Perspectives - January 11, 2008
Dear Horace Mann School Families,
I am writing to inform you about an incident that took place at school this week and to assure you of our efforts to keep students safe and secure. No students or staff members were hurt, but our school received a bomb threat via voicemail message on Tuesday morning before students arrived. We immediately involved the Saint Paul Police Department and our Office of Safety and Security to investigate the threat. Because safety is our top priority, we had staff follow through with a number of additional safety procedures before students arrived. The school day was not disrupted and we continued with the day’s education.
Our school community values the support and involvement of our families. In the spirit of this partnership, I want you to be aware of the situation we handled. We have a threat assessment process that we put into action. We take every threat seriously and always ensure the safety of our school. We must also be aware of the possibility that a threat may be intended to disrupt the school day. We worked with the police department and district officials to determine that the threat was not serious.
Please be assured that we are always alert to situations that may affect the safety of our students. We value your support and assistance in being vigilant to any safety risks. If you discover any risk, please notify the office or contact the police department. If you have questions or concerns, please call me at 651-293-8965 or email at jim.litwin@spps.org.
Sincerely,
Jim Litwin, Principal
Interested in Ramsey Junior High? Ramsey is offering parent/student tours every Wednesday morning at 8:45 a.m. No reservation is needed, just go to the Main Office where tours begin. Ramsey’s Showcase (open house) is on February 7th from 6:30-8:00 p.m. The tours and showcase are open to more than just 6th grade families. If you are already thinking about junior high schools, be sure to check them out.
Treating and Avoiding Lice Just talking about lice gives adults a creepy-crawly sensation, especially if you have had lice as I have. They are a nuisance and very time-consuming to eliminate. There has been a case of lice here since the late fall. Parents have asked what are our policies and procedures. They have evolved as I have learned more about dealing with lice, so I thought I would provide an update and encourage some precautions at home. For more detailed information about lice and to dispel myths, please click here to go our website for more info. Another good source of information can be found by clicking here. Several parents have offered to be contacts and support as well. They are:
Our Policy and Procedures
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We treat the students with respect, dignity, and calmness to avoid an self esteem issues. Finding lice can be difficult, despite parental and school best efforts. A team approach is important in solving this problem.
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Examine any reported cases in the office by the nurse or office staff.
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Contact families of children with live lice to take the children home for treatment. Examine siblings.
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Contact families of children with nits (eggs) to treat at home and then return the children to class. Request families to check siblings.
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Send notices home for families of children in affected classes and send notices to specialists and other appropriate staff in the building.
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Custodians vacuum the floor regularly, but may increase frequency in classes with multiple cases.
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Staff members will change activities to discourage head-to-head or hand-to-head contact.
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We have been checking students with lice when they return to school.
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Offer parent contacts/support.
It is important for parents to know that:
- Parents of affected children should with a fine tooth comb (available at any pharmacy) on a daily basis until the epidemic has completely resolved. It takes at least a month lice-free before you can stop checking.
- Over the counter lice treatments are considerably weaker than the prescription varieties. Parents who note lice on their children should contact their doctors for a prescription strength product. Contact our nurse if you have questions or need assistance.
- Suffocation methods for eradicating lice are not scientifically substantiated. What does work is daily vigilant combing combined with treatment. The treatment is most effective if it is repeated about a week after the first treatment. It is extremely difficult (if not impossible) to get rid of lice without treatment.
We would all rather be focusing on our children's education; however, until a problem like lice is solved, it is a distraction from school work and impacts normal home life. Thanks for your support.
Kindergarten Gets the Goat After many weeks of dedicated work on chores at home, the Horace Mann kindergarten classes earned $120.08, which was donated to Heifer International. Because of our children’s excitement for this service project, a family in need will now be trained by Heifer staff and given a goat, which will provide a source of sustainable nutrition and income. Many thanks to Mrs. Long, Mrs. Simmons, Mrs. McNamara and all of the parents who made this project a success! Your children have an opportunity to extend their enthusiasm for helping others by attending our first ever Service Project Night on January 25th. Families will be able to make blankets for sick or traumatized children, sandwiches for the hungry, whisper phones for students learning to read, and do an art project to cheer a child. This is a free event. Please be sure to join us!
Need a Tax Donation Receipts from PTA? If you made a cash donation to the Horace Mann School PTA from September 1, 2007 - December 31, 2007 and did not receive a tax donation receipt, please contact Melissa Kestner at 651-690-0021 or crawkestner@aol.com.
Congestion Relief for Morning Drop Off Our front entry drop-off space is now larger thanks to District Administration and the City of Saint Paul. My hope is to decrease congestion and increase the flow of traffic during that morning peak between 8:05 a.m. and 8:20 a.m. You can help by pulling up to the farthest point and unloading. Please give hugs and kisses quickly and have children’s backpacks and coats ready so that students can hop right out when you arrive. If you need to take more time, please park on Eleanor or Wilder. Thanks for your help and consideration for all drivers! Superintendent's Recognition for School Improvement Horace Mann School, and therefore the staff and student’s hard work, will be honored by a new superintendent's banner. In the past, recognition of schools has taken place during the District-Wide Administrators’ Meeting. This year our award will be presented at the January 15, 2008 Board of Education Meeting. The award is an important way for the district to recognize the schools which are meeting or exceeding district expectations. The results for student groups based on ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and special needs were averaged to determine the overall status of each school. Recognized schools have the highest overall averages on these four indicators:
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Percent of students at or above peers statewide
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Percent meeting district growth expectations
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Percent of students absent less than 11 days
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Four-year dropout rate (only used for high schools)
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