Our annual Jog-A-Thon was a great event. Thank you to our parent volunteers and staff members for their work to make this an easy event. Our students did a great job exercising. Remember to turn in your pledge money! Every $5 a student earns adds a raffle ticket for them for a chance to win some great prizes (the grand prize: one iPod Shuffle and one iTouch to give away too!).
October 30, 2009
Dear Parent or Guardian.
As Superintendent of the Carlsbad Unified School District, I communicate frequently with the San Diego County Health and Human Services Department regarding influenza. I have also sent several staff members to attend updates about influenza presented by representatives of that agency. Earlier this week, District staff attended the most recent flu update presented by the Health and Human Services Agency. County health officials have concluded that most of the reported cases of patients with flu-like symptoms in San Diego County are patients who have contracted the H1N1 (swine flu) virus. Therefore, we may conclude that most of our CUSD students who have been absent due to flu-like symptoms have had H1N1 flu, rather than seasonal flu. However, this information does not change the three most important elements in our school district’s recommendations to parents and staff:
- Parents and school staff must work together closely and consistently to prevent the spread of the flu virus (please see below: Protecting Your Family from the Flu).
- Parents should keep students with flu-like symptoms home from school. These ill students should stay home for an additional twenty-four hours even after their fever has ended.
- Healthy students should continue to come to school.
Protecting Your Family from the Flu
• Teach your children to wash their hands often with soap and water or use 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. Coughs and sneezes may be covered using the elbow, arm or sleeve instead of the hand when a tissue is unavailable.
• Do not send children to school if they are sick. This includes children with a fever of 100 degrees F (37.8 degrees C) or greater and a cough and/or a sore throat. Children who are determined to be sick while at school will be sent home.
• Also know all the signs and symptoms of the flu. These symptoms may 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 a fever, without using fever-reducing drugs. Keeping children with a fever at home will reduce the number of people who may get infected.
• Seek emergency care for your child if he or she has trouble breathing; bluish or gray skin color; severe or persistent vomiting; sudden dizziness or confusion; pain or pressure in the chest or abdomen; or if symptoms improve but then return with fever and worse cough.
• Parents whose children have a pre-existing health condition should always notify their doctor if their child develops flu symptoms. Some doctors may decide to give children with other ongoing health conditions an anti-viral medicine when they get the flu.
• Federal (CDC), State, and County health officials recommend that you check with your doctor about getting yourself and your children vaccinated for seasonal (regular) flu and H1N1 flu. The H1N1 flu vaccine is recommended even for those who may have already had suspected H1N1 influenza.
For more information, visit www.flu.gov or call 211. As health officials release new information, updates will be posted on the District’s website and in communications from your child’s school.
Sincerely, John A. Roach, Superintendent
We had a great time at the Monster Mash. Thanks to our parent volunteers for the decorations, bake sale donations, operating the games, and the clean up. Over 250 Hope community members attended the event. Congratulations to our costume contest winners. Your support of this event helps us move toward our goal of providing special programs for our students and acquire new technology.
· Scariest Costume - Grace and Jake
· Most Creative - Micah and Maya.
· Silliest - Charlie and Seth
· Most Traditional - Marisa and Lucas
Congratulations and special thanks to Hope parents, Jerry Stephenson (2nd from right and three year team member) and Brian Lintner (far right) for representing Hope Elementary at the Golf Classic this year! Way to go! Hope Hawks Rock!
Please be advised the Board of Trustees took action at the 8/26/09 Board Meeting to revise the 2009-10 School Calendar. The President's Holidays in February have been changed to a 4 day weekend - Friday, Feb. 12 and Monday Feb. 15.
A new online Payment Center is available for CUSD parents. MySchoolBucks.com is a convenient online service that allows parents to make payments to their child’s meal account using Visa, Mastercard, or Debit card.
Create an account on the mySchoolBucks website and, for a small fee, prepay money directly into their child’s account. (Remember to have your child's CUSD issued ID/PIN # when opening an account. This number can be obtained from the school, and is the same PIN# that your child uses on the cafeteria Pinpad.)
