BFMS Newsletter February | Page 7

Page 7 Volume 4, Issue 1 -Itu s Review w ith Mrs . Hods den If you know of any students who are in need of winter hats or mittens , we have a lot of beautiful handmade goods donated from a group in town called Knitting Together. Please come to the health office to pick them up. It’s that time of year for colds and flu to be fully in swing. While VT is one of only a few states that does do not yet have widespread flu activity, please follow good handwashing procedures to limit your exposure to the virus. You can log on to the health office section of the school website for links to influenza information from the CDC. Other helpful information: Influenza Symptoms Influenza (also known as the flu) is a contagious respiratory illness caused by flu viruses. It can cause mild to severe illness, and at times can lead to death. The flu is different from a cold. The flu usually comes on suddenly. People who have the flu often feel some or all of these symptoms: Fever* or feeling feverish/chills Cough Sore throat Runny or stuffy nose Muscle or body aches Headaches Fatigue (tiredness) Some people may have vomiting and diarrhea, though this is more common in children than adults. * It's important to note that not everyone with flu will have a fever. If your child is experiencing these symptoms please keep them home. A student should be fever free for 24 hours without use of fever reducing medication before returning to school. It is not too late to get your flu vaccine. You can get the vaccine at a pharmacy or your healthcare provider. If you think that you have the flu, call your healthcare provider to see if you can be prescribed a medication that will lessen the symptoms and duration of illness. From the Desk of Jamie Card Thanks to this amazing opportunity From the Prevention Corner. On January 15th the Getting to “Y” group attended the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) leadership training at the Capitol Plaza Hotel in Montpelier, VT. The YRBS is a voluntarily youth risk behavior survey administered every two years to all middle and high school students in Vermont to identify unhealthy behaviors and implement effect strategies to improve healt h. During this training, students had an excellent opportunity to learn more about community organizing, collaboration, team leadership, peer support, and effective strategies to inform the community about the 2013 YRBS results. Students are looking forward to work collaboratively and are looking forward to brainstorm ideas for information dissemination in the community. Stay tuned… January 27th through 31st is National Drug Facts Week (NDFW). It is a nationwide drug prevention campaign from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (www.nida.gov) targeting youth with the purpose to demystify the myths of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs (ATO). Through Advisory, all students will be participating in a prevention activity to continue to raise awareness and encourage healthy choices.