HUGS Meeting

The next HUGS meeting is on Monday, May 12th at 6:00 at the McKusick School.

Hope to see you there!

TV TURN OFF WEEK

TV Turn Off Week runs this year from Sun 22 April - Sat 28 April. During this time we ask students and their families to voluntarily refrain from watching television and limit their viewing to four hours for the week. Why not engage in some family reading or game playing? A brisk walk outdoors or a game of catch now that the days are longer would refresh your spirit and mind more so than an evening huddled in front of the tube.

Some interesting facts regarding TV:

49% of Americans say they watch too much television.

The average American watches 3 hours and 46 minutes of TV each day.

Parents spend 38.5 minutes per week in meaningful conversation with their children.

The average American child sees 200,000 violent acts on television by the time he reaches the age of 18.

The average child sees 30,000 commercials in a year.

While 59 percent of Americans can name The Three Stooges, only 17 percent can name three Supreme Court Justices. Which can you name? Answers at bottom of newsletter.

Arts Alive T-Shirts

Arts Alive Day is coming soon!

McKusick Arts Alive - May 25

Guilford Primary Arts Alive – June 1

Guilford Primary parents- On this special day everyone will be wearing a student designed "Arts Alive" t-shirt. Please send $2.50 in an envelope to your child's teacher by Wednesday, April 25. Be sure to mark the envelope with your child's name. Teachers at Guilford Primary will be choosing the t-shirt size for their students.

The McKusick School Parents-An order form requesting a $2.00 contribution for the tie dye t-shirt has been sent home. If you need a new order form, please contact your child’s teacher.

Lynn Plourde Visit at GPS

Lynn Plourde will be visiting GPS on 24 April, 2 May & 9 May. She will be giving a presentation on some of her books and will be visiting individual classrooms to work with the students. We are very pleased that she will be able to join us due to the efforts of HUGS.

Transportation Changes

Due to many problems lately, we want to remind you that if your child is making any changes in how he/she is getting home we MUST have a note. For safety reasons, we can not take your child’s word on where they are supposed to go. Neither can we call parents at home or at work when buses are waiting for them to board. If your child has a CLC program after school, they must attend unless we receive a note from you in the morning. We appreciate your help with this.

Please Slow Down

We need everyone to slow down in the driveway at Guilford Primary School. The speed limit is 15 mph. We ask that you be mindful of our children who walk to and from school. When drivers spin out in front of the school, it causes dusty, dangerous situations. Thank you for slowing down!

Parkman Preschool

The Parkman Preschool is accepting registration for the 2007-08 year. Space in the program is limited to 20 children. Applications can be obtained from Louise Ringle, Center Coordinator by visiting the preschool or calling 876-4450 or by letting your child’s teacher know that you would like an application.

Spring Wellness Carnival

The 3^rd Annual Spring Wellness Carnival will be held on Friday, April 27^thfrom 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm at the PCMS Gym. Many games & prizes, swap smaller prizes for bigger prizes, face painting, balloons, bike raffle, and a 50/50 drawing will take place. Please come and join the fun!

Important Dates

April 16 - 20-Vacation

May 28 – No School Memorial Day

May 23 - Visual Arts Festival

May 25 - Arts Alive Day at McK

June 1 - Arts Alive Day at GPS

June 19 – Last Day of School!

GPS Specials Schedule

Monday, April 23 Day 3

Tuesday, April 24 Day 4

Wednesday, April 25 Day 5

Thursday, April 26 Day 6

Friday, April 27 Day 1

Monday, April 30 Day 2

Tuesday, May 1 Day 3

Wednesday, May 2 Day 4

Thursday, May 3 Day 5

Friday, May 4 Day 6

Getting Enough Sleep?

School age children need 10 or 11 hours of sleep each night to stay healthy and perform well in class. Several studies show that our “bad habits” are often to blame when children don’t get the sleep that they need. There are some solutions to the problem that you can try with your children.

q Cut down on caffeine. Many drinks, including soda and hot chocolate, contain caffeine. Even some non-cola drinks contain caffeine, so read those labels!

q Keep TVs and computers out of your child’s bedroom. It is very tempting to stay up “just another half hour” when the television is so handy.

q Bedtime reading helps to calm a child. Children who read or are read to before bedtime tend to calm down and ready themselves for sleep.

q Be aware of potential health problems. If your child snores or mouth breathes, there may be a medical problem that is interfering with sleep. Consult your doctor in these situations.

As we approach spring and warmer weather, it is even more challenging to be certain that our children are getting enough sleep. We encourage you to take a look at your evening routines and make every effort to be sure that your child is getting the sleep s/he needs to stay healthy and perform well in school.