MALCOLM PRICE LABORATORY SCHOOL

October 5, 2007

Dear Unit II Parent(s),

Our wellness theme for the months of October/November will focus on choices about our body as a community. The children will examine their personal daily schedules and identify times they are or can be making choices in the areas of exercise, relaxation, hygiene, self-concepts, and nutrition. We will also explore personal safety and choices they can make in emergency situations.

During our unit the children will learn several healthy food options they can make. For example, on Wednesday the 31^st, we will start our day off right with a healthy breakfast prepared by our Unit II chefs. Your child may come to school on this day dressed in his/her favorite pj's. Bedtime pals, such as teddy bears, are welcome. This will be our fun, alternative Halloween celebration.

We will have several guest speakers. Our school safety patrol students will help us learn how they keep us safe. Our school nurses will give us several health updates related to our unit topics. Our cooks will discuss how they choose and prepare healthy meals for the students at PLS. Nurse Julie Smith from Allen Hospital will be joining us. The children will dramatize a trip to the hospital and learn more about what to expect during this sometimes-scary visit. We will also be touring UNI's Wellness Center. More information on these dates will be coming. We welcome any other parents in the health profession to come and share.

Our centers will be an integral part of our Wellness unit. The children will learn about their skeletons and parts of their bodies. If you have access to any anatomy models or x-rays, your child might enjoy sharing them at school. We also will learn about basic first aid and will make individual wellness kits. The children will create their own emergency unit complete with ambulance, emergency dispatch, and trauma center. If you have any props or dress-up clothes for this center please send them marked with your child's name.

Finally, don't forget to mark your calendars for early dismissal on Wednesday, October 10 and Teacher Inservice on Friday, October 19. We also look forward to visiting with you at parent-teacher conferences November 19 and 20. Remember, there are no elementary classes on these dates.

Thank you also for all the many ways you help make our

days here at school full of fun and excitement. Happy fall!

Nicole Geopfert, Denise Tallakson and Mary Stichter,