Incline Village Schools

To help ensure that all students beginning seventh grade this year can do so on time, the Washoe County Health District is holding special walk-in clinics at which Tdap vaccinations will be provided. This vaccination requirement, which protects against tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis (whooping cough), applies to incoming seventh grade students if at least five years have passed since the last tetanus-containing vaccination was received. Walk-in clinics, which are for Tdap vaccinations only, will be held as follows:

• From 8 a.m. to noon and from 1 to 4:30 p.m. today, Monday, Wednesday and Sept. 4 at the Washoe County Health District, 1001 E. Ninth St., Reno, Building B. The cost will be $16. Parents must bring the child's immunization record with them.
• For vaccinations other than the back-to-school Tdap, appointments are required and can be made by calling 775-328-2402 beginning at 8 a.m. on weekdays. The appointment phone line will be open until all appointment slots for the next shot clinic day have been filled.

For more information about student immunizations, go to www.washoecounty.us/health/cchs/imm.html or call 775-328-3724.

Dear All:

The first IMS Jr. Booster meeting yesterday was a great success! Thank you all for a good turn-out and your enthusiasm!

SOME IMPORTANT DATES COMING UP

• September 3rd:  Back to School Night
• September 5th:  Deadline for getting your information to Jr. Boosters for the Directory.  This is a very important reference for your children, their social life and for parents to contact other parents!  Forms are at the middle school.
• September 8th:  Brown Bag Lunch with Sup. Dr. Morrison (Parasol Building, Noon)
• September 29th:  SHARE parent preview day (usually will be at the end of the day, will keep you posted)
• October 1st:  IMS Mini Field Day.  Parents are welcome to come help set up and work the mini field day from 1PM – 2:15 PM.
• October 23rd:  Halloween Dance:  We need a chair and volunteers to set up, tear down and chaperone!
• November 5th:  Take Dad to School Day  7:50 – 2:15 PM.

THANK YOU!!!

• Joann Devine, Linda Tokunaga and Eileen May for membership and directory publication.
• Eileen May and Donna Tonking for stepping up and volunteering to chair the 8th Grade Celebration!
• Shahin Lampe and Joan Davis for stepping up and volunteering to chair the Take Dad to School day!
• Stacey Hanna and Amy Smith for stepping up and volunteering to coordinate refreshments for the Halloween dance!
• Amy Smith and Debbie Larson for volunteering for the Spelling Bee!

VOLUNTEERS STILL NEEDED:

• Halloween Dance Chair and volunteers for set up, tear down and chaperones.
• Liaisons for the following activities:  Math Counts, Science Fair, GT Connection and Star Follies.
• Volunteers for Take Dad to School
• Volunteers for Staff Appreciation Day
• Volunteers for 8th grade celebration

Other:  Any working microwaves that you may have on hand and are not using would be helpful for the middle school!  Please contact Sharon Kennedy, JoDee Hubb or Claudia Smith.

Keep checking www.inclineschools.org for information and news on the Incline Schools, IB program and more.

Very Truly Yours,

Incline High School Principal John Clark has announced he will retire at the end of this school year.

“I feel that it's time to let someone else take over,” Clark said Monday. “It's time, you get to the point where you've done something for so long you're ready to move on. I'm starting to have grandchildren now and I'm looking forward to spending more time with them.”

Clark served as principal at Incline for eight years at the end of a long career in public education. Clark has served as a public educator for 45 years — 33 in the Washoe County School District and 20 as a principal.

Messages to WCSD administration seeking comment on Clark's decision and on the search for a replacement weren't immediately returned Monday.

Clark's decision will mark the second time in as many years an administrator has left Incline. Nichole Truax resigned from her post as Incline Middle School site administrator earlier this month. Sharon Kennedy replaced her.

The following guidance was issued this morning (September 3) to all principals in the Washoe County School District concerning the President’s address to school children.

President Obama will deliver a live address to the nation's school children on Tuesday, September 8th at 9:00 a.m. Pacific time. The speech will be available on the White House website at www.whitehouse.gov.

According to the US Department of Education, the President will focus on the importance of hard work and setting educational goals. He will also call for a sense of shared responsibility among students, parents and educators.  These ideas are consistent with the goals of our Blueprint for Student Success.

This is an optional activity, both for teachers and students, and each school is encouraged to plan appropriate activities as they see fit. If you have parents who do not want their child to watch the address, please provide them with an alternative activity during the speech.

The Washoe County Health District is hosting a walk-in vaccination clinic Friday in Reno for area seventh graders.

From 8 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4:30 p.m., the health district is offering the Tdap vaccine, which protects against tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis to seventh grade students. The Tdap vaccine is $16.

The vaccine is required for public school students and strongly encouraged for all students.

A clinic won't be held locally as it was last year at Incline Middle School, said Judy Davis, a spokeswoman with the county. All vaccinations this year are being distributed at the Health District's Ninth Street office in Reno, Davis said.

The office is located at Building B on 1001 East Ninth Street, Reno.

Flu shots

As students head back to school, and area administrators are still watchful for the H1N1 (swine flu) virus, parents and residents may be anxious for flu vaccinations.

While there is no vaccine for the swine flu, regular flu vaccinations are available currently at the Village Market Pharmacy for a price of $35. The shot is available without an appointment anytime during business hours.

Both the Raley's Pharmacy and Incline Village Community Hospital say vaccinations are expected any day now but do not have updated pricing information. When they arrive, vaccinations will be offered at both sites on a walk-in basis.

Also, visit www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu for pages of information regarding the H1N1 virus.

September is Hispanic Heritage month, and a celebration of Hispanic culture will be held from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sept. 13 at Miguel Ribera Park, 3925 Neil Road, Reno.

There will be music, dancing and food and an opportunity for the entire community to enjoy elements of various Hispanic cultures.

Vendors will present their arts and crafts, and there will be educational booths. The Hispanic Heritage Festival is sponsored by Nevada Hispanic Services, a nonprofit that serves the needs of the Hispanic community.

Details: Jesse or Nelson at 775-826-1818 or Nevada Hispanic Services' Web site at www.nhsreno.org.

As you may know, the typical seasonal flu and H1N1 or “swine flu” can both be easily spread from person to person. Therefore, we are taking steps to reduce the spread of both types of flu in the Washoe County School District. We’re sanitizing all common surfaces daily and encouraging the use of hand sanitizers. We’re isolating students who become sick and sending them home until they get better. We want to keep schools open to students and functioning in a normal manner during this coming flu season. But, we need your help to do this.

Here are a few things you can do to help:

• Teach your children to wash their hands often with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer. You can set a good example by doing this yourself.
• Teach your children not to share personal items like drinks, food or unwashed utensils, and to cover their coughs and sneezes with tissues. Covering up their coughs or sneezes using the elbow, arm or sleeve instead of the hand is an effective way to prevent spreading the flu when a tissue is unavailable.
• Know the signs and symptoms of H1N1 flu:  fever of 100 degrees or greater and a cough and/or sore throat.
• Keep sick children at home for at least 24 hours after they no longer have symptoms of illness and they are fever-free for at least 24 hours, without using fever-reducing drugs.  Keeping children with a fever at home will reduce the number of people who may get infected.
• Do not send children to school if they are sick. Any children who are determined to be sick while at school will be sent home. We will call you to come pick up your child.

We are working closely with the Washoe County Health District to monitor H1N1flu conditions and make decisions about the best steps to take concerning schools. We will keep you updated with new information as it becomes available.

If the H1N1 flu becomes more severe, we may take additional steps to prevent the spread such as:

• Conducting active fever and flu symptom screening of students and staff as they arrive at school
• Making changes to increase the space between people, such as moving desks farther apart and postponing class trips, and
• Dismissing students from school for at least 7 days if they become sick.

en Español: