January Newsletter
Whiteman Elmentary
Upcoming Events
Winter Break Students return on January 7th
1/7-ES2S Luncheon
1/8 DARE Graduation 5th Grade Only 8 AM
1/20- No School MLK Day
1/31- Assembly Responsibility
1/31- PTO Movie Night
Nurse Information
Handwashing
All students have completed a lesson with our school Nurse Mrs. Smith on Handwashing. Please continue to practice good practices to eliminate spread of germs and illnesses.
Please read the information below Regarding Head Lice
Head lice (Pediculosis) are tiny, wingless, parasitic insects that live close to the human scalp. Knowing the definition doesn’t make us feel any better. However, I do want to reassure you that, although these insects may be pesky, they are not harmful. Whiteman Elementary follows the evidenced based mindset of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), Center for Disease Control (CDC) and the National Association of School Nurses (NASN). We support a “No Live Lice” protocol.
Head Lice Facts.
- Anyone can get head lice
- Cleanliness is not a factor
- Lice do not jump or fly
- Head lice are mostly spread by direct head-to-head contact—for example, slumber parties, sport activities and camp
- Lice and nits (silver to dark gray colored eggs attached to the hair shaft) are visible to the naked eye.
- Nits which are further than ¼ inch from the scalp are not considered viable.
Please routinely check your child’s hair throughout the school year.
What are the signs and symptoms of having head lice?
- Tickling feeling on the scalp or hair.
- Itching (caused by the bites of the louse) especially behind the ears and at the nape of the neck.
- Sores on the head from scratching.
- Presence of nits that are less than ¼” from the scalp or live lice in the hair.
Procedures if your student is found to have head lice while at school.
- Parents will be notified and encouraged to pick their child up and begin head lice treatment.
- Your child may return to school after initial application of lice shampoo/ treatment.
- Your child will be rechecked upon arrival to school and then again 5-7 days after initial treatment.
- Whole classroom head checks have not been proven to be effective in ridding schools of lice. No school is EVER lice free. We encourage you to be proactive and routinely check your child’s hair. *Remember lice can be acquired anywhere close contact occurs. This could be at home, at school or within the community.
- Staff will maintain the privacy of students identified as being infected with head lice.
What to do if my child gets head lice?
- It warrants repeating....In order to provide safe and effective treatment please follow the Package Directions!
- Apply lice shampoo/treatment according to directions. There are a number of over the counter treatment options or prescription medication available.
- Wash all bed linens, recently worn clothing articles, towels in very hot water. Items that are not washable may be sealed in a plastic bag for 2 weeks.
- Dry items on high heat for at least 20 minutes.
- Personal items such as combs, brushes, hair clips, should be soaked in very hot water and sanitized or thrown away.
- Vacuum the floors and furniture.
- All household members and other close contacts should be checked and those with evidence of head lice should be treated at the same time.
- Call your family doctor if you have any questions. A prescription treatment may be recommended.
When to keep your child home from school
FEVER
A temperature of 100 or over is a sure sign to keep your child home. The child must be 24 hours fever free without fever reducing medication before returning to school. Giving a fever reducer and sending them to school will almost guarantee a call from school when the medicine wears off, as well as exposing other students to your child’s illness.
VOMITING/DIARRHEA
If your child has been vomiting or having diarrhea during the previous evening, please keep them home. Consult your doctor if symptoms continue more than 48 hours or worsen instead of improving.
CONTAGIOUS DISEASE
If your child is diagnosed with a contagious disease, such as strep, impetigo or pink eye they should be on prescribed antibiotics for 24 hours before returning to school.
RASH
A rash is a characteristic symptom of infectious diseases. If your child has a rapidly spreading rash or any rash with fever, signs of other illness or behavioral change they need to be evaluated by a physician.
NASAL DISCHARGE/COUGH
Keep your child home if they have heavy nasal congestion and/or frequent cough. They probably feel miserable and will not be focused on school work, as well as sharing
their illness with others.
RED, RUNNY EYES
If your child has crusty, red or weepy eyes with thick or sticky eye drainage please keep home until evaluated by a medical provider. Prescription medication may be needed depending on the diagnosis.
LICE
We have a “No Live Lice” policy. Keep your child home until after the first treatment is administered.
MALAISE
Any illness that prevents your child from participating comfortably in class or school activities
Lost and Found
Has your child lost a glove? A hat? A lunchbox? Their coat, boots or shoes? This is but a sample of what is currently in the school's Lost and Found.
Items that are left and found at school are placed in the lost and found located near the front lobby.
If a lost item has a name on it, it will be returned to the child's classroom.
Please label your child's belongings -- it's the best way to be sure it gets returned quickly.
If your child has lost something this year, please have them check the bin soon in the Cafeteria.
Counselor News
Character community recognition for October and November students was cancelled due to a Snow Day. We decided to recognize all character students ( October-January) at our next community character event, which will be on February 6th, 2020 before the girls basketball game at 7:00 pm. I will send another notification when it gets sooner, however, I wanted to keep you in the loop to look ahead on your calendars! I hope you all have a great winter break!
Deployment Groups- If you or your spouse are deploying and would like your child(ren) to participate with other students that have a deployed parent , please get in touch with me at aleonard@knobnoster.k12.mo.us.
I also do small and individual group counseling, if your child needs additional supports don't hesitate to reach out to me or our school's MFLAC.
Inclement Weather
Panther Families:
Please review the letter and document links below from Dr. Jerrod Wheeler regarding the district's inclement weather closing decisions and parent emergency preparedness tips for the upcoming winter season. The letter includes a list of the various communication channels the district utilizes for school closings.
The final link provides instructions on how to opt-in if you wish to receive text messages from the district and schools for closings and other announcements. If you have questions regarding SchoolMessenger text notifications, please don't hesitate to email or call me.
SchoolMessenger Opt-In Instructions for Text Messaging Service
PTO News
5th Grade Parents
5th Grade Recorder Karate
Here very soon, we are starting our fun recorder program called Recorder Karate for any 5th grade student who is interested/available to participate in the mornings before school. Starting Monday December 2nd till Friday December 20th from 7:30-7:50 am, students can come in the music classroom to practice their recorder and to test to earn colored belts for their recorders! Just like in karate, when they master a level (in our case a song), they will receive a belt loop they can put around their recorder and display, along with tracking their goals and achievements on our board and in class. If a student earns all five belts, they will be able to keep their belt loop and belts at the end of our unit! Here are some frequently asked questions about Recorder Karate:
Does my student have to do Recorder Karate to get a 3 in music?
No. This program is completely voluntary and will not affect their grade. However, this will give each student who participates in the program a fun and unique opportunity to really get to know an instrument outside of what we are able to cover in music class.
Does my student have to come in every morning?
Nope! Your student can come as often or as few times as they would like. However, they only get to keep their belt loop if they earn all five belts.
Can my student take their recorder home to practice?
Unfortunately, no. Each student has their own recorder (that they do not share) in the music class. To ensure that we will not have to share recorders this year in upcoming years we are not able to take our recorders home at this time.
If you would like to purchase a recorder for your student, here is a link to a fairly inexpensive and good recorder:
https://www.amazon.com/Yamaha-YRS-23Y-Soprano-Recorder-Natural/dp/B0014ZG676/ref=sxin_3_ac_d_pm?ac_md=1-0-VW5kZXIgJDEw-ac_d_pm&keywords=recorder&pd_rd_i=B0014ZG676&pd_rd_r=c3c54b4f-630a-4100-a194-3507fbc97ade&pd_rd_w=NjN7j&pd_rd_wg=keDws&pf_rd_p=24d053a8-30a1-4822-a2ff-4d1ab2b984fc&pf_rd_r=BKDAEG5DNEMBDZWCD8JQ&psc=1&qid=1572984657
How many levels/belts can the students earn?
There are five belts to earn in our series of recorder karate (the levels that 5th grade are on). Students may earn as many belts as they would like and can receive help in the mornings from me. There is a rubric of what I will be looking for when assessing whether students earn a belt or not and I have encouraged students to take one home. Students do not need to have a copy of this to test, this is just so they are aware of what it takes to earn a belt (every category has to be at a 3 or 4).
Are there any mornings that work better than others?
These 3 weeks are solely dedicated to 5th grade recorder karate so feel free to come in on any days that work best for you and your family!
My student cannot make it to school before 7:50 am. Could they stay after school instead?
Unfortunately, no. I have prior commitments that begin immediately after students dismiss and am unable to offer Recorder Karate then.
Will there be time in music class that students can test to earn their belts?
We may have some time on a few days, but not all. Students should not expect a chance to earn their belts during class.
If you have any additional questions, feel free to ask at any time. I look forward to seeing your students in the upcoming mornings!
Respectfully,
Kelsey Dingman
Whiteman Elementary Music