September 10, 2009 Dear Community, Thank you for a positive and wonderful start of the year! With our first week of school behind us, I wanted to share how grateful I am to our students, staff, families and community members for coming together to kick off the year in success and style. Some of the many impressive examples of collaboration include:

• At the middle school level, community seniors greeted students as they exited buses to start their day.
• Central office staff visited classrooms to observe instruction and noted that the quality and level of student engagement seemed like school had been in session for a few months.
• Jeremy McNinch's high school Spanish class was off to a great start with students conversing and practicing their language skills.
• I personally joined the morning and afternoon bus runs to witness our Transportation Department getting our students to school on time and safely as well as home.

With such a strong start, I fully expect our students to be challenged academically, grow socially and emotionally, and have a memorable 2009-10 school year.

I would also like to address some of the questions and concerns Orting School District stakeholders may have regarding H1N1 ("Swine") Flu.

The best medicine for this flu is prevention and there are some simple and easy ways to protect yourself and loved ones from catching a flu bug. First, encourage children/students to cough and sneeze into elbows or cover mouths when needed. This will help prevent germs from being spread. In addition, children should wash hands frequently and adults should clean commonly-used surfaces, such as doorknobs, light switches, and faucet handles with a germicidal agent.

If your child does have flu-like symptoms - a fever of 100 degrees or higher, and a sore throat and/or cough - he or she may have the flu. If you don't have a thermometer, you can look for these signs of fever: your child's face may be red with their skin hot to the touch or moist; or your child may be fussy and have a headache.

Keep your children at home for at least 24 hours after they no longer have a fever or do not feel feverish, WITHOUT using fever-reducing medications. If you are unsure about taking your child to see a health care provider, use the same judgment you would use during a normal flu season. Be alert for signs that your child has trouble breathing and is not drinking enough fluids. For more information and on-going updates: Tacoma Pierce County Health Department 253-798-6500 or www.tpchd.org Please keep yourself and your children healthy. We are committed to providing them with an outstanding education and that can only be accomplished when our students, staff, and community at large are operating at 100%!

Thank you for your support of our Orting Schools!

Sincerely,

Michelle Curry
Superintendent
360.893.6500 ext.222

"Learning Today for a Changing Tomorrow"