Wednesday, May 18, 2016

Keene summit urges community to stop stigmatizing addicts

From the Keene Sentinel, 5/18/16:

According to Linda Rubin, director of Healthy Monadnock, Healthy Community Initiative,
"Research shows that reducing the stigma associated with substance use disorders can change the minds of policymakers to create laws and allocate resources that invest in helping people get the help they need in the community, making it possible for them to regain their families, their lives and their jobs.”
Read the full story here.

Thursday, May 12, 2016

Got Water?

Food for Thought

The Learning Brain
 Your child needs to have energy for learning. Daily intake of water and food is essential for thinking and learning. The following facts are very eye opening and informative.


The Brain needs at least 8 to 12 glasses of water
 daily for optimal functioning.  Dehydration can lead
 to impaired learning.  Having your child bring a water
 bottle to school to have access to water, when
 needed is beneficial to their learning.  
Daily intake of green leafy vegetables, nuts, 
lean meats/beans, fish, fresh fruit all can
 boost learning.

Celebrate School Nurses!

Wednesday, May 11 was National School Nurse Day! Thank you, Mrs. Murphy, for all you do for the PES students, staff, and community!
"[S]chool nurses rise to the challenge. Healers, comforters, educators, mentors, trainers, role models, critically-needed members of every school community—heroes all!"
Photo by Michael Moore, Keene Sentinel staff

Read more about National School Nurse Day

Learn more about PES Nurse, Mrs. Murphy in this article written about her in the Keene Sentinel in January!

Safety - Bike Helmets


Did you know that per NH RSA 265:144X bike helmets are required for riders under 16 years of age?

https://www.nh.gov/hsafety/publications/documents/bicycle.pdf

Have a fun and safe summer!
http://www.shrinershospitalsforchildren.org/safesummer

Monday, May 9, 2016

River Center - Survey

The River Center has partnered with PES to offer Parenting Workshops.
Please take this brief survey to help gather information about opportunities that may be of interest to you! Click here to take the survey
Thank you for offering your input!

Friday, May 6, 2016

Keene Hospital Mental Health Unit Closing

Local mental health services are becoming more scarce. According to a story today in the Keene Sentinel, after July 1, there will no longer be inpatient mental health treatment at Dartmouth Hitchcock / Cheshire Medical Center in Keene. The article explains that the closure is due to a lack of psychiatrists.

Don Caruso, the hospital's CEO and chief medical officer, said that with this closure patients will have to travel much further for treatment.
"Brattleboro Retreat may be the closest one, but there are a lot of limitations in terms of what those facilities are willing to take,” Caruso said. “[Patients] could end up in Massachusetts or on the Seacoast; it could be very far away. For children it’s very far away.”
Read the full article here.

Hiking in Peterborough

Cranberry Meadow Pond Trail


Cranberry Meadow Pond Trail enterence.JPG
Welcome to the Cranberry Meadow Pond Trail!

Located off of Old Street Road near the intersection with Route 101, this trail winds its way east to Cranberry Meadow Pond and ends at the summit of Pack Monadnock.


The Cranberry Meadow Pond Trail winds itself through some of Peterborough's most beautiful conservation land.

Please take an afternoon and enjoy all that this walk has to offer!
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More About Ticks!

Another great article about ticks!

http://patch.com/new-hampshire/concord-nh/daily-tick-checks-must-says-unh-professor

Walk NH 2016



Walk NH: Getting Started

Joining Walk NH is easy and fun to do!


Walk New Hampshire or Walk NH is a program designed to promote walking in New Hampshire. The goal is to engage children and adults in walking and raise awareness of walking as a part of a healthy lifestyle. Each person who participates will receive a log to record their walking. Each person who reaches their chosen goal will receive an 'I Walked NH' patch and a certificate signed by the Governor.

For more info about how to get started, visit the Walk NH website! http://www.healthynh.com/index.php/walk-nh.html


Ticks

We've had a few students report finding ticks lately.  Here is some information about them. Be sure to read the sections about checking for ticks as this should always be done after being outdoors.  

http://www.cdc.gov/features/stopticks/

And, the "Top 10 Things Everyone Should Know About Ticks These Days"
http://www.tickencounter.org/prevention/top_ten_things_list

Sunscreen


Remember, the sun damage done to exposed body parts accumulates over a lifetime so:

  • Cover up - wear a hat with at least a 3" brim. Clothes with tighter knits allow less UV light through.  
  • Parents can apply a generous amount of sunscreen before school. Use a sunscreen with a SPF of 15 or greater that protects against UVA and UVB rays. 

Wednesday, May 4, 2016

The Full-Fat Paradox

Last week, NPR's Morning Edition reported that dairy fats found in milk, yogurt, and cheese may help protect against Type-2 Diabetes. Read the full story here.  
There's a growing body of evidence challenging the notion that low-fat dairy is best.
"It appears that children who have a higher intake of whole milk or 2 percent milk gain less weight over time compared with kids who consume skim or nonfat dairy products [...] With all the new evidence that challenges the low-fat-is-best orthodoxy [...] it may be time to reconsider the National School Lunch Program rules, which allow only skim and low-fat milk."
Food milk for thought!

Effects of Screen Time

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Technology is the way of the future! Kids are overexposed to screen time!
 
There is a wide range of opinions about the presence of technology in kids' lives. The article Screentime is Making Kids Moody, Crazy, and Lazy by Victoria Dunkley in Psychology Today suggests 6 ways electronic screen time may be making kids angry, depressed, and unmotivated.

Friday, April 8, 2016

The benefits of a good night's sleep

Are your kids getting enough sleep? How much sleep do kids really need?

Check out this article in the Monadnock Ledger Transcript written by Dr. Greg Kriebel about the benefits of a good night's sleep.

photo source: www.realfoodreadfitness.com

Welcome!

We hope to help promote wellness and healthy lifestyles by sharing resources with PES families through this blog.

Rebecca Dunn, School Counselor
Pam Murphy, School Nurse
Tanya Rousseau, Health Educator
John Szep, Physical Education Teacher