Sayéik GastiNEWS
November 18, 2022
November has been a whirlwind month!
Absences: Our staff and students have been hit hard with the flu/bug/crud going around our community. If your child is not going to be at school, please call or go online and fill out this form to inform us about the absence.
Basketball game: Glenn Jabalde, our beloved custodian, is retiring after MANY years of service to our school and district. We will hold a student v. staff basketball game to honor his career and give him a warm sendoff. Stay tuned for details!
Singalong!: A big thanks to Ms. Spencer, Mr. Travis, and Mr. Mintz for reviving our Friday Singalong! Be sure to stop by on Friday mornings to join in, it's an amazing way to start the day!
Website: Ms. Liz keeps us all up to date by putting events and information on our school website. She recently loaded new photos (taken by Mr. Mintz), go online and check it out!
Thankful: As I look ahead to next week and the Thanksgiving Holiday, I want to take this opportunity to share my gratitude for this amazing Sayéik community - the families, students, and staff make this school amazing! The last few years have been pretty insane, I am thankful to be 'on the island' with all of you!
Take care,
Stacy Diouf
SGCS Principal
Fitness Coupons
P.S. Our jump rope club, Gastineau Skippers, starts on November 30th!
Treating your Child and Household for Head Lice
Do not panic if your child comes home with head lice! Anyone can get them, young or old. It has nothing to do with cleanliness and does not mean you haven’t been doing your job as a parent/guardian. This is a common infestation, especially in elementary schools. Please read the following steps carefully. It is essential to do each of the steps listed. Treating head lice takes a lot of time and energy. Do not get discouraged and please ask for help if you need it.
1. Check every family member and treat each person who is infested.
What to look for: Eggs or nits are tiny, whitish/brown, and often found within 1/4 inch of the scalp. Unlike dandruff, they are challenging to move on the hair shaft. Live lice can be pinhead-sized up to 1⁄2 cm in length and they are light tan to dark brown in color.
2. Treat any person with an active infestation with an effective head lice treatment.
You can use an over-the-counter pediculicide such as RID or NIX, or get a prescription. Follow the directions exactly. Do not use conditioner prior to using the lice shampoo. Do not rewash hair for 1-2 days after the treatment. You can retreat with the shampoo in 7-10 days if you are still finding live lice/nits. The shampoos are very strong and should NOT be used more frequently than recommended.
3. After treatment, remove all nits with a nit comb.
This process takes a lot of time. Find a place with good lighting and find something to occupy your child (movie, video). Separating the hair into sections with clips or elastics is helpful. Comb through one section at a time with the special nit comb. Start at the base of the hair shaft, next to the scalp. Metal combs seem to work better than plastic. After each time you run the comb through the hair, inspect for eggs and remove them with hot water or paper towel. NIT REMOVAL SHOULD BE DONE DAILY FOR ONE WEEK AFTER TREATMENT.
Prevention & Control
Head lice are spread most commonly by direct head-to-head (hair-to-hair) contact. However, much less frequently they are spread by sharing clothing or belongings onto which lice have crawled or nits attached to shed hairs may have fallen. The risk of getting infested by a louse that has fallen onto a carpet or furniture is very small. Head lice survive less than 1-2 days if they fall off a person and cannot feed; nits cannot hatch and usually die within a week if they are not kept at the same temperature as that found close to the scalp. The following are steps that can be taken to help prevent and control the spread of head lice:
• Avoid head-to-head (hair-to-hair) contact during play and other activities at home, school, and elsewhere (sports activities, playground, slumber parties, camp).
• Do not share clothing such as hats, scarves, coats, sports uniforms, hair ribbons, or barrettes.
• Do not share combs, brushes, or towels. Disinfect combs and brushes used by an infested person by soaking them in hot water (at least 130°F) for 5-10 minutes.
• Do not lie on beds, couches, pillows, carpets, or stuffed animals that have recently been in contact with an infested person.
• Machine wash and dry clothing, bed linens, and other items that an infested person wore or used during the 2 days before treatment using the hot water (130°F) laundry cycle and the high heat drying cycle. Clothing and items that are not washable can be dry-cleaned OR sealed in a plastic bag and stored for 2 weeks.
• Vacuum the floor and furniture, particularly where the infested person sat or layed. However, spending much time and money on housecleaning activities is not necessary to avoid reinfestation by lice or nits that may have fallen off the head or crawled onto furniture or clothing.
• Do not use fumigant sprays or fog; they are not necessary to control head lice and can be toxic if inhaled or absorbed through the skin.
For more information, visit this website.
Lego League Team
Are you interested in building robots with legos and in 4th or 5th grades? Then you can join a new community robotics team. We meet every Wednesday and Friday from 3:30-5:30 at Sayéik Gastineau (but students from any school can join!). You don't have to make every meeting. If you are interested, email Craig Fox at cfox@jedc.org for more information.