Thursday, October 29, 2009

H1N1 Update

This is in response to the many questions about Plymouth Schools and the H1N1 virus. I will continue to update the community as we expect this outbreak of flu to last through March 2010.

· Our custodial staff continues to clean the schools high travel areas multiple times daily.
· Our buses are cleaned nightly.
· Our teachers continue to stress to students the correct way to cough, sneeze, and wash their hands.
· Our nurses continue to monitor sick children and send them home if they have flu-like symptoms.
· Our nurses and attendance staff continue to audit the percentage of students absent with flu-like symptoms.
· Our head nurse is in close contact with the Marshall County Health Department.
· We continue to ask parents to keep their children home until 24 hours after the fever is gone without using medicine such as Tylenol or Ibuprofen.
· We continue to send packets of homework if students feel well enough to work on it.

While we don't expect to close schools, we know that a possibility exists that we may have to close one school or the entire corporation. Across the country, several hundred schools have closed, mostly because the bus or teaching staff has been hit hard with the flu.

We are following Department of Education suggestions to prepare work for students if the schools are closed. These packets will be sent home in the next few weeks and can be accessed through the school's web site.

Monday, October 19, 2009

Fall Break

There will be no school on Thursday, October 22, 2009 and Friday, October 23, 2009.

2009-2010 New Staff


Mr. Robin Tobias is the new assistant principal at Plymouth High School. He received his bachelors from Wabash College and he holds a masters from Indiana State University.


He is married to his wife, Janel. They have two children and are expecting their 3rd child this December. They also have a yellow lab named Wrangler.


He is glad to be an administrator in Plymouth because this corporation is a proactive corporation that has placed student achievement at the front of its vision and decisions.

Student of the Month


The SCILL Center is pleased to announce the Student-of-the-Month recipients for the month of September.

Aaron Everage from Knox High School and Eric Sarber from Plymouth High School were the AM class recipients of the award. Zachary Loehmer from Culver Community High School and Kevin Pfeiffer from Triton High School were the PM class recipients of the award.

The Student-of-the-Month is chosen by the AutoTech instructors, Rodney Dawson and Mark Anderson, based on the student’s test scores, class participation, attitude, attendance and initiative in the shop.

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Blog Bits

The High School Alternative School students in partnership with the Plymouth Rotary Club will be sponsoring a drive for the Marshall County Humane Society. The Humane Society is in desperate need of the following items: used or new blankets, dog food, cat food, bleach and cleaning supplies, and cleaning utensils (mops, brooms, etc). The AHS students will run the drive from Thursday, October 14, 2009 through Monday, October, 26th. PHS students and faculty, please drop donations in the front office.


If anyone outside of PHS would like to make donations, please feel free to drop donations off at the Alternative School (Service Center) or contact the Alternative School at 935-9051 and we will make arrangements for pick up.

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Plymouth High School - Letter to Parents

Dear Parent(s) or Guardian(s),

The purpose of this letter is to explain an event that took place at Plymouth High School the afternoon of Wednesday, October 14, 2009.

Today, we had an uninvited visitor who refused to identify himself while repeatedly attempting to enter our building. Thanks to security measures and the awareness of our faculty, his attempts to enter the building were unsuccessful. The Plymouth Police were called immediately and the young man was peacefully apprehended.

Although the visitor to our building was not violent when spoken to, the fact that his clothing was torn and bloodied alarmed some of our students who saw him walking around the outside of the school from their classroom window.

At approximately 2:10, I addressed our student body and faculty and summarized today’s event with them. I informed our students that they are free to see me should they have any questions or concerns.

As we reflect on today’s event, it once again calls to mind the need for us to always maintain a safe environment at school. We encouraged our students to continue to work with us in making sure our doors are properly secured so that guests to our building although welcome can simultaneously be accounted for. Parents, please feel free to contact me should you have any questions or concerns. Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,


James A. Condon, Principal
Plymouth High School

Help Lincoln Jr. High Win Equipment

Phil Scott, Lincoln Junior High technology teacher, has entered Lincoln in a contest with Best Buy for some digital video equipment. The winner is determined by the school with the most votes over the contest period. (Oct. 4-18). Please help Phil and his students by voting for Lincoln Jr. High. Right now they are in a close contest with a couple of other schools. Just click on the “Get that Money” tab on the right side of the screen. Enter IN and Plymouth and click Search. Then all you have to do is vote!

http://www.at15.com/contests_scholarships/teach

Friday, October 09, 2009

Suggestion from Saint Joseph's Hospital

The H1N1 Flu has raised a lot of concerns, particularly in schools. Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center asks that you please review the attached release. It contains valuable information, some of which is school-specific, to help not only ease those concerns but also help us alleviate much of the overcrowding in Emergency Rooms throughout Michiana as a result of those concerns. Thank you very much for your cooperation. Please continue to remind students to wash their hands with warm water and soap or an alcohol-based hand cleaning solution, sneeze or cough into their elbow or a tissue, avoid contact with people who are ill, and if they are feeling ill to please stay home. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact SJRMC's Public Relations Manager, Mike Stack, at 247-8786. Your cooperation is very much appreciated.

SJRMC Reminds Community to Follow CDC Guidelines for H1N1
Before Seeking Emergency Room Care

Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center reminds the entire community that those with flu-like symptoms should stay home and avoid contact with others, except to get medical care from their primary healthcare provider.

That is one of the main messages the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is conveying on its website, www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu, and SJRMC asks the community to adhere to this, and other CDC guidelines, to alleviate its overcrowded Emergency Room, due to H1N1 Flu concerns.

The CDC and SJRMC recommend you should not go to the Emergency Room if you are only mildly ill.

"The Emergency Department should be utilized by the significantly ill,” said Dr, Steven Gable, SJRMC’s Vice President of Medical Quality Improvement. “If people are experiencing flu-like symptoms, but the symptoms are not severe, they should stay home, get plenty of rest, and drink lots of fluids. Coming to the ER in these situations would only spread the disease."

Those who go to Emergency Rooms and are not sick with the flu are at risk of catching it from those who do have it, according to the CDC’s website.

The CDC’s website provides a wide range of information regarding what to do if you get sick, as well as information for specific groups including schools http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/schools/ , parents, pregnant women, and there is even an evaluation link www.flu.gov/evaluation, where users can evaluate their possible symptoms. The CDC can also be reached at 1-800-CDC-INFO.

SJRMC urges the entire community to consult primary healthcare providers or the CDC at www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu or at 1-800-CDC-INFO before immediately deciding to use Emergency Rooms.

Wednesday, October 07, 2009

Blog Bits

The following letter will be sent home today with ALL students:

October 6, 2009


Dear Parents:

We have no confirmed cases of H1N1 flu in Plymouth Schools. We do have cases of students who are home with flu-like symptoms.

Public health officials want you to protect yourself and your family against seasonal flu. Here are some ways to stop the spread of germs and sickness:

~ Keep children who are sick at home. Don’t send them to school.

~ Teach your children to wash hands a lot with soap and water for 20 seconds. Be sure to set a good example by doing this yourself.

~ Teach your children to cover coughs and sneezes with tissues or by coughing into the inside of the elbow. Be sure to set a good example by doing this yourself.

~ Teach your children to stay at least three feet away from people who are sick.

~ People who are sick should stay home from work or school and stay away from other people until they are fever free for 24 hours without the use of medication such as Tylenol or Ibuprofen.

~ Stay away from shopping malls, movie theaters or other places where there are large groups of people.

If you have questions, please contact your School Nurse or healthcare provider. You can get more information from the Marshall County Health Services at (574) 935-8565.

Sincerely,


Dan Tyree
Superintendent

Monday, October 05, 2009

School Board Breakfast Club

Two members of the Plymouth School Board will be available to meet with the public Wednesday, October 7, 2009, at Castaways Restaurant from 7:00 a.m. - 8:00 a.m.

Frank Brubaker and Melissa Christiansen will be available to answer questions and listen to concerned citizens. The School Board Breakfast Club will meet each month at various restaurants in the community.


Upcoming Breakfast Club Dates/Times:

November 11, 2009 - Christo's 6:00 a.m. - 7:00 a.m.
December 9, 2009 - Birdhouse 6:00 a.m. - 7:00 a.m.
January 13, 2010 - Java Trail Resort 6:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.