Principal's Pad

In an effort to better protect our students from the H1N1 virus, SAISD, in partnership with Metro Health, will be offering FREE voluntary H1N1 vaccinations to all students.

Kelly Elementary will host a H1N1 vaccination clinic for Kelly students only on Monday, December 7, 2009, beginning at 9:30 a.m. Recently, a letter was sent home with all students containing a Vaccine Information Statement, consent form and medical screening form.

If you would like your child to receive the H1N1 vaccine at school, please read the Vaccine Information Statement, and complete and sign both the consent form and medical screening form. The consent form and medical screening forms should be returned to your childs teacher or school nurse by December 3, 2009. If you would like to be present when your child receives the vaccine, please notify the school nurse.

If you have any questions, please feel free to call our school nurse at 223-6962.

Although there are currently no confirmed cases of Swine Flu in Bexar County and consequently no restrictions for the area, we understand their may be concerns related to the recent closure of school in nearby Schertz-Cibolo-Universal City ISD due to confirmed cases of the disease.

We can communicate that the following measures to prevent the spread of infectious disease are routinely implemented in SAISD (Many of these measures are also recommended for the prevention of the spread of Swine Flu):

1. Students and staff encouraged to practice frequent, thorough hand washing, especially before eating and after toileting;
2. Access provided at all times to restrooms with soap, water and paper towels for students and staff;
3. Students discouraged from sharing personal items such as make-up, towels, razors, etc.;
4. Students reminded to cover their noses and mouths with a tissue when sneezing or coughing, or cough or sneeze into the upper sleeve, if a tissue is not available.
5. Environmental surfaces such as desks and tables kept clean;
6. Students with symptoms of infectious disease such as fever, headache, nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, and/or open, draining sores referred to the school nurse for evaluation.

Additionally, attendance will be monitored and any significant decrease in attendance will be reported to the school nurse for investigation. The school nurse will follow routine protocol for reporting an increase in symptoms reported or observed during clinic visits to the Student Health Services Department.

A fact sheet summarizing information on Swine Flu from the Department of State Health Services, (DSHS) www.cdc.gov/swineflu, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention www.dshs.state.tx.us, websites is attached. A Hotline number (1-888-777-5320) has been established by DSHS for staff and parents who have questions. School nurses have been provided with these resources and are prepared to assist with answering questions and addressing concerns. You may contact our school nurse at 210-223-6962.

Hi folks! I'm currently taking an online course to learn ways to use technology to make learning more exciting and relevant for our students. As part of this course, l received some new technology - a digital camera, video camera, digital audio recorder, projector and laptop. What a better way to learn how to use the equipment than to play with it!?!? So, I'm going to be working on a short video titled, "What's so GREAT about Kelly?"

The staff and I have already brainstormed ideas we have about what makes Kelly a great school. I'm also going to be asking your children what they think is so great about Kelly. I'd also like to hear from you. Over the next two weeks I'll be shooting video of students engaged in learning activities, teachers and staff working with students, and parents involved in their child's education. I'll also be taking photographs and interviewing students, staff and parents. The finished product will be placed on our Kelly Elementary web site.

I invite you to send me your thoughts on what makes Kelly a great school! You can reply to this blog, email me at dguardia@saisd.net, call me at 223-6962 or just stop by to talk with me.

I look forward to hearing from you!

Deborah Guardia, Principal

Last week we celebrated Red Ribbon Week with a variety of activities to reinforce the importance of staying drug free! We showed we were too cool to do drugs by wearing sunglasses; we wore fatigues and fought off drugs; we wore CRAZY hats to show we were not CRAZY enough to do drugs! Students were invited and encouraged to sign a bulletin board outside our counselor’s office pledging to say NO to drugs. We wore red and even ate red things (apples, strawberries, etc…)!

I wish I could say spending one week a year reminding our children to say NO to drugs and alcohol would be enough to ensure their safety and well-being – but it’s not. Here are some shocking statistics regarding drug and alcohol use among teenagers:

• One out of every five 8th graders report that they have tried marijuana.
• 63 percent of the youth who drink alcohol say that they initially got the alcohol from their own or their friend’s homes.
• Alcohol kills 6 ½ times more teenagers than all other illicit drugs combined.
• Teens that drink are 50 times more likely to use cocaine than teens who never consume alcohol.
• Teenagers whose parents talk to them on a regular basis about the dangers of drug use are 42 percent less likely to use drugs than those whose parents don’t.

Parents and families face one of the most difficult battles in today’s society – that of raising drug free children. One of the most powerful tools we have and can use to help in keeping our kids off drugs is communication. Yet for some reason, it is the most feared, and is seldom used. We must be brave! We must be brave and talk to our children from an early age and on a regular basis about the dangers of drugs. Most importantly we must be active participants in their lives.

We as parents and educators must set the tone, set the standards, and set the community norm. Together we can change the face of drug addiction in our communities.

Information cited from http://teendrugabuse.us/teen_drug_use.html

Proud to be drug free!

Deborah Guardia, Principal

Greetings Kelly Elementary families, staff and community members!

Welcome to the Principal’s Pad. One of my personal goals as a campus principal is to learn more about the many technology resources available and how to make those resources available to our staff and students.

One of the resources I just learned about is the blog. A blog is a way to share what is happening at Kelly as well as share school information. The Principal’s Pad is a blog. Through this blog, I can keep staff and parents up to date. People reading the Principal’s Pad will also be able to post comments related to the information contained in the blog entry. Just click add a new comment.

I hope to hear from you soon!

Take care,

Deborah Guardia

Principal