Teeth grinding (bruxism) is fairly common in young children.  Three out of ten children grind or gnash their teeth before age 5 and stop before age 6.  This happens because of teething or improper tooth alignment.  If your child is still grinding after age 6 and is complaining of a sore jaw you may want to call your dentist to see if it is affecting his/her teeth. The dentist may fit your child for a mouth guard to protect the surfaces of the teeth. Grinding may be caused by stress.  Try to look for any sources of stress your child may be experiencing and encourage a relaxing pre-bedtime routine.

How many times in a minute does the average heart beat?  How many times does it beat in a day.  Congratulations to
Megan Saintil, Elijah Bynoe DePierre and Shayla Ford all from 3rd grade who answered correctly. 

The average adult heart beats 60 to 80 times a minute.  It beats approximately 86, 400 to 115,000 times in a day.  That is a lot of beats.  Take care of that important muscle!!!

During the week before, during and after February vacation, we celebrated Random Acts of Kindness Week and Healthy Heart Month.  Students were encouraged to be extra kind to friends and family and to do something to stay healthy.  If they got caught by teachers, friends or family, they received a heart to place on our wall.  Lots of students got caught!  Some examples were: helping a friend when she was sad, cleaning the cafeteria table, holding a door open, eating an apple instead of a cookie, running with Dad, shoveling snow for my parents, spending time with my grandfather, and helping with the laundry. It was nice to see how many ways our students are kind to others and know how to be healthy.  Keep up the great job ALL YEAR LONG, South School Sharks!!!

FEBRUARY WAS DENTAL HEALTH MONTH

The South School was lucky to have Carol Gilmore, a registered dental hygienist form the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, come to our school to talk to the students about dental health.  Students in several classes were taught about brushing, flossing, eating healthy foods, visiting the dentist, using fluoride and wearing a mouth guard.  Did you know it only takes 20 minutes after eating for an acid attack to begin on your teeth?  Did you know that the average person consumes about 150 pounds (yes, I said pounds) of sugar a year. 

    NATIONAL BREAKFAST WEEK – March 3-7



     It’s a FACT that students who eat breakfast do better in school.  They can focus more; they do better on tests; and they are more ready to learn than students who are hungry.

     Lots of students come to see me in the morning with complaints of headaches or stomach aches.  In questioning them, it turns out that they did not have breakfast and they are in fact HUNGRY.  Often times the excuse given to me is that “we were running late this morning”.  Many times these same kids do not even have a snack with them. 

     HINT:  Set up quick and easy meals that your children can grab on their way out the door or on their way to school if you are having a late morning.