Reid Elementary News

Happy Holidays!

We have many activities going on during the month of December. Please be sure to check the PTO Facebook page and read the information sent by your child’s teacher for all of our fun events in the upcoming weeks.

Dressing for the weather is very important. Please be sure to send your child to school with a hat, gloves, coat, snow pants, and boots. Children go out every day unless the temperature or wind chill is below 10 degrees. Thanks for your help.

Are your children safe while online? Michigan families, especially minors, are becoming inundated with advertisements from alcohol, tobacco, pornography, and gambling marketers through different internet and cell phone inboxes. Texting their advertisements is the newest marketing effort that many of these companies are using. Thankfully, the State of Michigan offers a free program to stop adult advertisements from reaching e-mails, mobile phones (text messaging ads), and instant messenger IDs. The Michigan Child Protection Registry, like the federal, Do Not Call List, is a free do-not-contact service for Michigan’s families and schools and can be located at www.ProtectMIChild.com. Consider signing your entire family up for the registry and inform your friends and colleagues about how they can protect children and families from unwanted adult advertising. To sign up only takes seconds. Just go to www.ProtectMIChild.com and keep your family safe.

Thank you to everyone who took a tag from our giving tree. Please return these items unwrapped with the tag by December 13th. Thank you for your help!

The office is in need of some supplies. If you have any extra to spare, we could use:

Bandaids

Ziplock baggies (snack size)

Kleenex

Clorox Wipes

Lysol Disinfectant Spray

Educationally yours,

Jamie Wagner

Principal

G.B. Wellness Policy and Birthday Treats

Board Policy 8510 -

E. All foods offered on the school campus during the school day shall comply with the current USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans, including competitive foods that are available to students a la carte in the dining area, as classroom snacks, or from vending machines.

F. All food and beverages that are provided, other than through sale, on the school campus during the school day (which may include classroom snacks, for classroom parties, and at holiday celebrations) shall comply with the food and beverage standards approved by the Superintendent.

Please do not send in sugary treats for birthday treats or daily snacks. Some other ideas to celebrate birthdays may include, stickers, pencils, erasers, or other non-food items. Please consult with your classroom teacher if you have any questions. Snacks and treats that don’t align with our district board policies will be sent home with the student. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation in following this board policy.

December

• 6th Popcorn Day
• 6th 1st grade Crossroad Village field trip
• 7th Holiday Shop, 9-3 and Sunrise Singers performance
• 9th PTO meeting at 10 am in the cafeteria
• 9th - 13th Reid's Spirit Days -
• Dec 9 - Grinch Day
• Dec 10 - Twinkle Tuesday
• Dec 11 - PJ Day
• Dec 12 Favorite Holiday Character
• Dec 13 - Ugly Sweater Contest
• 11th ELGA Deposit Day
• 12th Elementary Choir Performance at Tartoni Center at 6:30 p.m.
• 18th Celebrations around the world rotations
• 23rd - Jan. 3rd Winter break - no school for staff and students
• Jan. 6th School resumes

Many students and families celebrate different holidays and celebrations throughout the year. Please see the PTA's multicultural Holiday Calendar link below for a reference of celebrations and Holidays that Reid's families may celebrate.

PTA Multicultural Calendar

During conference week, our giving tree will be in the front lobby. Each year Reid adopts families from our school to help during the holiday season. If you are able to help, please take a tag from our tree and return your unwrapped gift to the lobby by December 13th.

Thank you

Are you interested in helping Reid Elementary be all that it can be? Then you would like joining our Reid PTO. The PTO is a parent and teacher(staff) organization that does many things for our school family. One big job of our PTO is to organize fundraisers and events that provide extracurricular activities for our students. The PTO meets monthly throughout the year. Please consider joining this wonderful organization. If you have questions, please reach out to gb.reidpto@gmail.com

Please see the PTO's facebook page for their latest updates.

https://secure.smore.com/n/ksw1m

We have drop off bins in our main lobby. If you need to turn something in or pick something up from your classroom teacher, please check in with our office staff who will assist you with the correct bin.

Please see this link for additional information.

Parents may now record an absence on Parent Vue. Please see the directions below.

We have been experiencing an increase in respiratory illnesses in our school district. This is consistent with trends throughout the state and the country.

Both Pertussis (Whooping Cough) and Mycoplasma Pneumonia (Walking Pneumonia) have been on the rise so please be vigilant in monitoring for symptoms. Infection is spread by inhaling respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes.

Pertussis

• Symptoms: sneezing, runny nose, mild dry cough, and low-grade fever
• After about 1 to 2 weeks, more serious “coughing spells” develop that can last for more than a minute and result in difficulty breathing.
• At the end of a coughing spell, the cough may make a high-pitched “whooping” sound as they try to catch their breath.
• Sometimes the coughing will cause vomiting. Between spells, usually feel well.
• Who is at Risk
• Pertussis can spread easily among susceptible household members and in group settings such as schools, workplaces, and sports teams.
• Adolescents and adults are also at risk for infection since vaccine protection decreases over time.
• The time between exposure to the bacteria and disease symptoms is usually between 7 - 10 days, but in rare cases, it can take up to 3 weeks.
• Treatment

• Pertussis can be treated or even prevented with antibiotics if detected early or before the disease has started.
• If you develop any of the symptoms described above, stay home from school and contact your doctor immediately. Please also inform the school office of any illness.

Walking Pneumonia:

• Symptoms: can include cough, fever, sore throat, headache, and sometimes wheezing
• Often people don’t feel sick enough to stay home or in bed, thus the term “walking pneumonia”
• Who is at Risk
• Infection can occur at any age, but most often among children ages 5-17 years and young adults
• Treatment
• Some people get better on their own with a mild mycoplasma pneumoniae infection, but some with more severe infection will need an antibiotic

For general respiratory illness, it is recommended you stay home if you have a fever and you can return 24 hours after fever free and symptoms are improving. However, if you are diagnosed with Pertussis you must stay home from school until your 5 day antibiotic treatment is complete.

Strategies that prevent respiratory viruses, such as handwashing and covering coughs and sneezes, prevent these bacteria from spreading.

Mrs. O’Mara & Mrs. Fredrick

GBCS District Nurse Consultants