Parental support and community involvement are vital to helping the district maintain safe, orderly schools. Here are some tips on how to ensure your child can remain safe during an emergency.

Parents Have a Key Role in Emergency Response

During and following an emergency situation, school and district officials must act quickly to safeguard students and staff. Parents, you can help greatly. Here are a few steps to take:

• Make sure school officials have accurate contact information so you can be reached in case of emergency. Notify the school of any changes as they occur. We must have all up-to-date names and contact information for any adults authorized as emergency contacts for your child.

• Let your child and school officials know if you anticipate being unavailable, or difficult to reach for an extended period of time.

• Notify school officials if you see or hear of anything that could create a danger at school. If you prefer, you may call the anonymous Speak Out Hotline at 1-800-226-7733.

Delayed Dismissal and Emergency School Closings

Occasionally, an unforeseeable event or emergency may require the closing of a school or all schools for a period of time. We notify parents and guardians of closings as soon as possible.

In most situations involving delayed dismissal, students who walk or ride bicycles may be kept at school until parents can arrange for them to be picked up. Bus riders will be delivered home when conditions allow for safe dismissal.

Emergency Release of Students to Parents

For your child’s safety, your child can be released only to an adult who you have properly designated as an emergency contact and who has proper identification.

• Do not call or go to your child’s school - Calling the school will only tie up phone lines that must be used for emergency communications. Please do not go to your child’s school unless you have received direction to do so from school officials.

• Reuniting with your child - When the situation allows, students will be released following the reunification procedures prescribed in the school’s Safe School Plan.

• Alternate pick-up site - In some emergencies, it may become necessary to move students and staff from their school to an off-campus pick-up location. The location of the evacuation site will be announced only at the time of the decision. Parents will be notified via multiple means, including ConnectORANGE, Central Florida News 13, among others.

• Students who remain at school - If a parent, guardian, or authorized designee cannot pick up their child following an emergency, the child will remain under staff supervision until the authorized designee arrives at the school.

If you have any further questions, please visit www.OCPS.net for more information.

Article by Mike Ganio, Director, Security Compliance, Orange County Public Schools

For many families, kindergarten is the first formal school setting a child experiences.  Starting school is a joyous occasion but can also be a time of anxiety and confusion. Although the expectations of kindergarten have changed over time, what’s needed to build a strong foundation for success in school has not. Parents can play an active role in preparing their children by remembering the 3 R’s: Relationship, Routine and Responsibility.  These are necessary to prime the brain for success in the traditional three R’s, “Reading, ‘Riting and ‘Rithmetic” and to create habits for lifelong learning.

Relationship: Research supports the importance of children building social and emotional skills in relation to academic learning. Creating and sustaining healthy relationships with others builds healthy self-esteem. When children feel good about themselves, they learn better and learn more. Make sure to include time in each day to talk and interact with your child.  Some families use this time to sing silly songs together, take a walk, play a game or just talk about the day. When you spend time connecting with your child in playful ways, you actually create neural connections in the brain that are used for academic skills.  Just five minutes of focused play a day can help build self-esteem and a cooperative attitude in your child.

Routine: The brain seeks patterns and functions optimally when it feels safe.  Planning and sustaining routines is important in creating an environment where children know what to expect and when to expect it. Predictability and consistency strengthen the neural connections needed for learning. When your child feels safe, he or she can get organized to be fully prepared for each activity.  Establish simple routines for bedtime, waking up, eating meals, etc.  Encourage healthy habits as part of the routines.  Use drawings, photographs or clip art to visually represent the routines. Children think in images and using visuals helps them to recognize their part in a routine.

Responsibility: Provide opportunities for your child to be responsible for school-day information.

Talk about a specific event that happened that day. You may ask a child to tell you the hardest part of the day or the funniest part of the day. Read books about school. Also, share your pictures from kindergarten days or elementary grades.  If possible, tour the school and meet the teacher and other staff members before that very first day in August. Let your child know you have responsibility in the education process too.

Remember, no matter what school district your child attends, kindergarten serves a great part in preparing a student for future educational success.

Article by Tiffany Taylor, Early Childhood Resource Teacher, Orange County Public Schools

As we move into fall and children return to school, it’s common that many of them will bring home more than just homework. When your child comes home with a sore throat, how can you tell if it’s something serious or just a typical sore throat?

Strep Throat Vs. Sore Throat

Most episodes of sore throat, which are typically accompanied by a cough, hoarseness and a runny nose are caused by viruses and usually clear up on their own without any medical intervention. “A sore throat means pain in the throat which can be induced by a chemical irritant such as stomach acid, trauma such as a fishbone, for example, or an infection,” says Izak H. Kielmovitch, M.D., pediatric otolaryngologist with The Ear, Nose, Throat and Plastic Surgery Associates, P.A. “A throat infection, can be caused by a viral or bacterial infection such as streptococcus pyogenes or ’strep throat.’”

According to Dr. Kielmovitch, throat infections in a child older than five can be caused by streptococcus pyogenes. When a child has strep throat he or she will begin to develop symptoms within a few days which include difficulty swallowing; redness with white patches in the throat; tender and swollen glands in the neck; headache; fever; loss of appetite and sometimes a rash.

“Anyone can get strep throat, but it’s more common among children and teens in school,” says Dr. Kielmovitch. He stresses that is why it’s important to teach children the importance of good hygiene and hand washing as it can severely lessen the chances of contracting a contagious disease, such as strep throat.

Diagnosis

If your child is experiencing any of the symptoms listed above for strep throat, it’s recommended they take a trip to their pediatrician or family physician. “Any child with a fever is contagious and needs to stay at home and rest,” says Dr. Kielmovitch. If it doesn’t clear up or get any better within 24 hours, take them to the physician. When they get to their physician, a rapid strep test will be done most likely utilizing a cotton swab to take a sample of fluids found at the back of the throat. If the result is positive, the child has a strep throat.

Treatment

A general viral infection, or sore throat, will usually benefit from over the counter cold remedies and plenty of hydration, according to Dr. Kielmovitch. Strep infections on the other hand need to be treated with antibiotics. “If the condition worsens the pediatrician or family physician will determine when it’s best to refer the child to a specialist,” he says.

In most cases a physician will prescribe roughly 10 days of antibiotic medication to treat strep throat. If the medication works properly, within 24 hours the child should begin to feel a bit better, and most likely will no longer have a fever or be contagious. A general rule of thumb is that by the second or third day of the antibiotics all other symptoms should begin to lessen and disappear.

“Even if they’re feeling better, it’s important to make sure the child finishes out the antibiotic treatment,” says Dr. Kielmovitch. “If they quit too soon, bacteria may still be in the throat and it could return and force the child to start the entire process over again.”

Not treating the infection at all or stopping treatment early can lead to various complications. “A streptococcal infection can cause heart, kidney, joint or skin infections if left untreated,” says Dr. Kielmovitch. “If you follow what the physician says, however, things should be back to normal and the child should return to school in a few days.”

Article by Corey Gehrold

Volunteering has been encouraged in children for years. In elementary school, educators first plant the seed in children with clubs and other activities. From there, students can pursue philanthropy through middle, high school, college and so on if they desire through various organizations and groups both inside and outside of school. Today, many of those opportunities stem, in part, to area Kiwanis Clubs. In East Orlando, schools have the luxury of being served by two such groups: the Kiwanis Club of East Orange County and the Avalon Park Kiwanis Club. Both are dedicated to helping shape the leaders of tomorrow, today.

“We teach children the value of community service through our Service Leadership Programs, and we provide for them by collecting necessities for local agencies such as Second Harvest Food Bank,” says Brent Hambly, vice president of the Kiwanis Club of East Orange County.

“We read every week in each of the elementary schools,” says Jennifer Englert, president of the Avalon Park Kiwanis Club. “We also sponsor the Terrific Kid programs, Bringing Grades Up programs, and Teacher of the Month programs in all of the Avalon schools. That means our members get donations for the prizes and make the certificates each month.”

Englert became involved with Kiwanis shortly after opening her law office in Avalon.

“The club was just getting going and since its mission is to help children, especially in local schools and community, I knew it was the right place for me to get involved,” she says.

Prairy Riehl, president of the Kiwanis Club of East Orange County and teacher at Legacy Middle School, says she was asked by her assistant principal to be the advisor for the Builders Club at Legacy. “I will always be a Kiwanian because of the change we are making in the community and I have developed lasting friendships through this organization,” she says.

There are big plans for both groups in coming year. The Kiwanis Club of East Orange County is in the process of creating new K-Kids and Builders Clubs in schools without them. They are also going to build on an officer-training project which began last year and open it up to all of the service leadership club officers in all of the schools in Orange, Osceola and Seminole Counties. “We will do all of these things again along with a food collection in November, a toy collection in December, a holiday 5K in December and several other service projects without school clubs,” says Englert regarding the Avalon Park group.

“The students in Orange Country have numerous opportunities to mold them into successful citizens,” says Riehl, “including dedicated teachers, before and after-school programs like our Service Leadership Clubs, and the talents they develop at and away from home. Continued and increased support of parents, community members and local businesses will assure that our children have the skills needed to be positive leaders in every changing world.”

The Avalon Kiwanis club will also be participating in this year’s East Orlando Celebrates Education Day in October held in Avalon Park. They will have a booth with the Child Rescue Network so that parents will be able to get free I.D’s made for their children. The event is a fun-filled festival that supports education in the community by showcasing students’ talents, academic abilities and activities.

“I think anyone who wants to be involved with the community should really think about a service club like Kiwanis,” says Daryl Flynn, Kiwanis member and school board vice chair. “They can come and join us at one of our meetings and they can talk to any of us. If a parent of a student is looking to volunteer or work in the community, Kiwanis is definitely the place to be.”

Article by Katelyn Dobkin

It takes more than great teachers and engaged students to make a successful school. It takes an entire community - and that doesn’t just mean parents. Many times even without a family connection to a school, our local businesses offer support in various ways, some obvious, others not so.

They do so through Orange County Public Schools’ Partners in Education program, which pairs businesses with schools.  Relationships between businesses, organizations and schools enhance student learning and promote school improvement. In a partnership, a business “adopts” a school or schools, and shares its resources. This support supplements the work of professional educators and provides students with even more opportunities for success. At each school is an appointed Partners in Education coordinator who nurtures the relationship. Partnerships are designed to be dynamic, innovative and mutually beneficial.

From scientific technology to school supplies to cruises - yes, even cruises - there are hundreds of Partners in Education which contribute time, products, services and resources to help students in the East Orlando community succeed.

Kindergarten teacher Martha O’Connell is the Partners in Education coordinator at Timber Lakes Elementary. She highlighted Brianto’s Original Hoagies and Chick-fil-A at Waterford Lakes Town Center as her school’s Outstanding Partners in Education last year. Brianto’s and Chick-fil-A assist her school, and many others, by hosting fundraisers and providing food for teachers on special occasions such as conference nights or staff meetings. Similar partnership activities at area eateries were highlighted by other schools - Beef O’Brady’s Waterford Lakes by Camelot Elementary, Tijuana Flats Avalon by Sunrise Elementary and Qdoba Waterford Lakes by Discovery Middle to name a few.

O’Connell adds that Publix at Avalon Park donates items, as well as encouraging employees to volunteer in the school and hosting field trips. “The children are thrilled when they get to actually scan groceries ‘just like a real cashier.’ Publix also explains college scholarship opportunities highlighting our Destination College program from the very beginning of their school career.”

FORTUNE 500 company Science Applications International Corporation’s (SAIC) corporate mission is tied to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) activities in all grade levels of education. When Lanny Wood, Timber Creek High’s ‘Project Lead the Way’ instructor, presented at a conference last year, SAIC managers were so impressed they awarded the school $20,000 to further that STEM program.

Columbia Elementary and BJ’s partnership is going on four years; when school started last year they dropped by with a surprise:  a brand new laptop computer!

But while big donations like those are fantastic, smaller companies also make a huge difference. Sunrise Elementary’s Partners in Education coordinator Jenny Burton offers kudos to Cruise Holidays, a two-person company owned by parents in the neighborhood. “Cruise Holidays steps up in a BIG way to help whenever asked, both with man power as well as funding.  They were the title sponsor for our PTA Fall Festival, donating $1,000 cash and hours of volunteer time. Also, they host a cruise fundraiser and are talking about sponsoring a Geography Bee next year.”  She notes XTreme Bounce donated bounce houses for the festival, making it a fun event for the kids.

Timber Lakes’ O’Connell notes that in order for the Partners in Education program to be successful, businesses need to feel the community’s appreciation for their efforts. “The next time you stop into any of East Orlando’s businesses, take a moment to thank them for their efforts with our schools. And if you know of a business who isn’t yet engaged, encourage them to call a nearby school and ask how they can help!”

Article by Sara AU, Orange County Public Schools Partners in Education Coordinator