News from Christine Martins
,
School Nurse
The Flu According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC),
the flu is a “contagious respiratory illness caused by the influenza viruses”. Flu season can last from early Fall to late Spring. The flu can be a mild case,
or a severe one. Typical flu symptoms are fever,
cough,
sore throat,
nasal congestion,
fatigue,
body aches. (Please keep in mind that some people who get sick with the flu do not get fevers!) Per the CDC,
the flu virus is “spread mainly by tiny droplets made when people with flu cough,
sneeze or talk. These droplets can land in the mouths or noses of people who are nearby. Less often,
a person might also get flu by touching a surface or object that has flu virus on it and then touching their own mouth,
nose,
or possibly their eyes.” Check out this fact sheet: https://www.health.ny.gov/diseases/communicable/influenza/seasonal/
Please keep your child home if he or she is showing signs of the flu or any illness. This is with everybody’s best interests in mind. If your child is sick or unwell,
they won’t be able to focus in class and will most probably have a miserable day… You will also be exposing others in the school to whatever your child is sick with; classmates,
teachers,
staff as well as their own family members at home.
The best way to protect yourself and your family from the flu is by prevention; namely,
vaccination. It is ALWAYS beneficial to get the flu shot,
regardless of how effective it is for the current flu season! ANY amount of protection is better than ZERO protection! Getting the flu shot will help lessen your chances of getting sick with the flu and it might also lessen the severity and duration of the illness if you were to get sick. Remember,
flu season can last until May! Speak to your doctor if you or a family member has not received the flu shot yet this season. On a side note- it does take a couple of weeks after receiving the flu shot for flu antibodies to develop in the body; in other words,
for the flu shot to become “effective”. Get the flu shot sooner rather than later! Check out this link for more information on the flu vaccine: https://www.cdc.gov/flu/pdf/freeresources/general/strong-defense-against-flu.pdf Another way of preventing you or your family from getting the flu is by preventing the spread of germs. The CDC has posted this article on practicing “good health habits” to help prevent illness: https://www.cdc.gov/flu/prevent/actions-prevent-flu.htm These six health habits are simple and easy to follow. They include: avoiding close contact with sick people,
staying home when sick to help prevent spreading the illness,
covering mouth and nose when sneezing or coughing and throwing used tissues in the trash,
washing hands often…
Here in the nurse’s office,
we also do our part to help prevent the spread of germs. In between each student,
we wash our hands with either soap and water or Purell. Our desks,
counters,
cots,
light switches,
thermometers,
stethescopes…are cleaned regularly. I also review proper handwashing techniques with students when they come in to the office and have them wash their hands.
To get more information on the flu,
check out these kid-friendly articles with your child; they are available in English and in Spanish: https://kidshealth.org/en/kids/center/flu-center.html?WT.ac=k-ra
Happy November and stay healthy!
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CET PTA
This Fall has been filled with fun and festivities. We want to thank everyone for joining us at this year’s Fall Festival,
participating or shopping at the Book Fair,
or baking for the Bake Sale. There have been so many options to come together as a community and there are more to come… The 2
nd
Annual
Holiday Hop Around (Pub Crawl) will be taking place this December 7
th
starting at 4:15pm at Black Rock Kitchen. You will receive food,
5 drink tickets,
and the possibility of winning prizes for your holiday style. We will be hopping around to various bars/restaurants until 7:15pm. If you can’t join us for the hop,
join us at the
After Hop at the Grandstand starting at 7:30pm. You will receive one drink ticket,
food,
and music from a live band. Last year was a blast so buy your tickets soon at cetpta.com,
at next week’s Parent/Teacher conference on November 12
th
,
or by sending in a check with a flyer your child will bring home soon. At the After Hop,
we will be picking the winners of this year’s
Holiday Hop Raffles. We have 20 raffles to choose from including Front Row seats to Moving Up Ceremony and a parking spot,
Tennis with Ms.
Maloney,
After School Kareoke with Mrs.
Horton,
Senora Percoco,
and Mrs.
Rimoli,
After School Gym with PE teachers,
Kindergarten Lunch with your teachers,
1
st
Grade Freeze Dance with your teachers,
a Croton Raffle (Franki’s,
Baked By Susan,
Orangeberry,
Black Cow,
and Van Wyck Liquors),
a Music and Arts Raffle,
an Activity Raffle,
and a Family Fun Raffle. For more information,
go to cetpta.com. You can buy tickets for the raffles at Parent/Teacher conferences on November 12
th
or at the After Hop. We look forward to seeing you in your festive Holiday Attire. If you have any questions,
please contact cetpta@gmail.com. |