PREVENTING SCALD BURNS

Since burns are among the most painful and devastating injuries a person
can sustain and survive, the experts at Children's Hospital want to arm
you with the tools to keep your children safe from burns- specifically,
scald burns.

Young children are among the high-risk population for these types of
burns simply because they are not aware of the difference between 'cold'
and 'hot' or don't recognize danger. The good news is that this type of
injury is 100 percent preventable.

Children's Hospital is home to the largest pediatric burn center in the
Southeast. Last year, approximately 170 children were treated for burns
in at Children's.

"It is important to remember that children, especially those ages 4 and
under, may not perceive danger and have less control of their
environment," said Lou Standifer, Director of the Children's Hospital
Burn Center "Young children lack the ability to escape a
life-threatening burn situation and may not be able to tolerate the
physical stress of a burn injury. "

Burn Awareness Week is February 6-12. This year one of the focus areas
is preventing scald burn injuries. Here are some important tips to
remember to keep your child safe from scalding:

* Establish a safe hot water temperature by setting your water
heater at a maximum temperature of 120 degrees Fahrenheit or by
installing an anti-scald device on your water heater. An anti-scald
device controls the temperature of the water in your home in order to
eliminate accidental scalding when turning on the bath tub or shower.
They can be purchased at most hardware stores and are easy to install.

* Do not place hot food or liquids near the counter's edge or
within a child's reach.

* Do not hold children while cooking or drinking hot liquids.

* Make the stove area a "kid-free zone" (three feet is a good
distance). Mark it on the floor with bright tape.

* When using electrical appliances (crock pot, fryers, steam
humidifiers, etc.), keep electrical cords out of reach of children.

For more information on this and other children's health and safety
issues, visit our web site at www.chsys.org .

Welcome back, Mr. Keith Moore!

We welcome back Mr. Keith Moore to Verbena High School to be our assistant principal. He served as superintendant of Chilton County from 2006 to 2010. His experience and love of Verbena High School will be a great asset to our school and community.

K-6 Honors Day Program

Parents, please put on your calendar January 13 at 2:00PM. That is the date and time of the Honors Day Program for kindergarten through sixth grades. This program will be held in the Verbena High auditorium. Students who have all A and A/B grades for the second nine weeks will be recognized. Teachers will also be awarding the students who have been chosen to receive Good Citizen certificates from each homeroom for the second nine weeks. Students at the annex who are car riders will need to be picked up at the main campus on this day due to the time of the program. There will be a sign-in sheet in the lobby of the auditorium for parents who attend the program.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

I wish all of you a blessed Christmas holiday! Enjoy time with your family members and friends during the holiday break. I hope every student and teacher will come back to school after the holidays feeling rested and motivated to make the most of the second semester. Also please be safe during your holiday traveling and playing. We want everyone back in good shape on January 5th!

The second nine weeks grade reports will be sent out on January 5. If parents or guardians have any questions or concerns over their child's grades, they should call the school office at (205)280-2820 to set up an appointment with the teacher.

CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING

Carbon monoxide is an invisible and odorless gas, and is produced when
burning any fuel, such as gasoline, propane, natural gas, oil, wood or
charcoal. It can be a silent killer, which causes illness, and possibly
death, by decreasing the amount of oxygen present in the body.

Last year, a family of six in Baldwin County were treated and released
for accidental carbon monoxide poisoning, and two women in the Silver
Hill area were killed in their home from exposure to this lethal gas.

Young children are especially vulnerable to the effects of carbon
monoxide because of their smaller bodies. Children process carbon
monoxide differently than adults, according to experts at Children's
Hospital, and may be more severely affected by it, and may show symptoms
sooner. And while Carbon Monoxide poisoning is more common during the
winter, it is not only limited to cold weather months, but can happen
any time of the year.

"Carbon Monoxide, the leading cause of poisoning deaths, is not just a
winter time hazard; it is a year round hazard," said Ann Slattery,
Supervisor of the Regional Poison Control Center at Children's Hospital.
"No matter the season of the year, when I hear complaints of headache,
nausea and vomiting, I think carbon monoxide."

You won't know that you have a carbon monoxide leak, Slattery says,
without a working detector. If you burn any fuels for heat or cooking,
be sure that you have a working carbon monoxide detector and deter this
silent killer.

Experts from Children's hospital offer these simple safety tips to help
protect your family:

* Know the symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning, which include
headache, fatigue, nausea, vomiting and confusion. In severe cases, the
person may lose consciousness or die. CO poisoning can often be mistaken
for other illnesses, such as the flu and usually more than one person in
the household will suffer symptoms at the same time.

* Install a CO alarm outside every sleeping area and on every
level of your home.

* Place CO alarms at least 15 feet away from every fuel-burning
appliance to reduce the number of nuisance alarms.

* Test alarms every month and replace them every five years.

* Make sure alarms can be heard when you test them and practice
an escape plan with your entire family.

* Have all gas, oil or coal burning appliances inspected by a
technician every year to ensure they are working correctly and are
properly ventilated.

* Never use a stove for heating.

* Do not use a grill, generator or camping stove inside your
home, garage or near a window. Never leave a car, SUV, or motorcycle
engine running inside a garage, even if the garage door is open.

If your CO alarm goes off, follow these steps:

* Get everyone out of the house as quickly as possible into
fresh air. Then call for help from a neighbor's home or a cell phone
outside of your home.

* If someone is experiencing CO poisoning symptoms, call 911 for
medical attention.

* If no one is experiencing symptoms, call the fire department.
They will let you know when it is safe to re-enter your home.

For more information on this and other children's health and safety
issues, visit our web site at www.chsys.org

Congratulations to our 2010-2011 VHS Spelling Bee Champ!

On December 3, 2010, Verbena High School held its school spelling bee. Thirteen students from grades 4-8 took part in the spelling bee. The winner of the spelling bee was Alana Delariva from Mrs. Hauswirth's fourth grade. First runner-up was Blake Nelson from Mrs. Smith's fifth grade. Other participants included Jared McKinnon-4th grade, Brandon Wells-4th grade, Desha Sanders-4th grade, Kelsey Crumpton-5th grade, Jonathan Tomas-5th grade, Garrett Wells-5th grade, Josie Adams-6th grade, Brittany Ann Kyles-6th grade, Jacob Cleckler-7th grade, Dillon Walker-7th grade, and Karla Santos-8th grade. All of the students did a great job, but Alana came out on top! She won with the word "serenely". Congratulations to Alana and runner-up Blake Nelson!

Bullyproof Your Child - 4 Surprising Ways to Keep the Epidemic of Nastiness from Hurting Your Child

Everyone has mean kids on the brain, and no wonder - recent data show that one in four children reports being a victim of bullying. Home used to be a safe haven, but thanks to technology, a barbed text or tweet can reach a child anywhere, anytime. So what can you do? A lot, says Sela Gaglia, director of the organization Challenge Day, which helps kids deal with social pressures (it was the focus of MTV's recent antibullying reality series, If You Really Knew Me). What she's learned from experience:
* One of the best things to do? Play 20 questions.
Check in with your kids often and you'll be far more likely to spot a bullying problem early. And don't overreact. "When kids know you'll respond calmly, they'll share the scary things," says Gaglia, who regularly asks her 11-year-old son these questions: What's happening on the playground? Do you need support on anything? How can I be a better mom? If you do notice a problem, intervene as soon as it looks like a pattern and not an isolated event, she advises. But talk to your child's teacher or the principal, not the bully's parents. "There's no accountability - and you don't know how they'll react. And remember, your intention is to create a safe environment, not to prove that your kid is right."
* Bullies back away from confident kids.
"Bullies typically avoid a self-assured child because they won't get the scared reaction they want," Gaglia says. Your kid won't be fun to pick on if you encourage him to ignore - or even laugh at - a bully's intimidation tactics. And urge him to ask a teacher for support. "The bully will quickly realize that this kid is too much trouble to bother with."
* Bullies do change.
Challenge Day runs more than 1,000 antibullying programs a year, and 99 percent of the time, Gaglia sees the bullies apologize. Frequently, they also turn into student leaders. "I've watched kids become peer counselors or spearhead programs to help new students transition at school," she says. "Bullies don't realize they can use their power for good until someone wakes them up to it." A great wake-up call? Suggest that a bully be assigned a position of responsibility, like bus monitor or teacher's helper.
* You can keep your child from bullying others.
One of the most common causes of bullying behavior is turmoil at home, says Gaglia - especially divorce. During or after a divorce, "kids often stop talking to their parents about how they're feeling," she explains, "because they're afraid to upset them even more. Instead, they lash out at other kids." You can't prevent tough times from happening, of course, but by making sure your child gets all his emotions out in the open, you can help him from becoming a Draco Malfoy at school.
-Erin Zammett Ruddy