Dear Families,
I want to wish all of you a very Happy New Year and hope your
holiday season was one of joy and time well spent with family and
friends. As we begin with teaching and learning in 2006, we have
seen a large number of students miss school with various respiratory
bugs that have hit hard. We have been running at about 10% absenteeism
this week, which is extraordinarily high. As you and your
child determine whether to come to school after illness, remember
that our district policy explains that children should be fever free for
24 hours before returning to school.
 

Additionally, children should be on antibiotics for at least 24 hours
before returning to school. We have been emphasizing healthy habits
at school including the regular washing of hands, and have been
disinfecting common areas regularly. Please help us at Ryan to get
back onto a healthy track with our students by also emphasizing
these and similar habits for good health during the cold and flu season
which is upon us.

Some fun and educational activities on our horizon include the
revamped Ryan Science Expo on February 2nd. Please read detailed
information about the Expo today in Janet Stellema’s column. We
are also looking for volunteers to help with the Expo, so please read
our advertisement for volunteers in the Reader. Also, the PTA is
sponsoring the Ryan Sock Hop in early February. Look for details in
the Ryan Reader.

Open enrollment is coming to a close on January 20th. If you
know of anyone in our attendance area who may be a prospective
student, please have them contact the school. Kindergarten registration
is in March, and there is still a lot of time to get registered for
school for our youngest students.

Jim Armitage, Principal