H1N1 (swine flu) is most definitely here.  It's everywhere.  At last report we had 10 confirmed and a couple yet to be confirmed cases.  It's the flu.  Students get sick, stay home for a while and come back.  Reducing your exposure to the H1N1 virus is the same for any flu or cold, wash your hands thoroughly and consistently, cover your mouth when you sneeze, don't share food or eating utensils, stay home if you are sick.  The last of these is the most difficult.  Students and staff alike come to school when they shouldn't.  I am no better.  Often the urge is the fear of falling behind or missing something vital.  It's important that all of us respect our classmates and colleagues and reduce their exposure.

The School District has been in close contact with the County Department of Health and we are working on a plan for the distribution of the H1N1 vaccine to our students in October.  Dede Coughlin, school nurse extraordinaire and I have a rough outline of an implementation plan.  Once the Department of Health gives exact dates for when the vaccine will be distributed we will be sending a letter home with a permission form and an explanation of the process.  Please keep an eye out for it.  Without a written authorization from the parent we cannot administer the vaccine during our very short window.

We'll keep you in the loop.

Louise

Last weekend I had a new experience.  I got to drive a Classic Tractor (1953 Oliver 77 Row Crop).  The picture is attached.  I was visiting a friend's home town of Memphis MO for their annual Antique Days.  Memphis MO, 2000 residents strong, has this fair every year and I was invited to take a gander.  It was a lot of fun.  I won't bore you with all the details but it was a weekend of new experiences for me.  We always encourage our students to go outside their comfort zone, well this was one of those for me.  Every so often it's good to expand our horizons.  I had a blast.

We have three weeks in the books and it's been lovely.  The weather has been fantastic and the students have returned in good spirits and appropriately focused.  Open House a couple weeks ago we talked about the upcoming construction and the centennial monument, more to come on that soon.

Hope you are having a great labor day weekend.

Louise

{Tractor Ride}

The last homecoming post for the time being.  The dance went off beautifully Saturday Night.  Alli Holt was crowned queen, and the entire court look lovely. 

We had a very large turnout and the kids really seem to have a good time.  Much thanks go to Activities Director Eric Hamylak.  Every dance he strives to tweak the process and the arrangement.  This year he added four side rooms (within the dance floor setting) and at each there was some kind of refreshment, including a root beer float stand (I loved this one!).

Thanks to all the faculty and parents who helped make the evening go smoothly.

Louise

The homecoming parade was once again fantastic.  We couldn't have asked for better weather.  It was glorious outside today.  The floats were a lot of fun as was the actual greyhound brought to the parade by our sub coordinator Meg Flach.  The game was a close one through most of the day, with Chaminade putting it out of reach late in the fourth quarter.

Halftime festivities included a celebration of finishing payment on the field by recognizing our Friends of Clayton Athletes (FOCA) leaders, Frank Hackmann, Kathy Sherby, Scott Waldman and Kevin Carlie.  We concluded with the awarding of the Golden Greyhound to this year's winners, the Seniors, class of '09.  The juniors, who finished last this year, have a lot to work on for next year :-).

Tonight--the dance and the crowning of the Homecoming Queen.

Louise

We had the first pep rally at Clayton High since, well, to be honest I don't know when they had a pep rally except for the State Championship in football in 2004.  Class officers and STUGO kids took a field trip to another school's pep rally last week to get a view of what one can be and they used that information to great effect.  Max and Jasmyne did a fantastic job as emcees and guest emcee Tim Ezell was hilarious.  We unveiled a new Top Dawg costume and the cheering was deafening.  Money was raised for Camp Sherwood Forest (the site of 6th grade camp) by selling opportunities to put a pie in a teacher's face.  Let's just say I needed a shower before the evening festivities :-)

It was a great time, the kids were fantastic and much thanks should go to Eric Hamylak and all the kids who worked so hard to put it on.

Homecoming is off to a great start!

Louise

Physical safety is important.  A student should always feel safe when they are at school.  Emotional safety, in many ways, is as important.  A student should always feel that they are in a place where they can be themselves, and therefore explore without fear or concern.  This afternoon we had a major altercation in the Commons after school.  Several boys turned a shouting match into something more, and while there was great sound and fury, it was quickly brought under control.  No one was injured, but I worry that those present who were not involved have had their sense of safety, both physical and emotional diminished.  Any event that causes a school disruption bothers and offends me, and forces us to review our processes and procedures.  I'm not sure anything we could have done could have prevented this, but we will certainly analyze and assess.  Please be assured that the safety of our students and staff is, always will be, our primary concern.

Louise

This week is homecoming.  CHS has a number of fun traditions, decorating the commons, the bonfire and log presentations, the Golden Greyhound, and many more.  This year we try to create a new one with the american tradition of a pep rally at the end of the day.  Eric Hamylak, Activities Director, and class officers, stugo members, and chs club members have been busy in preparing and planning for Friday's event.  They went so far as to take a field trip to another school's pep rally last Friday, to see what one can be like.  Homecoming Week is one of those weeks that's just a lot of fun, hope to see you all there!

Louise

In many ways it was a tough week for the adminstrative team.  My cousin, Helen Weiss, passed away early in the week, and two other members had family members who were either gravely ill or also dealing with a death in the immediate family. 

I called Helen my Auntie Mame, she lived life to the full.  If she walked into a room, she filled it with her energy and her personality.  My life was richer because she was in it.  All three of Helen's grandchildren graduated from CHS, the last this past May.  Nothing made her prouder or happier than her grandchildren.  The funeral was Friday morning.  I will miss her deeply.  In contrast, Friday evening we played Ladue in football.  The game was a good one, we pulled it out 21-14 with a couple of late touchdowns.  It was a good victory, especially considering we were down 14-0 after the first quarter. 

The kids from both schools were great, the excitement, school spirit, and positive energy were in great abundance.  After the sadness of the week, it was a real positive, upbeat way to spend a Friday evening.  Life goes on.  Generation to generation, the torch is passed.  We are enriched by all those who pass through it.  My life is better for Helen having been in it, so too is it better because of the students we teach. 

With Greyhound Pride,

Louise

I do hope everyone will attend Open House.  It's a great evening to see your student's teachers and get a feel for the building and for their school day.  We will start promptly at 7pm, which means, if you need to turn in any forms, pick up a buzz book, etc., please arrive earlier enough to do so.  The line can be quite long.

For those who devour every posting as soon as it hits the webpage :-), think about getting an RSS feed (there's a button at the top of the page).  This way you won't have to guess when I may have posted.

See you Thursday!!

Louise

A solution has been found!  It turns out that you have to be registered and logged in to post a comment on the blogs.  They are working on a solution so that anyone can comment, but until then only registered users may do so.

I hope this helps.

Louise