2 BIG National events: Drinking Water Safety & Road Safety Week
Here are some links to these 2 events.
Water Week Info
Water Week Activities
http://www.awwa.org/Portals/0/files/resources/public%20affairs/pdfs/2013DWWKidAdFINAL.pdf
Pedestrian Safety
http://www.who.int/roadsafety/week/2013/en/index.html
Be Tick Smart while you Green Up Vermont! 
Pick Up Trash - Not Ticks! On Green Up Day, The Vermont Department of Health is joining Green Up Vermont to spread a simple message about how to prevent tick–‐borne illnesses such as Lyme disease. On Saturday, May 4, over 15,000 volunteers across the state will be foraging for the trash that reveals itself when the snow melts. More than 40,000 green garbage bags will be filled with the litter that volunteers find lodged along roadsides and in tall grass or brushy areas, which is right where the ticks live. Be Tick Smart on Green Up Day, and follow three easy steps to keep yourself, children and pets safe.
• Wear long pants and tuck them into socks.
• Apply insect repellant with up to 30% DEET.
• Apply permethrin to gear and clothes.
2. Inspect
• Check yourself for ticks from head to toe.
• Shower as soon as you get home.
• Adults check children and pets for ticks.
3. Remove
• Detach ticks as soon as possible.
• Use tweezers and pull straight up to remove.
• Wash clothes immediately and dry on high heat for an hour.
For more information about tick–‐borne illness check the Health Department website
at: http://healthvermont.gov/prevent/zoonotic/tickborne/Tickborne_diseases.aspx
To find out more about Green Up Vermont go to www.greenupvermont.org
For more health news – Join the health department on Facebook www.facebook.com/HealthVermont
Follow them on Twitter https://twitter.com/healthvermont
It’s that time of year when the PE department does the Presidential Fitness Challenge in PE as well as the Long Trail Walk in PE & Recess times. The fitness challenge incorporates different skills including strength, flexability and aerobic fitness. This is an individual challenge in which goals by age are developed and scores are kept year to year to students have an opportunity to improve their scores from previous years. Additionally, we as a school will be working on walking goals. Each class will be encouraged to walk the length of the Long Trail (272 miles!). The playground has a 1/4 mile course and students will work in PE and recess times to walk. As a class, they will total their distance with the goal of walking (as a class) this entire distance. With spring allergies and unpredictable weather, this extra exercise can be enough to aggrevate asthma symptoms. As a result, we encourage students with asthma to preventatively take their inhaler prior to PE and if running at recess, then as well. In most cases, it may not be necessary, but since this is a short program that may require medication only 3-4 times, it is better to have the medication on board and not have to stop part way having not used it prior to PE. Thanks for your help having their medication here at school with a new doctor’s note for the year.
Puberty, body changes, growth and development statistically begin for most kids between 8 and 12. This information is important for students at MBS who begin these body changes during their years at our school. Traditionally, girls mature slightly sooner than boys and as a result, the 4th grade lesson for boys is directed more at hygeine and independent care techniques while the girls lesson is about female body changes including menstruation. In grade 5, boys and girls see the same movie(but in separate rooms) about body changes for both males and females. The 4th grade lesson is 1 day while the 5th grade lesson is a 2 day program. The lessons will occur the last week in March. A Parent Preview of the movies and lesson content is offered on March 12 at 6:30 for grade 4 and March 13 at 6:30 for grade 5 in the MBS Library. Please stop by and see first hand what will be covered in these classes. More information is also located on this page in the right toolbar. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me at 264-5904 or by email Mrs. Frieberg (see link on Right toolbar).
Our February 21 Day Challenge for eating more fruits and vegetables is complete. Congratulations to Mrs. Bonfigli’s class for winning with close to 100% participation!! Honorable mentions went to Mrs. McGrain, Mrs Carney & Mr. Winchester’s classes with the most improved award going to Mrs. Hunt’s class. The option of picking up emergency fruit snacks at the office from recycled unused fruit from the lunchroom was such a success that we will continue to offer this option. We hope the 21 Day challenge was successful in creating a lifestyle change in which students “Ask” for fruits and vegetables at snack. Thanks for all your support. Click the link for the final results. 21 day challenge statistics
MBS Students and staff are doing a GREAT job incorporating more fruits and vegetables both at lunch and during snacks. We are half way through our 21 day challenge and we are happy to report that ALL classrooms have improved their consumption of fruits and veges. As we enter the final days of the challenge, many classrooms are having mini challenges to continue to improve their statistics before the challenge ends just before February break. Check out these great statistics!
| Teacher | House | Grade | Baseline | Midway | Final |
| Schroeder | Harmony | 3 | 48% | 62% | |
| McGrain | Harmony | 3 | 50% | 86% | |
| Chittenden | Harmony | 4 | 35% | 59% | |
| Longchamp | Harmony | 4 | 33% | 70% | |
| Renner | Harmony | 5 | 52% | 78% | |
| Rogers | Harmony | 5 | 17% | 59% | |
| Sato | Summit | 3 | 35% | 83% | |
| Laurent | Summit | 3 | 19% | 74% | |
| Cheney | Summit | 4 | 19% | 35% | |
| Carney/Livingston | Summit | 4 | 29% | 85% | |
| DiGrande | Summit | 5 | 29% | 53% | |
| Galati | Summit | 5 | 24% | 52% | |
| O’Neill/Bibb | Lighthouse | 3 | 43% | 65% | |
| Rayner-Cyr | Lighthouse | 3 | 30% | 64% | |
| Bonfigli | Lighthouse | 3 | 56% | 93% | |
| Hunt | Lighthouse | 4 | 15% | 71% | |
| Ellingson | Lighthouse | 4 | 58% | 82% | |
| Taylor | Lighthouse | 4 | 33% | 52% | |
| Winchester/Scanlon | Lighthouse | 5 | 26% | 91% | |
| Buswell | Lighthouse | 5 | 41% | 71% | |
| Other MBS Staff | 31% |
Countless studies show most of us (adults and kids alike) don’t get the required 5-9 servings of fruits and vegetables each day. An important source of antioxidants that help our bodies heal injuries and fight off infections, February’s flu season seemed like a perfect opportunity to boost this initiative. Day 1 last week had lots of enthusiasm from staff and students alike. We hope all our MBS families join the campaign. The next time you pack a lunch, set the table or bring a food item to a party, think twice about how you can include these vital fruits and veges. Just check out these great ideas!
It’s the cold a flu season and MBS is now seeing a variety of colds, a stomach virus as well as the true “flu”. In order to keep our staff and kids as healthy as possible, we are recommending students stay home if they have:
We also ask that they do not return to school until they have 24 hours WITHOUT any symptoms and WITHOUT any medications to reduce their fever (such as tylenol or ibuprofen). We have taken steps at school to increase students handwashing and promoting etiquette (coughing into sleeves) to minimize the spread of illness. Please partner with us to minimize the spread by
Please welcome Mrs. Walker to the MBS Health Office. She is joining Mrs. Frieberg for 1/2 day each day to better serve the needs of the growing MBS and Preschool programs at Malletts Bay. Cindy Walker joined MBS in Decomber 2012. Previously she worked at UVM in their health services office. Nursing is her second career having received a bachelors degree in sociology and worked at planned parenthood and schools in other roles from nursing. She has lived in many states from Alaska to California, Minnesota to Indiana. She came to Vermont from Long Island and lives in South Hero with her husband. She has 2 grown children and 4 grandchildren who also live in Vermont. Cindy loves spending time with her family as well as many outdoor activities, especially hiking.
All reports indicate the flu season is starting earlier and hitting harder. The good news is there is plenty of flu vaccine and the vaccine is a good match to prevent this year’s flu. If you have not protected yourself and your family with a flu vaccine, call your provider today. The flu and the common cold are often confused. Click hereto learn more about the flu.
