🎷 Jazz Band - Tuesdays

🎽 Cross Country - Tuesday - Wednesday - Thursday

🥏 Disc Golf on Thursdays - Google Classroom - Join Code is paxmbch

🏐 Girls Volleyball - Next Home game is Thursday, October 8th

🐾 NO SAC this week

🎶 Melody Makers Chorus - Wednesday's in Ms. Schiefen's Room

🎭 Drama Club - Auditions start this week see below

🏋🏻 Fitness Club Sign Ups are available on the intramural board by the gym. The first day is Wednesday October 14th. Nice weight machines, dumb bells, cardio equipment, stretching mats are all available. Limited to 12 students, so sign up while you can!!

🎭 If you are interested in being part of this year's drama club production of Sherlock and Cinders See Mrs. Faria for more details.

Clubs coming soon: 👑 Chess, 🏓 Ping-Pong

Clubs do have a one time fee of $25 for the year.

The Food Drive will run until Monday October 26th. All donations benefit The First Congregational Church in Rochester.

Blue Team Homerooms

Nielson - Instant Potatoes and Gravy
O’Brien - Pasta, Tomato Sauce, and Alfredo Sauce
Medeiros - Pancake Mix and Syrup
Caldarone - Cereal, Granola Bars, and Canned Fruit

Red Team Homerooms

McEvoy - Peanut Butter and Jelly
Jalbert - Canned Soup and Canned Fruit
Sullivan - Canned Vegetables and Baked Beans
Cabral - Mac and Cheese

Orange Team Homerooms

Robinson - Stuffing and Cranberry Sauce
Lyden - Cans of Tuna and Tuna Helper
Regan - Instant Potatoes and Gravy
Lombard - Pasta, Tomato Sauce, and Alfredo Sauce

Green Team Homerooms

Andree - Pancake Mix and Syrup
Makein - Mac and Cheese
Ghannam - Stuffing and Cranberry Sauce
Lean - Canned Soup and Canned Fruit

🥫 Food Pantry 🍞

Our Student Affairs Committee operates a food pantry at the school. With support from the Feinstein Foundation and community food drives, students prepare and distribute boxes of food to families in need. If your family is experiencing food insecurity, please contact one of our school counselors. They will discreetly arrange a food box to help meet your needs. julietaylor@oldrochester.org, sheridechellis@oldrochester.org, lisalooneysquire@oldrochester.org, vanessamedeiros@oldrochester.org

A reminder to continue to be on the lookout for tick bites!

Just like sunscreen, protecting yourself from Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases is an important step to take when enjoying outdoor recreation. Here are a few helpful tips to help you stay tick smart:

Limit Tick Exposure

Tick exposure can occur year-round, but ticks are most active during warmer months. While only a select few tick species bite and transmit bacteria, viruses or parasites, effective tick safety is key to prevent disease exposure. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends avoiding wooded and brushy areas with high grass and leaf litter as they are high-risk areas for tick exposure. In fact, many people are exposed to ticks in their own yard or neighborhood.

To limit your tick exposure risk, the CDC recommends:

Knowing where to expect ticks.

Treating clothing and gear with permethrin or purchasing pre-treated products.

Avoiding contact with ticks.

Using Environmental Protect Agency (EPA)-registered insect repellents such as DEET and picaridin.

Checking clothing, gear and pets for ticks after being in a high-risk area.

Showering soon after being outdoors.

Checking your body for ticks through a full body check including under your arms, in and around the ears, inside belly button, back of the knees, in and around hair, between the legs and around the waist.

Symptoms to Watch For

Ticks can transmit several diseases with similar symptoms. The most common tick-borne diseases in New England include Lyme disease, babesiosis and anaplasmosis. While more rare, other diseases in the region include Tularemia, Rock Mountain Spotted Fever, Borrelia miyamotoi, Powassan virus and Alpha-Gal Syndrome.

Common symptoms associated with tick-borne diseases include fever/chills, aches and pains (e.g., headache, muscle aches, fatigue, joint swelling) and rashes. For Lyme disease, a red rash may appear at the site of the tick bite; expanding gradually over several days and resembling a target or bull's eye shape. This rash is not present in all cases of Lyme disease. The most common symptoms of an Alpha-Gal Syndrome reaction are an itchy rash/hives and gastrointestinal upset hours after eating beef, pork, lamb, dairy or products with red meat components such as gelatin.

The CDC emphasizes the importance of removing the tick as soon as possible and provides a helpful guide for tick removal.

Early Treatment is Key

Specific treatment for tick-borne diseases is based on symptoms, history of exposure to ticks, and in some cases, blood test results. In almost all cases, antibiotic treatment is effective at curing Lyme disease, and most, but not all tick-borne illnesses. The length of antibiotic treatment depends on the severity and type of symptoms reported by a patient.

Prompt action with a medical provider for diagnosis and treatment within 36 – 48 hours provides the best chance to halt or reduce illness.

When to Seek Care

If you have questions about a tick bite or have concerning symptoms:

Please call your primary care provider (PCP) to schedule an appointment. Or go to a walk-in clinic.

This information was provided by Cape Cod Healthcare.