Dear Parents/Guardians,      September 12, 2014

Welcome back to a new school year! We have been excited to hear about all the students summer activities. We are looking forward to another great year at Underhill ID School!

Here are some Health Tips to start the School year off well:

Be Active: Run, Dance, Walk, Bike, etc... '60' minutes of activity is recommended for students each and every day. Being Active not only helps our bodies to be healthy but helps our minds to be healthy also. Being Active helps our minds to learn and retain new information. How many minutes are you currently active each day? _____ What activities can you do to increase your activity each day? _________________,_____________,_________________.

It is recommended that 'screen time', which includes computer time, tv time and hand held device time/video games, should be limited to one hour or less a day.

Too much screen time can:

• Make it hard for your child to sleep at night
• Raise your child's risk of attention problems, anxiety, and depression
• Raise your child's risk of gaining too much weight

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/patientinstructions/000355.htm

Mayo Clinic recommendations for Screen Time

Drink enough water: Our brains are made up of 77-78% water.  Being just 2% dehydrated can make our bodies feel tired and our brains feel sluggish. Drink half your weight in ounces of water each day. So, if you weigh 44 pounds, you  should drink 22 ounces of water a day. There are 8 ounces of water in one cup. So, how many cups of water would you need to drink for your weight? _____  Another indicator that you need to drink more water is when your urine is dark yellow in color. The color of urine, when you are well hydrated is light yellow to almost clear in color.

Get enough sleep: Children between the ages of 5-10 years old should be getting between 10-11 hours of sleep each night. Children who sleep well and get enough sleep at night do better in school. They are better able to pay attention and learn. So, if you need to get up at 6:30 in the morning to arrive at school on time, what time do you need to go to bed if you are going to get 10-11 hours of sleep?__________

And last but not least, eat well. This includes lots of fruits and vegetables along with protein, whole grain foods and dairy. Adding protein to your morning snack can give you the energy you need to keep going strong until lunch time. http://www.choosemyplate.gov/food-groups/

This is the time of year we also want to remind you to check your children for head lice. Lice are present in the community at all times. Transmission of lice in school is rare; only 1 out of 10 cases are transmitted at school. The most common times for lice to be transmitted are during summer, winter and spring breaks and whenever children are in the community for extended periods of time together. Once the children are back in school, this is the time when we notice the itching because children are now still enough to take notice of it.

Lice are often not found until the lice are well established. This could take from 6-8 weeks or longer. For this reason CESU school nurses strongly recommend regular home head checks. Regular home checks will catch lice much more quickly than waiting for the itching to occur before we take notice. If you have any questions, please contact me at Underhill ID School, 899-4680 or you can check out my Health Office Blog at http://nursekristenuid.blogspot.com/p/lice.html

We are a peanut/tree nut safe school. The first week of school we sent home the peanut/tree nut safe guidelines for our school. Please be sure to read this. It can also be found here: http://nursekristenuid.blogspot.com/p/peanuttree-nut-safe-guidelines.html

I look forward to a healthy and well school year!!!

Sincerely,

Nurse Kristen

Walk at Lunch Day

Blue Cross Blue Shield Sponsors a Walk at Lunch Day every spring. This is a way to encourage an active life style.

Underhill ID participated in the Walk at Lunch Day on Friday, May 16th. Parents and siblings were invited to join us on our walk.    

Here are some 'high lights' from the walk.

A Big Thank you to the 'Y' Program for the Awesome UID Staff T-shirts!!!

                        

Pediatricians Say Students With Head Lice Can Stay In School

Read the article and listen to the audio here:

http://digital.vpr.net/post/pediatricians-say-students-head-lice-can-stay-school

Dear Parents of 4th Graders,

Today we learned about the Respiratory System and the effects of Tobacco and Smoking on our lungs and bodies. The students learned that there are more than 4000 chemicals and over 60 carcinogens in tobacco.
We looked at healthy lungs and compared them to a smokers lungs. We saw the effects that smoking can have on our lungs. We learned about the cost of smoking, not only monetarily but on our lives. We also talked about the effects of second hand smoking.
We talked about making Healthy Life Choices and what those choices may look like. We talked about 'life giving choices' and that some times this may mean not following or joining in with our friends. The students were given an opportunity to make an informed decision never to try tobacco products.

Feel free to call with any questions.  I really enjoyed being in the classroom with your students!

Sincerely,

Nurse Kristen

Welcome Back from Winter Break!

I hope you all had a relaxing and fun holiday with family and friends. Vacations are a great time to share fun times but also an opportune time to share lice. Most cases of lice are spread during summer, winter and holiday breaks. It is highly recommended to check your students head for lice every couple of weeks throughout the year and especially after school breaks. Please refer to the Health Office Blog Lice page for further information. Lice are always in the community. Regular head checks at home are the best way to catch lice early. Remember to avoid head to head contact, sharing of combs, brushes, hats and bed pillows to minimize exposure to lice. 

March is still a time for colds, flu and stomach bugs. Washing your hands and keeping your hands away from your face are your best defenses against getting sick! 

Keep germs from spreading, wash your hands often and well. 

Proper hand washing: 

1 Use warm water. 

2 Moisten hands/apply soap. 

3 Rub hands together for 20 seconds. 

4 Rinse thoroughly. 

5 Dry hands. 

**From the Vermont Dept. of Health. See poster @ https://www.google.com/search?sitesearch=healthvermont.gov&submit=Search+Our+Site&q=hand+washing

Sincerely,

Nurse Kristen

899-4680

Taste Test: "Bitty Bites"

Staff and students had the opportunity to try something new today. It is a vegetarian, meatless option, that is full of protein and calcium. Calcium is good for strong teeth and bones. A great food to try for dental awareness month.

More than 80% of the students opted to try the 'bitty bites' and all but one of the students liked them. All of the students that tried them and liked them said they would eat them again. Students are looking forward to seeing these on the hot lunch menu. 

Here is the recipe, if you would like to try them at home.

 Recipe taken from: New School Cuisine, Nutritious and Seasonal Recipes for School Cooks by School Cooks, Summer 2013, Pgs. 154-155

 

February is Dental Health Month

As part of the CESU Health Curriculum your child is learning to take responsibility for practicing healthy dental care. Kindergartners and First Graders have learned about good dental health habits - proper tooth brushing and dental care. 

You can help your child develop healthy dental habits by encouraging him/her to:

• Brush teeth for at least two minutes at least twice a day. (After breakfast and before  bed).
• Choose a toothbrush with a small head and soft bristles. Change the toothbrush every 3-4 months, when bristles are worn and frayed, or after an illness.
• Floss teeth once a day. It is recommended that for children under 8 years old that a parent help the child floss.
• Choose tooth-healthy/nutritious foods and snacks.
• Visit the dentist twice a year.
• Use fluoride toothpaste. A pea size amount of toothpaste is enough to help fight cavities; make sure to spit it out afterwards.

When selecting snacks for your child, choose snacks that are not sticky and are low in sugar.  Here are some examples:

raw fruits and vegetables unsweetened cereal pretzels low-fat dairy products

The following is a list of items that are sticky and/or high in sugar and should be eaten less often or not at all.

caramels sugared soda and (fruit) juices cakes, cupcakes jelly beans, taffy fruit roll-ups and leather hard candies ice cream candy bars

You can encourage your child to brush after eating something sticky or high in sugar, in addition to brushing at the times listed above.

Another way for your child to have a healthy mouth is through the use of sealants.  A sealant is a plastic material that can be applied to your child’s teeth by a dentist.  Sealants act as barriers to plaque and acids.  You might want to discuss sealants with your child’s dentist.

Taste Testing: We wanted to try something new and something green, as a way to look forward to spring.

On Wednesday of this week, we tried our version of "Cheesy Italian Balls". A great way to enjoy green! They taste like a 'cheesy crackers'!

You can find the recipe here: 

http://chefronlock.com/recipes/baked-spinach-balls/

If you try these at home, let us know. If you try this with a variation, let us know. We love to hear about new healthy food options!

These "Cheesy Italian Balls" may appear on our lunch menu in the next few months. So, be 'Brave' and try one!!!

Mrs. Preston is cooking up something new in the kitchen!

It is green, crunchy and full of Vitamin A. Vitamin A is important for good vision, a healthy immune system and cell growth. Vitamin A plays a critical role in the normal formation and maintenance of the heart, lungs, kidneys and other organs.(1)

The students had the opportunity to try these after the special showing of a movie this morning. They would make a great addition to having popcorn while watching a movie at home with family or as a snack after school. And they are easy to make and good for you! These will be served as part of the lunch menu on Friday, January 24, 2014.

Thanks to all of you who tried this new food. And thank you Mrs. Preston for the great, crunchy treats!

(1)http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminA-HealthProfessional/
(2) Recipe taken from: New School Cuisine, Nutritious and Seasonal Recipes for School Cooks by School Cooks, Summer 2013, Pgs. 72-73