Wiscasset High School has had numerous students out with flu-like symptoms. Our percentage on Monday was 34%, yesterday, 28% and today Wednesday, October 28th, 19%, so we are seeing a decline. We still have students at home with sickness, so parents need to continue to take precautions. Keep sick students home, watch for flu like symptoms, and check my blog on the WHS web page, "The Principal of It" for help in discerning this difference between flu and cold.
Swine Flu Update - 10-28-09
We do have H1N1 cases confirmed. That number totals 5, but many doctor's offices refuse to test, or do not want sick students coming in to their offices, so we have no idea if other cases have gone untested. Regardless, sick students should be at home until a 24 hour period has elapsed from the last symptoms.

Finally, we know parents are concerned about students missing class work. The quarter will end on Friday, October 30th, but ample time for returning sick students will be given so that they can get a final grade. In the meantime, incompletes will be given and a reasonable amount of time will be provided for students to get 1st quarter work in. Report cards will be issued later, and Parent Teacher conferences will still happen on November 10th from 12:00 to 8:00 on this early release day. You will be able to call to make appointments for conferences after November 2nd to Shelley Schmal at 882-7722.

Know the Difference between Cold and H1N1 Flu Symptoms
Symptom Cold H1N1 Flu
Fever Fever is rare with a cold. Fever is usually present with the flu in up to 80% of all flu cases. A temperature of 100°F or higher for 3 to 4 days is associated with the flu.
Coughing A hacking, productive (mucus- producing) cough is often present with a cold. A non-productive (non-mucus producing) cough is usually present with the flu (sometimes referred to as dry cough).
Aches Slight body aches and pains can be part of a cold. Severe aches and pains are common with the flu.
Stuffy Nose Stuffy nose is commonly present with a cold and typically resolves spontaneously within a week. Stuffy nose is not commonly present with the flu.
Chills Chills are uncommon with a cold. 60% of people who have the flu experience chills.
Tiredness Tiredness is fairly mild with a cold. Tiredness is moderate to severe with the flu.
Sneezing Sneezing is commonly present with a cold. Sneezing is not common with the flu.
Sudden Symptoms Cold symptoms tend to develop over a few days. The flu has a rapid onset within 3-6 hours. The flu hits hard and includes sudden symptoms like high fever, aches and pains.
Headache A headache is fairly uncommon with a cold. A headache is very common with the flu, present in 80% of flu cases.
Sore Throat Sore throat is commonly present with a cold. Sore throat is not commonly present with the flu.
Chest Discomfort Chest discomfort is mild to moderate with a cold. Chest discomfort is often severe with the flu.
The only way to stop the spread of the epidemic is to spread the awareness.


Prevent Swine Flu - Good Advice
Dr. Vinay Goyal is an MBBS,DRM,DNB (Intensivist and Thyroid specialist) having clinical experience of over 20 years. He has worked in institutions like Hinduja Hospital , Bombay Hospital , Saifee Hospital , Tata Memorial etc.. Presently, he is heading our Nuclear Medicine Department and Thyroid clinic at Riddhivinayak Cardiac and Critical Centre, Malad (W). The following message given by him, I feel makes a lot of sense and is important for all to know.

The only portals of entry are the nostrils and mouth/throat. In a global epidemic of this nature, it's almost impossible to avoid coming into contact with H1N1 in spite of all precautions. Contact with H1N1 is not so much of a problem as proliferation is.

While you are still healthy and not showing any symptoms of H1N1 infection, in order to prevent proliferation, aggravation of symptoms and development of secondary infections, some very simple steps, not fully highlighted in most official communications, can be practiced (instead of focusing on how to stock N95 or Tamiflu):

1. Frequent hand-washing (well highlighted in all official
communications)
2. "Hands-off-the-face" approach. Resist all temptations to touch any part of face (unless you want to eat, bathe or slap).

3. *Gargle twice a day with warm salt water (use Listerine if you don't trust salt). *H1N1 takes 2-3 days after initial infection in the throat/ nasal cavity to proliferate and show characteristic symptoms. Simple gargling prevents proliferation. In a way, gargling with salt water has the same effect on a healthy individual that Tamiflu has on an infected one. Don't underestimate this simple, inexpensive and powerful preventative method.

4. Similar to 3 above, *clean your nostrils at least once every day with warm salt water. *Not everybody may be good at Jala Neti or Sutra Neti (very good Yoga asanas to clean nasal cavities), but *blowing the nose hard once a day and swabbing both nostrils with cotton buds dipped in warm salt water is very effective in bringing down viral population.*

5. *Boost your natural immunity with foods that are rich in Vitamin C (Amla and other citrus fruits). *If you have to supplement with Vitamin C tablets, make sure that it also has Zinc to boost absorption.

6. *Drink as much of warm liquids (tea, coffee, etc) as you can. *Drinking warm liquids has the same effect as gargling, but in the reverse direction. They wash off proliferating viruses from the throat into the stomach where they cannot survive, proliferate or do any harm.

A New Year Has Begun

We are less than one month into school, and already the year is zipping by. We have a wonderful crop of new freshmen and some new students from other RSU towns, and these additions have made our school even stronger. One element that defines Wiscasset High School is the personalization that comes with a small high school. Our new students and two long-term substitutes were treated to a Welcome Pizza Lunch hosted the Guidance Department, and attended by several current seniors who were able to share their interests and passions at Wiscasset High School. Not only the students and new teachers attended, but also, Greg Potter, our new RSU superintendent. Mr. Potter welcomed the student and commiserated a bit on the challenges and opportunities that arise in making a transition to a new environment.

Activity is a vital part of the life of the school and in that spirit, many events have jump started our initiatives for student engagement in the community. We had a Coastal Clean-up for the freshman class that is sponsored each year to involve students in environmental responsibility, We have had a Maine Farm Week in which local farmers provided food for the cafeteria, including produce from one of our own teacher's farm; we have students already engaged in their community service requirement; and Student Council is planning multiple events to celebrate Homecoming from October 15-17.

Sports are in full swing, and the Boosters Club is back, reestablishing refreshments at the Snack Shack during games and seeking new membership. Music has a full plate of events, and those will be highlighted in the newsletter.

Academically, teachers are examining test scores for students so that sophomore and junior advisees can be prepared for the SAT's taking place on October 14th. Our Advisor/Advisee system is still progressing with the MELMAC Grant that establishes multiple activities to get students involved in planning for their post-secondary education/training. Progress Notes go home on October 2nd, with the hope that parents will review what their students are doing in class, and working with their students to optimize their academic performance. We will be announcing our Open House night soon, once all the details are worked out.

The new RSU has provided a wonderful chance for parents to have a more reliable notification system for many aspects of school information from storm closings in the winter, to notices of major events that parents will not want to miss. The RSU budget passed at the validation hearing on September 19th, and now we need parents and community members to vote to support our schools in the secret ballot referendum in your local town on September 29th .

You have already heard about and seen the changing landscape of the flu shots that will eventually happened. Information changes rapidly so staying up to dat on what is happening both at the state, and the local level will be imperative as we go into flu season.

I could go on and on, but I would like for the newsletter to capture more of what is happening across the school, and as usual, I will create a link here to that newsletter when it is published. Welcome back, parents and students of Wiscasset High School!

Swine Flu Update

There are confirmed cases of H1N1 flu "Swine Flu" in Maine. We are sending home pamphlets with all Primary and Middle School students today. High School parents and students can also view updated information at http://www.maine.gov/dhhs/boh/swine-flu-2009.shtml
In the event of a confirmed case of H1N1 flu in our schools, the schools will be closed for seven days by the Center for Disease Control. Announcements for this will be made using the usual emergency closing sources.

According to current information, any forced closure of school will not result in having to make up the missed days, but that is the current information. Please do not send a student to school if the student is symptomatic with those signs that are up on the CDC site.

News Flash

The Wiscasset High School Entry, "Dinner with the MacGuffins," under the direction of Marsha Emery won first place in the Regional Class B Competition at Freeport High School on Saturday night. They will advance to States on the weekend of March 20th. Details will follow. Student participants are: Brian Campbell, Lauren Emery, Yvette Alexandrou, Morgan Robson, Eden Walsh, James Johnson, Lincoln Hull, Shane Cushing, and Alex Slack. Richard Overlock was a key person in the event, supporting Marsha with the set, lights, and transporting of equipment. Mrs. Hutchinson also supported the cast at the event. The cast won an award for Set Design and for Ensemble performance. Brian Campbell and Shane Cushing were named to the All Festival Cast. Thank you to all staff who attended Friday night's performance. We are very proud of Marsha and her crew! Good luck to them at the State competition. Wiscasset Drama is truly still alive and as good as ever!

News Items - Hot off the Presses - Revised

The Senior Class won Winter Carnival with their theme, Psychedelic Seniors, and their competitive spirit in all events. Juniors placed second, Sophomores, third, and Freshmen, fourth. This was our best Winter Carnival in spirit and in quality! Thanks to Mrs. Pooler and the Student Council for their excellent organization of this event.

The swim team finished their season coming in 7th overall in the State Meet at Orono last week. Tim George qualified for New Englands, as did our 200 medley and the 200 freestyle medley relay team composed of Andreas Kuhnel, Ross Hanley, John McLeod, and Tim George. These students will compete at Bates College this Saturday. Congratulations to the entire swim team and Don Strout.

The Boys Basketball Team went all the way to the Western Maine Class C Championship game this past Saturday. Though they lost this contest to Dirigo, they had played twice in the quarter and semi finals to achieve their status as Western Maine Class C Runners Up. Wayne and Peg Averill supplied over 400 hundred fan T-shirts, and a reception at Wiscasset High School following the game. Beyond Peg and Wayne's donations, there was a team effort by parents and the community to make the reception possible. Shaws of Wiscasset donated a cake and Big Als supplied us with all the paper products. Several parents chipped in to make the reception the success that it was. A huge Thanks goes to all basketball parents for supplying the memoribilia that was put on display, Anne Glidden for the 8 x 10 photos that were attached to each cut out making them stand out and special for each athlete, Thanks to Anne and Jamie for the idea of providing each athlete, manager and coach with flowers to wear to the games, thanks to the Dennisons who did a lot in making the reception come together the way that it did. Many parents and students came to the games and supported the team in their wins and their final loss. Thanks to Matt Cook and to the team for their exceptional play and their sportsmanlike behavior this season.

The Wiscasset High School One Act Competition Play , "Dinner with the MacGuffins" will be presented on Monday, March 2nd at 7:00 at WHS. We are hoping for feedback from parents and students on this performance. Your critique will help us to polish our play before the competition on Friday, March 6th at 7:30 at the Freeport High School. Student participants are: Brian Campbell, Lauren Emery, Yvette Alexandrou, Morgan Robson, Eden Walsh, James Johnson, Lincoln Hull, Shane Cushing, and Alex Slack. There is no admission fee. We hope to see you there. Marsha Emery is directing this ensemble cast. Good luck to them at the regional competition.

Sue Poppish
Principal

Dear Wiscasset High School Parents and Guardians,

As most of you know, we have reached the end of our first semester. At this time, I encourage parents to encourage their children to begin the new semester with intensity. Often, students do not get the grades of which they are capable. They make a slow start and then spend the rest of the semester or quarter by making up for poor choices. Sometimes, they end a marking period by calculating just how a low a grade they can get and still pass. This saddens me since such behavior is not a reflection of what they can do, but how little they choose to do and still "get by." Just as in good parenting, the key word for success is consistency.

I check every student's grade every 3 weeks on Powerschool. Our Student Assistance Team discusses each student who is achieving below his/her potential. We do this to try to intervene with students before their poor choices make their success impossible. I hope that each of you, as parents or guardians, do the same. We find that when parents check grades and do not accept excuses from their students, then a real partnership for academic success happens.

When excuses come up that try to mitigate responsibility, I have to ask, "How will accepting these rationales serve the student?" In my mind, requiring accountability is the greatest gift we can give our young adults.

I invite parents to respond to this post, and leave you with a link to a video that really speaks to how ill-served young adults are when they accept less from themselves and stop trying to be their best selves. I am not promoting this website nor the religious affiliation attached to it, but I would ask you to view with your student, and respond to the video that has less to do with those affiliations and much more to do with eliminating tendencies to short-sell the power of trying. http://www.4marks.com/videos/details.html?video_id=723

I hope you feel free to comment, and if you have concerns to contact me directly, as well.

The weather projected for tomorrow will prompt adjustments to our Final Exam schedule IF we should have a "no school" day. We will have to adjust finals so that teachers can have time for reviews, and students do not get exams squeezed into one day. So IF there is a snow day on Wednesday, this will be the schedule.

Thursday - January 29- Regular Full Day of School - All classes for semester will meet for the last time for review

Friday January 30 - Block 1 and 2 Exams until 11:00 - Make up for students for work and exams from 11:30 to 2:30

Monday February 2 - Block 5 and 6 Exams until 11:00 - Make up for students for work and exams from 11:30 to 2:30

Tuesday - February 3 - New Semester Begins - Regular Day