www.baragaschools.org

MEDIA RELEASE  - American Drug and Alcohol Survey (ADAS) To Be Conducted at Baraga High School

On May 10th students from grades 7-12 will be participating in the American Drug and Alcohol Survey (ADAS) in cooperation with the Tri-Ethnic Center of Colorado State University.  The funding for the administration of the survey comes from a federal grant awarded to the Tri-Ethnic Center, which allows the survey to be conducted at no cost to the school.  Participation in the ADAS is voluntary.  Parents that wish to withdraw their child from participation may do so by contacting Joyce Budreau in the High School Office at 353-6661.  In addition, a copy of the survey is available at the school for parents who would like to review it.  Baraga High School believes that the participation in this survey will assist the school in planning, funding and evaluating drug and alcohol prevention programs.

Baraga Area Schools will be holding Kindergarten registration for to 2013-2014 school year on Friday, April 26 at the Philip LaTendresse Elementary School.  Registration is for those children who will be 5 years old on or before November 1, 2013.  Please call Lori @ 353-6663 to make an appointment and to receive your registration packet.

Baraga County Spring Fling – Saturday, April 20th – 11:00 am-2:00 pm at he KBOCC Gym.

Portage Library Hosts Chassell Lions Club for Project Kid Sight

The Portage Lake District Library will host the Chassell Lions Club for free vision screenings for young children on Saturday, March 23, from 12:00 – 3:00 p.m. The eye screenings will take place at the big trailside table at the back of the library.

Project Kid Sight is a Lion’s Club International sponsored free eye screening program designed to detect visual problems in children as young as 10 months of age and older. The screening tests for nearsightedness, farsightedness, blurred vision, unequal refractive power, structural abnormalities and eye turns, unequal pupil size, and cataracts. A photograph of the eyes will be taken using the SPOT vision screening camera, and the results will be printed out on the same day as the screening. If a problem is detected, parents will be given information about how to proceed for a follow-up exam.

Handouts with details about Project Kid Sight are available in the children’s area in the library. Pre-registration is not required, and parents may arrive with their children on Saturday when it is convenient for them.

Library programs and events are free, and everyone is welcome. For more information please call the library at 482-4570 or visit www.pldl.org.

Lion’s Club Kid Sight

The Portage Lake District Library invites children of all ages to a “Dr. Seuss Extravaganza” on Saturday, March 23, at 1:00  p.m. This annual event will celebrate the anniversary of Dr. Seuss’ birthday and the whimsical magic of his stories.

This event is sponsored by members of Michigan Tech’s Circle K Service Organization and the Houghton High School Key Club. Circle K and Key Club students will read classic Dr. Seuss stories and lead the kids in decorating Cat in the Hat cookies with a Dr. Seuss-ish flourish. Gluten-free cookies that are made in a dedicated kitchen will also be available for those who want them.

Circle K International Service Organization and Key Club look for opportunities for service, leadership, and friendship. Their wide range of projects includes activities such as picking up trash on highways, playing board games with the elderly, and doing storytimes.

Library programs are free and open to all. For more information, please call the library at 482-4570 or visit www.pldl.org.

SENIORS! SENIORS! SENIORS! Please bring in a senior picture, baby picture or two, and any other pictures (individual, groups, little league, powder-puff, class photos, birthdays, trips with friends, prom, etc.) to Ms. Collins or any Senior in Multimedia (Nadine, Jorey, Mariah, Sheila, Heather, Brittany, Katie, or Ginger) for the senior slide show. We need these photos by next Friday, March 22….without your photos, it is impossible to have a slide show!

Due to the concern of transmitting communicable diseases to other students or staff, we are asking parents that if your child is ill with a fever, vomiting, or diarrhea that they do not attend school until they have been symptom-free for at least 24 hours. If your child develops any of these symptoms while at school, parents will be contacted and they will be sent home until symptoms clear up.

Keep your germs to yourself:

• Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when sneezing, coughing or blowing your nose.
• Discard used tissues in the trash as soon as you can.
• Always wash your hands after sneezing, blowing your nose, or coughing, or after touching used tissues or handkerchiefs.
• Use warm water and soap to wash your hands. If you don’t have soap and water, use alcohol-base hand gel or disposable wipes.
• Try to stay home if you have a cough and fever.
• See your doctor as soon as you can if you have a cough and fever, and follow their instructions. Take medicine as prescribed and get lots of rest.

Keep the germs away:

• Wash your hands before eating, or touching your eyes, nose or mouth.
• Wash your hands after touching anyone who is sneezing, coughing or blowing their nose.
• Don’t share things like towels, lipstick, toys, or anything else that might be contaminated with respiratory germs.
• Don’t share food, utensils or beverage containers with others.

November 9, 2012

Dear Parents:

A child attending Baraga School was recently diagnosed with pertussis (whooping cough).  Pertussis is easily spread and outbreaks have been occurring in other parts of the U.P. and the country.  Unfortunately, it can be up to three weeks between the time someone becomes infected with pertussis and the time they actually develop symptoms, so new cases may continue to arise locally over the coming weeks.

Pertussis usually begins with mild upper respiratory symptoms, such as runny nose and mild cough, with little or no fever.  It then progresses to a more severe cough, with spasms of coughing which may cause vomiting. Some, but not all individuals will actually make a whooping sound as they take a breath between coughing spasms.  This is how pertussis came to be called “whooping cough.” Antibiotics are used to help decrease contagiousness in people with pertussis and can be used to help prevent infection in close contacts, but they do not “cure” the illness and even with treatment, symptoms may last for 6 to 10 weeks. Complications of pertussis in older children and adults may include pneumonia and rib fractures.  Pertussis can cause particularly severe illness in infants.

Because of the current probable cases, I would like to remind you about steps you can take to protect your family:

Make sure everyone in your household is up to date on their pertussis vaccinations.

In infancy and early childhood, most children receive a primary series of vaccines to prevent pertussis. These are typically given at 2, 4, 6 and 12-15 months of age, with a first booster dose at 4-6 years of age. Unfortunately, immunity from this primary series fades with time and a booster vaccine is now recommended for all children at 11 years of age or once for people over 11 years of age, who have not received this particular vaccine in the past.  The vaccine is called Tdap and is similar to the primary series of DTaP vaccines that children receive early on.  Tdap is intended for older children and adults  and protects against tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis.  After this one time boost with pertussis-containing vaccine, regular tetanus boosters are recommended every 10 years.   Since 2010, Tdap boosters have been required for children entering 6^th grade and for older children transferring between schools.

 Take your child to the doctor if s/he has the symptoms described above.  Please do not send your child to school with a significant or prolonged cough, until they have been evaluated by a healthcare provider.  People with pertussis are contagious until they have completed 5 days of an appropriate antibiotic.

 Household and very close contacts of people with pertussis are at high risk of developing pertussis.  These individuals are recommended to receive a course of antibiotics to prevent them from developing pertussis.  Exposed individuals without symptoms are not considered contagious.

 Call your physician or the health department at the number above with questions or concerns.

 Sincerely,

Terry Frankovich

Teresa L. Frankovich, M.D., M.P.H.,

Medical Director, Western Upper Peninsula Health Department