BJAMS PTO is excited to announce that our school will be hosting a Circus Smirkus Residency!

Mr. Josh Shack, the program director, will be outdoors with our students teaching the fine art of clowning around! Thinking creatively, we even made plans for virtual instructional classes to be held indoors, too! Awesome tricks and new skills our students will have the opportunity to explore include: feather balancing, plate spinning, and juggling with scarves or balls. We couldn't go to the circus, so the fun of the circus is coming to us, and we can't wait!

Planting beets and radishes, learning about perennials and tasting some rhubarb. 50% of the students liked the sour taste!

As the weather warms up, we find ourselves with more opportunities for outdoor fun, including swimming! There are many safety considerations to bear in mind when planning some water-time fun with children. Remember arm-floaties or other buoyancy aids are not a replacement for staying observant, or take the place of formal water safety/swim education. The American Red Cross has a wonderful array of informative videos and articles on this topic, and how to best heed guidance to ensure a happy, safe summer. Helpful links are provided at the end of this article.

One of the biggest concerns we have when we consider swimming or water fun, is drowning. The truth is, drowning rarely happens the way it is depicted in movies or media.

3 FAST FACTS:

* Drowning can happen in just a few inches of water

* Usually, the drowning activity is silent

* It happens very rapidly – in as few as 30 seconds

When the body experiences water in the airways, the first biologic imperative is to get oxygen, so cries for help and flailing arms – things stereotypically associated with drowning and believed to be warning signs, may not be evident. In fact, the signs of a person, especially a child, drowning, may appear as play – trying to push up out of the water or possibly light sputtering. Babies and toddlers may not move their arms at all. Many drownings occur with people standing or swimming only a few feet away without realizing what is happening next to them.

Signs of distress can present in various ways, but they may not be what you have envisioned before. Children may roll onto their back; their head may be low in the water with mouth at/below the water line. Or their head may be tilted back, mouth open and eyes “glassy” or “empty/confused” looking. Their eyes may even be shut tight. Their body will often be near-vertical with little to no leg movements. Or they may be trying to swim and get air at the same time, making no forward progress, and possibly gasping or hyperventilating.

Secondary/delayed drowning is rare but fatal. Signs include persistent cough, labored breathing, chest pain, increased fatigue, lethargy, fever, vomiting, irritability or mood swings, difficulty talking, and/or confusion and disorientation.

Dry Drowning is caused by inhaling a small amount of water, causing the airway to spasm and constrict. The signs for dry drowning are similar to secondary/delayed drowning, but may also include: high-pitched labored breathing – not unlike a set of bagpipes deflating; and/or blueish or altered skin coloration. Either of these potentially deadly after-effects can take hours or as many as 3 to 4 days to appear.

Watch for after-effects of an unwitnessed occurrence or if a child appears to have recovered without concern. If you do notice your child has behavior or appearance changes after some swim time, take them to be evaluated as soon as possible, just in case. Many times, an aspiration injury (inhaling anything other than air) is not confirmed until a chest Xray is performed.

Check out the Red Cross Longfellow’s WHALE Tales class, which raises children’s awareness of safe behavior in, on or around the water!

The Red Cross swim lessons information can be found here.

Have a home pool? Follow this link for pool safety information.

Click here to learn how to best respond to a water emergency.

There’s an app for that! The Red Cross First Aid App/water safety and other apps are free, and can be found by searching for ‘American Red Cross’ in your app store or at redcross.org/apps.

Consider learning First Aid and CPR/AED skills; you may be able to help save a life!

Come learn about Rice Memorial High School. You will have the chance to meet administration, teachers, student and parent ambassadors outdoors on the green.

If you have any questions or would like a group tour of the school, please email Stacy Bessette at bessette@rmhsvt.org. Tours will be at 10am and 10:30am.*

* Space is limited for a tour, and you must reserve your spot to attend.

This question is being explored by a team of people who are working with the Diocesan Office of Catholic Schools. What is being considered is not a stand-alone high school but rather a Morrisville campus of Mount Saint Joseph Academy which is located in Rutland, VT. The Steering Committee of this endeavor is working to create an educational choice that will be available to any students in grades 9 – 12 whose families are seeking a faith-based option for their student’s high school experience.

This endeavor is very much in the design phase, however, it is hoped that it will be ready for implementation in time for the 2021 – 2022 school year. To that end, those working on this endeavor are seeking to ascertain if there is interest in the Morrisville area for this unique learning option. If you are intrigued and would like to learn more please click here for a brief presentation. After viewing the presentation, please click here to participate in a short survey.

You can also reach out to the Superintendent of Schools for the Burlington Diocese, her contact information is as follows:

Name: Dr. Jeanne Gearon, Ed.D.

Phone: 802.846.5820

Email: jgearon@vermontcatholic.org

May 28 - Claussen's flower PICK UP

May 31 - No School - No ASP - Memorial Day

June 11 - Last day of school - dismissal at noon

June 11 - 8th grade graduation