Cheetah Pride Press

Families,

Wow! This turned out to be a much shorter week than any of us expected! I hope you were able to get outside and enjoy the winter weather.

Next week is FULL of exciting events. In addition to Magical Monday, the 2nd is also School Counselor Appreciation Day! Please take a moment to let our school counseling team know how much we value their hard work and dedication to our students and families. Additionally, on Wednesday we’ll recognize World Read Aloud Day. Finally, due to the two snow days, the 100th day of school will now fall on Monday, February 9th. Look for updates from your child’s teacher regarding any special events taking place in their classroom.

Have a wonderful weekend,

Joey & Andrea

Mother Nature delivered a winter wonderland this week, and our students had TONS of fun playing in the snow. Thank you to all of the families who sent pictures our way!

Throughout the month of January, WONDER was the Profile Of The Graduate Principle that we focused on. We reviewed all of the ways that wondering helps us explore our world; and then we introduced our next principle - CARING. We will focus on ways to care about one another throughout the month of February.

Today was Hibernation Day in kindergarten! Students were invited to wear their PJs or comfy clothes to school and bring a teddy bear. Throughout the day they engaged in a variety of activities that helped them learn more about animals that hibernate, animal adaptations and the four seasons.

Cheetah council worked hard on making “cheetah beaded bracelets” which will be for sale at the book swaps each month to support cheetah council. They are $1.00 each.

Students will be able to buy them beginning 2/6.

2/2 National School Counselor Appreciation Day

2/2 Magical Monday

2/4 World Read Aloud Day

2/9 100th Day of School

2/9 BOE Meeting at Town Hall @ 6:30

2/13 Profession Day for Staff/NO SCHOOL

2/16&2/17 Presidents Day Break NO SCHOOL

**Change of Clothing**

Between accidents, spills, puddles and mud, there are many ways student’s clothing can become soiled. The nurses office does not routinely keep extra clothing. Every student should have a full change of clothes (underwear, pants, shirt) in their backpack to be kept at school. If your child requires a change of clothes and they do not have any in their bag, a parent will be asked to come to the school to bring it in.

Nurse office reminders

We want to share some guidelines that are helpful for families:

Please let us know if your child is diagnosed with any illness or injury (such as strep, flu, pink eye, fracture/broken bone, lice, pneumonia, covid, etc.) as the nurse office tracks illnesses and sends notification letters home if there are 2 or more cases in a specific classroom. Please be specific with any of the symptoms your child is experiencing.

Consider keeping your child at home for an extra day of rest and observation if he or she has any of the following symptoms:

• Very stuffy or runny nose and/or cough

• Mild sore throat (no fever, no known exposure to strep)

• Mild headache and/or stomachache

• Fatigue

Definitely keep your child at home for treatment and observation if he or she has any of these symptoms:

• Fever (100.4 degrees or higher. May only return to school after 24 hours of no fever WITHOUT fever reducing medications)

• Vomiting (Even once. Must wait 24 hours after last vomit episode to return to school)

• Diarrhea (may return to school after 24 hours since last episode)

• Chills

• General malaise or feelings of fatigue, discomfort, weakness, and/or muscle aches

• Frequent congested, wet, or croupy cough

• Lots of nasal congestion with frequent blowing of nose

Please remind your child(ren) about good hygiene habits:

• Wash hands frequently

• Do not touch eyes, nose, or mouth

• Cover mouth and nose when sneezing/coughing and then wash hands

• Avoid close contact with people who are sick

Often when a child awakens with vague complaints (the way colds and flu begin) it is wise to observe your child at home for an hour or two before deciding whether or not to bring them to school. Your child should be physically able to participate in all school activities on returning to school. Keeping a sick child at home will minimize the spread of infections and viruses in the classroom. Please send in a copy of the doctor’s clearance, as needed. Thank you in advance for helping to make this year at school as healthy as possible.

Medications

Every medication that is brought into school requires a “Medication Authorization” form to be signed by the student’s doctor and parent/guardian and the medication in original packaging with prescription label is to be brought in by a parent/guardian, not in the child’s backpack. No child may carry their own medications at the Elementary level. Please use a large ziplock bag for the medication plus the medication order, and label the bag with your child’s name before dropping off. Any controlled medications will need to be counted and signed off with the RN and parent so please allow for a few extra minutes at drop off.

Please note: COUGH DROPS count as medications and are not allowed in school. All over-the-counter medications also need a medication order from your provider.

Food

We have several students with severe food allergies, therefore we highly recommend non food items to share for birthday celebrations. Per our food sharing protocol, we ask for at least 48 hours advance notice to check for classroom allergies. Please inform your child’s teacher AND the nurse in order to approve food being brought in to share. A great resource for allergy free snacks is the Safe Snack guide at https://snacksafely.com/safe-snack-guide/. We appreciate your assistance in keeping our school safe.

Respectfully,

Krista Kardys RN

and Ms. Michelle Lemire

When considering the number of absences your student has accrued, keep in mind that a student must be present for 195 minutes in order for the day to count! When bringing your student in late, or signing them out early if they have not been in school for a 195 minutes the day will be recorded as an absence.

Memorial School Attendance email:

memorial_attendance@easthamptonct.org * there is an _ between memorial and attendance!

Please Review This Important Information Below.

Students, parents, and community members have access to an anonymous tip line on the front page of the school district website to report self-concerns, mental health concerns of a friend, or concerns of violence. Simply click here or view on the website: https://www.easthamptonps.org/.

Email: jbauer@easthamptonct.org
Website: https://www.easthamptonps.org/o/memorial-school
Location: 20 Smith Street, East Hampton, CT, USA
Phone: 860-365-4020
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ehmemorialschool