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Friday, September 18, 2009

#66....1st email to the preschool families

Hello everyone!

This is the first email of the school year from me. It is kind of an “attendance” thing also. I would like you to hit “reply” and let me know you received this email so I know I have the right email address for everyone.

If you took toys and manipulatives to sanitize last week thank you so much! We hope you will return them to preschool at Open House this week on September 2 & 3. (Wednesday and Thursday – 9am-11:30 we will be there) If you want to return them before Open House on Monday or Tuesday, that will also be fine. Thank you again for all your help!

Just to let you know we have a few openings in preschool left. Two in the 4 year old classes and three left in the 3 year old classes. Please let your friends and neighbors know. We have heard that some people do not even try at Immanuel because they have heard it is too difficult to get in. Please let people know…we have room for others to join our “family” at Immanuel Lutheran Preschool!

If you did not make it to Orientation Night, I would like to tell you one particular thing I talked about with the parents. It is the H1N1 Flu. We want everyone to do their part in keeping germs and illness down to a minimum at preschool. Here are the ways we are going to do that.

1. Each child will be asked to use hand sanitizer when they arrive at preschool for each class session.

2. If your child has had a fever or has thrown up, they should not come to preschool until 24 hours has passed without a fever or without throwing up.

3. If your child has a deep cough, or bad runny nose, they need to stay home. If you send them, we may ask that you come back and take them home.

4. We will need a doctor’s permission slip, if your child has an allergy with some of these symptoms, so we know it is safe for them to attend. We feel all parents should be able to understand why this important. If you, as a parent, ask about another child’s runny nose, or whatever, we can then say, “The doctor says the child is permitted to attend classes.”

5. I also explained an idea that I had which will go into effect on Monday, September 21. All the children need to do it, whether they have a cough or not! Teachers will also model it. Here is my idea. I want you to find one of those single socks you have “floating” around at home. (We all have them, right?) Cut off the leg part, draw a face on it with permanent marker and call it the “Germ Catcher!” Then, each child should wear it up around their elbow as a constant reminder of where to cough or sneeze those germs into. I wasn’t sure about what kind of face…happy, sad, or the mouth open on it….Now I am thinking a happy face would work, because the “Germ Catcher” is happy to get our germs! He wants to take them away from us, so we do not get sick.

6. I hope you are not thinking I am too paranoid about this. This is just another good habit to learn while they are young. Can you imagine this daily happening at preschool…children coughing and sneezing into their hands and then we all join hands for a circle game, play with blocks, are in the kitchen play area, or cutting with our scissors, etc. I truly believe think this will help cut down on the spread of germs.

This paragraph is from the internet - You should really aim your cough into the crook of your elbow or your shoulder, and away from your hands. That way if you are contagious (and it is really hard to know if you aren't), the germs coming out of your mouth don’t make it onto your hands, which interact with the world by touching. Since you are less likely to touch things with your elbow or shoulder, the germs won’t spread. This isn't just for coughing. I have heard the catchy phrase "Sneeze into your sleeve" lately, too! So do like your mother told you and cover your mouth when you cough — just do it with your elbow.

FYI – Past history - In April, 1985 I was teaching preschool in Cicero, IL. Jewel food store was selling two kinds of milk, Bluebrook and Hillfarm. There was a huge salmonella outbreak. Unknown to a preschool parent, they had purchased this tainted milk and it was served at preschool the last day before Easter Vacation. A few preschoolers contracted salmonella poisoning during that week. To make a long story short…we carried out a plan of action.

1. We washed each child hands upon entering preschool. No hand sanitizer back then. When they walked in the door, we squirted shaving cream in their hands and said it was a special “snowball.” The child went straight to the bathroom sink and a staff person was there to wash each child’s hand with soap and water.

2. Every child used one specific toilet during the day. I cleaned the toilet with bleach after every use. This whole procedure lasted 6 weeks before school was out for the year. It was a time I would never want to repeat! This is nothing compared to that.

3. Let’s do what we can to minimize the problem and create an atmosphere of caring and loving concern for each child.

We hope to see you at Open House this Wednesday and Thursday.

Bring a copy of your child’s birth certificate for our files.

Don’t forget to hit REPLY when finished here.

Looking forward to another great preschool year!

Linda Stumpf

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