A Quarterly Newsletter - Issue 10 - December 2018
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DCSD Nurses Wish all of Our Families, Students and Staff Warm Wishes for a Happy and Healthy Holiday Season!
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Resources to assist with Holiday Stress and Blues:
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Healthy and Safe Winter Habits
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- Wear layers of clothing including water resistant gear.
- Shoes and Boots: your students' feet need protection too. Running inside for P.E. classes requires tennis shoes that fit. Outside, the weather may require snow boots. Sandals don't protect your toes and may cause injuries in snow and ice.
- Gloves and Mittens: always keep on hand as temperatures can change quickly.
- Germs and Illness like the Winter! Help us maintain a healthy school environment with frequent hand washing and keeping your students home with signs and symptoms of illness.
- Bus stops, parking lots and stairs get wet and icy. Encourage your students to slow down and use appropriate handrails.
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Health Tip:
"Kindness is a Gift Everyone Can Afford to Give"
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Your 2018 School Nurse Consultants
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Is My Kid Old Enough?
Helpful Tips from Children’s Hospital
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Some parents might buy a 10-year-old their first cell phone, while others might not buy their children a cell phone until middle or high school years. One of your children may be itching to go to a sleepover at age 7 while your 13-year-old shows absolutely no interest. Every child is different, but are there some general guidelines parents can follow as their children get older and become more independent?
Children’s Hospital Colorado asked Dr. Mindy Solomon, associate professor of psychiatry and clinical program director of their eating disorder program, and Dr. Christopher Stille, professor of pediatrics and section head of general pediatrics, to answer questions such as the right age for pets, cell phones, chores and staying home alone.
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Crafts: Create a Kindness Tree
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Materials
- Flowers made from colored paper
- A tree (trunk, branches, leaves) made of construction paper, taped to a wall
Directions
- Make a "Kindness Tree" with your children, and show them how to make it bloom.
- Comprehend kindness: Have your children name ways that they can be nice to people. Ask questions to prompt ideas: What can you say to make someone feel better when they're sad? How can you help each other every day? What special things can you do to show your friends you like them?
- Count kindness: Each day, ask your children to share ways that they have been kind or helpful to a friend or family member, or ways that a friend or family member has been kind to them.
- Commemorate kindness: Write down each example on a paper flower and tape it to the tree.
Take It Further
Have your children take photos of people who have been kind. Encourage them to make drawings to illustrate their experiences. Add these photos and drawings to your Kindness Tree.
With a Group
With a group of children participating, your Kindness Tree will bloom even more! Help children read the flowers: Can they find their names? Can they find the names of their friends?
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The Eight Things Kids Need to Thrive
article from Children’s Hospital Colorado
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“In an era of aggressive marketing toward kids and parents alike, many parents wonder what kids actually need. Turns out, there's a pretty clear answer. "Years of research in child development have identified eight essential requirements for kids to become happy, successful adults," says Harley Rotbart, MD, a nationally-renowned parenting expert and vice chair emeritus of Pediatrics at Children's Colorado. "And none of them involve high-tech gadgets, video games or fancy clothes."
- Security - Kids must feel safe and sound, with their basic survival needs met: shelter, food, clothing, medical care and protection from harm.
- Stability - Stability comes from family and community. Ideally, a family remains together in a stable household, but when that's not possible, it's important to disrupt the child's life as little as possible. Kids and families should be a part of larger units to give them a sense of belonging, tradition and cultural continuity.
- Consistency - No "good cop, bad cop." Parents should synchronize their parenting and make sure important values stay consistent.
- Emotional support - Parents' words and actions should encourage kids' trust, respect, self-esteem and, ultimately, independence.
- Love - Saying and showing you love your kids can overcome almost any parenting "mistakes" you might make. Even when your kids have disobeyed, angered, frustrated and rebelled against you, show them you love them and that you'll always love them.
- Education - Make sure your kids get the best possible education for their future. This includes school, of course, but it also includes the invaluable life lessons you provide during the time you spend together.
- Positive role models - Parents are their kids' first and most important role models. Instill your values and teach children empathy by being the kind of person you want them to become.
- Structure - Rules, boundaries, and limits: Without them, kids are forced to be adults before they are ready, and they lose respect for you and other adults.
The "miracle solution": kids need time!
Perhaps the most important factor of all is time. Without enough time to spend with kids and be a parent, "You miss out on the wonderful privileges of parenting," Dr. Rotbart says. "And kids miss out on some of their needs."
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Respite Resources for Families
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Respite care provides temporary care for individuals with a disability or chronic illness. This can be during the day, overnight or for weeks at a time. Respite care is is an important part of the overall support for individuals and families. Respite gives families time to relax and renew their energy, pursue new activities, improve a family's ability to manage daily responsibilities and maintain stability, and to feel less isolated. Social and community support can reduce the stress experienced by families and help ease adjustment periods.
See available support services within our community below.
Go to
Easter Seals
and click on specific programs for more information.
Discovery Club. This occurs on specific Saturdays, September through May at various locations. Clients are ages 6-21. They can participate in a day packed with activities and fun! The sites are in Aurora, Boulder, Ft Collins, Highlands Ranch, and Northglenn. Each of these sites offers nursing care from 10:00am-
4:
00.pm
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They take students of all abilities and their siblings.
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Colorado Health Advisory
Youth Vape Use and Nicotine Addiction
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The most recent Youth Risk Behavior Survey from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that Colorado leads the nation in youth use of vapor products, known as vape or e-cigarettes. These products have become increasingly popular in recent years and are the second most used substance among Colorado teens behind alcohol. One in four Colorado teens report that they vape.
JUUL is a new vaping device that looks like a flash drive and always contains nicotine in high dosages. Nicotine is the addictive substance found in vape and cigarettes. One small “pod” contains as much nicotine as a pack of cigarettes. JUUL has skyrocketed in popularity and is now estimated to be more than 70 percent of the US e-cigarette market.
One in three Colorado high school students report using nicotine products and the vast majority of those vape.
- Youth who vape are uniquely at risk for long-lasting effects of exposing their developing brains to nicotine. These risks include nicotine addiction, mood disorders and permanent lowering of impulse control.
- Nicotine also changes the way synapses (connections between brain cells) are formed, which can harm the parts of the brain that control attention and learning.
- Teens who vape are more likely to start smoking cigarettes or cigars, products that kill up to half of their users.
- Kids don’t realize vape product almost always contain nicotine. While nearly all teens know smoking cigarettes is unhealthy, fewer realize vape products are not good for their health.
- Vapor products expose bystanders to air pollutants that are not safe to breathe. These can include cancer-causing chemicals, heavy metals and nicotine.
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Recipe: Cheesy Baked Pasta with Spinach and Artichokes
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Serves 4
Ingredients:
- 8 ounces mezzi rigatoni or another short pasta
- 1, 14-ounce can artichoke hearts, rinsed and quartered
- 1, 9-ounce package frozen creamed spinach, thawed
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan
- 2 cups grated mozzarella
- Black pepper
Directions:
- Cook the pasta according to the package directions, drain and return it to the pot. Heat broiler.
- Add the artichoke hearts, spinach, Parmesan, half the mozzarella and ¼ teaspoon pepper to the pasta. Toss to combine.
- Transfer the mixture to a shallow 2-quart (or 8-inch square) broiler proof baking dish and sprinkle with remaining mozzarella.
- Broil until the cheese is browned in spots, 2 to 3 minutes.
Your School Nurse Consultants say "bon appétit"!
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Reminders for 2018-2019 School Year
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- Be familiar with your school's attendance policy.
- Update emergency contact information.
- Complete medication paperwork.
- Update immunizations or yearly exemptions.
- Update parent portal health information.
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