Friday, February 3, 2012

Dear Stevenson Parents,

Thank you for your continued support and investment in our school! The mission of our Fun Run is to promote a healthy and active lifestyle for our students and raise money.

The way it works is as follows: each student finds as many sponsors as possible and asks them to pledge one flat rate amount. Help your child get pledges from friends, family and co-workers! Bring the completed pledge forms and donation money back to school NO LATER than Thursday, February 2nd.

Come cheer your child on! Below is the schedule for our event:
Kinder 12:30-12:40
1st 12:50-1:05
3rd 1:15-1:30
2nd 1:40-1:55
4th 2:05-2:20
5th 2:30-2:45

Prizes

The class that raises the most money will be awarded a popsicle party and extended recess! Each student that collects at least $25.00 in pledges will be entered into a drawing to win Pirate Gear (T-Shirt & Baseball Hat) and lunch with Miss Ginnetti.

There will be a scheduled time for each class to run, walk, or a combination of the two. Since the Fun Run takes place during school hours all students will participate. Each participant will receive water, fruit and a Clif Kid Organic Zbar. Parents are invited to come and cheer on the runners. A schedule will be sent home prior to the event to let you know when each class will be running.

If you have any questions or would like to volunteer for this event please contact us conahans@sbcglobal.net.

Thank you for your support!

~Made In The Shade

The week will culminate in a student Fun Run on February 3. This event first started last year and was wildly popular. Funds raided by students through collecting sponsors pledging an amount per lap will be allocated to the sun safety program at our school.

The volunteers of Families For Stevenson deserve recognition and high praise for their tireless work to raise the funds and organize the installation of the new shade structures. But, it’s not possible to cover the whole playground so what else can you do to reduce your child’s risk of developing skin cancer? Let’s review a few simple sun safety tips.

Cover Up
Think of long clothing as “sunscreen that you can wear.” Skin that is covered by ordinary clothing is usually quite well protected from the sun. Most long clothing is designed to keep us warm. The challenge is to find pants, and long sleeve shirts with a collar, that are loose fitting and well ventilated so they remain comfortable even in hot weather. Provide your child with a long sleeved “playshirt” for outdoor activities at school. It can be quickly slipped on over a tee shirt and, if desired, it can be removed upon returning to the classroom. Because sunscreen lotion is not needed on areas covered by clothing, covering up can be very cost effective. This is especially true for water sports, where a rash guard style swimming shirt is much more efficient than coating the entire upper body with sunscreen.

Wear a Hat
In the past, hats were prohibited at school but not any longer. Children should be strongly encouraged to always wear a broad-brimmed, sun-protective hat for outdoor activities. Watch for a hat to be added to the school’s spirit wear soon.

Seek Shade
For something like playing soccer, shade is essentially impossible. But, teach your child to search (when feasible) for a shady area in which to play or congregate.

Protect the eyes
Sunlight can damage the eyes as well as the skin. Sunglasses with UV protective lenses can be worn for most outdoor activities except contact sports. As you know, sunscreen can really sting if it gets in the eyes. If you choose sunglasses that are wraparounds or that have wide temples, they will cover the skin adjacent to the outside corner of the eye, as well as the eyelids. This will alleviate the need to apply sunscreen too close to the eyes, reducing the likelihood of eye irritation.

Use sunscreen
For areas not covered by clothing, sunscreen provides a reasonable alternative for protecting the skin. It’s important for the sunscreen to block both bands of ultraviolet light, namely UVA and UVB. By the summer of 2012, sunscreen manufacturers will be required to perform a new test on their products. If the sunscreen passes the test for filtering out both bands of UV, it will be labeled “Broad Spectrum.” Starting next summer, only buy products with the “Broad Spectrum” designation. I advise using an SPF of at least 30. To achieve the labeled SPF in actual use, it’s necessary to apply the product generously or liberally. For adequate protection with a spray sunscreen, be sure to spray it on heavily, rub it in well, and then apply a second coat. Teach your child the proper technique for applying sunscreen because teachers cannot be expected to assist.

Take vitamin D
Our skin will manufacture vitamin D when exposed to sun. But that same sun is the cause of skin cancer. So, we need a safer alternative and we do have one, namely an oral vitamin supplement. Children should get 600 IU of vitamin D per day. Vitamin D supplements are available over the counter and are sold as liquid drops for children who cannot swallow a pill.

Communicate
Help your child understand why sun safety is so important. With frequent reminders, encourage all of the sun safe steps described here. And of course be your child’s sun safety hero by protecting and preserving your own skin.

Jeff Ashley, MD
Dermatologist
President, Sun Safety for Kids
info@sunsafetyforkids.org

The other way that your purchases can benefit our school, is by registering your debit and credit cards in eScrip and then when you dine out at select locations, the restaurant contributes to Families For Stevenson. Local restaurants who participate include Michael’s, Burbank Bar & Grille, Chadka Thai, French Crepe Co. and many more. A full list is available on eScrip.com and you can track how much you are earning for Stevenson in all the different ways online.

Sun safety tip – your family’s eyes need sun protection too. Talk about this with your kids and look for sunglasses that offer 100% protection against UVA and UVB and use a sports band to help hold them onto the head.

Melissa Boag
Made in the Shade Committee Member

After many months of meetings, gift card sales, Escrip signups and the like – we have a start date for construction on the first shade structure at Stevenson!

Set to begin April 25, building on this first shelter will bring much needed shade to the playground. The 30ft. x 40ft. canopy will go up over the island play structure located on the east perimeter of the grounds and provide substantial UV protection for our kids just as the summer starts to heat up.

Thanks to Ms. Ginnetti, Mr. Clarke at BUSD, our dermatology grant sponsor Dr. Jeffrey Ashley and all the families who shop with Vons/Pavillions cards and credit cards registered with escrip and who use gift cards from the program. This invaluable support has produced this wonderful result that will benefit many generations of Stevenson students and families.

by Melissa Boag

A wide-brimmed hat is the best kind of hat for sun protection. It protects the scalp, the face, the back of the neck and at the same time provides valuable protection for sensitive eyes. One statistic estimates that hats block 50% of UV rays that would otherwise be damaging exposed skin.

While wide-brimmed hats may not be widely popular on the playground, they really are the best choice for maximum protection. Some believe though that any hat is better than no hat and promote the use of the much-loved baseball cap as an acceptable alternative. Schools once banned hats universally along with other problematic clothing that commonly carried symbols or messages inappropriate for school. But as the concern for sun safety increased, The California Education Code was modified to allow for hats to be used outdoors – with specific rules on use being determined at the school or district level.

So take a few moments to appreciate a great weapon in the battle for kids’ sun protection and embrace the great multi-tasking hat!

Melissa Boag – Made in the Shade Committee

During the last school year, local dermatologist Dr. Jeffrey Ashley agreed to sponsor our efforts and we applied for the grant, which required demonstrating an ongoing commitment to sun safety education, a need for playground shade and the funds and ability to complete the project. We were one of just 4 schools/organizations in California to earn the award.

In the coming months, we will work with Principal Ginnetti and Families For Stevenson to solidify building plans. We can’t wait to celebrate the realization of this goal that many have contributed to and worked toward. Special thanks to every parent, teacher, and extended family member who has done their part through signing up for escrip, purchasing gift cards and also – applying sunscreen liberally!

Also, each fall the escrip program requires that you ‘re-up’
your grocery cards into the program. So if you are registered already, please go to the website and with only about 2 clicks, you’ll be set for the year. You can also register your credit cards so that they earn contribution to our school. If you haven’t registered, there has never been a better time. Through Sept. 15, many items that you purchase at the store earn 10% back for Stevenson. For more information click here.

Melissa Boag Made in the Shade Committee Member