Last week our Middle School students performed And A Child Shall Lead.

Here is an excerpt from the program. "In a small Czech town, the Nazi rulers of Germany would create a lie that they attempted to sell to the world. Terezin or Theresienstadt, as it was called by the Germans, became a prison camp for a special category of Jews, the artists, the writers, the creators."

Thanks to Ms. Elliott and Mrs. Nickles, the students were able to fully embrace and immerse themselves into the Holocaust. The transformation from an MSA middle school student, an adolescent, to a prisonor in Terezin was truly magical. The beauty and simplicity of the whole play portrayed a powerful message and gave a voice to those lost in history. It was clear to see how EVERY role was important in telling the story; from costumes and props, to lead roles and ensemble parts, and sound and lighting as well.

Thank you Mary Nickles and Middle School for sharing all of your talents.

If you have never seen an MSA production, directed by Mary Nickles, you will still have two more chances this Spring with Guys and Dolls(High School) and our Lower Elementary production.

FLU 101

Person to person contact is the main form of spreading the flu virus. Droplets deposited in the air by coughing, sneezing, or just talking make the virus easliy transmitted. These droplets land on items that are touched by someone who then touches their mouth, eyes, or nose. Spreading the virus can occur as early as 1 day before you realize you are sick and 5 - 7 days after becoming sick. Babies, children, people with a weakened immune system or the severely ill may infect others longer than 5- 7 days.

HELP TO PREVENT SPREADING THE FLU

• AVOID CLOSE CONTACT WITH SICK PEOPLE.
• IF YOU OR YOUR CHILD GETS SICK WITH FLU-LIKE SYMPTOMS, CDC RECOMMENDS THAT YOU (OR YOUR CHILD) STAY HOME FOR AT LEAST 24 HOURS AFTER THE FEVER IS GONE EXCEPT TO GET MEDICAL CARE OR OTHER NECESSITIES. *THE FEVER SHOULD BE GONE WITHOUT THE USE OF A FEVER-REDUCING MEDICINE.
• WHILE SICK, LIMIT CONTACT WITH OTHERS AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE TO KEEP FROM INFECTING THEM.
• COVER YOUR NOSE AND MOUTH WITH A TISSUE WHEN YOU COUGH OR SNEEZE. THROW THE TISSUE IN THE TRAH AFTER YOU USE IT.
• WASH YOUR HANDS OFTEN WITH SOAP AND WATER. IF SOAP AND WATER ARE NOT AVAILABLE, USE AN ALCOHL-BASED HAND RUB.
• AVOID TOUGHING YOUR EYES, NOSE AND MOUTH. GERMS SPREAD THIS WAY.
• CLEAN AND DISINFECT SURFACES AND OBJECTS THAT MAY BE CONTAMINATED WITH GERMS LIKE THE FLU.

In light of the recent tragic events that have happened across the country, I know school nurses, teachers and parents want to do something . . . anything to help. In that spirit, I want to share a resource with you that might help as you talk to students and families in your own schools.

The Center for Parenting Education has some excellent information about When Disaster Strikes: Talking to Children about Traumatic Events.

Thank you,

Susanna Merriman, RN

As a student at the Montessori School of Anderson, Alexis Merriman has a long history of community service including tutoring younger students, recycling and composting, and working the line and delivering meals for Meals on Wheels. But her current project is personal. Lexi is representing the Upstate in the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS) inaugural campaign called “Students for a Cure” in memory of her father, Brian Merriman, who lost his life due to complications of Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in 2014.

At the time of her father’s passing, Lexi was only 12 years old and did not know how someone her age could help others fight cancer, but hoped someday she could. Now a sophomore in high school and having witnessed the many ways that students at her school have made a difference through their community service, Lexi now stands proud and ready to serve as one of ten student candidates from South Carolina advocating for blood cancer patients and raising funds for enhanced research to offer a cure for not only blood cancers but other carcinomas.

Lexi has assembled a team of volunteers from her Montessori community - “Brian’s Merri Men” - to raise awareness about blood cancers and the fact that every three minutes someone in the United States receives the life-altering diagnosis of blood cancer. Through bake sales, silent auctions, and flamingo “flocking,” Lexi and her team are also raising funds to support research treatments and provide monetary support for patients and their families as they face this challenge.

While Lexi hopes to lead a successful fundraising campaign for the LLS Student of the Year Campaign that results in a clinical trial research portfolio in her dad’s name, her ultimate plans are bigger. She knows first-hand what families living with cancer face daily and now wants to be part of the community of individuals whose efforts lead to a cure so that no child, parent, or loved one will ever have to battle cancer.

Lexi no longer sees her youth as a disadvantage to helping others, instead recognizing that when that youthful energy is combined with the strength of the fighting spirit that her father demonstrated throughout his battle, the hope for a cure someday can be realized today. If you would like to help Lexi make a difference in the lives of countless patients and loved ones affected by cancer, use the following link to make a quick and secure donation: http://events.lls.org/sc/southcarolinasoy2018/amerriman.