First Five Weeks Progress Report

It's hard to believe that the first five weeks of school have already gone by. It is time for the first progress report of the school year. Students will be bringing home their progress reports and ARMT/SAT-10 parent reports on Monday, September 13. Please look carefully at your child's reports. If you have questions or concerns, please get in touch with the school office (205) 280-2820 or you may email me to set up an appointment with your child's teacher.

Parent Report Card Day is Tuesday, October 12, from 12:00 to 6:00 PM. This day has been set aside for the first nine weeks grade reports to be picked up by the parents from the students' homeroom teachers. It is a great opportunity for parents to find out how their children are doing in school and meet the teachers.

Homework Help Websites

Here are some neat websites that may help you win the homework battle and address other issues that your child may be experiencing.
www.middleschool.net www.ncld.org

Mrs. Whittle's Star Students

Marco Camarillo and Lilli Hester were spotted having Great Manners in Mrs. Whittle's classroom. They are Mrs. Whittle's STAR STUDENTS for the week of Sept. 7. Keep up the good work!

Third Grade Students of the Week - Mr. Cleckler's Class

Mr. Cleckler reports that the following students from his class all deserve to be Students of the Week: Keila Castro, Kaylee Mims, Shaniah Pasley, Dalton Patterson, Jenae Pierce, Alexa Tomas'. Special thanks to these students for all of their hard work.

Mrs. Deloach's Students of the Week

The students of the week for Mrs. Deloach's kindergarten class are Alex Battle and Joseph Brasher. Keep up the good work!

Title 1 Parental Involvement Meeting - Aug. 16

Title I Parental Involvement Meeting at 6:30 PM on Monday, August 16, involves all grades. When that meeting is adjourned we will begin our Open House for grades 7 - 12.

Hidden Dangers In and Around the Car

All it takes is one sleep deprived parent, one inquisitive child and a slightly elevated heat index for a seemingly avoidable tragedy to occur. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 10 percent of vehicle-related accidents occur outside of traffic, such as children being struck in driveways or trapped in unattended vehicles.

With school back in session, and schedules changing, it is easy for parents who normally do not drop children off at school or daycare to forget about a child in the backseat-especially if the parent didn’t get enough sleep the night before or there are no visual reminders to cue the parent’s memory. Children’s Hospital of Alabama and Safe Kids USA offer several educational programs including Never Leave Your Child Alone, and Spot the Tot -- to help parents prevent accidents such as overheating and rollovers.

Never Leave Your Child Alone
Although summer is waning, Alabama temperatures in September are still very high. Within the first six months of 2010, 20 children in the U.S. died from overheating after being left in a vehicle in hot weather.
“Many times, caregivers leave children in vehicles to run a quick errand or because they do not feel hot themselves,” says Dr. Bill King, Divisional Director of the Southeast Child Safety institute at Children’s Hospital. “However, a child’s body does not have the same internal temperature control as an adult’s and can warm three to five times faster, leading to heat stroke and other heat-related injury.”
Heatstroke occurs when the body core temperature reaches 104 degrees Fahrenheit, and a body core temperature of 107 degrees Fahrenheit is usually fatal.
The inside temperature of a vehicle can rise 20 degrees higher than the outside temperature in as little as 10 minutes. After 30 minutes the vehicle’s temperature will be 34 degrees hotter.

To ensure you do not accidentally leave your child in a hot vehicle, follow these tips:

• Never leave your child in an unattended car, even with the windows down.

• Set your cell phone or Blackberry reminder to be sure you dropped your child off at school or day care.
• Have a plan that if your child is late for school or daycare that you will be called within a few minutes. Be especially careful if you change your routine for dropping off little kids at day care.
• Dial 911 immediately if you see an unattended child in a car, or if your child is accidentally left in a car. EMS professionals are trained to determine if a child is in trouble.

Spot the Tot
Too often, children are struck by a vehicle in their own driveway by a relative unaware the child was near the vehicle, with tragic results. It can be difficult to see a child through a rearview mirror.
• Recent statistics show that, approximately 2,500 children per year ages 1 to 14 are taken to emergency rooms after being struck by a vehicle in a driveway or parking area.
• An average of 229 children per year died after being struck by a vehicle in a driveway or parking area.
• Close to half of children injured in these incidents were ages 1 to 4.
The best way to prevent a “frontover” or “backover” is a quick walk around the vehicle before climbing in.
For more information on this and other children’s health and safety issues, visit our website at www.chsys.org.