Parent Association Meeting - 11.16.10

The November Parent Association meeting was held on Tuesday, 11/16, 2010 in a classroom on the second floor of the school. The meeting began at 7:00 p.m.

Recycling Programs (L. Bahnck, Third Grade Class)

Several third grade students presented to the group about their recycling projects and a new initiative to recycle more items during the school year. The first project was a fund raiser for polar bears; the class reported that they raised $100. Mrs. Bahnck explained that when they began to discuss how they could do other things to help the polar bears, the students realized that if they began to take actions to protect the overall environment, it could have an impact. As a result, they decided to start a recycling program at the school which involves collecting for recycling plastic bottles, sandwich bags and juice boxes. Each week, the class weighed the trash at recess to assess the impact of their efforts. The first week the weight of the trash was 78.4 pounds in one day. During the following week the weight went down to 67.5 pounds. The items that can be recycled include Ziploc sandwich bags and Capri Sun juice bags. The students explained that the items they collect are taken to a company called Terra, which gives coupons back to the school for the products and then reuses these products to make recycled goods. The students also announced that they will be collecting plastic bags at the school, and that they will be taking the bags to Macy’s, where they will ultimately be used to make fleece blankets to give to people who need them. Any and all participation in these programs is welcomed, and the third grade will continue to provide other recycling suggestions to the school and will construct an informative website, so stay tuned!

St. Peter’s School Service Committee (J. Penrod)

Jackie Penrod reminded attendees that the Service Committee is available to document and facilitate good deeds completed by our students. Please feel free to share, with a photo, any good deeds that students have completed. For persons looking for charities to support or good deeds to do, there is a directory of organizations and websites posted on the bulletin board in the parlor. Feel free to look at this information and share it with family members as you feel it is appropriate.

Jackie also reminded everyone of the school wide winter coat drive - also a great way to recycle clothing that you no longer use or need. Donations of gently used coats, new hats, mittens, gloves and toiletries are gratefully accepted and will be distributed to a womens’ homeless shelter, a needy elementary school and a local outreach program that helps homeless men, many of whom are veterans.

The next school wide initiative will be to coordinate activities that students can participate in to commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King in January. If anyone knows of any programs that may be appropriate for our students, suggestions will be appreciated.

A question was raised as to whether there would be a school-wide toy drive for the holidays. No general drive is planned by the Parent Association or school administration; however, parents and class parents are always encouraged to pursue any good deed initiatives. It was noted that in the past, the Upper School had conducted a toy drive for the holidays. No one knew of any such drive being held so far for this year.

Finally, it was announced that Ms. Kulick’s second grade class is collecting wine corks for their Spring Auction project and that anyone wishing to donate corks should bring them to Ms. Kulick.

Harvest Festival Update (K. Donato, C. Towers)

Kate Donato extended a gracious thank you to the class parents for pulling together great baskets for the Harvest Festival auction. She announced that the baskets brought in about $3,000 to support the festival.

Cindy Towers extended a thank you to Jim King for chairing this year’s event. The results from post-festival survey were great and that 85 persons responded. In summary, Cindy noted that the haunted house was sorely missed (Laura Murray indicated that she and Stephen have already agreed to do it next year), and that favorite events included the rides, food, décor and ambience, and, last but not least, the dunk tank. Cindy stated that there were great suggestions for next year; many were added in the free text section of the survey. People love the festival for its friendly atmosphere and the chance to spend time with friends and let the kids have a happy experience. Cindy added that over 120 volunteer slots were filled by families in the school, and that the festival generated significant funds. Final numbers will be shared as soon as they are available.

School Administration Events

Talk & Tour

A Talk & Tour about the school‘s science and math programs was held on October 26. There were a number of events at the school during that week and the Talk & Tour was not well attended. However, it was a good program and those that did attend really enjoyed it. Please continue to watch the bulletin and attend one of these events if possible. If you have an idea for a Talk & Tour topic, please contact Brit Munsterteiger.

Open House

The school’s second open house was held on November 7, and it was successful. A little over 30 families attended and the event was well staffed with volunteers. It was noted that the students who volunteered did a terrific job representing the school.

Family Survey

The results of the survey that was taken at the beginning of the school year are being assembled and a report will be out soon - hopefully in time for the next Parent Association meeting.

Playground Equipment

The safety of the playground equipment was addressed next. It was acknowledged that another child fell from the equipment recently and was injured. Karen Bromberg said that school administration notes that it is, in general, smaller kids who are falling and getting hurt so the Early Childhood Division has developed some new rules. Specifically, no children from the ECD will be permitted to play on the monkey bars. The administration is continuing to evaluate the situation and will make other changes if they are needed. A suggestion was made to have the children from the ECD play on the West Lawn rather than in the parking lot; this was thought to be a great idea. Any persons with other ideas should contact Karen Bromberg or Cindy Towers and they will forward to the administration.

Karen Bromberg noted that the Parent Association has asked to have someone from the Board of Trustees attend a Parent Association meeting to share the Board’s ideas and future planning for the playground area. It is therefore important to submit any comments or thoughts about this issue to the Board or, if you wish to remain anonymous, to the Parent Association which will forward them along. Kate Donato mentioned that CHOP, as part of its trauma program, will send a representative out to evaluate the playground upon request.

Other issues relating to the playground area included the darkness of the parking lot and the fact that some graffiti had been made on the slide. The issue relating to lighting was identified to be one that must be addressed with the church, and it was suggested that the Philadelphia Anti-Graffiti network be contacted about the slide, as it will come out and take care of cleaning it up.

Future Events (K. Bromberg)

Grandparents & Special Friends Day is scheduled to take place on Wednesday, November 24. Melissa Alderfer has quietly worked hard to chair this event for the past few years. It is a nice event, and the leftovers from breakfast are donated to a homeless shelter.

Holiday Sale (12/3-5) (K. Pelzer)

Karen Pelzer noted that the format of the Sale would be a bit different than it has been for the past few years. The Sale will begin on Friday with the sale of wreaths, trees and greens. The Holiday Shop will open inside the Parlor area of the school beginning at 4:00 on Friday. The Sale will continue on Saturday beginning at 9:00, with the ever popular Santa Breakfast beginning at 10:00. The final day of the Sale will be on Sunday from 10:00 until 2:00. Karen has planned a format for the Sale that will be decorative and festive, and all are encouraged to enjoy kicking off the holidays by visiting the Sale. Volunteers will, of course, be needed and are greatly appreciated.

Spring Auction 2011 (K. Donato)

Kate Donato will chair the auction this year. She announced that she is beginning to prepare now, so any ideas to approach the planning will be appreciated. The event will be held off site this year. The first kick-off meeting will be held in early December.

Lice Outbreak (C Towers, Nurse Emily Betterly)

The remainder of the meeting was dedicated to addressing what has become a persistent lice problem at the school. It was first noted that this problem is significant at virtually every school in Philadelphia, including other private schools. Nurse Emily is a professional lice nurse with a company called Lice Happens. She explained that education is the key to catching lice and treating it. Early detection and treatment prevent problems from extending to the entire household. Nurse Emily’s presentation was about how and what to look for.

Emily started off by noting that lice do not carry disease and therefore do not present a health hazard. The signs to look for include (I) scratching the scalp; (ii) a rash, especially at nape of the neck or behind the ears; (iii) nits (lice eggs) that may look like dandruff but don’t brush off; these are typically down close to scalp on hair shaft; and (iv) the “gold standard“ diagnosis - spotting the bugs. She noted that spotting lice is difficult because they are fast and small. Although lice do not have wings or hind legs (e.g., they cannot fly or jump) they do crawl very fast. While they can move when they are not on a scalp, they do so more slowly. Emily showed the group some pictures of nits, nymphs and lice; cards with examples of lice and nymphs were passed around.

Emily explained that the nits are the egg sac from which the embryo emerges. Lice have tiny claws at the end of their legs that allow them to navigate around hair; however, they cannot cling to plastic, hard wood or slippery/shiny surfaces. Once they are off the body, the can live up to 48 hours before dehydrating.

How lice are transmitted

Emily stated that the most common way to transmit lice is head to head contact; specifically, this means hair touching hair. They move fast, so this can happen in an instant. This might explain why girls, who often have longer hair, are more likely to contract lice than boys. While lice can be transmitted more topically, from using the same hats, helmets, brushes, combs, etc., less than 5 percent of cases are transmitted this way. She added that lice found on combs are likely to be injured or dead. Emily reiterated that having lice is not a sign of being ‘dirty’; in fact, lice LOVE a clean head. Once they have settled in, a female will live from 3-4 weeks and will lay up to 10 eggs a day. Eggs are incubated by body heat and hatch within 14 days. A key fact is that the adults are the ones that transfer; not nits. So, if you can get rid of them early it goes a long way to slowing the outbreak. Hatched nymphs leave the white shell casing, grow for 9-12 days, then mate and the cycle begins anew.

Treating head lice

The first step a parent should take is to assure their child that they have done nothing wrong. To reinforce this assurance, try not to react in front of them if you are upset. Then, the most effective method to get rid of lice is to do a thorough comb out. Emily noted that the commercially available products will kill adult or nymph lice, but none will address nits. Thus, it is key to comb out the nits and to do this on a regular basis. A stainless steel comb is the best one on the market. For best results, hair should be wet. Applying a few tablespoons of conditioner will help to get the comb through wet hair, and will serve to help catch the nits. It is not advised to use “folk” remedies and is best to stick with an enzyme product.

With respect to over the counter remedies , RID or NIX will get adults and stop nits from being laid. It is advised to use this treatment first and then begin combing. However, Emily advised parents of children with asthma or an allergy to chrysanthemum (pyrethrins NOT to use pediculicides (even OTC) without discussing with your child’s pediatrician, pharmacist or nurse. Once lice have been treated initially with a shampoo, the child can return to school. However, it is critical to continue carefully combing every day for the next two weeks to catch the eggs and get them off before they hatch.

House Pets

Emily noted that lice present no danger to house pets, as dogs and cats have a different blood type that lice cannot eat.

Home cleaning

Lice can live for a short time on items such as towels, pillows, carpets and sofas. However, it makes more sense to vacuum than to spray these items. For sheets and pillowcases and any items that a child sleeps with, if possible put them in the dryer at the highest heat setting. There is no need to throw away combs, but do give them a thorough cleansing.

Telling others

Emily encouraged parents to do their part to remove the stigma and de-mystify lice. In order to break the cycle, it is important to tell others who have played with your child at school, play dates, parties, etc. This will go a long way to break the cycle of infestation at school. Although lice can be everywhere, they can be managed because they only live off of a body for about 48 hours. Thus, the school building will begin every week with a clean slate after having the weekend off. The key to managing a continued outbreak is, therefore, at home monitoring and combing, particularly on Sunday night before kids return to school

Prevention

It is recommended that girls pull their hair back and that children be reminded to avoid direct head-to-head contact where possible. Children should also be reminded not to share space, hats, combs, brushes, headbands, etc. Finally, lice are not fond of certain aromas, including rosemary, tea tree oil and mint. Lice Happens sells a spray that can be used as a preventive measure. Also, families should perform a thorough combing at least twice per month so that if they are present they can be caught early and treated.

What if they come back

Emily noted that it is possible that lice are becoming more resistant to pediculicides. However, persistent outbreaks are usually due to incomplete removal of remaining viable nits. She noted that outbreaks have, within last five years, gotten worse. The speculation is that this is due in small part to pediculicide resistance and also because the population increasing and people are traveling more.

Summary

If you find lice, don’t panic! Use common sense in treatment; Herculean cleaning measures are not necessary or beneficial. Rather, a good housecleaning on initial discovery, then combing to prevent an ongoing infestation. Lice are unlikely to habitate or hatch at room temperatures.

Online information

Harvard School of Public Health

Center for Disease Control

American Academy of Pediatrics