Dear Siwanoy Families,
Thanksgiving is upon us and I am extremely thankful to work with this community, the Siwanoy staff, and our amazing students each and every day. With that said, I need your help!
Recently, there have been a couple of incidents where students were made to feel uncomfortable due to comments about their culture and/or ethnicity. While everyone is ok, these incidents can be harmful and triggering, but are treated as learning opportunities. To that point, we are always finding ways to have meaningful conversations around acceptance and looking at differences in a positive way. Certain conversations are harder to have than others, but they have to be had. You can help by reiterating the message of acceptance and staying together, especially as it relates to culture, race, ethnicity, gender identity and so on. As you are aware, our word of the month is individuality and it ties in perfectly to this topic.
Please be on the lookout for communication about an upcoming We Are Siwanoy event that will explore ways to have these conversations at home to continue to bring our community closer together. Our students are curious and are still learning about themselves and their friends. Having these conversations will go a long way and will be very helpful to our community and beyond :-) Thank you all in advance for taking the time to deal with such an important issue.
Have a great weekend and see you all back on Monday, for a very short, three day week! (With Noon dismissal that does not include lunch on Wednesday).
Sincerely,
Farid Johnson
#everydayabetteryou
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Shrek Jr Rocks the House
OMG, this show is so good that we barely had time for photographs. Please make a plan to go and enjoy the rest of this run over the weekend. Special shout out to Maddy Mercer for spear-heading. Such a joyful production! (Tonight at 5pm then tomorrow at 11am & 2pm).


Mayor Lapey Visits 5th grade!
Thank you to our very own Mayor Jennifer Lapey for stopping by to visit our 5th graders. They learned a great deal about how government works. Fun fact, she is also a Siwanoy grad!
November word of the month is Individuality
The November word of the month is Individuality. Individuality is the collection of characteristics or qualities that make each of us unique. Embracing our individuality allows us to be who we are and appreciate what makes us different. We can respect others' individuality by acknowledging their thoughts, opinions and interests.
Please remember to send in a healthy snack when packing up your child's lunch.
It's a long day, made even longer when you are tired AND hungry. Thank you for your help with this.
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Onto our coat drive!

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Winter Concert for 4th-5th graders at 5pm on December 5, 2024
Please join us on December 5th at 5pm for our Winter Concert at the HUTCHINSON GYM !
Performing in the concert will be: 4th-5th grade Orchestra, 5th Grade Band, 4th-5th Grade Chorus (everyone sings!)
Students will be asked to wear black and white concert attire: white top / black bottoms with dress shoes if possible
Drop-off time for Band /Orchestra is 4:30pm
Students who only sing in chorus should arrive by 4:50
Thank you!
Marcia / Andrew / Rami
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News from our School Nurses, Christine Keller and Aisling Myers:
Facts about Lice
Head lice are tiny wingless insects that live close to the human scalp. Head lice are not a health hazard. They do not transmit disease, but they do spread easily. Lice move by crawling and are mostly spread by direct head-to-head contact. They DO NOT jump, hop or fly. It is possible, but not common to spread lice by contact with items such as clothing, hats, combs, brushes. Head lice transmission can occur at home, school or in the community. The lice can attach to the hair of anyone’s head. It doesn’t matter if the hair is clean or dirty. Nits are tiny, teardrop-shaped lice eggs. They vary in color from yellow to tan to grayish-white. The closer the nit is to the scalp the newer the infestation is. They attach to the hair shaft, often found around the nape of the neck or ears. Nits can
look similar to dandruff, but are difficult to remove. Nits hatch in 7-12 days. It takes about 1-2 weeks for a baby lice or nymph to become an adult louse. An adult louse is the size of a sesame seed and can live for about 28 days. All three generations of head lice need to be nonviable, or dead, to get rid of head lice for good. If your child is experiencing a tickling feeling on the scalp or in the hair, itching which is caused by the bites of the louse,
sores on the head caused by scratching or are having difficulty sleeping as lice are more active in the dark you may want to check for lice. Once confirmed that your child has lice begin treatment right away. All household members and other close contacts should be checked and treated as well if found to have lice.
A combination of approaches is needed to irradicate lice -
Removing nits with a nit comb and by hand is the single most important treatment!
Using over the counter or prescription lice medicine.
Check the hair and scalp of all family members every 2 to 3 days by combing the hair until no live lice are found for 10 days. If after 2 treatments the lice are still alive it is time to call the doctor or someone who specializes in the removal of lice.
Vacuuming and washing household and personal items-
Washables - Machine-wash in hot, soapy water then dry. Use the hot cycle of a dryer for at least 20 minutes. Wash all washable clothing (including hats, scarves and coats) and all bed linens, towels and washcloths that have had contact with your child in the past 3 days. Soak combs, brushes, hair barrettes, hair bands and sports helmets in hot water (above 130 degree F) for 10 minutes or in rubbing alcohol for one hour, then wash in hot, soapy water.
Non-Washables - Vacuum all carpets and furniture, including beds. This will remove any hairs that might have nits attached that are still alive. Put things that can’t be washed in a plastic bag and seal for 14 days. As per the Pelham School District policy and consistent with accepted medical knowledge, while a nuisance, head lice do not pose a public health risk. No healthy student will be excluded from school due to an active case of head lice or the presence of nits (louse eggs). Students identified by the school nurse as having an active infestation of head lice will be sent home at the end of the day and their parent(s)/guardian will be informed by the school nurse of the student’s condition and advised to begin treatment. According to the CDC these policy changes are designed to help keep children from missing class, shield children with lice from embarrassment, and protect their privacy. Lastly, why are lice checks not done in school? The AAP (American Academy of pediatrics) has found that lice checks in school have proven to be ineffective in reducing cases and unnecessarily take children away from instructional time. Due to the life cycle of head lice one or two checks would not be enough; and continually pulling students from class would lead to loss of instructional time for a process that has not shown to reduce cases. Unfortunately, there is no proven head lice deterrent that will prevent your child from getting head lice. The best you can do is stay alert for suspicious head scratching. Catching this behavior early and treating it will help you stop a head lice problem at its roots. As usual, please feel free to reach out to us if you have any questions.
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