February 15, 2018 Barton Creek Elementary
NORMAL SCHOOL DAY ON MONDAY, FEBRUARY 19th! WEATHER MAKE UP DAY FOR STUDENTS & STAFF.
Blue Jay Bulletin
MESSAGE FROM PRINCIPAL PHELPS
BCE Families -
As a parent of school-aged children and an educator entrusted with the leadership of this special campus, my heart and mind are flooded with feelings of sorrow and thoughts of support for everyone affected by the tragic events in Florida yesterday. I mimic the words of Dr. Leonard when I say that I am 100% committed to keeping our students safe. The safety team at BCE currently meets on a regular basis and we will likely be rolling out some necessary changes and additions to further tighten up some of our current procedures. Although this may feel inconvenient at first, we hope that you will see the safety benefits and partner with us through this process. As I've mentioned on several occasions, BCE students have been and will always be at the center of every decision I make. I welcome your suggestions and feedback. Please use the "Suggestion Box" below to submit any comments or ideas you have or feel free to send me an email directly.
On a brighter note, the next big event on the school calendar is the Blue Jay Jam Carnival on March 3rd, 11am-4pm! This is a fabulous event for the school and community, but it takes a lot of help to pull off! The Carnival team is working hard to get ready and will need many volunteers to help the day of the event (sign ups are open now at www.bcebooster.org).
We are in need of donations to the Silent Auction! This is one of the biggest fundraisers that the Booster Club has during the year and donations are down. We know how many things you've been asked to contribute throughout the year and we appreciate any way you can help! The list of grade-level themes is below. If you'd like to use your creativity and contribute something that is not on the list, feel free to contact Laya and Nancy at president@bcebooster.org!
Class basket themes:
Kinder - Arts & crafts
1st - Austin experiences (event & activities)
2nd - LEGOs, puzzles, outdoor fun
3rd - Massage & Spa
4th - New kid bestseller books, new adult bestseller books, board games
5th - Kitchen & food (maybe instant pot themed)
For more information or to purchase Tickets, Wristbands or Bundles (*new this year), visit www.bcebooster.org.
Thank you for helping to make this the best Carnival yet!
Wishing you a safe and peaceful night with your loved ones.
Tiffany Phelps
BCE STAFF SPOTLIGHT
Created by 4th Grade Social Media Team
SEND A STAFF MEMBER A SHOUT OUT!
SUGGESTION BOX
NURSE'S NOTE: FLU & STREP
The flu and strep throat are prevalent at BCE right now. A person can get "the flu" more than once a season because there are different strains (e.g., H3N2 or H1N1) and types (A and B) of the influenza virus. Many of our students with flu type B did not have fever. Students with strep throat may not have fever, either. I've curated some information from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) website to help you stay up-to-date.
Influenza-Associated Pediatric Deaths in the U.S. 2010-2016
February 12, 2018 – A CDC study published in the journal Pediatrics shows just how vulnerable U.S. children are to the flu each year. The study, titled "Influenza-Associated Pediatric Deaths in the United States, 2010-2016," analyzed reported flu-related deaths in children younger than 18 over the course of six flu seasons from October 2010 through September 2016. Results showed that half of flu-related deaths occurred in otherwise healthy children, 27% of whom had not received a seasonal flu vaccination.
This study stresses how quickly the flu can become life-threatening for children. Nearly two-thirds of children died within seven days of developing symptoms. Over one-third died at home or in the emergency department prior to hospital admission. This is a reminder that parents should seek prompt medical care for young children and children at high risk for flu complications with flu symptoms. During all six seasons, mortality rates were highest in children younger than 2 years of age. Flu A viruses were associated with the majority of deaths in children (65%), while flu B viruses accounted for 33% of deaths. Clinical complications were reported for 75% of children, with the most common being pneumonia (41%) and sepsis (31%).
https://www.cdc.gov/flu/news/flu-death-children.htm
Influenza Return-to-School Policy
Although experts know that influenza is contagious whether fever is present or not for at least one day before symptoms appear until at least 5-7 days afterward, public health policy allows students to return to school as soon as they are fever-free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication. I wish we had a better policy. I wonder what would happen if everyone with the flu stayed home for at least 48 hours after starting Tamiflu (which reduces but does not eliminate viral shedding) or for the entire contagious period, if possible?
https://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/disease/spread.htm
https://www.cdc.gov/flu/school/qa.htm
Influenza Cleaning & Disinfecting
Most studies have shown that the flu virus can live and potentially infect a person for only 2 to 8 hours after being deposited on a surface. Therefore, it is not necessary to close schools to clean or disinfect every surface in the building to slow the spread of flu. Flu viruses are relatively fragile, so standard cleaning and disinfecting practices are sufficient to remove or kill them.
https://www.cdc.gov/flu/pdf/freeresources/updated/cleaning_disinfecting_schools.pdf
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BARTON CREEK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
1314 Patterson Road, Austin, Texas 78746
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