Through the hard work of our counselor, Cyndi Groth-Landis, we have received a federal grant to use towards training to develop healthy school programs. This is taking an exciting direction at the school that we hope you will encourage! So far the following are some improvements:

“Good Morning Starts” is a short exercises time where staff and students take turns leading five minutes of “movement” before leaving the playground for class. We’re all having fun with this, and brain research shows that this is very important to improved learning for all ages!
PE – The Boys & Girls Club has partnered with our energetic kindergarten teacher, Elizabeth Sackman, to create our new physical education sessions! We have contracted with them to bus our students each week for a one hour visit to their facility (fields, gym, playground) with a well-trained staff member helping Elizabeth teach students skills to learn fun sports and activities. These two adults truly understand our students and school philosophy and have such fun, upbeat attitudes that everyone’s enjoying PE now! If you have time to help with your child’s class and are willing to actually “participate” with the activities, please let your child’s teacher know. They would love to have some volunteers!
Recess/Lunch – We have increased the recess and lunch time this year as many parents requested more time for their children to play and more time for them to eat. We feel these were healthy suggestions and see what a difference it has made for the children. Thanks for your suggestion!
Friday Sack Lunches – as part of our nutrition for Healthy Schools, we are asking for you to teach your children how to pack a nutritional lunch for themselves. We encourage you to have them learn to pack their own. Contact Counselor Cyndi if you need ideas for cheap- yet healthy- lunch ideas!
Snack & Stretch Time – Every day, each class takes time for a healthy snack and movement/exercise. Please be sure to send your children healthy snacks for this break by avoiding items with sugar or caffeine.
Brain + Movement – Following current brain research, we are doing as many things as possible to increase brain activity to improve learning for all ages. Teachers are being trained in specific exercises to share with students which stimulate particular areas of the brain to increase learning. Research “Brain Gym” and “Super Brain Yoga” or the National Brain & Learning Institute if you’d like to learn more about our findings.
Staff Health – and last, but not least, our entire staff is determined to be good role models for the students. They are eating healthier, exercising more and learning other health-related ideas. The theme this year for staff is “Balance!”

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101 Things to Do Outside in Winter

Click here for suggestions about fun things that you can do outside with your family this winter.

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Free Dental Care Opportunity

Click here to learn about the opportunity to sign up (by January 22, 2010) your Idaho children ages 0-12 for free dental care from Delta Dental.

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Head Lice Treatment

Lice are small insects which spend their entire lives living on humans. Having lice is not a sign of poor hygiene habits. Properly treated cases are no longer infectious. They are very common and all elementary schools have to deal with them.

REMEMBER: Head lice are not choosy about who they infest. ANYONE can get them. They typically cause no illness - only some inconvenience. The important thing is to treat promptly and thoroughly. Your cooperation is essential in preventing the spread of head lice.

How is it spread?

Lice spread easily by direct contact with the infested person or by sharing scarves, bed sheets, blankets, pillows, combs, or brushes with a person who has lice. Lice do not jump or fly; they only crawl. Animals do not spread human lice.

How would I know if my child has lice?

Lice cause scalp itching. Look for the lice or their eggs on their hair where the hair comes out of the scalp. Lice are small (less than 1/8 inch long), tan-colored insects, alive and moving. They prefer the back of the scalp, behind the ears, and above the neck. The eggs (nits) are gray-white specks glued to the hair. Even if you cannot find the insects, lice must be there if the eggs are there, and treatment has not been performed.

How do I get rid of head lice?

Use a medication prescribed by your doctor or an over-the-counter, nonprescription product from the drug store. Follow the directions as listed on the product.
Clean personal items by any of the following methods:
- Washing in hot water and soap in a washing machine
- Putting in a hot clothing dryer for 20 minutes
- Dry cleaning
- Storing in a sealed plastic bag for two weeks
- Boiling combs, brushes, curlers, etc. for ten minutes or soaking in 2% Lysol* and water for one hour
- Freezing for 12 hours
Thorough vacuuming of floors (carpeting), furniture, and cars is recommended. Insecticide sprays are not recommended.

How do I get the nits off after successful treatment?

A fine-tooth comb may be adequate. After two treatments, the removal of nits should not have any effect in preventing more lice as the eggs have either hatched or they are dead.

If you have any questions, please call your local health department office or medical provider.

*Brand names are mentioned for identification purposes only and do not constitute a health department endorsement.

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Flu Prevention Plan

Dear GCCS Parents and Guardians,

As you may know, flu can be easily spread from person to person. Therefore, as part of our “Healthy Schools” program, we are taking steps to reduce the spread of flu in Garden City Community School. We want to keep the school open to students and functioning in a normal manner during any flu seasons this year. But, we need your help to do this!

We are working closely with the Idaho Department of Education and the Southwest Idaho Health Department to monitor flu conditions and make decisions about the best steps to take concerning schools. We will keep you updated with new information as it becomes available. We continue to teach our children about good health and how to keep themselves and their environment clean, so we hope to continue our ability to keep our school population as healthy as we have in the past!

If the flu becomes severe, we may take additional steps to prevent the spread such as:

conducting active fever and flu symptom screening of students and staff as they arrive at school,
continuously cleaning furniture, equipment and toys and to increase the space between people such as moving desks farther apart and postponing class trips, and
dismissing students from school for at least 7 days if they become sick.

For now we are doing everything we can to keep our school functioning as usual. Here are a few things you can do to help.

Teach your children to wash their hands often with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand rub. You can set a good example by doing this yourself.
Teach your children not to share personal items like drinks, food or unwashed utensils, and to cover their coughs and sneezes with tissues. Covering up their coughs or sneezes using the elbow, arm or sleeve instead of the hand when a tissue is unavailable.
Know the signs and symptoms of the flu. Symptoms of the flu include fever (100 degrees Fahrenheit, 37.8 degrees Celsius or greater), cough, sore throat, a runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, and feeling very tired. Some people may also vomit or have diarrhea.
Keep sick children at home for at least 24 hours after they no longer have fever or do not have signs of fever, without using fever-reducing drugs. Keeping children with a fever at home will reduce the number of people who may get infected.
Do not send children to school if they are sick. Any children who are determined to be sick while at school will be sent home.

For more information, visit www.flu.gov, or call 1-800-CDC-INFO for the most current information about the flu. For more information about flu in our community and what our school is doing, visit our website at www.gardencityschool.org.

We will notify you of any additional changes to our school’s strategy to prevent the spread of flu.

Sincerely,

Cindy Hoovel, Director

Garden City Community School

(208) 377-0011

cindy/hoovel@gardencityschool.org

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H1N1 Rarely Requires Hospital Care

Reports of flu-like illness are on the increase across the nation and in Idaho. Most people suffering from the flu don’t need to see a doctor and will recover completely with proper care at home. The Central District Health Department, Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center and St. Luke’s urge community members to arm themselves with information, stay home if they become ill, and visit their physician or an emergency department only if you have severe complications such as listed below.

Both seasonal flu and the novel H1N1 (swine) flu have similar symptoms that include: fever, cough, sore throat, runny nose, aches and extreme fatigue for up to a week. Some people with H1N1 flu also complain of vomiting and diarrhea.

Home care involves getting lots of rest and drinking plenty of fluids (i.e. water, soups, juices or sports drinks). Avoid drinking coffee, alcohol, and other caffeinated beverages that may dehydrate you. You can use over-the-counter medication to relieve flu symptoms. In some cases, a doctor or other health care professional may prescribe anti-viral drugs to help treat the flu.

“The best thing to do when you’re ill with the flu is stay home,” Said Nikki Sakata, Program Manager for Communicable Disease Control at the Central District Health Department, “Isolate yourself from others so you don’t spread the illness. And stay home for a full 24 hours after your fever is gone.”

In the interest of protecting public health and reducing the strain on hospital emergency departments, health professionals are urging schools and employers not to require a doctor’s note for absences due to flu-like illness.

However, some people are more likely to get flu complications and they should talk to a health care provider about whether they need to be examined if they get flu symptoms this season. These people include pregnant women, everyone between the ages of 6 months and 24 years and people between the ages of 25 and 64 who have health problems such as asthma, diabetes, heart or lung disease or other conditions that weaken the immune system. These are the same people that are recommended for getting the H1N1 flu vaccine when it becomes available.

While most people recover from H1N1 without medical help, a call to the doctor is warranted when symptoms grow severe. In children, medical care is needed when:

· They’re breathing fast or having trouble breathing.

· Their skin is bluish or gray

· They’re not drinking enough fluids

· They’re having severe or persistent vomiting

· They’re not waking up or interacting

· They’re being so irritable they don’t want to be held

· They have flu-like symptoms that improve and then return with fever and a worse cough.

Otherwise healthy, non pregnant adults should seek medical attention when, in conjunction with other flu-like symptoms:

· They’re having difficulty breathing

· They’re having pain or pressure in the chest or abdomen

· They’re suddenly dizzy or confused

· Their vomiting is persistent or severe

· Their flu-like symptoms improve but return with fever and a more severe cough.

The best protection against the flu is the flu vaccine. This year full protection will mean getting the seasonal flu vaccine, which is widely available in the community now, and the H1N1 flu vaccine when it becomes available.

Good hand hygiene, avoiding people who are sick, eating a balanced diet, exercise, and getting plenty of sleep will also help keep you healthy during this unusual flu season.

The flu can be a serious disease, especially for those with certain medical conditions. But for most normal, healthy people rest and recovery at home is the best option. It frees up hospital space for those who are truly ill and helps contain the spread of disease.

For more information about the flu contact:

Central District Health Department www.cdhd.idaho.gov

Central District Health Department H1N1 Flu Hotline: 208.321.2222

US Department of Health & Human Services: www.flu.gov

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu

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Healthy Schools program

Healthy Schools Program

101 Things to Do Outside in Winter

Free Dental Care Opportunity

Head Lice Treatment

Flu Prevention Plan

H1N1 Rarely Requires Hospital Care

Revised: 02/04/10