I have a lot to share with you, so please pardon the long update!
Homework: The dreaded 'H' word
Reality has landed and homework is on the loose! Your child should be bringing home evidence of EVERY SINGLE PIECE OF HOMEWORK written in their planner. Nightly homework consists of new Riggs words, correcting spelling test mistakes, and math. You should see these every night. Students will also be reading nightly. Some nights they will be required to do specific reading for Literature, History, etc. Please let me know if your child's planner isn't matching what they are telling you or actually bringing home!
Safety: Smoke and Asthma
We have heard some parent concerns regarding asthma and smoke inhalation after the nearby fires last week. Please let me know directly if your child has any potential breathing issues. We can't respond to health concerns that we aren't aware of. Thank you for keeping me in the loop!
Riggsponsibilities: Riggs paper vs. College ruled paper
We are still in the process of perfecting our middle-school approach to Riggs. Students have started receiving daily words and spelling tests, and that procedure should settle into a year-long constant this week. Students receive new words on loose paper, practice their words and write sentences, then submit it the next morning. Because of issues with space, tests are taken on a separate sheet of paper, graded, and then returned for corrections.
Harvest Festival: A note from the office
The Harvest Festival is a chance for CHPCS families and friends to get together and celebrate the turning of the season with music, games, and a baking contest. Hayrides, pumpkin decorating, tug o war, and needle in a haystack will keep the young and old entertained for hours. The fun begins at 6:30 p.m. and ends at dusk or 7:30 p.m., whichever is first!
Are you a baker? Are you the keeper of Great Granny’s apple pie recipe? Now’s the time to put on your chef hat, dust off your apron, and whip up your favorite apple or pumpkin themed recipe! The baking contest is open to all adult/child pairs. Baking with children is not only fun, but is great math practice and provides one on one time that encourages open communication. All baking entries are due on October 16th no later than 3:30 p.m. for judging. After ribbons are awarded, the baked goods will be sold at the Harvest Festival for $1.00 a piece.
Fill Dirt: It's time to get dirty
Know somebody who has extra fill dirt? We'd love to use it for our amphitheater! We are currently looking for roughly 200 cubic feet of dirt to round out our structure. We are also looking for stones: pavers, edge restraints, bricks, etc. Please let me or Mrs. Masterson know if you access to these types of supplies!
Parking and Driving Safety: A note from the front
Please take a moment to read 2nd grade's brilliant blog post about how to keep our car line safe and efficient: Carline Safety
Flu and Cold- A note from a semi-local school nurse
You may have heard the recent national news alerting us that 1,000 children have been affected by a virus which has now spread through 10 states. The "Human Enterovirus 68" is a relative of the common cold, or "Rhinovirus." It can quickly turn from cold-like symptoms to an upper respiratory illness. That can affect the breathing of children 5 and under and those with asthma.
Since school is just back in session, your school and nurse are on alert, too. Once we all get into our smaller spaces, the opportunity to spread germs is quite literally, all around us! We look to our county health department for guidance when cases like this appear. We will provide communication to parents to help manage illness and minimize the spread of disease.
But parents can be proactive by reporting their child's symptoms when they make those sick calls to the school office. Tracking symptoms helps the district determine if they need to contact county health officials. Everyone can help keep viruses like this from spreading, too, by taking those usual steps including covering coughs and frequent hand washing.
Which brings us to our second point: HANDWASHING!
We have included information below from the Oregon Public Health Department pertaining to Enterovirus D68:
Oregon Public Health: Enterovirus D68 Enteroviruses are common causes of illness, especially among infants and children.
Many cases are mild or asymptomatic.
Initial reports suggest that those at increased risk for severe illness include children under the age of 5 and those with chronic lung disease, including asthma.
People can protect themselves and others from respiratory illness by:
· Washing hands often with soap and water. For enteroviruses, alcohol hand sanitizer is not a replacement for washing with soap and water.
· Avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.
· Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing. If you don't have a tissue, cover your mouth with your sleeve.
· Avoid kissing, hugging, and sharing cups or eating utensils with people who are sick.
· Disinfect frequently touched surfaces, such as toys and doorknobs, especially if someone is sick.
If you are sick, stay home to avoid exposing others at school or in the workplace.
Information from: http://public.health.oregon.gov/DiseasesConditions/DiseasesAZ/Pages/disease.aspx?did=116
For more information about hand washing and hand sanitizer: http://www.cdc.gov/handwashing/when-how-handwashing.html
Homework: The dreaded 'H' word
Reality has landed and homework is on the loose! Your child should be bringing home evidence of EVERY SINGLE PIECE OF HOMEWORK written in their planner. Nightly homework consists of new Riggs words, correcting spelling test mistakes, and math. You should see these every night. Students will also be reading nightly. Some nights they will be required to do specific reading for Literature, History, etc. Please let me know if your child's planner isn't matching what they are telling you or actually bringing home!
Safety: Smoke and Asthma
We have heard some parent concerns regarding asthma and smoke inhalation after the nearby fires last week. Please let me know directly if your child has any potential breathing issues. We can't respond to health concerns that we aren't aware of. Thank you for keeping me in the loop!
Riggsponsibilities: Riggs paper vs. College ruled paper
We are still in the process of perfecting our middle-school approach to Riggs. Students have started receiving daily words and spelling tests, and that procedure should settle into a year-long constant this week. Students receive new words on loose paper, practice their words and write sentences, then submit it the next morning. Because of issues with space, tests are taken on a separate sheet of paper, graded, and then returned for corrections.
- Students who are showing grade-level or above mastery of spelling will soon begin learning parts of speech and definitions in place of traditional practice.
- Students who are consistently using cursive italics and are showing quality penmanship will be encouraged to begin using college-ruled paper in place of Riggs paper for most writing assignments. Students who may need more practice with penmanship will be asked to continue working on Riggs paper before transitioning to college-ruled paper.
Harvest Festival: A note from the office
The Harvest Festival is a chance for CHPCS families and friends to get together and celebrate the turning of the season with music, games, and a baking contest. Hayrides, pumpkin decorating, tug o war, and needle in a haystack will keep the young and old entertained for hours. The fun begins at 6:30 p.m. and ends at dusk or 7:30 p.m., whichever is first!
Are you a baker? Are you the keeper of Great Granny’s apple pie recipe? Now’s the time to put on your chef hat, dust off your apron, and whip up your favorite apple or pumpkin themed recipe! The baking contest is open to all adult/child pairs. Baking with children is not only fun, but is great math practice and provides one on one time that encourages open communication. All baking entries are due on October 16th no later than 3:30 p.m. for judging. After ribbons are awarded, the baked goods will be sold at the Harvest Festival for $1.00 a piece.
Fill Dirt: It's time to get dirty
Know somebody who has extra fill dirt? We'd love to use it for our amphitheater! We are currently looking for roughly 200 cubic feet of dirt to round out our structure. We are also looking for stones: pavers, edge restraints, bricks, etc. Please let me or Mrs. Masterson know if you access to these types of supplies!
Parking and Driving Safety: A note from the front
Please take a moment to read 2nd grade's brilliant blog post about how to keep our car line safe and efficient: Carline Safety
- To quickly summarize, some friendly reminders:
- It is illegal to park on a corner.
- It is illegal to park in a crosswalk.
- It is illegal to park in a fire lane.
- To make things move a bit faster, please DO NOT try to turn left from Church St. onto 82nd. Please use Church St. for right-hand turns and go up a block to Clackamas Rd. to turn left. We cannot enforce this courtesy, but we can give you dirty looks! The problem is when Church St. fills up, it then holds up carline, and the safe group-by-group rhythm of cars is thrown off, and children are endangered.
- When using the crosswalk, PLEASE wait for the group of cars to stop. I know pedestrians have the right of way, but we are trying to get cars out of there as fast as possible. If you are driving, PLEASE keep your eyes open for wayward pedestrians, but also keep traffic moving!
- When pulling up to load your child, PLEASE pull as far forward as possible. If you are at the front of the line, that means the SECOND tree (farthest south, closest to the crosswalk).
- If your child is not at carline, and should be, or has forgotten something, PLEASE pull THROUGH carline and park in the gravel.
- If you have ideas on how we can improve these routines, we are always willing to listen!
Flu and Cold- A note from a semi-local school nurse
You may have heard the recent national news alerting us that 1,000 children have been affected by a virus which has now spread through 10 states. The "Human Enterovirus 68" is a relative of the common cold, or "Rhinovirus." It can quickly turn from cold-like symptoms to an upper respiratory illness. That can affect the breathing of children 5 and under and those with asthma.
Since school is just back in session, your school and nurse are on alert, too. Once we all get into our smaller spaces, the opportunity to spread germs is quite literally, all around us! We look to our county health department for guidance when cases like this appear. We will provide communication to parents to help manage illness and minimize the spread of disease.
But parents can be proactive by reporting their child's symptoms when they make those sick calls to the school office. Tracking symptoms helps the district determine if they need to contact county health officials. Everyone can help keep viruses like this from spreading, too, by taking those usual steps including covering coughs and frequent hand washing.
Which brings us to our second point: HANDWASHING!
We have included information below from the Oregon Public Health Department pertaining to Enterovirus D68:
Oregon Public Health: Enterovirus D68 Enteroviruses are common causes of illness, especially among infants and children.
Many cases are mild or asymptomatic.
Initial reports suggest that those at increased risk for severe illness include children under the age of 5 and those with chronic lung disease, including asthma.
People can protect themselves and others from respiratory illness by:
· Washing hands often with soap and water. For enteroviruses, alcohol hand sanitizer is not a replacement for washing with soap and water.
· Avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.
· Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing. If you don't have a tissue, cover your mouth with your sleeve.
· Avoid kissing, hugging, and sharing cups or eating utensils with people who are sick.
· Disinfect frequently touched surfaces, such as toys and doorknobs, especially if someone is sick.
If you are sick, stay home to avoid exposing others at school or in the workplace.
Information from: http://public.health.oregon.gov/DiseasesConditions/DiseasesAZ/Pages/disease.aspx?did=116
For more information about hand washing and hand sanitizer: http://www.cdc.gov/handwashing/when-how-handwashing.html