Tainter Today

In This Issue:

Inside this issue

From Our Principal ..................... 1

From Our School Nurse .............. 2

RCU School $ense ....................... 3

Attendance Q & A ....................... 4

PBIS ............................................ 5

Important Dates to Remember and FYI’S ............................................ 6

February 2019 Volume 1, Issue 3

Dear Parents & Guardians: With winter in full force here, I need to ask for your help. We have many students coming to school without proper outdoor winter clothing. When you kiss your student goodbye in the morning, please check they are wear-ing their snow pants, coat, boots, hat and mittens every single day. Some days scarves and face masks make all the difference for them too! Students go out twice a day for recess unless the weather is below zero and more than a -10 degree wind chill. If your child outgrows winter clothing (including boots), keep us in mind as we welcome your donations. WE EVEN LOVE GLOVES WITHOUT A MATCH! If you have mittens without a matching partner, we’ll take those too because believe me….the day a child forgets or loses their glove they are grateful to borrow some from our office whether they match or not. The point is to just keep their hands warm, not to have a fashion show :) We are in the midst of winter benchmark assessment in our school. By assessing particular reading and math skillsets at various times throughout the year, it helps us determine student progress so we can adjust our curric-ular goals and strategies accordingly. Our students made terrific gains again last year as indicated by our recent Wisconsin State Report Card (where we earned a Significantly Exceeds Expectation status two years in a row). We are very fortunate to have teachers and support staff of excellence working with our students. In addition, we are fortunate to have you as parents who are actively involved in helping your child grow academically and socially. For those of you who read to your child every single night, listen to them read, practice math facts and spelling lists and/or talk to them about school and learning in a positive manner——thank you!!! Families are an integral part of why our students are doing well with their academic and social achievement. Elementary Parent/Teacher Conferences will be coming up on March 12 and 14. Please be watching for sign-ups in early February as we’d really like to see you all there as we feel it’s important to meet face-to-face to update you on your child’s progress. Enjoy the remaining weeks of winter! Do not hesitate to reach out to any of us at Tainter if you have questions or concerns. With warm regards, Jill Bennett, Principal

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Dear Parents; There are sometimes requests by parents to allow their children to remain indoors at recess. It is the philosophy of the Rice Lake Area School District that recess is just as important as academics. All students are expected to go outside during recess. Each parent is asked to dress their children for the Wisconsin weather. During inclement weather, i.e. rain, zero degrees, or below, or when the wind chill becomes -10 degrees, students will remain in the building. If a child is well enough to be in school, then he/she should be well enough to go outside for recess. If not, then maybe another day at home will help in the recovery from illness. If your child needs to be excused from phy-ed or recess due to an injury or illness, please have a physician provide written instructions for the activity limitations at school. Any notes from physicians will obviously be honored. Any other exceptions should be discussed with the building principal. Thank you, Paula Kodesh, RN School Nurse

PINKEYE (CONJUNCTIVITIS)

ConWHAT IS IT? When does it require an antibiotic?

Does my child need to stay home from

school or daycare?

Pinkeye is a condition medically known as

conjunctivitis. By definition, pinkeye is an

inflammation of the mucous membrane, the

underside of either the upper and/or lower

eyelids, and the covering of the white por-

tion of the eye.

Many people think that pinkeye is treated

with an antibiotic. That is not always the

case. It depends on the cause of the pinkeye

and the symptoms.

There are three causes of pinkeye – allergic,

viral, and bacterial. Itching or tearing is

common with all three types.

• Pollens, dust, or other materials can cause

allergic pinkeye. If the cause of the pinkeye

is allergic, the child does not need to be

excluded from school.

• Viral pinkeye is self-limited (it goes away

on its’ own). It is not treated with antibi-

otics.

Children with viral pinkeye do not need to

be excluded from school/daycare.

• Bacterial pinkeye is an infection with pus

like (yellow or green) discharge. This type

will usually need to be treated with antibi-

otics. If bacterial pinkeye is diagnosed and

treated with antibiotics, the child may re-

turn to school/daycare after 24 hours of

antibiotic use.

Viral pinkeye is spread in the same way as a

common cold. Listed below are ways to

decrease or limit the spread of pinkeye.

• Frequent hand washing in warm, soapy

water, and good hygiene

• Proper disposal of paper tissues used for

wiping nasal or eye secretions

• No sharing of towels, washcloths, pillows,

or cosmetics such as mascara/eyeliner

Keep the child comfortable.

• Apply a cold or warm compress several

times a day to relieve discomfort.

• Gently wipe edge of eyelid with a warm,

moist cotton ball to remove crusted matter.

Use a fresh cotton ball each time for each

eye.

• Do not wear contact lenses or eye makeup

until symptoms are gone.

Some schools and daycare centers may insist

that all children with pinkeye be on antibi-

otics. This policy is unwise because:

• it may facilitate antibiotic resistance (the

antibiotic becomes ineffective at treating

the infection)

• there is a possibility of an allergic reaction

to the antibiotic

• treating with an antibiotic may delay the

appropriate medical evaluation of this child

for a more serious condition

Children should see their doctor if any of the

following conditions occur.

• The pinkeye has lasted more than 7 days.

• Any clear discharge from the eye changes

from clear to a green or yellow color.

• There are signs of a more serious illness

such as vision changes, sensitivity to light,

eye pain, fever, redness or selling around

the eye, a body rash, or possible ear

pain.

• There is concern that the child may

have a foreign body in the eye.

If you have any questions about the

information in this letter, please do not

hesitate to contact your

child’s healthcare provider.

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February 2019

We LOVE learning about money!

Many students get to enjoy an extra day off of school on the third Monday of February in honor of Presi-dent’s Day. This day recognizes our first President, George Washington’s birthday on February 22, but it is also close to Abraham Lincoln’s birthday, which is February 12. Both men played such important roles in our country that we have also honored them by putting their images on our money. George Washington is on both a coin (the quarter) and currency ($1 bill). Abraham Lincoln is also on a coin (the penny) and currency ($5 bill).

Did you know that it’s against the law for a living president to have their image printed on U.S. currency? This dates back to Washington’s refusal to have his portrait printed on the U.S. dollar. In 1866, this tradition was made law by an act of Congress. Abraham Lincoln was the first president to be featured on a U.S. coin. Minted in 1909, “Lincoln Pennies” were only meant to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Lincoln’s birth. However, the coins proved so popular that they just never stopped minting them! Of course we haven’t forgotten that we also celebrate Valentine’s Day in February! Since we LOVE to see students saving at Royal Credit Union School $ense, our special reward this month will be prize bags ran-domly awarded to two savers depositing on Tuesday, February 12! The Tainter Royal School $ense is open every Tuesday during the lunch hour to help your child develop good saving habits. If you have any questions about the Royal School $ense program please contact Jackie Molden at jackie.molden@rcu.org or by calling 715-234-3319 ext 6954.

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Attendance Q & A

When Should I Be Filling Out A Pre-Excused Absence Form?

These need to be used for all planned medical/dental /counseling/therapy appointments as

well as any family vacations. Note: we strongly encourage you to schedule these outside of

the school day or on non-school days if possible. You can print this form from the district

website>Schools>Tainter Elementary>Parent/Student Resources>Pre-Excused Form.

I Need to Change the End-Of-The Day Pickup ----What Do I Do?

Please do everything possible to NOT change the end of the day pick-up routine for your

child. We cannot stress to you how much anxiety it produces in children when there is

change to their routine---to the point that for many kids they are barely able to function the

remainder of the day.

If you must change the routine, please call the office no later than 1 PM to ensure that

children/teachers will receive messages on time.

Why Did I Receive a Letter about My Child’s Attendance?

Rice Lake Area School District follows statutory requirements for school attendance. Some-

times parents are not always aware of how often their child has been tardy or absent until

they see it on paper. At the RLASD elementary schools, we send out courtesy reminder

letters about the importance of attendance once a child has had five or ten absences.

Reminder: Please do not email or call teachers about your child’s absence or end of the day pick-up plans. This is because teachers do not have the time to be checking messages as their primary duty during the day is active teaching. Always contact the Tainter Office by phone at (715) 234-8065 and talk with one of the secretaries in regard to all absences or changes of plans.

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Dear Tainter Families, On behalf of the Tier 1 PBIS Team, I hope you had all had a wonderful holiday season! We know that the holidays are a great time for students to take a break, rest, and come back recharged and ready to learn for the second stretch of the school year. We started our time back from break with some “booster” activities. These “boosters” were specific re-teachings of what the Warrior Way looks like in our school. Students spent time with their teachers review-ing what safety, respect, and responsibility looks like. The goal of this was to help get students back into the routine of school and help them come back to a successful second half of the year. Students also were introduced to a new morning recess choice on Fridays. Each Friday, students will have the choice of either going outside (either after their arrival or after breakfast) or walking in the gym. We are calling this Fitness Fridays. Students can walk calmly in the gym at their own pace, either by themselves, with friends, or with the teachers on duty. Look for updates in the future about Fitness Friday and be sure to ask your student about their participation! I’ll close with some information on our office discipline referrals (ODRs) for the month of December.

87% of students at Tainter had ZERO ODRs 6% of students at Tainter had 1 ODR 5% of students at Tainter had 2 or more ODRs

This means a vast majority of our students met the Warrior Way expectations throughout the month. What an amazing accomplishment!

Miss Lindsey Rick 4th Grade Teacher, Tainter Elementary PBIS Internal Coach

Important Dates to Remember

Mid-February : Parent/Teacher Conference Sign-up opens

February 14th: Classroom Valentine Parties

February 16th: Parent Group Sweetheart Dance 2-4:30 p.m.

February 18th: In-service (ELEMENTARY ONLY)

February 25th-March 1st: Dr. Seuss Week

March 12th and 14th: Parent Teacher Conferences (4:00-7:00 p.m.)

March 29th: In-service (ALL Levels)

April 15-19th: Spring Break

Yearbook pre-orders due by February 12th. Cost is $14.00

Christmas Programs can be viewed at: ricelaketv.viebit.com