The following are guidelines to ensure a healthy learning environment where each student’s potential to learn and grow is maximized.

Please keep your child home if any of the following occurs:

• Temperature of 100 degrees or higher within the last 24 hours     
  • A student must be fever-free for 24 hours, without the use of medication to mask the symptoms.
• Vomiting or diarrhea within the last 24 hours
• Rash of unknown cause
• Persistent cough, runny nose, congestion, fatigue, or body aches  (not related to allergies)
• Redness, itching, or discharge from eyes  (not related to allergies)
• Students with Strep Throat need to be treated with antibiotics for 24 hours before returning to school.
• ​​​​​​​Weeping cold sores or other lesions (such as Impetigo) until under treatment

Why:

• To protect your child from exposure to other illness before he/she is able to build resistance.
• To protect other students and staff from a communicable disease that your child may transmit.

REMEMBER hand-washing is the most effective means of protecting the spread of communicable diseases.  Remind your children to wash their hands frequently and cover their nose and mouths when coughing and sneezing.  Enclose hand wipes in your child’s backpack and lunch box to ensure cleaner hands throughout the school day!

BREAKFAST – Don’t leave without it!

Many students come to school without eating breakfast.  If they are hungry they may feel light-headed, dizzy, restless, or inattentive.  They may complain of a headache or stomachache.  Their ability to learn will be impaired.  Please encourage your child to eat a nutritious food and beverage before leaving for school.  If students are unable to eat breakfast at home, please encourage them to buy breakfast in the school cafeteria!

Health and education go hand-in-hand.  Students will perform better academically if they are healthy and physically fit.  Students are encouraged to EAT RIGHT, EXERCISE, and ENERGIZE. 

• All students should start their day with a nutritious breakfast.  They will perform, behave, and feel better in school.  Remember, if your child is running late or can not eat when first waking up, the CCMS cafeteria serves breakfast daily.
• Add colorful fruits and vegetables to your child’s diet.  Children need vitamins, minerals, and fiber to stay healthy.  Try the “5 A Day” serving your family 5 fruits and 5 vegetables each day.  For more information, go to www.5aday.org.
• Encourage your child to remain active.  There are many after-school programs here at CCMS that challenge students to be physically fit.

Developing healthy habits is the POSITIVE way to start the school year.

School Breakfast Information:

Serving Time is 1/2 hour before school starts   

• Breakfast is freefor students who qualify for free meals.
• Breakfast isfree for students who qualify for reduced cost of meals.

 Breakfast items include milk, juices, cold cereal, bagels, yogurt, graham crackers, and fresh fruit.

All students are welcome every day!

The month of May is Lyme Disease Awareness Month.

Lyme disease is an acute inflammatory disease caused by the bite of a tick.   Lyme disease is spread through the bite of ticks which carry Borrelia burgdorferi bacterium.

Untreated Lyme disease can produce a wide range of symptoms, depending on the stage of infection. These include fever, rash, facial paralysis, and arthritis.  Seekmedical attention if you observe any of these symptoms and have had a tick bite, live in an area known for Lyme disease, or have recently traveled to an areawhere lyme disease occurs.     (http://www.cdc.gov/lyme/stats/index.html).

Perform daily tick checks.   Always check for ticks after being outdoors, even in your own yard. Because ticks must usually be attached for at least a day before they can transmit the bacteria that cause Lyme disease, early removal can reduce the risk of infection.  (CDC.gov) 

Early Signs and Symptoms of Lyme Disease (3 to 30 days after tick bite)

• Fever, chills, headache, fatigue, muscle and joint aches, and swollen lymph nodes
• Erythema migrans (EM) rash:
  • Occurs in approximately 70 to 80 percent of infected persons
  • Begins at the site of a tick bite after a delay of 3 to 30 days (average is about 7 days)
  • Expands gradually over a period of days reaching up to 12 inches or more (30 cm) across
  • May feel warm to the touch but is rarely itchy or painful
  • Sometimes clears as it enlarges, resulting in a target or “bull's-eye” appearance
  • May appear on any area of the body
  • See examples of EM rashes(http://www.cdc.gov/lyme/signs_symptoms/rashes.html)

Later Signs and Symptoms (days to months after tick bite)

• Severe headaches and neck stiffness
• Additional EM rashes on other areas of the body
• Arthritis with severe joint pain and swelling, particularly the knees and other large joints.
• Facial or Bell's palsy (loss of muscle tone or droop on one or both sides of the face)
• Intermittent pain in tendons, muscles, joints, and bones
• Heart palpitations or an irregular heart beat
• (Lyme carditis(http://www.cdc.gov/lyme/signs_symptoms/lymecarditis.html))
• Episodes of dizziness or shortness of breath
• Inflammation of the brain and spinal cord
• Nerve pain
• Shooting pains, numbness, or tingling in the hands or feet
• Problems with short-term memory                            

If you find a tick attached to your skin, there's no need to panic. Several tick removal devices are available on the market, but a plain set of fine-tipped tweezers will remove a tick effectively.

How to remove a tick

1. Use fine-tipped tweezers to grasp the tick as close to the skin's surface as possible.
2. Pull upward with steady, even pressure. Don't twist or jerk the tick; this can cause the mouth-parts to break off and remain in the skin. If this happens, remove the mouth-parts with tweezers. If you are unable to remove the mouth easily with clean tweezers, leave it alone and let the skin heal.
3. After removing the tick, thoroughly clean the bite area and your hands with rubbing alcohol, an iodine scrub, or soap and water.
4. Dispose of a live tick by submersing it in alcohol, placing it in a sealed bag/container, wrapping it tightly in tape, or flushing it down the toilet. Never crush a tick with your fingers.

Follow-up

If you develop a rash or fever within several weeks of removing a tick, see your doctor. Be sure to tell the doctor about your recent tick bite, when the bite occurred, and where you most likely acquired the tick.

Helpful Hint

Avoid folklore remedies such as "painting" the tick with nail polish or petroleum jelly, or using heat to make the tick detach from the skin. Your goal is to remove the tick as quickly as possible--do not wait for it to detach.

National Inhalants and Poisons Awareness Week (NIPAW) occurs each year during March. NIPAW is a community-level, all-inclusive program designed toincrease understanding about the abuse and risks of inhalants.

Also known as "huffing," "dusting," or "bagging," inhalant abuse is the deliberate concentration or sniffing of fumes, vapors or gases from common products found in homes, communities and schools for the purpose of "getting high." You're more than likely familiar with many of these substances - spray paint, aerosols, glue, markers, correction fluid, computer dusters, body sprays, and others; however, you probably don't know that there are more than 1,400 everyday products that are very dangerous when inhaled. It's important to stress that when used as intended, these products are safe, serve a useful purpose and enhance our quality of life, but when intentionally misused they can inflict irreversible damage to the body and be deadly.

Listed below are links to websites for additional info on inhalant and other substance abuse issues.

• The National Inhalant Prevention Coalition - www.inhalants.org
• The Alliance for Consumer Education - www.inhalant.org
• The Partnership for a Drug Free America - www.drugfree.org

DANGEROUS NEW HIGH:  “THE CHOKING GAME IS RISKY BUSINESS”

You may not know about “the choking game,” but your kids do.  An increasing number of pre-teens and adolescents nationwide are playing with their lives in this risky, potentially deadly game that has been called “asphyxiation roulette.” 

The game is played to induce fainting: Passing-out and coming-to create feelings of mild euphoria.  Kids consider it a “safe” high, because there are no drugs or alcohol involved.  But the results can be devastating.

Watch for these physical and emotional warning signs:

• Bloodshot eyes
• Tiny red dots on face
• Headaches
• Bruising, marks on neck
• Aggressive attitude
• Disorientation after being alone
• Privacy demands
• Curiosity about asphyxiation
• Increased irritability
• Locked/blocked doors
• Ligature items
• Scuff marks on furniture

There’s a wealth of information online to help educate yourself and your children:

• www.chokinggameinformation.com  
• www.thedbfoundation.com  
• www.stop-the-choking-game.com  
• www.gaspinfo.com  

This is article is courtesy of Jason Upchurch, Advertising Department Copywriter, Times Herald-Record.

How to Protect Your Child from Diabetes:

Obesity is one of the leading risk factors for developing Type 2 diabetes in childhood, but it doesn’t have to affect your family.  Try these 5 tips from the National Institute of Health to help your child maintain a healthy weight.

1. Set guidelines for how long your child can watch television or play video games.
2. Plan family activities that involve exercise.
3. Eat meals together around the table.
4. Involve your child in meal planning and shopping.
5. Keep healthy snacks on hand.

Many studies show obesity may be to blame for high rates of childhood diabetes.  Do you know how to protect your children?  For information about children and diabetes, call the Diabetes Treatment Center at Orange Regional Medical Center at 845-342-7555.

This article is courtesy of Orange Regional Medical Center.

Below please find important contact information and websites that can provide you with more information on specific health and safety topics.

THE HUDSON VALLEY POISON CENTER 1-800-222-1222

 Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline 1-800-422-4453

•  American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology 1-800-822-ASMA
• American Cancer Society 1-800-ACS-2345
• American Dental Association 1-800-621-8099
• ADA Diabetes Information Services 1-800-DIABETES
• Al-Anon Family Group Headquarters 1-800-356-9996
• American Heart Association 1-800-AHA-USA1
• American Red Cross 1-800-442-5980
• CDC – Center for Disease Control National Hotline - 24 hours / 7 Days a Week 1-800-232-4636
• Growing Up Healthy 1-800-522-5006
• Mental Health Association in Orange County - 24 Hours / 7Days a Week 1-800-832-1200 / 845-294-9355
• National Child Safety Council 1-800-327-5107
• Orange County Eating Disorders Coalition 845-294-7411 ext. 248
• Orange County Helpline – “Coping with emotional distress, food, shelter, employment.” 1-800-899-1479

HEALTH AND SAFETY WEB SITES:

• CDC - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• New York State Department of Health
• National Capital Poison Center
• Child Health Plus – “New York State’s Health Insurance Plan for Kids”
• AAP - American Academy of Pediatrics
• Al-Anon / Alateen   “Is your life affected by someone’s drinking?”
• Allergy and Asthma Network Mothers of Asthmatics
• American Lung Association
• Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network
• Teen Smoking: How To “Kick Butt” And Stay Smoke-Free
• ADA - American Dietetic Association
• Nutrition - “Smart Nutrition Starts Here.”
• “Steps to a Healthier You”
• “The Importance of Being Sun-Safe”

 All 6th grade students who are eleven years old must receive the Tdap immunization before the first day of school in September.  Due to recent revisions, students entering 6th grade are now required to have 2 doses of the Varicella vaccine (Chickenpox). Students are also required to have a minimum of 3 doses of Polio vaccine.  However,  one dose of Polio vaccine must be administered AFTER AGE 4.  Many students already have the required doses of Varicella and Polio vaccines.  Please check with your Health Care Provider to make sure your child has all the needed immunizations.  You must provide written documentation from your Health Care Provider, to the Cornwall Central Middle School Health Office, by the first day of school in September.  Students "out of compliance" will be excluded from school in accordance with NYS Public Health Law.   For more information, please read “ IMMUNIZATION UPDATES” at this web site.

In accordance with NYS Department of Health, Public Health Law 2164, all children entering 7th grade on or after September 1, are now required to receive a vaccine against meningococcal disease.  (Brand names: Menactra or Menveo)  Students who receive this vaccine in 6th grade fulfill the 7th grade requirement.  Medical documentation must be provided to the CCMS Health Office by the first day of school in September.  For more information please see NYSDOH Meningococcal Disease Fact Sheet by clicking here. In addition, all SEVENTH GRADE STUDENTS are required by New York State Law to have a physical examination.  A copy of the Health Certificate must be provided to the CCMS Health Office by October 1.   

A dental examination is also requested, but not required, for students entering seventh grade.