Friday, April 4, 2014

Friday Notes 4-4-14

BASEBALL AND SOFTBALL TRYOUTS FOR GRADES 7 AND 8
Tryouts for middle school students interested in baseball or softball will begin on April 7th. See Mr. Testo for the proper paperwork to play.

LELAND AND GRAY ATHLETICS
Please check the athletic calendar on the school website for the many changes to the High School baseball and softball schedules. If you have any questions please email me at mtesto@lelandnadgray.org

6th ANNUAL L&G SPRING BASEBALL CLINIC
Mr. Russell and Mr. Testo will be hosting a spring baseball clinic on April 14th and 15th from 8:30am-12pm. The clinic is for boys and girls grades 1-6 and boys’ grades 7-12.
The focus of the 2 day clinic will be the following:
  1. Proper throwing/pitching
  2. Hitting drills
  3. Infield and Outfield Drills
  4. Catching drills
  5. Team play
Bring baseball equipment, sneakers, drink and a snack.

For registration or further questions, please contact Mr. Russell at 365-7355 x151 and/or Mr. Testo at x205.

Hope to see you there!!!

SPRING SPORTS TEAM PICTURES
Pictures will happen for all spring teams on Wednesday April 23rd at 230pm. Student-athletes will be bringing forms home in the near future if you are interested in ordering pictures.

SOPHOMORES AND JUNIORS
You wouldn't buy shoes before trying them on. You shouldn't pick a college major without trying it out!
Vermont Tech "Try a Major Day" 
Friday, April 18th, 2014 from 9am-2pm
Offering hands-on programs in Aviation, Diversified Agriculture, Engineering Technology, IT & Computer Engineering, Nursing & Allied Health, Veterinary Technology, and many more. 
To register and get more details, visit

HEY! You!!
The Late Bus runs Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday next week.  For information on the late bus route and dates available for the 2013-2014 school year, please visit www.lelandandgray.org and click on late bus schedule.  
Look for HEY! Help Mon.- Fri. mornings (7:15-7:45 AM) and Mon.- Thurs. afternoons (2:45- 4:15 PM). On Monday, HEY! Help meets in A-11. On Tuesday, look for HEY! Help, Newspaper, Weight Training, D & D, RAMP, and Robotics in A-12.  Wednesday: HEY! Help,  Ultimate Frisbee with Paul Paytas and D & D.  Thursday: HEY! Help, CLEA, LGTV Station, Weight Training, and Theatrical Lighting Workshop in Dutton.  Friday: the GSA will meet with Ms. DeBisschop in B-14.  Coming soon:  Biking and a free SAT Prep Course for juniors starting on April 21 with Ann Dixon.

Student Counselors:  Please hand in your session 5 schedules if you’d like to work in the elementary schools next session.  See Victoria, interim student counselor director, in the library, with any questionsRemember to check the HEY! website for updates on programs, and you can always ask Victoria Chertok for information or email her at afterschool@lelandandgray.org.  

Congratulations to Leland & Gray’s Jr. Iron Chef team and coaches Susan Jones and Chef Joe, for winning the Misen Place award at this year’s statewide competition on March 22! They are off the visit the Statehouse and will prepare their winning recipe for the legislators on April 8.  Way to go Rebel Amigas!

L&G JR. IRON CHEF
The L&G Jr. Iron Chef team is heading to the State House on Tuesday, April 8th. the legislators will be honoring all of the winning teams with a Resolution Reading. In addition the students will have a tour of the state house and will be preparing their winning recipes for the legislators. The team was selected after winning the high school "Mise en Place" award at the March 22 state competition. 

TRIP TO FRANCE
On Friday, April 11TH six students, one parent ( Ashley Bates, Rachel Borgesen, Mackenzie Boyle, Kelsey Hescok and her mother Linda, Cara Linder, Clayton Sanderson ) and their French teacher Annie Suquet will leave for a week-long trip to France. They will visit Paris, Saint-Malo, the Mont Saint-Michel, the Dday beaches in Normandy and the Chartres cathedral. The students are in French 3 this year and will be able to put their skills in practice and get a real taste of the French culture. Bon voyage to them!

COLLEGE COUNSELING
The College of Education and Social Services at the University of Vermont would like to invite your students to apply to the grant-funded program, StarTalk Vermont. StarTalk Vermont is a one-week Chinese immersion residential summer program for high school students entering grades 10-12 from schools in New York, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts that are close to the Vermont boarder. The program will be held at the University of Vermont.

Program details:
Dates:
 August 2 to August 8, 2014
Location: The University of Vermont
Residential: Yes! Students stay on dorms, and eat on campus
Cost: The $200.00 tuition fee covers the cost of housing, meals, snacks, and learning materials.
Financial Scholarships: available
Deadline to apply: June 1, 2014
Application: 
http://www.uvm.edu/~startalk/

For more information can be found on the program's webpage: 
http://www.uvm.edu/~startalk/

L&G SOOCER CAMP-DATE CHANGES!!!
High School Boys and Girls grades 7-12 will now be July 14th –July 18th, so that players can now attend the Keene State Team Soccer Camp.

MIDDLE SCHOOL SEMI-FORMAL
**New Date**
May 24th
Old Hollywood Dance 
Middle School Student Council
7-10 
Dutton Gym 

L&G 2014 PROM
Date: Saturday April 26th
Time: 7-11pm
Where: Stratton Mountain Club

GUIDING GOOD CHOICES-PARENT WORKSHOP OFFERED IN TOWNSHEND
Windham County, VT – West River Valley Thrives is pleased to offer the parent class Guiding Good Choices for five consecutive Wednesdays starting April 2nd from 5:30pm-7:30 pm through May 7th with no class on April 16th due to school break. Guiding Good Choices is a free workshop for parents and/or caring adults of fourth through eighth graders.  Topics covered include how to set clear expectations and consequences for behavior, manage conflict, strengthen family bonds, and teach kids “refusal” skills to help them resist peer pressure and make healthy choices.  Space is limited so register early!
           
“If you have kids, you owe it to yourself and your family to take this course,” says a local parent who has taken Guiding Good Choices.  Youth report parents and caring adults have the most influence on their behavior. In the mid ‘90s, Dr. David Hawkins and Dr. Richard Catalano of the University of Washington looked at 19 risk factors that affect children in their teenage years. They discovered that parents and other adult caregivers play a major role in keeping kids on track.
Come learn the skills to help you and your tween and teen! The course is free and open to parents and caring adults throughout Windham County. Parent resources and snacks are provided - child care is available for this workshop. Participants could even win up to a $50 value gas card.  Space is limited to 14 participants and pre-registration is required. Contact Jennifer Esposito, West River Valley Thrives, at 802-365-1597 or WRVThrives@gmail.com or go directly to www.Eventbright.com to register.

This class is made possible by the Windham County Partnership for Success, a collaboration of the Brattleboro Area Prevention Coalition, West River Valley Thrives Coalition, Greater Falls Prevention Coalition, Deerfield Valley Community Partnership and The Collaborative and the Vermont Department of Health.

TEAMS SOUGHT FOR BOWL FOR KIDS’ SAKE BENEFIT
Brattleboro, VT--Families, friends and teams from school are invited to celebrate the 33rd Annual Bowl for Kids’ Sake to benefit Youth Services’ Big Brothers Big Sisters program on Saturday, April 5.  The fundraising event will be held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. with teams signing up NOW for a one-hour time slot at Brattleboro Bowl on Putney Road. 
The 4-5 p.m. time is reserved for teams of teens and “Bigs and Littles” and will have a special “Cosmic Bowling” atmosphere. The financial goal of the event is to raise $65,000 in pledge money and business sponsorship to help cover the cost of running the Big Brothers Big Sisters program.
Nearly 150 hundred children in Windham County and nearby New Hampshire benefit from the program each year and are matched with a Big Brother or Big Sister. Thirty youngsters, from all towns in the county, are eagerly waiting to be matched with an adult mentor.
Call Youth Services at (802) 257-0361 for pledge sheets and to reserve a lane or for more information about becoming involved.     To learn more or to sponsor your favorite bowlers with an on-line donation, visit www.firstgiving.com/youthservices or mail donations to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Windham County, 32 Walnut St., PO Box 6008, Brattleboro, VT 05302-6008.

DANCE on APRIL 11TH  RAISES AWARENESS about CHILDHOOD HUNGER
Brattleboro, VT—The public is invited to attend Youth Services’ substance-free dance party at the Headroom Stages in Brattleboro on April 11, from 7:00 -10:00 p.m.

The event, open to all ages, celebrates Global Youth Service Day by raising awareness about childhood hunger.  According to organizers, it promises to be a rockin’ evening featuring a variety of danceable music hosted by the DJ Manhole Cover. Local youth have helped organize the event, created flyers, posters, and artwork and are preparing the refreshments for the event.

This dance is part of Youth Services’ efforts to provide safe and fun places for youth to gather, a need identified in the year-long qualitative research study spearheaded by the agency several years ago, the Listening Project.  Partial funding for the dance comes from a grant from Youth Service America.

The idea of a fun event to raise awareness about childhood hunger is the brainchild of Youth Services’ Outreach staff Lashaunda Alley, Katarina Rayno and Rachel Forrett who helps give voice to young people’s issues and concerns, acting as liaisons between diverse youth populations and the primarily adult service provider community. The Youth Services program is one of several around the state that address in creative ways the needs of runaway or homeless youth and those living in difficult circumstances.

Admission is by donation. Bring a non-perishable food item to benefit local food shelves or a cash donation to benefit Youth Services’ outreach program.  For more information, contact Youth Services at (802) 257-0361 or visitwww.youthservicesinc.org

A NOTE FROM THE SCHOOL NURSE
Last weekend I read Ginger, common spice & wonder drug, Third Edition, by Paul Schulick.  I can recommend the book, but I couldn’t find perfect tidbits to share in this blog.  However, it was not hard to find information about ginger to share.
This spice has been used for thousands of years as a safe way to relieve nausea, vomiting, motion sickness, morning sickness, gas, loss of appetite, and colic. The three most commonly studied roles of ginger are as a digestive aid, anti-inflammatory, and immunity booster. Ginger is also being studied for the treatment of colon and ovarian cancer.
The studies that I found on-line were a bit technical, so I’ve chosen to share the following list of possible negative interactions because I think they point out how real the effects can be from using this humble rhizome.
Possible Interactions --Ginger may interact with prescription and nonprescription medications. If you take any of the following medications, you should not use ginger without first talking to your health care provider.

Blood-thinning medications -- Ginger may increase the risk of bleeding. Talk to your doctor before taking ginger if you take blood-thinners such as warfarin (Coumadin), clopidogrel (Plavix), or aspirin.

Diabetes medications -- Ginger may lower blood sugar. That can raise the risk of developing hypoglycemia or low blood sugar.

High blood pressure medications -- Ginger may lower blood pressure, raising the risk of low blood pressure or irregular heartbeat.


Ginger tea is probably the simplest way to add ginger to your daily diet, but there are many recipes for tonics and foods to help you enjoy it; they can be found readily on the internet or in a brick and mortar library.   Enjoy