LICE Update

Hi Cozy Lake Families,
It is not unusual after Halloween (with all the fancy hair dos, wigs and comb-sharing)  to get a few random reports of lice.  I was, therefore, not surprised to have a couple new cases of lice reported to me by parents on Monday.  Rest assured, the students were effectively treated and lice-free prior to returning to school.

I am alerting you to remind you to stay vigilant.  Continue to check your child's hair, especially if they report symptoms of itching.  Please encouraged your girls with long hair to try to keep it pull back or up as often as possible and lastly, please remind your children of the importance of avoiding direct head-to-head contact. 

I did check all students at risk here at Cozy and did NOT find any new cases of lice.  I will continue to follow up bi-weekly (or more frequently as needed) to assess for lice.  In addition, I will continue to provide on-going lice prevention teaching to the students.

We, thankfully, are having a good "lice" year, but I do believe it is important to keep you all updated.  Thank you for all you do at home to reinforce our teaching here at school.
Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns at (973) 697-4777 ext. 5535.

SHOELACE REQUEST

Hi Cozy Lake Families-

Surprisingly, I have had an increase in head injuries and bitten lips as result of falls/trips due to untied shoelaces.  If your child wears shoes with shoelaces, please encourage them to practice tying each night.  If their shoelaces come untied during the day and they struggle to re-tie them, please encourage them to ask a friend or an adult to assist them to re-tie rather than leaving them untied and risking an injury.  Thank you so much!

Happy Halloween!

Hello Cozy Lake Families!

We are all so excited for Halloween 2019!  We have so many exciting activities planned for the kids.  I just have a few reminders to ensure our students all remain healthy, happy and safe this Halloween!

• Food will be shared at our Halloween classroom parties.  The list is very limited and, as always, the parties will be activity-based rather than food-based.  If you have any concerns related to the following food list, please reach out to me as soon as possible. This year's food list will include;                
•  Sea Salt (only) Pop Chips
• Rold Gold (only) Pretzels (twists, thins or sticks)
• Plain or double stuffed (only) Oreos &
• Capri Sun 100% fruit juice

• 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 concerns 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.  

LICE INFORMATION

It is common this time of year (after the holidays) to get reports of lice.  Rest assured, we do NOT currently have any known active cases of lice! That said, it is important for everyone to review the following information about head lice in order for us all to stay vigilant and prevent a spread.

Head lice is nothing to be ashamed of.   Cleanliness and personal hygiene have NOT been linked to contracting head lice. If  cases of head lice are reported or found in your child's class, I will check the class for lice.  In addition, the students and I discuss lice and the things we can do to prevent the spread of lice.  I also send a letter home to remind parents to be on alert for signs or symptoms of lice.  I am, of course, sensitive to the students' feelings and treat each case confidentially.     The parents of students with lice are notified and provided with the necessary information to ensure successful treatment.    The students are treated appropriately by their parents and re-checked prior to returning to school.   

The following are important lice facts to keep in mind:

• Lice do NOT jump or fly.  They only crawl.
• Lice spread from DIRECT head to head contact and, therefore, schools are NOT the primary source of transmission.  Camps, sleepovers, playdates, etc. are the common source.
• Once on a head, lice prefer to stay on the head (close to its food source).  Spreading primarily occurs once a full infestation exists and the lice are looking for a new home. Therefore, catching and treating lice early is important.  Please check your children for lice regularly. 
• It takes weeks for lice infestation to occur, so students can be in school with lice for weeks undetected.  Therefore, please reinforce avoiding direct head to head contact with your children and encourage your child with long hair to keep hair tied up in a ponytail or braid. 

Please watch for the following symptoms in your child:

• Intense itching of the scalp.
• Regularly check the nape of the neck and behind the ears for lice eggs (called nits).  Nits are usually whitish ovals that glue themselves to the hair shafts and cannot be removed easily.
• Adult lice are tiny, grayish-brown, wingless insects and shy away from light.  They are harder to see than the nits. 
• If you find lice or any nits, it means your child has head lice. 
• If your child has head lice, please contact me immediately so other children in the class can be checked. If your child has lice, they will need to be treated before re-entering school. Each case will, of course, be treated confidentially.  

***For more lice information, please refer to the Lice Handbook on the Jefferson Township website (click link for District Offfices, then Health Services, then Forms & Documents)

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

NEW Option for Students With Food Allergies!

We have an exciting new program being offered by our Food Service Department for students with food allergies.  We are now offering Allergen Pre-Order Menus.  Of course, all our elementary schools are peanut, tree nut & fish free, but we have been seeing an increase in allergies to egg, dairy, and gluten as well.  Therefore, students, who have these additional documented allergies, can now pre-order meals safely with our new Allergen Pre-Order Menus.

What's new:
Specific staff received advanced, on-going special training on food label reading, cross-contact procedures, and food allergies.  A new system has been established utilizing strict protocols to ensure allergy (peanut, tree nut, fish, egg, dairy, gluten)  free meals are prepared and provided safely for the students with these documented allergies.  The Pre-Ordered Allergy Meals are prepared and packaged separately and labeled with your child's name accordingly.


Here's how it works: 
Special menus are posted 2 weeks prior to the month on the district website (see link for district home/district offices/food services/ allergy pre order menus).  If your child has a documented allergy and you would like to have them purchase from the menu, complete the bottom portion and have your child return to cafeteria 1 week prior to the month. The meals will be prepared and packaged and delivered to the appropriate school with your child's name in time for lunch!

Check out the menus and additional information on the website. If you have additional questions or input, please reach out to our Food Service Director, Eric Ventriglia, at eventriglia@jefftwp.org or (973) 697-3106 ext 5878.  We appreciate any and all feedback to help us make this offering a success.

I hope this is helpful to our many families and students who struggle daily with food allergies.

ALERT....VAPING DANGERS!

Hello Cozy Lake Families,

I know our little ones here at Cozy are too young for vaping but its never to early to at least discuss the dangers of smoking. I have received numerous reports and alerts on the dangers of vaping and most recently received a Public Awareness Alert from NJ Department of Health that I feel is important to share out with all of you.

Electronic smoking devices were introduced into the US market in 2007 and use of these products has skyrocketed to the point that in 2018, more than one in five high school students and about 1 in 20 middle school students reported using e-cigarettes.  This is double the usage from 2017.

In addition, there have been numerous reports recently of youth needing to be hospitalized due to severe respiratory illnesses as a result of vaping.

Because of these alarming trends, the NJ Dpt of Health has created the following resource.

Click the link below and you will find an informative page on the NJ DOH site that provides Parents, Teachers, Coaches, and Healthcare Providers with the most up-to-date information about the dangers of e-cigarettes/vaping. 

VapeFactsNJ.com

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


   

Welcome to our 2019-2020 School Year!!!

Hello Cozy Lake Families!
Welcome to the 2019-2020 school year!  We are off to a great start.  The students are adjusting well to Cozy Lake, their new teachers, classrooms and friends!  We have an exciting year of informative and interactive events planned for your children.
Here on this blog you will find updates, requests, and information that will ensure you stay up-to-date on Health and Wellness issues here at Cozy Lake.  Please check back often.  I will be posting throughout the year as needed.

Please click the links below for additional health office information.

When To Keep Your Child Home From School

District Medication Policy

Cozy Lake School Food Policy

Non-Food Birthday Celebration Ideas

Cozy Lake Breakfast and Lunch Program

Screening Information

Head Lice Information