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Recent E*News:
12/9/2008
We have a lot of great information to share this week, so please make sure you read to the entire email!
Scholastic Book Fair
The Scholastic Book Fair will run in the media center beginning Friday, Dec 5th through Friday, Dec 12th. The hours are 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM daily, with evening hours on Dec 9th from 6:30 to 8:30 PM. On Dec 12th, the fair will close at 10:00 AM.
The students will preview the book fair with their language arts class and will be able to make purchases during that time, before school, or after school. There will be a great variety of books to choose from, including many selections for adults, so bring your holiday gift list and start your shopping at River Trail. The media center benefits from all of the purchases made during the book fair, so help the school while you stock up on your winter reading material.
If you need more information contact Cathy Karell.
It's Time to Submit Volunteer Hours
If you have any unrecorded volunteer hours for November, please email them
to Jennie Chang by December 10th. Please note that all your time spent helping the school, whether it's at home make phone calls, baking or helping out a PTA committee, counts as volunteer hours. Please make sure to include your name, number of volunteer hours, as well as the specific volunteer activity in your email. Thank you for volunteering. Please feel free to email Jennie if you have any questions.
The 2008 Environmental Caucus is coming soon!
On Tuesday, December 16, the sixth grade science classes at River Trail
are going to participate in an Environmental Caucus in which they will attempt to determine the most environmentally beneficial type of shopping bag. We are expecting a lively and thorough debate, but, to make this happen, we need parents who are willing to help moderate. If you're interested, please send an email to EarthDayCaucus2008@gmail.com.
Reflections Winners!
The Reflections Committee would like to congratulate the following students whose artworks were chosen to move on to the council level of the Reflections program. Thank you to all the winners and to all the other students whose excellent entries make this program a success.
Visual Arts Winners:
6th Grade-Lucy Qiu, Irene Park
7th Grade-Lianna Kang, Katherine Ahn
8th Grade-Sarah Ma, Sae Yong Chris Chang
Film and Video Winners:
7th Grade-Ryan Hopkinson, Michael Cao
Music Winners:
6th Grade-Christine Schreiber, Puja Tripuraneni
7th Grade-Amaan Charaniya, Chase Beckman
8th Grade-Aya Badr
Photography Winners:
6th Grade-Darius Chinoy, Cassie Mullins
7th Grade-Apurva Kasam
8th Grade-Arshiya Lal, Ryan McCurdy
Literature Winners:
6th Grade-Daniel Ren
7th Grade-Keshav Parwal, Rebecca Burkley
8th Grade-Safa Syed
WolfPack Pizza Night
Between hanging the holiday decorations and shopping for that perfect gift, who's got time to prepare dinner? Why not let the River Trail PTA and Domino's Pizza take care of that for you? Mark your calendars for WolfPack Pizza Night on Thursday, December 18th and watch for a Domino's order form to come home with your student soon. Simply call the number highlighted on the back of the order form to place your family's pizza order or place your order online at Domino's; Online orders can be placed hours or even days in advance and you can choose what time to have your pizza delivered hot to your door! Once your order is placed, complete the bottom portion of the order form and hand to the Domino's representative when you pay for your meal and River Trail will receive 20% of all sales to River Trail families. It's that easy! Extra copies of the Domino's order form are available in the front office of the school and can be downloaded from the PTA website. Questions? Contact Ronda Harris.
What is Noise-Induced Hearing Loss?
NIHL is caused by damage to the small sensory cells in the inner ear that convert sound into electrical signals that travel to the brain. Once damaged, these hair cells cannot grow back and the resulting hearing loss is permanent. Baby boomers, the first rock and roll generation, are losing their hearing faster than previous generations. This trend appears to be continuing with our children, the iPOD generation.
What Can Cause NIHL?
A one-time, intense sound, such as an explosion, or continuous exposure to sounds at or above 85 dbs, such as an iPOD or rock concert, can be harmful. Let's compare the decibel level of some common sounds. The humming of a refrigerator is 40 dbs, normal conversation is about 60dbs, and city traffic can be as high as 85 dbs. Motorcycles, firecrackers and small firearms are all 120 - 150 dbs and can cause NIHL. The louder the sound, the shorter the time period before NIHL can occur. It is also important to note that even if the symptoms go away, some of the cells in the inner ear may have been destroyed by the noise. Your hearing returns to normal if enough healthy cells are left in your inner ear, but you will develop a lasting hearing loss if the noise exposure is repeated and more cells are destroyed.
Which Noises Are Too Loud?
* If you have to shout to be heard above the noise.
* If you can't understand someone who is speaking to you from less than 2 feet away.
* If a person standing near you can hear sounds from your stereo headset while it is on your head.
How Can I Determine If My Child or I Have NIHL?
Tinnitus or ringing in the ears is a sign of imminent ear damage and means that it's time to cut back on listening time and turn the volume down. Many children admit to tinnitus after long periods of listening to music through ear buds. Ask your RTMS student about the song "Turn it to the Left" which they will hear on the morning announcements. The Auditory-Verbal Center, here in Atlanta, sponsors a free telephone hearing screening. The phone number for the simple and short pre-recorded screening is 404-633-6340. If you have concerns, address them with an audiologist and/or an ENT. For more information, call the Auditory-Verbal Center at 404-633-8911 or visit their website. For info. on prevention of NIHL, look at this website.
Enjoy your holiday music wisely and save your hearing for many years of listening pleasure. If you have any questions or are interested in helping with the newly formed Health & Safety Committee, please contact Amy Price, PTA Health and Safety Chair, at 678-584-0442.
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