Swine Flu (H1N1): How to Keep Our Kids Virus Free

As usual, the new school year brings about lots of anxiety for kids and adults alike. But this year, there is extra stress for parents worried about the swine flu. Experts report to expect a major outbreak this fall (right now!) based on past flu outbreaks in the past. Here are some recommendations that IF EVERY BERWYN FAMILY follows, may mean a more mild flu season for our school children:

1. If your child is sick, KEEP THEM HOME! Now, we know that many families struggle to find childcare. It is terrible to have to choose between staying with your sick child and keeping your job. If possible, arrange with a relative, neighbor or friend ahead of time so that when/if your child is sick, a plan will be in place to have care available at home.

2. Teach (or reteach) your child to wash hands. Stand at the sink and instruct your child to be sure to "make bubbles" for 20 seconds BEFORE rinsing. It helps to turn off the faucet while using the soap and to count or sing a song to keep kids washing for an adequate amount of time. Remind your child to wash hands before coming to school and often during the school day.

3. Teach (or reteach) your child to sneeze into their elbow rather than into their hands. This prevents germs from speading to others through touch.

Please do what you can to help keep your child and the children of Berwyn flu free! To learn more about the H1N1 virus, attend the free All Berwyn Committee program on September 17th at 7:00 pm at City Hall, 6700 W. 26th Street.

Free School Supplies at the Library

From the Berwyn Public Library:

Join the librarians for a quick tour of the Berwyn Library and find out where we keep the materials you will need for this year's assignments on Saturday AUgust 29th between 10am and 2pm. All students who participate will recieve a lunch bag filled with school supplies. Please register in advance at the number below.

Berwyn Library
2701 S. Harlem708-795-8000 x 3088 (Youth Services)www.berwynlibrary.net

Time to Get Ready

It feels like summer started and ended at the same time. The weather warmed up just in time for the Back to School season! But, as cheated as we might feel, we need to drum up some enthusiasm for the new school year if we hope to help our kids to have a successful learning experience.

We need to get ready, and though your mind might immediately go to shopping for school supplies, for our kids, being ready means being rested!

Start moving bedtime back! According to WebMD, children 7-12 years old need 10-12 hours of sleep. Move bedtime back in small increments (10-15 minutes) for several days until you get to the target bedtime. Choose the target bedtime by counting back 10-12 hours from the time you wake your child for school. Start your bedtime routine there.

7:30 pm – bath/shower, pajamas, brush teeth, do chores, layout clothes/books for AM, make lunch.

8:00 pm – Read to your child. What a wonderful lifelong habit to encourage. This is a great time to talk. Some of the most important conversations I’ve had with my children have occurred at bedtime. If you have 2 or more kids, this is a great time to spend 5 or 10 minutes of 1:1 time with each one.

8:30 pm – Lights out! This is the hard part. The absolute limit because, let’s face it, most kids don’t immediately fall asleep when you want them to. This is when they’ll bargain (just one more book!), need something (I’m thirsty!), or find any number of ways to continue to engage. Be firm, consistent and COMMITTED to the schedule. Just continue to repeat the message: “It’s time to go to sleep! WE ALL need sleep to be healthy!” It could take a week or more before your kids stop fighting the schedule but it will be worth it!

9:00 pm – With any luck, your kids are sleeping and you can enjoy some quiet time for yourself!

7:00 am – Wake up! Time for a GREAT school day for your happy, healthy child.

In his book Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child, Marc Weissbluth, MD, sums up what you may find in children who routinely do not get the sleep they need:

"School achievement difficulties were found more often among poor sleepers compared to good sleepers.... Young children who have difficulty sleeping become older children with more academic problems.”

YIKES! This really is important. Even if you follow the above schedule, your child will likely only get 10 hours…the lower end of the range that is considered healthy! Only one week left to get your child on a healthier sleep schedule and off to a good start for the school year in Berwyn! Good luck!

Chicago Schools Face A "Pension Tsunami"?

This article is about the Chicago Public School plan to raise property taxes in order to deal with a growing deficit. Our Berwyn school districts face many of the same financial issues mentioned in the article including lost tax dollars due to Tax Increment Financing Districts (TIFs), pension obligations, and union contracts that include pay raises unmatched by additional revenue. Chicago Public School CEO, Ron Huberman, admits it may take more than a property tax increase to fill the budget hole in Chicago. From the article:

"...even worse news is ahead. The next budget deficit, in fiscal year 2011, could top $900 million — a hole so big the system would have to increase class sizes and eliminate teachers unless “cost containment on the pension and wage fronts’’ is achieved, Huberman said."