Friday, we learned of our first confirmed case of H1N1 at Carlisle, a case in the high school. Since predictions state as many as half of the American population could contract the virus at some point this year, we knew it was only a matter of time before our first confirmed case. However, this was earlier than our district had hoped. Staff and school nurses have been working with students on how to protect themselves from contracting this virus with hygiene lessons, tips on how to cough/sneeze into elbows (not hands), and what to do if someone gets ill from anything, especially the virus. While there will certainly be more students who get the H1N1 virus, following simple hygiene tips and using safety at all times will keep any outbreak contained as best as possible. Please visit the CDC site often if you have questions and of course, don't believe everything you read online! When in doubt, refer to the CDC site:http://www.cdc.gov/
After postponing the first meeting, the Middle School New Student group met after school Thursday with about 12 students showing up. The students got a chance to introduce themselves, have a snack, and play a game/activity for prizes. Through this activity, students got to know even more about themselves. My favorite part was learning that we had students come to our school from just a nearby Des Moines school and a student come from New Hampshire! Wow...what a difference! The next new student group will meet Thursday, September 10th, after school in the Life Skills room.
Recent abduction attempts in central Iowa towns, even Hartford, have all us taking a little extra time to notice our surroundings, especially around our kids and our students. As a parent, please keep up to date on the latest news and descriptions of what the vehicles and people look like in these suspected abduction attempts. But also talk to your child about "stranger danger" and how to say "No". I have copy/pasted a helpful site below with some tips, but talk about strategies for your child to attract attention to the situation such as yelling/screaming, shouting "NO!", and running away. If you are present, try to get a detailed description of both the vehicle and person in the vehicle. In all the cases so far, no one has remembered the license plate, but if they did, that would have really helped. Please know that your teachers and counselors are also keeping any eye out for any suspicious activity and suspicous looking people in and around our building. We now wear name badges both inside and outside our building to identify us. With the high school and Hartford remodeling, we are adding in extra safety and security items to our building as well. Hopefully, no more abductions or attempted abductions will happen in our area, but preparing our students and children now will help keep them safe in the future. Tips for kids and parents:http://www.villageofworth.com/Police/Crime%20Prevention/stranger_danger.htm
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