RISD Elementary Parent Newsletter
Week of 4/8/19
Message from Julie
Dear RISD Elementary Parents,
I hope you are all enjoying your weekends! What a beautiful day!
I am travelling for vacation and will not be checking email after Friday until the following Saturday. Thanks for your understanding!
Events:
4th grade Hulbert trip May 16-17 (looking for chaperones!!! - email me if you are interested)
Concert at Rivendell Academy May 28 630PM
6th grade Hulbert trip June 4-6
6th grade graduation June 6/19 6PM
Last day of school June 20 (we are checking to see if it is an early release)
Summerscapes signups will be out the week after break. Mrs. Cole is planning Summerscapes, and is working on a solution for staffing. If you are interested in helping out, you can reach her at jcole@rivendellschool.org
As you know, we are hiring a few teachers in both schools for next year. We have started a hiring committee of teachers. If you are interested in helping out with this, please email me at jdonahue@rivendellschool.org
We are looking for donations of rakes, trowels, etc. for some of our planting projects. Please bring any items in!
Similarly, if you have any balls/frisbees, etc that you would like to donate to our schools, we would love them! Now that the weather is nice, recess is much more fun!
Here is a little information about lice in our schools (there have been a couple confirmed cases, nothing to alarm yourself about):
We are sending this letter to increase your awareness of head lice. Any time children come together, such as at the beginning of the school year, at sleepovers, or any social grouping such as Girl/Cub Scouts, Little League, etc., head lice cases commonly increase. We are providing this information so that you may take steps at home to help prevent your child from contracting head lice.
Head lice are wingless parasites that survive on the head and scalp. Generally they are found around the ears and at the back of the neck, the adult louse is about the size of a sesame seed. The adult female lice lay eggs (nits) and may live up to 30 days. Nits are smaller, silver in color and are usually found within 1/4 inch of the scalp. They may be hard to see and "stick" to the hair shaft. They may be mistaken for dandruff but are more difficult to remove.
Lice are most commonly found in young children due to the close contact with each other. Direct, physical, head to head contact is the usual method of transmission. Lice do not fly, jump or swim. They are however, good crawlers. Lice can also spread if personal items such as hats, brushes or combs are shared. Lice are not a sign of poor hygiene and they do not transmit disease. If you hear that someone in your child's class develops head lice, there is no reason to panic and automatically assume that your child will "catch" head lice.
The signs that a child may have head lice include: itching of the scalp, the feeling that something is moving in the hair, or visible lice crawling on the scalp or hair. If your child has any of these signs or symptoms, he or she should be examined by a health care provider or the school nurse. There are safe and effective products to treat head lice available both over the counter and by doctor's prescription. It is important to follow the directions carefully. In addition, use a fine-tooth comb or special nit comb to help remove the eggs (nits) from the hair. You can also check your child's scalp weekly when the hair is wet to see if there are any new head lice. Parents should also wash in hot water or dry-clean all recently worn clothing, hats, used bedding, and towels. Personal care items such as combs, brushes and hair clips should also be washed in hot water. Toys, such as stuffed animals, can be put into a tightly closed plastic bag for 14 days or placed in a hot dryer for 30 minutes to kill the lice.
How to prevent head lice:
Check your child's head weekly for lice and/or nits. If you find head lice or nits, please notify the school principal. Teach your child not to share combs, brushes, barrettes, hats, towels and other personal items. Teach your child to avoid head to head contact during play and other activities. Please let me know if you have had to treat your child for lice at home so that I may recheck their heads, check their classmates, and spray for lice in their classrooms. Thank you for your help and support.
Our spring Concert has been rescheduled again to 5/28 due to a conflict with the accompianst. Mark your calendars! It is going to be incredible!
I hope you have a great week! As always, please let me know if you have any questions or concerns; my door(s) are always open!
Warmly,
Julie
Benefit of Mindfulness
More Mindfulness
Momo Challenge
https://www.vox.com/2019/3/3/18248783/momo-challenge-hoax-explained
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/02/style/momo-mania-hoax.html
Our students cannot access youtube while they are at school, so this shouldn't be an issue there. As always, we continue our diligence to safe internet access.
What's New for the 2018-2019 School Year
Updated handbook!
We will be focusing on consistency between the two schools. A copy of the handbook will be sent home, but you can also access it online.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/19jroAmNhwgUPPgb80DztOg7WvUhc3hVh8JLW1rW57Xg/edit?usp=sharing
Planning Ahead
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1czYSdioYO79ES1hpG2wJrcZTnYAzRHehtRQX4cfheUE/edit?usp=sharing
District Calendar: