Parents of Gifted and Talented
Students in Allen
Health Notes
Immunizations
Acanthosis Nigricans
Bring Water to School
Roxanne LeCroy, Norton Counsler
Welcome back everyone!
I’m excited to begin my fourth year as your Norton Counselor. I am blessed to have an incredible group of
students, parents, and teachers to serve.
I look forward to being part of Norton’s team approach to helping all
students be “the best that we can be”. Our Character Counts! Program helps us
focus on the six specific pillars (characteristics) that can enable us to reach
our dreams. These pillars are Trustworthiness,
Respect, Responsibility, Fairness, Caring and Citizenship. Be sure to stop by and see our “Got
character? Make IT count!” mural
located near the computer lab. A HUGE
thank you goes out to Mrs. Stroud and
Mrs. Bailey for their expertise in bringing our pillars to life. Every six weeks we will focus on a different
pillar through morning announcements, classroom guidance activities, library
booklists, Student Council service projects, and much more. Speaking of Student Council, our elections this year will be on September
22. Talk with your 4-6 graders about the
possibility of running for office. We
meet monthly and look for ways to serve our school and community. This year, we will also be partnering with
Norton’s Environmental Club working in the natural areas around our
school. Student Council is a great place
to begin to develop our future leaders of tomorrow. Some upcoming dates: Sept. 22- Curriculum
Night, Sept. 8th – deadline for AISD Credit by Examination for
Acceleration testing, and Oct.22-27- Red Ribbon Week.
Parents of Gifted and Talented Students in Allen
We invite you to join the
Allen Association for Advanced Academics (AAAA). This year membership is totally free. To join AAAA, just send an email with your
name, address, phone number, and school your child(ren) attend to
AAAAcamps@comcast.net.
You will receive:
Information on District GT and advanced programs
Information on community enrichment programs
Updates from the Texas Association for Gifted and Talented
The AAAA is an organization
of parents and professionals who are concerned with promoting awareness of the
unique social, emotional, and intellectual needs of Allen’s gifted and advanced
students and advocating appropriate educational services to meet those
needs.
Accelerated
Accelerated Reader book lists are now online, they may be viewed
on any computer with internet access. To
view the lists go to www.allenisd.org/norton and double click
on faculty and find our librarian, Jana Dorough. Double click her name and the link is on her
webpage. The book lists may be viewed by
title, author or level.
Please note, each list is 122 pages long if you choose to print.
HEALTH NOTES
By Cindy Harvey, RN
All children entering any school must have:
·
IPV (Polio)
Four doses with the last dose received on/after the 4th birthday
(Three doses are OK if the last dose was rec’d on or after the 4th
birthday)
·
DTP/DTaP/Td
(Diptheria, Tetanus, Pertussis) Five
doses with the last received on/after the 4th birthday (Four doses
OK if the last dose was rec’d on/after the 4th birthday.)
·
Measles, Mumps, Rubella (MMR)
Two doses measles with the first given after first birthday; one
dose of each Mumps and Rubella given after 1st birthday
·
Hepatitis B (HBV) Three
doses – all dates included (not “at birth” for #1)
·
Varicella (chickenpox) One
dose given on/after 1st birthday OR written statement from parent or
doctor stating date of varicella disease.
Preschool and
PPCD children must also have:
- HIB (Haemophilus
influenzae type b) At least one dose given on/after 1st
birthday
·
PCV7 (Prevnar) At
least one dose on/after the 1st birthday
·
Hepatitis A Two
doses.
Middle School/High School
- Tdap/Td (tetanus) booster
must be received no later than 10 years after last dose
- MCV4 (meningococcal) recommended
by the age of 15yrs
If you do not have insurance or a local doctor, Collin County
Healthcare Services in
Some of you may receive reminder notices in the mail that
tetanus boosters are due. If you think
that our records are in error, please call and let me know. I will be glad to review your child’s
immunization record with you in order to ensure accuracy.
Thank you so much for being timely with these
immunizations. Please remember to bring
documentation to the clinic of any immunization your child receives at well
checkups, etc. We need to document
immunizations in progress, so please do not wait until the end of a series to
bring a record of any vaccine given.
Acanthosis Nigricans
As
you know, students are screened for vision and hearing in preKindergarten,
kindergarten, first, third, and fifth grades, and for scoliosis in the sixth
grade. Under House Bill (HB) 2989, the
Texas Legislature requires students to be screened for acanthosis nigricans
during these screenings for students in grades one, three, five, and seven.
The
purpose of the screening is to detect a black-brown velvety marker that usually
appears on the back of the neck. This
marker is called acanthosis nigricans.
The marker is caused by too much insulin in the blood. It is a pre-diabetic condition and serves as
an indicator of risk for Type 2 diabetes and other health problems. Acanthosis nigricans is usually seen during
pre-adolescence and adolescence.
Early
detection and attention are important to reduce the excess insulin in the
blood. Treatment usually consists of
diet changes and physical activity since acanthosis nigricans is also
associated with excess weight.
The
process for screening is simple. During
either the scoliosis or the vision and hearing screening a visual check of the
neck is done. This takes seconds to
complete.
Parents
will be notified if the marker is found.
This does not replace your child’s need for regular health care and
check-ups.
If parents have questions
regarding this screening, please get in touch with Nurse Cindy @ 972-396-6918
ext 153.
Water
What is the very best thing that you can do to help your student
cope with allergies and colds while at school? SEND A WATER BOTTLE TO
SCHOOL with your student every day. Drinking adequate water helps prevent
headaches and can help students who are struggling with minor sore throats and
nagging coughs.
When selecting and sending a water bottle, there are three important things to
consider:
1. Be sure the water bottle can be handled easily by your student;.
2. The water bottle should have a sport top to prevent spills on school work.
3. Reusable water bottles should be cleaned and filled with fresh water every
day.
Your students will thank you!