Mr. J. Isdonas, Principal jisdonas@summithill.org 815-467-3176 Dear Parents, As we approach one of the busier times of the year, I want to take a moment to say Thank you to the students, parents, community, and staff of Frankfort Square School. It was your generosity and commitment that allowed our SCO to collect many dollars during the month of October for the students and school. To name a few, the Book Top Collection, Cook s Night Off, and fall fundraiser allowed our SCO to purchase assemblies, resources, books, and equipment for the students and staff of Frankfort Square School! I want to thank our SCO officers and members for their hard work and dedication to our learning community. Please know, your tireless efforts to support the students and staff of our school have not gone unnoticed. As you know, Parent-Teacher Conferences will take place on Monday, November 19 and Tuesday, November 20. If you have not done so already, please reach out to your child s teacher to make arrangements for this year s fall conferences. This is a great opportunity for parents and teachers to meet and discuss the progress and successes of our students. Our specials teachers will be available for conferences during these two days. Because we share several of our specials teachers with other schools in the district, I suggest that you contact the teacher, in advance, to set up a date and time for the conference. In an effort to learn how we can better serve the needs of our stakeholders, the annual Parent Survey will be available during the week of Parent-Teacher Conferences. Parents will have the opportunity to access the survey during Parent-Teacher Conferences at home or in our school s computer lab by visiting www.summithill.org and clicking on the survey link. If your preference is to complete the survey via hard copies, please speak with our front office staff. We are more than willing to give you a paper copy of the survey. Respectfully, Mr. Isdonas Principal s Corner: Important Dates: November November 1: SCO Meeting at 3:45 November 1: SCO Cook s Night Off November 1: Report Cards are issued November 1-5: SCO Candy Collection for soldiers November 4: Daylight Savings Time November 6: Election Day November 9: SCO Hot Lunch Day November 9: Author/Story Teller Assembly November 11: Veterans Day November 14: Board of Education Meeting (7:00 PM) November 16: SCO Treat Day November 16: Spirit Wear Day-Hat Day November 19: Conferences (No School) November 20: Conferences (No School) November 21-23: Thanksgiving Break (No School) November 27: Bookmobile November 30: SCO Hot Lunch Day November 30: Pre-K Make It, Take It Day (10:00 and 1:30)
Each month two students are selected from each class to be recognized for effort and improvement. These are students who have really tried to improve in an area, whether it is socially, academically, or personally. I would like to congratulate the following students for their effort and improvement during the month of October. Mrs. Muller: Roman Bednarczyk Zachary Zawilinski Mrs. Howard: Megan Brand Jacob Sarkan Mrs. Rodgers: Brianna Crowe Connor Rascop Mrs. Jendersak: Dominic Angone Hannah Herschell Mrs. Reyes: Madison Hoy Sarah Vetter Mrs. Sobczak: William Jaworowski Kayla Stepinski Mrs. Bailey: Katherine Heaton Connor Simek Mrs. Jastrzab: Paige Daly Katherine Ehmen Mrs. Murphy: Emma Gorter Benjamin McGrane Mrs. Hartl: Olivia Herrera Patrick Isom Mr. Jeffrey: Maria Lenard Jake Petak.
READING IMPROVEMENT FOR ALL FRANKFORT SQUARE SCHOOL General Information School Office Hours: 8:25-3:55 Student Attendance Hours: 9:00 3:30 Children arriving after 9:00 will be marked Tardy. Please ensure that your children are at school early enough to be in their classroom by 9:00 when the pledge begins. ATTENDANCE Regular attendance is important to success in school. Please ensure that your children are at school early enough to be in their classroom by 9:00 when school begins. Student Attendance: Arrive between 9:01-9:30 = AM. Tardy Arrive after 9:30 = Half Day Attendance Leave prior to 3:00 = Half Day Attendance Leave between 3:01 3:30 = PM Tardy Also, taking your child out of school for vacation will be considered an unexcused absence VISITORS For the safety or our students and staff, all visitors must sign in at the main office. Please have a picture ID available when you check in. We encourage parent participation, volunteering and welcome your assistance As a part of our Reading Improvement Program this year, all students will receive reading improvement strategies. No matter what their level of reading ability, all students can gain useful strategies to further their reading level. All teachers at Frankfort Square School will be part of this program for all students to benefit. Strategies will be taught both in the classroom and in small groups. Again, these reading strategies are to help meet all students needs and create a better understanding in the areas of reading and writing. SUMMIT HILL DISTRICT 161 VIRTUAL BACKPACK Summit Hill District 161 is doing its part to "go green" by changing the way flyers are distributed to students. In the past, paper copies were sent home. With the launch of our Virtual Backpack, District 161 is introducing an eco-friendly online distribution system that saves resources and time required to sort and handle materials. Beginning May 3, 2010 all flyers from our community organizations will be posted on our Virtual Backpack link on the District home page, www.summithill.org, left navigation. Please visit the link often to ensure you remain aware of opportunities and activities for students APPEARANCE CODE Students dress for school and all school activities (including SCO events) must be appropriate. Sagging shorts or pants are prohibited. Pants must be securely fastened at the waist. Pants with holes/frayed areas are not appropriate. Skirts and shorts must be to the fingertips regardless of additional leg wear underneath. Necklines must be 3 from the collarbone area. Tube tops, halters, see-through shirts, mesh shirts, tank tops, muscle shirts, sleeveless shirts, crop tops, or tops which expose cleavage or midriff will not be allowed.
It s The Law! No Cell Phones in School Zones Drivers, please be aware that it is now illegal to talk on cell phones while driving through a school speed zone or a construction zone, unless using a hands free device or speakerphone is enabled, except in cases of emergency to contact law enforcement, health care providers, fire department and other emergency response personnel. Please continue to collect and turn in your Box Tops.. Throughout the school year, our SCO will sponsor several Box Top collection and reward programs for the students. Each Box Top collected and turned in will generate money that will be used for various SCO sponsored events, activities, incentives, and celebrations. It is also now illegal to compose, send or read text messages, read or compose e-mail, look at the Internet or otherwise compose or send any type of electronic message while driving. For more information on the new laws, visit http://www.drivinglaws.org/ill.php. In an effort to Go Green, all newsletters and district information is now being sent home electronically. If you have not yet signed up to be on the district email list or if you want to give us more than one email address, please contact the school office. We are trying to teach our children the importance of being green. We will continue to collect used ink cartridges, plastic bags, plastic pop rings, and pop tabs. The empty ink cartridges can be brought to the school office, while the pop tabs can be placed on the small table inside the front doors. Plastic grocery bags may be placed in the white cardboard containers found in our school s foyer. We are working hard to Reduce, Reuse, and Renew.
crawling on the scalp. Lice eggs hatch within 1 to 2 weeks after they're laid. After hatching, the remaining shell looks white or clear and continues to be firmly attached to the hair shaft. This is the stage when it's easiest to spot them, as the hair is growing longer and the egg shell is moving further away from the scalp. The bane of many parents, the head louse is a tiny, wingless parasitic insect that lives among human hairs and feeds on extremely small amounts of blood drawn from the scalp. Although they may sound gross, lice (the plural of louse) are a very common problem, especially for kid s ages 3 years to 12 years (girls more often than boys). Lice aren't dangerous and they don't spread disease, but they are contagious and can just be downright annoying. Their bites may cause a child's scalp to become itchy and inflamed, and persistent scratching may lead to skin irritation and even infection. It's wise to treat head lice quickly once the diagnosis is made because they can spread easily from person to person. Signs of Head Lice Though very small, lice can be seen by the naked eye. What you or your doctor might see by thoroughly examining your child's head: Lice eggs (called nits). These look like tiny yellow, tan, or brown dots before they hatch. Lice lay nits on hair shafts close to the scalp, where the temperature is perfect for keeping warm until they hatch. Nits look sort of like dandruff, only they can't be removed by brushing or shaking them off. Unless the infestation is heavy, it's more common to see nits in a child's hair than it is to see live lice Adult lice and nymphs (baby lice). The adult louse is no bigger than a sesame seed and is grayish-white or tan. Nymphs are smaller and become adult lice about 1 to 2 weeks after they hatch. Most lice feed on blood several times a day, but they can survive up to 2 days off the scalp. Scratching. With lice bites come itching and scratching. This is actually due to a reaction to the saliva of lice. However, the itching may not always start right away that depends on how sensitive your child's skin is to the lice. It can sometimes take weeks for kids with lice to start scratching. They may complain, though, of things moving around on or tickling their heads. Small, red bumps or sores from scratching. For some kids, the irritation is mild; for others, a more bothersome rash may develop. Excessive scratching can lead to a bacterial infection (the skin would become red and tender and may have crusting and oozing along with swollen lymph glands). If your doctor thinks this is the case, he or she may treat the infection with an oral antibiotic.
You may be able to see the lice or nits by parting your child's hair into small sections and checking for lice and nits with a fine-tooth comb on the scalp, behind the ears, and around the nape of the neck (it's rare for them to be found on eyelashes or eyebrows). A magnifying glass and bright light may help. But it can be tough to find a nymph or adult louse often, there aren't many of them and they're able to move fast. Call your doctor if your child is constantly scratching his or her head or complains of an itchy scalp that won't go away. The doctor should be able to tell you if your child is infested with lice and needs to be treated. Not all kids have the classic symptoms of head lice and may be totally symptom-free. Also be sure to check with your child's school nurse or childcare center director to see if other kids have recently been treated for lice. If you discover that your child does, indeed, have lice or nits, contact the staff at the school and childcare center to let them know. Find out what their return policy is. Most usually allow kids to return after one topical treatment has been completed. Are Lice Contagious? Lice are highly contagious and can spread quickly from person to person, especially in group settings (schools, childcare centers, slumber parties, sports activities, and camps). Though they can't fly or jump, these tiny parasites have specially adapted claws that allow them to crawl and cling firmly to hair. They spread mainly through head-to-head contact, but sharing clothing, bed linens, combs, brushes, and hats can also help pass them along. Kids are most prone to catching lice because they tend to have close physical contact with each other and often share personal items. And you may wonder if Fido or Fluffy may be catching the pests and passing them on to your family. But rest assured that pets can't catch head lice and pass them on to people or the other way around. Treatment Your doctor can recommend a medicated shampoo, cream rinse, or lotion to kill the lice. These may be over-the-counter (OTC) or prescription medications, depending on what treatments have already been tried. Medicated lice treatments usually kill the lice and nits, but it may take a few days for the itching to stop. For very resistant lice, an oral medication might be prescribed. It's important to follow the directions exactly because these products are insecticides. Applying too much medication or using it too frequently can increase the risk of causing harm. Follow the directions on the product label to ensure that the treatment works properly. Treatment may be unsuccessful if the medication is not used correctly or if the lice are resistant to it. After treatment, your doctor may suggest combing out the nits with a fine-tooth comb and also may recommend repeating treatment in 7 to 10 days to kill any newly hatched nits. Removing By Hand If your child is 2 years old or younger, you should not use medicated lice treatments. You'll need to remove the nits and lice by hand. To remove lice and nits by hand, use a fine-tooth comb on your child's wet, conditioned hair every 3 to 4 days for 2 weeks after the last live louse was seen. Wetting the hair beforehand is recommended because it temporarily immobilizes the lice and the conditioner makes it easier to get a comb through the hair. Wet combing is also an alternative to pesticide treatments in older kids. Though petroleum jelly,
mayonnaise, or olive oil is sometimes used in an attempt to suffocate head lice, these treatments have not been proven to be effective. Keep in mind that head lice don't survive long once they fall off a person. So it's unnecessary to spend a great deal of time and money trying to rid the house of lice. Preventing Reinfestation Here are some simple ways to get rid of the lice and their eggs, and help prevent a lice reinfestation: Wash all bed linens and clothing that's been recently worn by anyone in your home who's infested in very hot water (130 F [54.4 C]), then put them in the hot cycle of the dryer for at least 20 minutes. Have bed linens, clothing, and stuffed animals and plush toys that can't be washed dry-cleaned. Or, put them in airtight bags for 2 weeks. Vacuum carpets and any upholstered furniture (in your home or car). Soak hair-care items like combs, barrettes, hair ties or bands, headbands, and brushes in rubbing alcohol or medicated shampoo for 1 hour. You can also wash them in hot water or just throw them away. Because lice are easily passed from person to person in the same house, bedmates and infested family members will also need treatment to prevent the lice from coming back. Don t s In your efforts to get rid of the bugs, there are some things you shouldn't do. Some don'ts of head lice treatment include: Don't use a hair dryer on your child's hair after applying any of the currently available scalp treatments because some contain flammable ingredients. Don't use a cream rinse or shampoo/conditioner combination before applying lice medication. Don't wash your child's hair for 1 to 2 days after using a medicated treatment. Don't use sprays or hire a pest control company to try to get rid of the lice, as they can be harmful. Don't use the same medication more than three times on one person. If it doesn't seem to be working, your doctor may recommend another medication. Don't use more than one head lice medication at a time. Preventing Lice Having head lice is not a sign of uncleanliness or poor hygiene. The pesky little bugs can be a problem for kids of all ages and socioeconomic levels, no matter how often they do or don't clean their hair or bathe. However, you can help to prevent kids from getting lice or from becoming reinfested with lice by taking the following precautions: Tell kids to try to avoid head-to-head contact at school (in gym, on the playground, or during sports) and while playing at home with other children. Tell kids not to share combs, brushes, hats, scarves, bandanas, ribbons, barrettes, hair ties or bands, towels, helmets, or other personal care items with anyone else, whether they may have lice or not. Tell kids not to lie on bedding, pillows, and carpets that have recently been used by someone with lice. Every 3 or 4 days, examine members of your household who have had close contact with a person who has lice. Then, treat those who are found to have lice or nits close to the scalp.
Will They Ever Be Gone? As many parents know firsthand, lice infestation can be a persistent nuisance, especially in group settings. If your child still has lice and you've followed every recommendation, it could be because: some nits were left behind your child is still being exposed to someone with lice the treatment you're using isn't effective There's no doubt that they can be hard bugs to get rid of. If your child still has lice 2 weeks after you started treatment or if your child's scalp looks infected, call your doctor. No matter how long the problem lasts, be sure to emphasize to your child that although having lice can certainly be very embarrassing, anyone can get them. It's important for kids to understand that they haven't done anything wrong and that having lice doesn't make them dirty. And reassure them that as aggravating as getting rid of the annoying insects can be, there is light at the end of the tunnel. Be patient and follow the treatments and prevention tips as directed by your doctor for keeping the bugs at bay, and you'll be well on your way to keeping your family lice-free.