this month as it will quickly pass by!

This month is all about every child’s favorite thing … helmets! While most kiddos really don’t like to wear them, they are an essential part of keeping your child safe. Here is what you should know about helmets and how to encourage your child to wear one.

Why It Matters:

Helmets help protect your child from serious head and brain injuries. Sadly, an estimated 283,000 children seek care in US emergency departments each year for sports or recreation related head injuries. And if that isn’t reason enough, most states have laws that require children under the age of 18 to wear helmets.

When to Wear a Helmet:

Common activities that require a helmet are:

•Bicycling

•Skateboarding

•Inline Skating

•Scootering

•Football

•Baseball

•Horseback riding

•Snowboarding

•Skiing

•Lacrosse

•Hockey

•Wakeboarding/ Water skiing

NOTE: Your child should not wear a helmet when climbing trees.

Fitting Your Helmet:

You can use this method by the CDC to help fit your child for a helmet.

Your helmet should:

• Sit flat on your head — make sure it’s level and isn’t tilted back or forward.
  • The front of the helmet should sit low — about two finger widths above your eyebrows to protect your forehead.

• The straps on each side of your head should form a “Y” over your ears, with one part of the strap in front of your ear, and one behind — just below your earlobes.
  • If the helmet leans forward, adjust the rear straps. If it tilts backward, tighten the front straps.

• Buckle the chinstrap securely at your throat so that the helmet feels snug on your head and doesn’t wiggle up and down or from side to side.

What You Can Do:

Stay consistent with helmet rules.

•Get a helmet that fits correctly.

•Allow your child to help pick out their helmet.

•Model good behavior. Let your child see you wearing a helmet as well.

•Helmets can be expensive. Check local hospitals for helmet giveaways and fittings.

For more information regarding helmet safety you can visit the CDC website:

https://www.cdc.gov/healthyschools/bam/safety/helmets.html#:~:text=The%20straps%20on%20each%20side,backward%2C%20tighten%20the%20front%20straps.