Cozy Lake's Wellness Week Challenge!

Below you will find our Cozy Lake Wellness Week Challenge! See the previous post for our Wellness Week Theme Day information.   Please consider participating in these activities to help promote and ensure you and your family stay happy and healthy all winter long!
As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to me at (973) 697-4777 ext. 5535.

Wellness Week Challenge

o   Spend 30 minutes or more each day doing physical activity (walk, jog, bike, dance, ice skate, sleigh riding)    
     

                                 

o   Drink 5 glasses or more of water each day

         

                                                 

o   Eat 5 or more colorful foods each day

o   Count to 20 or sing your ABCs every time you scrub your

hands

o   Plan 10 hours of sleep or more every night

   

    

Wellness Week at Cozy Lake

COZY LAKE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

WELLNESS WEEK 2019

FEBRUARY 4^th-8^TH

Jefferson Township Public Schools' Wellness Week is scheduled for February 4^th -8^th.  We dedicate this week to supporting and encouraging healthy habits in our school communities and our homes.  

Here at Cozy, we will kick off our Wellness Week celebration with an entertaining & informative visit with “Mr. Slim Goodbody” on Monday morning.  In addition, I put together some exciting theme days (see below).  Please encourage your children to join in the fun! 

Stay Tuned...I will be posting our Wellness Week Challenge as well as additional information every day during Wellness Week so be sure to check it out!

MONDAY	TUESDAY	WEDNESDAY	THURSDAY	FRIDAY
Theme: Exercise	Theme: DRINK	Theme: EAT HEALTHY	Theme: WASH HANDS	Theme: REST
When you exercise, you make your body stronger. Be active every day.  Your body will thank you.	Stay Hydrated! Water is one of the best things to drink! .	Rainbows are amazing and beautiful-not just in the sky but on your plate. Eating a rainbow of colorful foods helps your body get the nutrition it needs.	Washing your hands is the best way to stop germs from spreading. Remember the 5 handwashing steps (wet, soap, scrub, rinse, dry)	School-age kids need 10-11 hrs of sleep per night.
Wear Your Favorite Sports Team Jersey or School Spirit Wear!	Water Day! Bring a water bottle to school and try to finish drinking it before the end of the day	Wear Rainbow Colors!	Give Me 5 Day! Do the  “Give Me 5” Activity in the classroom	PJ DAY!

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, do not hesitate to reach out to me at                   (973) 697-4777 ext. 5535. 

Dental Health Program

Happy New Year, Cozy Families!!!

I am excited to report that the American Dental Foundation will again be supporting the Give Kids A Smile Program for 2019. 

This program helps to ensure that children, who may not otherwise have the means, can visit a participating dentist for emergency or preventative care for free. 

On February 1st, dentists throughout NJ offer free dental care for children ages 12 and younger.  There are over 100 participating dental offices!

If you or someone you know is interested, all they need to do is call the participating location of their choice and set up an appointment for February 1st.

For a list of participating locations or for more information, visit the GKAS (Give Kids a Smile) website at www.njda.org/gkas.

DO NOT DELAY, space fills up quickly!

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to me at (973) 697-4777 ext. 5535.

WELCOME WINTER!

With winter comes many wonderful things...the holidays, family gatherings, snow, sleigh riding, skiing, hot cocoa, and cozy fires, etc... :)

But winter is also, unfortunately, the prime time for GERMS and SICKNESS :(

There are plenty of preventative measures children can learn in order to ward off illness.  Here are three important things you can frequently remind your children to help keep them healthy the winter season. 

1.  WASH YOUR HANDS!  Washing hands with soap and water will help stop the spread of germs. Remind your children to frequently and effectively wash their hands.   Many students forget to srub for a full 20 seconds or as long as it takes to sing "Happy Birthday" or the "ABCs". When soap and water are not available, disinfecting with hand sanitizer is the next best thing.  
2. DRINK UP!  We are not usually as thirsty in the winter because the temperature is cooler, but we still need to make sure we are drinking enough fluids.  Encourage your child to drink throughout the day. Be sure to provide water or healthy drink choices for your child during the school day. 
3. GET MOVING!  Try to make family time for some fun winter activities.  Staying active in the winter months will help maintain health and elevate serotonin, also known as the happy chemical in brains.   When the weather isn't cooperating, try some indoor yoga!  You'd be surprised at how calm and relaxed you feel afterward! 

Enjoy the Winter!  As always, if you have any questions or concerns, do not hesitate to reach out to me at (973) 697-4777 ext. 5535.

LICE Reminders

Hello Cozy Lake Families,

It is not unusual to have random reports of lice throughout the school year.  That being the case, I wanted to remind you to:

• Check your child's hair for lice and/or nits if they report itchiness.  
• Encourage your daughters with long hair to wear their hair up &
• Encourage all your children to avoid direct head to head contact

For more information, refer to my post on October 10th.  For much more in-depth information, refer to the DISTRICT HOME PAGE<DISTRICT OFFICES<STUDENTS & PARENTS<HEALTH SERVICES<FORMS<LICE HANDBOOK.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, do not hesitate to reach out to me at (973) 697-4777 ext. 5535. 

Happy Halloween!

Hello Cozy Families:

I am very excited to celebrate my first Cozy Lake Halloween!  The teachers and I have a really fun team costume planned!
Just a couple reminders to ensure all remain healthy, happy, and safe this Halloween:

• Food will be shared during the classroom parties.  Food served is very restricted and limited to ensure all students will be safe participating in our celebration.  The following is the list of food that will be shared:

-Store bought and prepared cut up fruit and vegetables-no dips
-Sea salt (only) Pop Chips
-Rold Gold (only) Pretzels (twists, thins or sticks)
-Plain or double stuffed (only) OREOS

• If your child's costume contains a face mask or other accessory that covers their face or head, for safety reasons please remind your child NOT to wear a mask or face covering during bus transportation.  
• If your child's costume is "complicated" and could present a safety hazard to self or others, please have your child wait till they arrive at school to put the costume on.   

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, do not hesitate to reach out to me at (973) 697-4777 ext. 5535. 

Have a happy Halloween everyone!  

Attendance Matters-10 Facts about Attendance

Hello Cozy Lake Families:  

Many people mistakenly believe attendance is not a significant concern until a student reaches middle or high school.  Research shows it is important for students to develop the habit of regular attendance at an early age. This mindset will stay with the students throughout their academic career and make a lasting difference in the success of their education.  Therefore, Cozy Lake Elementary School is striving to improve regular attendance of students throughout the school year.  

The following are 10 facts about attendance that are important to review and consider throughout your child's school-age years. 

• Absenteeism in the first month of school can predict poor attendance throughout the school year. Half the students who miss 2-4 days in September go on to miss nearly a month of school. Read more...
•  Over 7 million (1 in 7) U.S. students miss nearly a month of school each year. Read more...
•  Absenteeism and its ill effects start early. One in 10 kindergarten and first grade students are chronically absent. Read more... 
•  Poor attendance can influence whether children read proficiently by the end of third grade or be held back. Read more...
•  By 6th grade, chronic absence becomes a leading indicator that a student will drop out of high school. Read more...
•  Research shows that missing 10 percent of the school, or about 18 days in most school districts, negatively affects a student’s academic performance. That’s just two days a month and that’s known as chronic absence. Read more...
•  Students who live in communities with high levels of poverty are four times more likely to be chronically absent than others often for reasons beyond their control, such as unstable housing, unreliable transportation and a lack of access to health care. Read more...
•  When students improve their attendance rates, they improve their academic prospects and chances for graduating. Read more...
•  Attendance improves when schools engage students and parents in positive ways and when schools provide mentors for chronically absent students. Read more...
•  Most school districts and states don’t look at all the right data to improve school attendance. They track how many students show up every day and how many are skipping school without an excuse, but not how many are missing so many days in excused and unexcused absence that they are headed off track academically. Read more..

 ***That said, keep in mind we encourage keeping a child home from school if they are not feeling well or sick.  In addition, we understand that personal situations arise necessitating your child miss school.  

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, do not hesitate to reach out to me at (973) 697-4777 ext. 5535.