The Dolphin Dispatch
Agnes Little Community School Newsletter October 2021
UPDATED COVID GUIDELINES
As of Thursday, Sept. 30, 2021, Pawtucket School Department has updated their policy based on changes to the RI Dept of Health revised COVID guidance.
People with one (1) major symptom or two (2) minor symptoms of COVID-19 need to isolate, go home and get tested. See photo below for symptom chart.
We no longer need to send home siblings while waiting for test results of the symptomatic sibling.
THIS IS THE POLICY PSD USED LAST YEAR.
School Picture Day -DATE CHANGE
Thank you for your understanding.
Parent Volunteers Needed- Farm to School Program!
Once a month, our food service provider showcases a farm to school fruit or veggie made into a delicious rescipe. Volunteers serve samples to studnets during lunches and encourage kids to try the new, healthy food! Volunteers report back to the chef whether the kids like it, and we could see it served more regularly on the school lunch menu!
Volunteers need to submit a BCI (provided for free), participate in a short 30 minute virtual training (October) AND be available on the following dates: October 21 and November 12 .
Email Emily to sign up!
BYOM- Bring Your Own Mask!
COZ After School Programming
Free after school programming at Agnes Little!
Mondays through Thursdays until 5:30
For questions, contact: Jane Blanchette at (401) 305-7715
Chronic Lateness
- Chronic tardiness in elementary and middle school is also linked to failure in high school.
- Students who are frequently tardy for school are more apt to be fired from work as an adult for being late.
- Tardiness causes students to feel disconnected with school, leading to behavior problems
- It also disrupts the classroom, teacher and other students' learning when students arrive late to classroom routines and lessons.
- Your frequent late drop offs to school may be sending the message that school is not very important to your child.
Set good habits now around school and school attendance. Prioritize getting your child to school ON TIME, EVERY DAY. If you need help with this, please reach out to Emily, Community School Coordinator to discuss.
Drink Water!
Half of school children are under hydrated, and even more common in boys ages 6-11!
Due to COVID-19 regulations, our water fountains/bubblers are closed, but each unit also includes a hands free, bottle filling station that is fully operational and provides filtered, cold water.
Please have your child bring a water bottle to school so they can access water throughout the day. Or just ask, we have refillable water bottles available for students!
5th Grade Bike Safety Classes
Students learned from two instructors who brought their bike fleet to our school for our students to learn on! Each student also got a free helmet to use during the classes and then theirs to take home.
The four class series included helmet wearing, bike signals, parts of the bike, rules of the road, proper riding techniques and had ON bike riding for all students!
Feinstein Golden Tickets/Books
At the beginning of the 2021-2022 school year, each of our Jr. Scholars received their own individually numbered Feinstein Jr. Scholar Golden Ticket which is located right on the cover of their journal!
These Feinstein Jr. Scholar Golden Tickets give Jr. Scholars a chance to win money for their school, money for a non-profit of their choice AND other special prizes!
- Random drawing each Monday of 5 new Golden Ticket numbers -- announced on WPRI Channel 12 News during their 4:30 p.m. news programming... Returning Monday, October 4th!
- Winning numbers will then be posted each Tuesday morning to our Feinstein Virtual Club and Facebook page and displayed for the remainder of the week.
- Winning numbers are valid the week of their posting.
- Jr. Scholars with a winning ticket number should notify their school/teacher immediately to claim their prizes!
Prizes!
- Winning schools receive a $5,000 grant!
- Winning students receive a $500 grant, which they can give to their school or a non-profit of their choice.
- Winning students also receives a surprise set of gifts from us at The Feinstein Foundation!
Friends of Agnes Little (PTO) Chocolate Bar Fundraiser
Thank you for your support!
-PTO
2021-2022 Rhode Island School-Located Flu Vaccination Clinics
RIDOH’s Office of Immunization, in partnership with The Wellness Company, provide school-located flu vaccine clinics across Rhode Island. School-based flu clinics are an easy, convenient way for students and their families to get vaccinated against the flu at no cost. The higher the number of people vaccinated, the lower the chances of a flu outbreak. Flu vaccination is critical this season to reduce the burden of flu-like illnesses and hospital admissions on the healthcare system and to ensure surge capacity is available to care for COVID-19 patients.
Keep students healthy and in school by helping to prevent the spread of flu.
Registration process
- Online registration [thewellcomp.com] is strongly recommended with an appointment time.
- Walk in registration is limited.
Mask requirements
- All clinic participants must wear a mask. (Masks should fit snugly but comfortably over a person’s nose, mouth, and chin without any gaps.)
- Masks will be available for anyone who needs it.
- Exceptions are made for children younger than age two. People who don’t wear a mask due to a medical exemption are being referred to their primary care provider (PCP) for their flu vaccination.
How do parents register their children for flu vaccinations?
Daytime and Evening Clinics: Online registration is strongly recommended at schoolflu.com [thewellcomp.com]. Online registration closes at noon the day before the clinic. Walk-in registration will be limited.
A complete schedule of clinics can be found at health.ri.gov/flu and health.ri.gov/gripe (Spanish).
What if students/families cannot attend the flu clinics scheduled at their school?
Families can attend an evening, community school-located clinic anywhere in the state. These clinics are listed online and updated throughout the flu season at health.ri.gov/flu.
Is there a fee to receive a flu vaccine at a school-located clinic?
There is no out-of-pocket cost for anyone. However, insurance information will be collected.
Will FluMist be offered at school-located clinics this year?
FluMist will be offered at school clinics only for students age 3 and older. Supply is limited.
Will students and families be required to provide identification?
Legal identification is not required. Immigration status will not be asked..
Can children with asthma be vaccinated in schools?
Yes. However, they can only receive the injectable vaccine. FluMist is not indicated for use in children with asthma.
- Will flu vaccine give me the flu? https://youtu.be/h4dRVKHDuoM
- Is the flu vaccine really free? https://youtu.be/INYzYz2x3ZI
- Where can I get a flu vaccine? https://youtu.be/8SO4mdyKyXU
- Why should I get a flu vaccine? https://youtu.be/DzbPoNMkXZE
- "Your Best Protection Against the Flu" https://youtu.be/3z_anTS9F-M
For questions or other assistance, please email kathy.marceau@health.ri.gov.
RI AIR- Resources for Children with Asthma at Little
We are working with the RI-AIR Program at Rhode Island Hospital, which provides asthma education. They will be contacting Agnes Little ES families to see if they want to participate. Please open this link and follow the directions: https://redcap.lifespan.org/redcap/surveys/?s=EHL3JRRHFK.
The RI-Asthma Integrated Response (RI-AIR) Asthma Care Implementation Program (ACIP) is a comprehensive system of identification, screening and intervention for pediatric asthma. We focus specifically on supporting elementary school students with asthma and their families.
Description:
- An asthma management school education component: A one-time 60 minutes class for students and caregivers (English and Spanish; 60 minutes) and school staff (30-60 minutes).
- Home based education program for the child and families to address environmental triggers for asthma in the home.
- Our staff work with the families and asthma providers to obtain an asthma action plan. The SNT is also provided a copy of the child’s Asthma Action Plan.
Benefits of participation:
- Families are provided with supplies (including mattress and pillow covers, a vacuum, trash bin, containers, cleaning supplies) to remedy environmental asthma triggers.
- Families are compensated for their participation in the research portion of the program. Children are eligible if they have asthma and live in the targeted catchment area
- Our program is evidenced-based, and has been shown to improve asthma control, decrease school absences and ED visits. Our research has shown that children with better asthma control do better in school in terms of their academic functioning and are less tired
See Flyer Below
Call (401) 793-9500 for more information or email rhodeislandair@lifespan.org
Parent/Guardian Information
Pawtucket School Department Hires COVID Staff
COVID Testing Technician (CNA Certification) (2 positions available, FULL BENEFITS)
Administrative Assistant (high school diploma, 2 positions available, FULL BENEFITS)
Family Food Resource
Food Bags INCLUDING produce and frozen meat, along with non-perishables that can be DELIVERED right to your door or arrange for pick up at our school!
Family Services of Rhode Island- Be Safe Program
To Apply click here
If you need additional assistance, please call 401-519-2283 and leave a voicemail with your phone number and name - we will return your call.
Parent Spotlight!
Agnes Little Parents/Guardians Rock!
Flyer Below
Community Corner
Rent Assistance and Eviction Support
If you or someone you know someone is struggling to afford rent or utilities, refer them to Rent Relief RI for assistance.
https://www.rihousing.com/rentreliefri/
If you or your loved ones are facing eviction, you can receive assistance with the Rent Relief application.
Translation will be available in Spanish, Cape Verdean Creole and Haitian Creole. You can register for the clinics online here.
National Red Ribbon Week Photo Contest
2021 National Red Ribbon Week Photo Contest
The 2021 National Red Ribbon Week Photo Contest is almost here! Twenty contest winners will receive an Apple iPad and $1,000 will be donated to their school for drug prevention education. Mark your calendars, the contest will kick off on October 1st. We can't wait to see your pictures!
Agnes E. Little Elementary School
Title I School Wide Program
Community School
Email: mallozzie@psdri.net
Website: http://little.pawtucket.schooldesk.net/
Location: 60 South Bend Street, Pawtucket, RI, USA
Phone: 401-729-6256
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AgnesLittleElementary
Bilingual Participants Needed- $50 per hour
Help Protect the Health of Others in Your Community
Pro-Change Behavior Systems, Inc. is a small Rhode Island health behavior change company. We areworking on a text message program to improve the health of all Rhode Islanders. If people are at risk of high blood sugar, the program will urge them to sign up for the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) free Diabetes Prevention Program.
Pro-Change is looking for Consumers Advisors who will share their views about this new program’s:
Design
Name
Content
And how to get people to use it
Consumer Advisors must be over age 18 and use text messages. They will be paid $50 an hour.
They will take part in three 1.5 hour meetings between now and December. Meetings will be by phone, virtual (like Zoom or Google), or in person—it will be up to each Advisor to choose.
To learn more, please call Sara Balestrieri at 401-360-2983 or email sbalestrieri@prochange.com.