Dear Town and Country Families,
Welcome to February!
School Safety-
We need your help. Please remember that the front parking lot is closed before and after school to allow for our buses to safely enter and exit our property. Closing this area is to help keep our children safe. Please be kind to the staff on duty. It is not their fault that the parking lot is closed. We’ve had a few close calls and not so kind remarks made to our staff. We will allow parents with handicap plates to enter the parking lot. We just ask that you have your handicap plates or placard available. Help us keep our students safe. We’ve asked a member of the Sierra Vista Police Department to help us evaluate our traffic flow before and after class.
Calendar-
Please take a look at our busy calendar. There are two half days and two school holidays this month. I know that some parents have expressed concern with the number of half days this school year. The decision was made last year to provide an early release once a month for elementary teachers. These dates are set aside for professional development. Teachers have had presentations on technology; standards based report cards, math, autism/special needs, etc.
We also have Parent/Teacher conferences on the 10th. The teachers only have the half day to meet with parents, so they may not be able to meet with every family.
PTSO-
The PTSO did a fantastic job with our Book Swap. We hope you saw the color photo in the Herald newspaper on Saturday. A HUGE thank you goes out to our Library Committee for planning such an incredible event. Our PTSO is awesome! We love the new book bags they were giving out.
Our PTSO is also hard at work preparing for our Book Fair in our library from February 6th-10th. . Be on the look out for information coming home. We hear that there may be a luau headed our way.
Until next time...
FEBRUARY IS NATIONAL CHILDREN’S DENTAL HEALTH MONTH
Each February is National Children’s Dental Health Month in which we work towards raising the awareness of children’s oral health. In order to raise this awareness, parents are encouraged to become familiar with the “dental home,” which is inclusive of all aspects of oral health.
Parents are encouraged to take their child to the dentist around the child’s first birthday and at a minimum of once a year after that. This is when a proactive oral care program can be established which focus’ on prevention.
There are several common risk factors that contribute to a child’s likelihood of developing dental disease. By taking a proactive approach, coordinated with the child’s dentist, parents can help control and reduce many of these factors.
Risk factors include:
- An infant sleeping while nursing or fluids in the mouth
- Past or present history of decay
- Significant visible plaque
- Frequent between meal snacking
- Orthodontic appliances that are not properly maintained
- White lines (de-mineralized areas) around the teeth.
The proactive steps parents can take include:
- Effective brushing with a fluoride toothpaste 2-3 times a day
- Fluoride mouth rinses
- Xylitol gum or mints as a substitute for snacking or when brushing is not possible
- Antibacterial mouth rinses
- Healthy diets with short, infrequent snacking
- Cleaning between the teeth daily with floss or an inter-dental cleaner
- Replacement of toothbrushes every 3-4 months (a worn toothbrush won’t to a good job of cleaning your teeth)
By taking care of your teeth, eating a balanced diet and visiting your dentist regularly, you can have healthy teeth and an attractive smile your entire life.
Renee Irmeier RN MSN
Town and Country
School Nurse
February 2012
Counselor’s Corner
Honesty
Research indicates roughly 90% of children learn to lie by age 4 and continue to lie throughout childhood and teen years.
What can we do?
1. Don’t over-react to lying with large amounts of anger, shame, blame and severe punishments. This may make lying compulsive and can increase a child’s fear of punishments and parental disapproval when they make mistakes which in turn may lead to more lying.
2. Listen a Lot: Create a safe environment in which children can express their feelings, worries and struggles to you every day.
3. Teach the importance of honesty by your example, helping a child to understand the consequences of lying, and giving appropriate, unemotional consequences.
4. Praise your child whenever they tell the truth.
Sincerely,
Miriam Egan, M.S.