Back to school for Beach Elementary Monday
Summer has come and gone for local kindergarten through fifth grade students who will be attending their first day of class Monday, Aug. 24.
Officials from the Beach school are gearing up for another expected stellar year after recording five consecutive “A” grades. Principal Larry Wood held teacher in-service days Friday, Aug. 21 and Monday, Aug. 24 in preparation for the new school year.
“On Friday, we went to Bayfront Bistro for lunch to celebrate our successes from last year,” said Wood. “Joe Yerkes of the bistro and Snook Bight Marina helped in sponsoring the luncheon for our staff. During the in-services, we’re focusing on challenges and plans for this coming year. We looked at the data from last year to finds areas where we can improve. We also looked at a parent survey that was filled out at the end of last year and received overwhelmingly supportive comments. We’d still like to show continued improvement.”
Wood also commented on the school’s 2008-09 implemented reading program.
“The kids just love the stories,” he said. “Now that we have a year under our belts, we are just fine tuning it. We’re meeting to see what else can we do to make that program more successful.”
Wood is also looking to continue interacting with the community and collect more support to help ensure the students’ success.
“We’re making plans for a lot of great activities that involve our kids in the community,” he said. “We are so thankful for the support from our community.”
While the children were away this summer, Wood said renovation was being done to the school and its grounds. The elementary school received all new underground plumbing, changing the existing cast-iron pipes from the 1940s; a new paint job; finished all the covered walkways; some larger bathrooms were redone; and jalousie windows were replaced in some of the buildings.
“Our staff is really excited about this school year and the prospects for it,” said Wood. “They are committed to working very hard to make sure this is going to be the best year for the kids and their families.”
The Beach school’s Parent-Teachers Organization will be sponsoring a welcome back swimming pool party at the Town Pool during the first week of class. The event will be free to the staff’s families, the students and their parents.
Staff Changes for Beach Elementary
Jill Moreland will be the school’s .4 ESE teacher. Sally German will split her Speech time with Bonita Springs Elementary. Rob Mezzio will teach Music at Beach Elementary, Bonita Springs and Pinewoods Elementary. At this time, there is still an opening for an Art teacher.
Michaels Cribbs is now the school’s building supervisor, while Luis Marty has been hired as the building custodian.
Beach Elementary seeks new students
Officials at Beach Elementary are asking those parents who are new to the island or have an incoming kindergarten child to please come to the school to enroll their child or children.
If they have questions regarding enrolling, please contact the school. Any kindergarten through fifth-grade student that resides on the Beach or San Carlos Island is expected to attend Beach Elementary.
The Beach school is also setting its Open House for Thursday, August 20 from 4:30 to 6 p.m. All parents and students are welcome to attend.
District prepares for H1N1 Flu as school year nears
As schools across the country begin the 2009/10 school year, Lee County Public Schools joins them in making preparation for what health officials say will be the next wave of H1N1 (Swine) Flu cases.
“Protecting the health of children in school requires a three-way partnership,” said Dr. Judith A. Hartner, M.D., M.P.H., M.P.A., Director, Lee County Health Department. “For the efforts of the school district and the health department will be successful, we ask parents to join us in promoting good health habits – most importantly we ask parents to keep their children home from school if they become ill.”
The District has had a pandemic plan in place for the past few years, and it was put into practice this past May when a Spring Creek Elementary student was one of the first confirmed cases of H1N1 in Lee County.
“All of our planning and preparation paid off in a big way,” said Dr. James Browder Superintendent of Schools. “You hope you never have to implement such a plan, but if you do, it better be 100 percent – and ours was. It worked perfectly, and my thanks go to my staff and the staff at the Health Department for a job well done.”
The District has the following steps in place to address H1N1 (Swine) Flu concerns during the 2009/10 school year (these will be provided to all families after the start of school and have been posted on the District’s Web site [www.leeschools.net]):
nIncreased vigilance by school staff to identify students exhibiting flu-like symptoms;
nCustodians/building supervisors to increase focus and frequency of cleaning commonly touched areas (i.e. doorknobs, light switches, handrails, etc.)
nSymptomatic students will be sent to the school’s clinic for evaluation by a Clinic Assistant and/or School Nurse;
nClinic Assistant and/or School Nurse will determine if a child should be isolated due to symptoms;
nSchools will identify an area where students can be isolated from general student body;
nParent/guardians of isolated students will be contacted and requested to pick up their child(ren) as soon as possible;
nStudents with influenza-like illness must remain at home for at least 24 hours after their fever is gone (without the use of fever-reducing medicine such as Tylenol);
nA fever is a temperature which is elevated above 100 degrees;
nIf symptoms do not subside, parents should seek medical care from their doctor or health care provider;
nStudents will be allowed to use hand sanitizers at school under the supervision of adults;
nSchool District and Lee County Health Department officials will continue to work closely together monitoring and evaluating the situation and determine if any additional steps/action is warranted.
In addition, District and Health Department officials want to stress what everyone can do to help minimize the affect the anticipated wave of H1N1 cases will have on our community:
nIf you or your child(ren) are sick, please stay home for at least 24 hours after symptoms (including fever) subside;
nIf symptoms continue, see a health care provider;
nCover Your Cough: you should cough or sneeze into a tissue or the bend in your elbow to avoid contaminating your hands;
nWash Your Hands: Vigorous hand washing with soap and water is recommended; however, if soap and water are not available, use an approved hand sanitizer.
Backpacks and Chiropractic services
Does your child carry a backpack to school? Do you know the proper way to wear a backpack? Did you know that improper use of backpacks may cause problems that could be detrimental to your child’s health?
Heavy backpacks have a destructive impact on the posture and spinal health of children. These heavy loads can cause injuries that last a lifetime. Researchers have found that 55 percent of students carry more than the recommended national guidelines, causing 60 percent of children to experience back or shoulder pain by the time they are 18 years old.
What does chiropractic have to do with all this? Improper use of backpacks causes undue stress on the spine. This stress causes subluxation in the spine. Subluxation occurs when the spinal bones, or vertebra, shift out of place. In between these bones are nerves that transport important messages from the brain to every organ, tissue and cell in our body. If subluxation occurs, these nerves become irritated and messages get jumbled up or are absent altogether. Therefore the body will not function at 100 percent and will not be able to heal itself on its own. Unfortunately, subluxation is “silent” in that symptoms may not appear until years or decades have passed, much like a cavity in a tooth. At which point, permanent damage may have occurred.
Scoliosis, a curvature of the spine, can go undetected as well. It often begins in childhood as the body is still growing. If detected early by a doctor of chiropractic, adjustments and exercises can be utilized to correct or prevent it from worsening over time. Changes in posture, loss of structural balance and growing pains can be an early warning signal.
For that reason, like dental check-ups, periodic spinal check-ups are necessary to keep your child healthy. Chiropractic is the only profession in the world trained in detecting and eliminating subluxation in the spine. Overloaded backpacks put unnecessary stress on a growing spine ultimately leading to significant injury over time.
Here are some tips for proper backpack use:
n Choose the correct size
n The maximum weight of a loaded backpack should not exceed 15 percent of the child’s body weight (i.e. a 60 lb child should only carry nine pounds in backpack weight.)
n Teach your child proper lifting techniques
nn Face the pack
nn Bend at the knees
nn Use both hands to lift
nn Check the weight of the pack
nn Lift with the legs
nn Apply one shoulder strap at a time
n Use both shoulders straps, they should be snug but not too tight, also use the waist strap
If the backpack causes the child to lean forward, the pack is too heavy. Do not wear the pack over one shoulder. This may cause permanent misalignment of the spine, muscle fatigue and a lowered state of health.
Posture is the window to the spine. If posture is mis-aligned, the spine is also mis-aligned on the inside. To check your child’s posture look at your child from the back, have him or her close their eyes. Check to see if the ears, shoulders, and hips are level. If one side is higher, there is a curve in the spine. This may cause pressure on the nerves, joints and discs. Next, observe your child from the side. The ears, shoulders, hips and knees should line up in a straight line If not, there is stress on the spine. Then, check your child’s posture while wearing the backpack. His or her posture should not change. If you see signs of posture imbalance or your child complains of pain, visit your Chiropractic Physician.
You or your family may be suffering from undetected spinal subluxation or scoliosis, so call your chiropractor for a periodic spinal check-up. More and more families are discovering the health benefits of chiropractic, shouldn’t you?
For a complimentary consultation or if you have any questions, please call Dr. Nicole Bennett of Bennett Chiropractic and Wellness Center at 6875 Estero Blvd. Suite at 239-463-1640 or go to www.beachchiropractor.com.
-submitted by Dr. Nicole Bennett