News from the Principal

Don't Forget...Fall Back this Weekend

This weekend marks the end of daylight saving time. Don't forget to set your clocks back one hour on Saturday night.

We're on TV on Saturday Evening

Our Wild about Reading award will be televised during the pre-game show of the Wild game on Saturday, Oct. 31 between 6:00 and 6:30. It will be broadcast on Fox Sports Net (channel 52 with Comcast in Saint Paul).

Friday is Costume Day

Just a reminder that Friday is costume day. Of course, this is completely voluntary and up to individual families. It is not intended to be scary, have anything to do with terrorism, or anything unfit for the learning environment. The kids (and many of the staff) do love to be in costume for a day, and it really does not affect classroom learning. If it did affect classroom learning we would discontinue our annual tradition. It is a day to lighten up on the dress code and have a little fun.

Precautionary Lockdown

Today we had a precautionary lockdown. This was more than a drill; it was the real thing. A former Randolph Heights employee who was acting erratic and volatile told a district employee that he was on his way to Randolph Heights. We acted completely proactively so as to err on the side of safety. He never did show up at school, but we are not taking any chances. We will have a guard at Randolph Heights for the rest of the week for the purpose of ensuring everyone's safety. It is perfectly safe to be at school.

H1N1 Update

October 19, 2009

Dear Randolph Heights families,

I’m writing to you today to make sure you have the most up to date information on a situation that has come to have an impact on our school. You and your child are the cornerstones of our community and keeping you up to date on issues that affect us is an important goal for us.

In the past few days, we have had a number of students who have shown symptoms of influenza-like illness. While there has been a lot of media attention on the influenza known as H1N1, we don’t definitively know whether the illnesses we have seen in our school are that strain. What we do know is that no matter if these symptoms are linked directly to H1N1 or not, the treatment for all influenza is similar:
•    People with influenza-type illnesses should stay home until at least 24 hours after there is no longer a fever or signs of a fever, even without the help of medicine. Children under 5-years-old who are experiencing symptoms of influenza-like illness should stay home for at least seven days after there is no longer a fever or signs of a fever Keeping them in a separate room from other household members when possible.
•    Properly cover coughs and sneezes while cleaning hands with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand rub often and especially after coughing or sneezing.
•    Monitor the health of the sick child and other household members by checking for fever and other symptoms of flu including a fever of at least 100-degrees Fahrenheit.
•    Make sure sick household members get plenty of rest and drink clear fluids such as water, broth, sports drinks or electrolyte beverages for infants.
•    Check with your doctor, including asking about proper medications and any special care needed for members of your household who may be at high risk for complications from influenza, including:
o    children under 5 years old,
o    pregnant women,
o    anyone with chronic medical condition, such as asthma, diabetes or heart disease
o    people at least 65 years old.

At this time, we are not closing school. Having some of our students becoming ill is not unexpected and Saint Paul Public Schools nurses have been in regular contact with outside health professionals. We are cooperating with them and getting constant feedback on how to best proceed as our community works to best prevent the spread of influenza and to best care for students and staff who have influenza-like illness. Health professionals continue to tell us that in addition to the tips I’ve already listed, the best defense is to regularly wash our hands.

Be assured that providing a safe learning environment is the highest priority us. If there are further updates, we will let our community know though letters, phone messages and the websites of our school (www.randolph.org) and our district (www.spps.org).

As always, if you have questions regarding this, feel free to call me at (651) 293-8780. And thank you for your support of your child and Randolph Heights.

Sincerely,

Nancy Flynn
Principal

Wear Your WILD Gear to show we're WILD about Reading!

Next Wednesday, October 14, is our WILD about Reading assembly. It is a celebration of making the largest reading gains in the district. As a reward for this accomplishment, Brad Bombardir, former Wild player and current Director of Community Partnerships for the Wild and Nordy, the mascot, will be presenting us with our own Stanley Cup. All students are encouraged to wear whatever Wild gear they may have. They may even wear Wild baseball caps or hats at the assembly.

NO FLU CLINIC AT RANDOLPH HEIGHTS

Unfortunately, we were not able to get a slot for the flu clinics in the schools. So please go to your health provider or the nearest Cub Foods to get your flu shots this fall. The seasonal flu vaccine is already out, and the H1N1 should be out in early October.

Band Sign-Up

Now is the time for all fifth and sixth graders interested in playing in the Randolph Heights band to sign up. All fifth and sixth graders will be receiving forms in their homerooms today. If interested, please get the forms back to school as soon as possible, as band is on a first-come, first-served basis.

No Cable, No Controversy

Not that there should be ANY controversy over showing the President of the United States on television addressing our students, we do not have cable so we will not be showing the president’s speech live this morning. His message is not about health care, abortion, gay rights, or the economy. His message is to work hard and stay in school.  He tells students, “If you quit on school you’re not just quitting on yourself, you’re quitting on your country.” He supports the notion that education is the key to personal success, and to the success of the nation – not even close to controversial. Even Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said the furor over the speech is “just silly.” While we cannot see the speech live, I have left it up to the teachers to decide whether or not to show the speech sometime this week. In January, I mandated watching the inauguration. That was an historical event. This speech, while worthwhile to hear, is not an historical event. Former presidents Reagan and Bush both addressed students on the first day of school during their terms. If your child does not have the opportunity to view the speech at school, you can always view it with your child and reinforce the message at home.

So Many Kindergartners, So Little Room

We have so many neighborhood kindergartners that we are adding a third class of kindergartners for the 2009-2010 school year. The pro to this is that it means much smaller classes. The con is that it means a bubble moving through the grades in subsequent years. One of our kindergarten teachers will most likely teach first grade in 2010-2011 and then we'll assess our numbers from that year forward. We've always known what a great school Randolph Heights is. Now, so does everyone else!