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Understanding Mental Health – FREE Solihull parenting courses, for parents, carers, grandparents.

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BRAND NEW!! Online course ‘Understanding your child’s mental health and wellbeing’ from the Solihull Approach (NHS).

Access for free:

Did you know Public Health Wales have PRE-PAID for every parent and carer in Wales to access a course for parents/carers (access now for life-long access)? FREE (with access code: SWSOL or NWSOL at: www.inourplace.co.uk) for residents in our area. There are courses for parents, carers and grandparents about children from bump to 19+ years.

How do I access for free? Go to www.inourplace.co.uk and register, and then please use SWSOL if you live in South and Mid Wales and NWSOL if you live in North Wales to get free access to all the online courses (funded for residents): or

If, like many parents, you have already used this code, log into your account here and this course will be ready in your dashboard to start whenever you are ready.

Can I tell my family and friends?

Absolutely! Share the news with family members and other families in the area so that they too can take advantage of this fantastic opportunity.

How long is it?

‘Understanding your child’s mental health and wellbeing’ itself is in 2 parts (2 modules long in total):

1. Take Part 1….

2. …then take ‘Understanding your child’ OR ‘Understanding your child with additional needs’ (11 modules each taking 10-15 minutes to complete, benefitting from time to digest in between)….

3. …then take Part 2.

If you like this… …you might like the other courses ‘Understanding your teenager’s brain’ (short course) or ‘Understanding your child’s feelings’ (taster course) , or other courses in the series. www.inourplace.co.uk

Port Talbot to Peru- Why should we get fitter? Why should we raise money for our linked mission in Peru?

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Strava

How can we be the hands and feet of Jesus?

How can we be Compassionate and Loving?

Curious and active?

Saint Joseph’s Sponsored Strava challenge

We as a school and parish community are aiming to raise money for the plight of Bishop Giovanni. Our Missio group have decided that we are going to do our best to walk or run as many miles in May as possible! Our astronomical end goal is 5929 miles! The distance between Port Talbot and Peru.

This challenge is all about exercising with family whilst raising money for such an important cause. Your whole family can take part and help you to reach your sponsorship goals.

Be an Action Researcher to find out what our money will go towards?

What differences will it make to the people of Prelatura Santiago Apostol de Huancane?

 

Please follow the instructions below to take part.

 

  1. Sign up to Strava app.
  2. Use ‘explore’ and search for ‘Saint Joseph’s Infants’ in ‘Clubs’. Request to join!
  3. Once you have joined our club, every walk or run will be added to our mileage and our leader board. We will be tallying up the miles at the end of each week.
  4. *Important* every time you Record a walk or run and ‘choose a sport’, please choose ‘Run’ EVEN if you are walking. This will allow your activity to be added to our mileage leader board.
  5. Please involve your whole family! Brothers, Sisters, Aunt’s, Uncle’s, Grandparents! The more family members involved, the better.

 

Saint Joseph’s Infant School is a Smoke Free School

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Dear parents/carers,

From 1st March 2021, all school grounds in Wales have become smoke-free spaces.

As Wales becomes the first country in the UK to extend its smoking ban to certain outdoor areas, we are committed to improving the health of our staff and pupils by providing a smoke-free environment.

Smoking in smoke-free spaces – which not only includes school grounds but also public playgrounds, outdoor day-care and child-minding settings as well as hospital grounds – from 1st March could result in a £100 fine.

We want to protect everyone from harmful second-hand smoke and we especially recognise the important role that adults have in influencing the attitudes and smoking behaviour of children and young people. Banning smoking in places where children and young people spend their time will denormalise smoking and reduce the chances of children and your people starting smoking in the first place– ultimately saving lives.

TESTUN AR GYFER CYLCHLYTHYRAU YSGOLION

I look forward to having your support to ensure we all play our part in building a healthier future.

Those looking for help to stop smoking can access Wales’ free NHS support service Help Me Quit on 0800 085 2219 or visit www.helpmequit.wales for help and support, including access to free stop smoking medication.

Yours sincerely,

Ms Julie Beaumont

Headteacher

School Nursing Service

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Ref/04/parent/09/20

Dear Parent / Guardian,

The School Nursing Service is aware that your child has recently started in reception class at this school and we would like to introduce ourselves to you.

The School Nursing Service aims to promote the health of the school-aged population and ensures help, advice and support is available to children, parents, guardians and carers.

When they enter reception class the care of your child is transferred from the Health Visitor to the School Nurse. All schools have access to a named School Nurse. The School Nurse aims to inform, educate and support children and young people to make healthy lifestyle choices to enable them to become healthy adults.

The School Nursing Service leaflet and welcome pack contact details is available for you on your child’s school website and they are provided below.

A member of the School Nursing team will be attending your child’s school during this academic year to carry out routine height, weight and vision screening for reception class children.

You will be contacted if any of the screening results identifies any concerns. If however you would like to know the screening results please contact the School Nurse.

If you do not wish your child to have their height, weight and vision screened by us you must inform the Head Teacher in writing immediately.

If this is the case, it is very important that you make arrangements for your child to have a vision test with a local Optometrist (Optician) this is a free service for children and it is advised that all children should receive regular eye checks with an Optometrist.

The Child Measurement Programme run by Public Health Wales would like to use the Height and Weight measurements to help give a picture of child growth in Wales. The information used by the Child Measurement Programme is completely anonymous. More information is available at www.publichealthwales.org/childmeasurement

If you do not wish the measurements to be used by the Child Measurement Programme you must inform the Head Teacher in writing immediately.

Yours Sincerely

School Nursing Service

Swansea Bay University Health Board Headquarters

One Talbot Gateway, Baglan Energy Park, Port Talbot, SA12 7BR Phone 01639 683334 www.abm.university-trust.wales.nhs.

 

To obtain your child’s school nurse contact number please ring 01639 862801

Fluoride Varnish

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Fluoride varnish can be applied by dental teams at your family dental practice and at some nurseries and schools.

Fluoride varnish is a golden gel that is applied to a dried tooth surface. It has a pleasant taste and a fruity smell. It helps to prevent tooth decay by strengthening the teeth, and has shown to be most effective if applied to the teeth at least twice a year.

The varnish hardens on the tooth just after being applied, so the fluoride can be in contact with the outer surface of the teeth for a long period of time. The golden colour can take a few days to fade.

How is the fluoride varnish put onto the tooth?

The process is quick and easy.

In nurseries and schools, the varnish will either be applied within a visiting dental mobile unit or the dental team can bring their special portable equipment into a quiet, private area of school.

Only specially trained dental staff can apply the fluoride varnish. They have strict rules of hygiene and infection control. A clean pair of clinical gloves is worn and a new fluoride application pack is used for each child. The child’s teeth are gently wiped with a cotton wool roll and the correct amount of fluoride varnish is applied using a small disposable soft brush.

Please Note: If your child normally takes fluoride drops or tablets, they should not have fluoride varnish applied.

Aftercare Instructions

Try not to let your child eat hard foods such as apples, carrots or crisps today to avoid the varnish being scraped off the tooth surfaces.

We will arrange to paint your child’s teeth with the fluoride varnish again, at school, in about 6 months time.

If your child has problems or an allergic reaction after today’s application, please inform the school or Designed to Smile team.

Your child has not had a detailed examination. It is important that your child attends a dental practice regularly for check ups and let your own dentist know that your child has had fluoride varnish applied at school.

Is fluoride varnish safe?

Yes when applied at the correct dose, fluoride varnish is safe.

Children can have fluoride varnish applied up to four times per year. Children taking part in Designed to Smile may have fluoride varnish applied twice a year in school or nursery. If your child has had fluoride varnish applied in school, it is a good idea to tell your dentist so that they can space out other applications to increase the benefit.

Children who swallow too much fluoride can develop white spots on their teeth. That’s why it is important not to let your child eat toothpaste. Fluoride varnish is applied at school only twice a year therefore the risk of developing white spots as a result is tiny.

If your child normally takes fluoride drops or tablets, they should not receive fluoride varnish applications at nursery or school.

Can all children have fluoride varnish applied?

Every child joining the programme must have written consent given by their parent or guardian.

The consent form asks questions about past medical history and we particularly want to know if your child has ever had to be hospitalised following a severe asthma attack or has an allergy to colophony or sticking plaster.

It may not be appropriate for some children to have the varnish applied. We will keep you informed before visiting school if this is the case.

If a child has a sore mouth or broken skin around the mouth or an infectious illness on the day of the dental team’s visit, then fluoride varnish will not be applied. We would let you know about this in writing.

Healthy eating

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As soon as you start weaning your child, do not encourage a sweet tooth.

  • Don’t add sugar to foods and drinks
  • Never dip a dummy in anything sweet
  • Never put sugary drinks in feeding bottles or infant cups

Every time you eat or drink something containing sugar, plaque bacteria on your teeth make acid which attacks the tooth surface. After a while, a hole or cavity forms. This is called tooth decay. To stop tooth decay:

  • Cut down on both the amount of sugar you eat, and how often you eat it.
  • Don’t have any sugar between meals as this gives teeth time to recover from the acid attack.
  • Don’t have sugary snacks – try healthier options like:

    Vegetable Sticks
    Cheese and Crackers
    Fresh Fruit
    Pitta Bread and Hummous
    Bread
    Toast

    Milk and water are the only safe drinks for young children.

    Fruit juices contain natural sugar (fructose) and should only be offered at mealtimes.

    Diet drinks contain artificial sweeteners which do not cause decay but are acidic which dissolve the surface, causing dental erosion.

    Always ask for sugar free medicines

    For more information on healthy eating for children go to: Every Child

    Stop

    Sugar in cakes, biscuits, sweets, chocolate, jam, preserves, fizzy drinks, squash, milk shakes

    Be Aware

    Fruit Juice: the natural sugars can cause tooth decay. Fruit juices are important in providing vitamin C and reaching our 5-a- day, but drink at mealtimes only.

    Dried Fruit: can cause tooth decay. The natural sugar has been released from the fruit cell as part of the drying process, so eat at mealtimes only.

    Go

    Whole fruits and vegetables are a very important part of a healthy diet. They do contain natural sugars but are in a safer form within the fruit cell.

    Milk is a very important part of a healthy diet. It contains natural sugar but a safer type.

    Some snacks can contain more sugar than you realise. Here are some examples of popular snacks that contain large amounts of sugar which can be harmful to teeth.

    sugar1 1
    sugar2
    sugar3
    sugar4
    sugar5
    sugar6
    sugar7
    sugar8

A guide for parents/carers – what to do if your child needs to self-isolate

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A guide for parents/carers – what to do if your child needs to self-isolate
If your child has been told to self-isolate by the Test, Trace, Protect (TTP)
service or the school on behalf of TTP, you must ensure they stay at home
for 14 days (the start of the 14 day period will be on the advice of the
TTP team).

Self-isolation means staying at home.
• Your child must not leave the
house, go to school, mix with
other children or with adults from
outside their household.
• By ensuring your child self-isolates,
even if they don’t have symptoms,
you are helping to reduce the
spread of coronavirus and
protecting others.

While your child is self-isolating
• Support your child with remote education provided by school.
• Monitor your child’s symptoms.

Request a test as soon as possible if they begin to show any COVID-19 symptoms:
A NEW CONTINUOUS COUGH – coughing a lot for more
than an hour, or 3 or more coughing episodes in 24hrs.
a HIGH TEMPERATURE – their chest or back feel hot to
touch.
a LOSS OR CHANGE TO THEIR SENSE OF SMELL OR TASTE
– they cannot smell or taste anything, or their sense of
smell or taste is different to normal.
Other household members
don’t need to self-isolate.
• Your child will be told to self-isolate if they
have been in close contact with someone
who has tested positive for COVID-19.
This means they are at increased risk of
catching the disease and passing it on to
others.