Safety Tips for Extreme Summer Heat

During the extreme heat conditions of summer months, it becomes advisable to take precautions to protect your family from heat related illnesses. The American Red Cross offers tips for your safety during the extreme heat wave. They stress to never leave a child or pet inside a vehicle on a hot day. The temperatures inside vehicles can reach 120 degrees even with the windows open for fresh air. This heat can lead to heat exhaustion or heat stroke, both very serious conditions for children or pets.

Symptoms of heat exhaustion include: cool, moist, pale or flushed skin, heavy sweating, headache, nausea and dizziness. Medical attention is needed immediately. Move the affected person to a cooler area, loosen tight clothing, and apply moist towels to help regulate the body temperature. You can also fan the person and offer water to drink. Call 911 if the person is unconscious.

If someone is experiencing heat cramps in their legs or abdomen, move to a cooler place and stretch the muscles. Also drink fluids that will restore the electrolytes, like Gatorade or Powerade drinks.

The American Red Cross offers tips to help avoid any of the heat related illnesses that are associated with exposure to extreme heat conditions.

• Stay hydrated and drink plenty of fluids

• Avoid extreme temperature changes

• Wear loose-fitting clothing.

• Stay indoors with air conditioning during the hottest peak of the day

• Use the “buddy-system” when working in excessive heat and take frequent breaks

• Check on animals frequently and make sure they have plenty of water and shade

• If you don’t have air conditioning in your home, open windows and circulate the air by using fans. Cover windows to keep direct sunlight out.

• A cool bath or shower can help to cool you down faster than air conditioning.

The summer month can be a fun filled time for your family but heat related accidents can spoil your time together. Take extra precautions with your children and pets and be prepared for the extreme hot days of summer.

The Role of the School Principal - Keys to Being an Effective Leader

The role of the principal covers many different areas including leadership, teacher evaluation, student discipline, and several others. Being an effective principal is hard work and is time consuming. A good principal is balanced within all their roles and works hard to ensure that that they are doing what they feel is best for all constituents involved.

A school principal is the primary leader in a school building. A good leader always leads by example. A principal should be positive, enthusiastic, have their hand in the day to day activities of the school, and listen to what their constituents are saying. An effective leader is available to teachers, staff members, parents, students, and community members.  Good leaders stays calm in difficult situations, thinks before they act, and puts the needs of the school before themselves. An effective leader steps up to fill in holes as needed, even if it isn’t a part of their daily routine.

7 Keys to Being an Effective Principal:

1.       Student Discipline - The first step of having effective student discipline is to make sure that your teachers know what you are expecting when it comes to student discipline.

2.       Teacher Evaluation - A good evaluator always lets their teachers know what their expectations are and then offers suggestions for improvement if those expectations are not being met.

3.       Develop, Implement and Evaluate Programs - A principal should always be looking for ways to improve the student experience at school. Developing effective programs that cover a variety of areas is one way to ensure this.

4.       Review Policies and Procedures - A principal should review, remove, rewrite, or write policies and procedures every year as needed. Having an effective student handbook can improve the quality of education your students receive.

5.       Schedule Setting - It is probably best to create the schedule without trying to accommodate anyone. In addition, be prepared to make adjustments to your schedules once the year begins. You need to be flexible because there are times that there are conflicts you did not foresee that need to be changed.

6.       Hiring New Teachers - A vital part of any school administrator’s job is to hire teachers and staff that are going to do their job correctly. Hiring the wrong person can cause you huge headaches down the line, while hiring the right person makes your job all the more easier.

7.       Parent and Community Relations - Having good relations with parents and community members can benefit you in a variety of areas. If you have built trusting relationships with a parent whose child has a discipline issue, then it makes it easier to deal with the situation if the parent supports the school and your decision. The same holds true with the community. Building relationships with individuals and businesses in the community can help your school out tremendously. Benefits include donations, personal time, and overall positive support for your school. It is a vital part of any principal’s job to nurture their relationships with parents and community members.

Celebrate the 4th of July - Make the Holiday a Learning Experience for Your Child!

With the 4th of July fast approaching, many families are planning for a day filled with activities that included: baseball, picnics, swimming, camping, fireworks, and other family friendly events. In preparation for our Nations’ Birthday, here are a few ideas to use with your young children that will get them into the holiday mode and share with them the importance of celebrating our nations’ birthday.


Patriotic Crafts

Maybe your child would like to make patriotic decorations for the home. Gather materials that are red, white, and blue: tissue paper, sheets of construction paper, colored markers and paints, ribbons, and scraps of material or gift wrapping paper. You will also need safety scissors, glue, and a clean work space on the floor or table.

You may even have some patriotic music playing in the background, like: Yankee Doodle, America the Beautiful, America, My Country Tis of Thee, just to name a few.

1. Patriotic Wreath: use a paper plate and cut out the center part, leaving the ring for the wreath. Select red, white, and blue tissue paper and form balls by squeezing the paper in your hand. Arrange the paper balls in a colorful pattern around the ring and glue into place. Add a bow at the top and hang the wreath on a door or window. Your child can make more than one and place them throughout the house for decorations.

2. Sponge Paint American Flag: begin with a white sheet of construction paper. Place water color paint into small bowls. Use a kitchen sponge and cut into three pieces. Show your child a real American Flag and discuss the color pattern of red, white, and blue. Place each sponge piece into the colored paint bowl and paint the strips and blue box on the white paper. After the blue dries a little, use the sponge to dip into the white paint to form the stars.

3. Red, White, and Blue Collage: using old magazine pictures make a patriotic collage. Start with a sheet of construction paper and randomly spread the colorful pictures all over the paper. Then glue the pictures onto the sheet to display a patriotic collection of red, white, and blue pictures. Make a wall handing that your child will be proud to display.

4. Star Rice Crispy Treats: follow the directions on the Rice Crispy box for making the treats but add red and blue candies (M&Ms or jelly beans). Instead of cutting the treats into squares, use a star shaped cookie cutter to place the treats on a platter. This will be a true patriotic treat for the family.

Celebrating the 4th of July with friends and family is a wonderful time to show appreciation to our Armed Forces for the many sacrifices they have endured to insure that we have liberty and freedoms in the United States of America. Happy 4th of July!

Getting Ready for Preschool

Getting Ready for Preschool

As a parent, are you ready to send your child to preschool?  Support for preschool has been a hot topic recently across the nation.  A Harvard University study of Boston Public Schools’ free pre-kindergarten program published in March, 2013 - reveals that children who attend preschool can acquire lifelong advantages; including learning to focus and staying on task.  And according to an Oregon State University study, your child will have a 50 percent greater chance of graduating from college.

Starting preschool can be an anxious time for your child and yourself.  Often parents have more trouble with the transition than the child does!  Here are some practical tips for helping you and your child have a successful start to preschool this year!

1. Routine is king.  Practice the new routine of getting ready and going to school - before the first day.  The more prepared everyone is, the better.  Children perform best when they know what to expect.
2. Meet and greet.  Set up a time for your child to meet her teacher and see the classroom.  Some preschools have teachers conduct a home visit or have students visit the school to explore the classroom.  Setting up a play date in your home with a future classmate is also a great way to make that first day go more smoothly.
3. Calm fears.  Ask your child about anything she might be afraid of.  Explain that other kids feel the same way and that’s fine.
4. Be comforting.  Reassure your child she will have fun and believe it yourself.
5. Make your exit short and sweet.  Don’t linger once you say goodbye at the classroom door.
6. Keep informed.  Touch base with your child’s teacher regularly.
7. Get involved.  Participate in school functions.
8. Be positive.  Even if your child had a bad day, find one thing she enjoyed.
9. Have a routine.  Preschool helps regulate schedules for naps, bedtime and wake-up times.
10. Have a backup plan.  Prepare to have a child who cries or melts down at preschool.  Ask your teacher if it is OK to bring a comfort object.  Inquire if there is a quiet space in the classroom for your child to go to if she needs to calm down.
11. Get those shots.  Licensed preschools follow state vaccination requirements.  Be sure your child’s shots are up to date.

Information provided by Ari Brown, M.D., FAAP 

Summer Writing Fun for Kids

Let's make writing projects a part of the summer break. Start by creating a "writing box" to gather supplies for the projects. Use a shoe box or other similar box with a lib. Your child can use colorful wrapping paper to cover the box and decorate the outside. In the box, place pencils, colored pencils, colored markers and crayons, index cards, note pads, and assorted sheets of paper. This handy box can be taken in the car on road trips and will be a special collections tool on vacation or visits to relatives during the summer.


Here are a few writing ideas you can try with your child to encourage creative writing experiences during the summer.

1. Making signs to identify rooms in your house (bedroom, kitchen, living room, etc)

2. Making labels to identify items around the house (table, sofa, chair, stove, chest, etc). This activity will aid in vocabulary development and help with spelling.

3. Allow your child to use inventive spelling when writing stories. This gives your child practice in using spelling skills by "sounding out" words and will encourage his writing to be more creative. For older children, show them how to edit their writing by making spelling corrections. This is a great opportunity to introduce the dictionary if your child is not familiar with using this reference book.

4. For younger children, they can dictate stories and you can write the words for them. Have your child illustrate the story and help him to read the story back to you in his own words.

5. There are many different kinds of writing. Have your child try a few of these:

• writing letters to family members or to friends

• write notes such as: Thank you notes for gifts or invitations to a family cookout, also let your child write the grocery list as you dictate the items to him


The most important thing to remember about summer writing activities, is to make writing fun and entertaining and not a chore. You want your child to gain a love for writing that becomes a lifelong, joyful experience.

Summer Reading Ideas for Kids

Now that school is out and your child has lots of free time, it is important to include time for reading every day. Research has shown that if students do not read during the summer break from school, they will return to school reading below grade level.


You can make reading a fun part of the summer by taking advantage of the reading opportunities on the computer and at your local library. You can find summer reading programs that will engage your child in many different reading experiences, that include: theater, drama, puppetry, singing, and the arts.

At home, you can make reading a daily priority. Here are a few guidelines to help;

1. Create a reading plan by using the calendar to document weekly reading opportunities.

2. Set a reading time each day that meets the varied schedules of the family.

3. Select different types of reading that include books, magazines, iPod, Kindle, Nook Readers, or other electronic devices.

4. Select different types of books from the library to entertain and educate your child.

Another point to encourage your child's reading experiences, is to see YOU actually reading for pleasure or for information. If reading is important for your child, you must show that reading is important to you, as well. By establishing a positive role model for the enjoyment of reading, your child will learn to follow your example and engage in reading opportunities. So make reading a priority in your home this summer and help your child gain a love of reading before school begins in the fall.

Top 10 Reasons To Join PTA

10. Because Your Mom Did...and Look how well you turned out! Seriously though. Back in the day the schools had thousands of PTA members, parents were more involved, and kids were more respectful. Now we have a fraction of those members and the rest has followed.

9. It's cheap: At most schools you can purchase a membership for less then $5.00. There aren't many things that are under $5.00 these days. Just think of it as a school supply. You wouldn't send your kids to school without their backpacks!

8. Parenting Resources: Because we don't have all the answers! National PTA offers on-line parenting resources along with E-Newsletters on parenting and legislative issues.

7. To Do Your Part: If your school is like my school there is a small group of parents who do the majority of the work. We're not complaining, we wouldn't be doing it if I didn't want to. However, the more members we get the more we are reminded that even though you may not be able to shelve books in the library you still care and support what we are doing. Which is helping make our school a better place for all the kids.

6. Nation Deals: Being a PTA member at your school can get you BIG savings at National retailers like Hertz, Office Max, Sharp, and T-Mobile.

5. Local Deals: My PTA card also gets me local deals as well. Cap Perks was started in effort to promote PTA membership in Cobb County Schools. On their website you can use your PTA card to get coupons at tons of places from McDonalds to bowling.

4. School Deals: Most schools offer certain incentives for purchasing a PTA membership. Weather it is a discount on spirit wear to free admission to a school event your savings can really add up!

3. You Don't Have to Volunteer: Gasp! Shocking right? Just because you join PTA does not mean you have signed up to volunteer 40 hours a week for the entire school year. While I'm sure they would love your help, and I believe that every parent should help at some point during the school year. Being a PTA member does NOT mean you have to volunteer.

2. To Get on "The List": At most schools when you sign up for PTA you give them your contact information. Sure, they may want this information to ask you to help with something but they probably also use it to notify you of upcoming activities. No one likes to miss grandparents lunch!

1. You Care about Your Kids: The PTA supports the very school where your kids spend the majority of their time during the week. The PTA was formed to support the children and Parents at every school so please support us.

Posted by Jessica Jones, Georgia PTA, 2011