Medomak Valley High School Panther Pride Newsletter December 21,2012

Harold E. Wilson, Principal Tamra S. Philbrook, Asst. Principal Andrew J. Cavanaugh, Asst. Principal Matthew J. Lash, Athletic Director

Visit the Medomak Valley High School website at http://www.msad40.org/schools/mvhs Please submit news items to be published in the MVHS newsletter via e-mail to lisa_gunn@msad40.org by Wednesday morning for Thursday publication.

Coming Events Friday, December 21: Varsity Basketball Home Game Girls: 5:45 Boys: 7:15 Saturday, December 22: Wrestling Atlantic Invitational 9:00 Thursday, December 27: Boys Basketball Home Game w/Waterville Fresh: 3:00 JV: 4:30 Var: 6:00 Varsity Girls Basketball Game at Waterville: 1:00 Friday, December 28: Wrestling Mid-State Tourney at MCI Saturday, December 29: Varsity Basketball Home Game w/Nokomis Girls: 4:30 Boys: 6:00 Thursday, January 3: Varsity Basketball Game at MCI Boys: 4:30 Girls: 6:00 Saturday, January 5: Boys Basketball Game at LA Fresh: 11:30 JV: 1:00 Girls JV Basketball Game at LA: 10:00 Wrestling Meet at Erskine Academy: 9:00

News from Food Service Parents who wish to monitor their children’s meal balances or make online payments can now check out their child’s account on https://www.myschoolbucks.com/. This system replaces MyNutrikids.com. Use the same login information. If you are having technical issues please contact the customer support department at myschoolbucks.com by using their support request form or call 1-855-832-5226. Myschoobucks.com is presently only used to monitor lunch accounts or to make online payments. There is a fee for making online payments. Here is a note from Myschoolbucks: Logging into mySchoolBucks could not be easier! Usernames and passwords for parents are the same ones from MyNutrikids.com. Parents that did not previously have an account with MyNutrikids.com will need to register for a new account on mySchoolBucks.com. Things to know about mySchoolBucks: The convenience fee per transaction will change to $1.95. mySchoolBucks has the following payment methods available for use: Visa® Mastercard® Discover® Electronic Check Parents may fund up to $120 per student, but a family may pay for all of their students on a single transaction.

Due to legal requirements, we are unable to transfer automatic e-mail notifications. If parents previously setup low balance email alerts in MyNutrikids.com, they will need to

set those up on mySchoolBucks.

Holiday Break—Dec. 22-Jan. 1. First day back to school, Wed., Jan. 2, 2013.

FROM THE HEALTH OFFICE.............

Each year the Health Office receives many calls with questions about the flu. To help “pre-answer” some of the questions, we’d like to pass along some information that we think will help families in making decisions about their health and the flu. This information comes to “us” from the National School Nurse Association. In addition, the Center For Disease Control has recently released their State of Maine Health Alert, reporting a steady increase in cases of both Type A and Type B influenza. Several individuals have been hospitalized. The CDC strongly recommends following the steps to prevent the Flu, which include getting a Flu shot if you’ve not already done so. We hope this will help you have a happy, healthy winter. Please see the end of the newsletter.

   

Happy  Holidays!!!!!    

RSU  40/MSAD  40  Adult  Education  will  begin  a  new  semester  in  February  –  the  new  winter/spring  adult  education  brochure  will  be  in  the  mail  1/11/13.  You  can  also  view  the  new  winter/spring  classes  at  www.msad40.maineadulted.org    

In  early  January  or  call  832-­5205  for  more  information.    

GED  Preparation  Classes  will  continue  on  Wednesdays  through  the  month  of  January!  GED  classes  offer  intake,  assessment  and  practice  testing  for  the  GED  (General  Educational  Development)  tests.    The  GED  tests  measure  skills  and  competencies  in  five  subject  areas:  Language  Arts  Reading,  Language  Arts  Writing,  Math,  Science  and  Social  Studies.    Join  us  any  Wednesday  from  6-­‐8  p.m.  and  start  the  process  of  earning  your  high  school  equivalency  diploma.    Fee:  FREE.    MVHS  Room  29.  NOTE:  Beginning  in  January  2014  the  GED  test  battery  will  change,  and  all  testing  done  prior  to  that  date  that  did  not  result  in  earning  a  GED  diploma  will  become  void.    If  you  have  successfully  taken  and  passed  one  or  more  of  the  Official  GED  tests,  come  in  today  and  finish  what  you  started  while  there  is  still  time!    Spread  the  word!  

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON THE INFLUENZA VIRUS, VISIT WWW.CDC.GOV/FLU

This program is sponsored by the National Association of School Nurses (NASN) and funded by a contribution from Roche

THE FLU: WHAT PARENTS NEED TO KNOW TO KEEP KIDS HEALTHY

WHAT IS THE FLU?

• The flu is caused by the influenza virus, which infects the lungs, nose and throat

• Flu can cause mild to severe illness, and sometimes, can lead to death

• Each year in the United States: o 5-20 percent of Americans fall ill to the flu o Children are two to three times more likely than

adults to get sick with the flu, and they frequently spread the virus to others

• Young children are at the greatest risk for developing serious flu complications, as well as the elderly and those with certain health conditions

HOW DOES FLU SPREAD?

• There are two ways to get the flu. Usually flu is spread from person to person through coughing and sneezing. Occasionally, people can get the flu from touching a germ-infested surface

WHAT ARE THE COMMON SYMPTOMS OF FLU?

Often we get confused about the symptoms of the flu and how they are different from a common cold. Knowing the symptoms of the flu is important and will help you act quickly to get your child feeling better faster • Common symptoms of flu include: high fever, severe

headache, muscle and body aches, exhaustion and dry cough o Children often have additional flu symptoms that

are rare in adults, such as nausea, vomiting and diarrhea

• Symptoms of a common cold include: stuffy nose, sneezing, sore throat and hacking cough

SIMPLE STEPS FOR KEEPING YOUR CHILD HEALTHY

• According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the best way to prevent your child from getting the flu is to take him/her to get a flu vaccine

• You should talk to your child about practicing good health habits, such as: o Washing hands frequently with soap and warm

water for at least 20 seconds o Covering mouth and nose with a tissue when

sneezing or coughing, and disposing of the tissue in a proper trash receptacle

o Avoiding sharing drinks, water bottles or silverware with others

• You can help prevent the flu from spreading at home by disinfecting frequently touched surfaces, toys and other commonly shared items

• Also, if someone in your household gets the flu, a doctor can prescribe a medication – called an antiviral – that can actually prevent other members of the household from catching the flu o Studies show that some antiviral medications are up

to 89 percent effective in preventing the flu when taken once daily for seven days

DON’T TAKE THE FLU LYING DOWN

• If you are concerned about your child’s flu symptoms, call your doctor early. Call your doctor immediately if your child has a chronic disease. Some children may benefit from an antiviral medication, which can be prescribed by a physician and can help lessen the duration of the virus and reduce the risk of complications, such as pneumonia o To be effective, antiviral medication should be taken

within 12-48 hours after flu symptoms begin • If your child has the flu, it is important for them to stay

home from school, rest, and drink plenty of fluids • Additionally, notify your school nurse if your child has the

flu. Monitoring flu incidence within MSAD #40 will help keep students, faculty and our community healthy.

With flu season upon us, it is important that we work together to keep our children and school healthy. By keeping our children flu-free, we benefit the community as a whole. Additionally, healthy students miss fewer days of school, which results in less stress on the family. Following are answers to frequently asked questions about the flu and how to help protect your child.