MONDAY SUPERINTENDENT E-MAIL – 10/3/11
The Monday E-mail contains information on the following KDE-related topics:
- Twitter Town Hall
- KY Hybrid Diesel/Electric School Buses (Cycle 4) RFA Awards Announced
- Non-Emergency KOIN Alert – Get Vaccinated Against Flu
- Farm to School Week Art Contest
If you have questions about the specific items, please see the contact information for each item.
KDE ITEMS
Twitter Town Hall
Commissioner Holliday will participate in the first-ever Twitter Town Hall on Thursday, October 6, from 4 to 5 p.m. ET. The town hall also will be presented live on the Kentucky Department of Education’s (KDE’s) webcast channel.
Twitter users can submit questions to Commissioner Holliday using the hashtag #AskDocH, either before the event or during.
KDE uses its Twitter account to share information and converse with the education community and the residents of Kentucky.
KY Hybrid Diesel/Electric School Buses (Cycle 4) RFA Awards Announced
Awards for Cycle 4 of the KY Hybrid Diesel/Electric School Buses grant have recently been posted on the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) website.
You can access the awards listing via the link below:
http://www.education.ky.gov/KDE/Administrative+Resources/Grant+Information/Competitive+Grant+Awards/
**Note: Awards listed are contingent upon the district’s submission of a board-approved PA3 Form (School Bus Purchase Authorization), including options, as well as a signed Assurances Form to KDE’s Pupil Transportation Branch. If a board-approved PA3 Form and/or Assurances Form is not received, KDE reserves the right to rescind the offer.
We appreciate everyone’s participation in the grant process and hope that you will continue to seek and apply for beneficial grants for your districts/schools as they become available.
If you have budget-related questions, they can be addressed to Vickie Terry via e-mail at vickie.terry@education.ky.gov or by phone at (502) 564-1979.
If you would like copies of your score sheets or have questions related to the application process, please contact Leah Settle via e-mail at leah.settle@education.ky.gov or by phone at (502) 564-2351.
All other transportation-related questions should be addressed to Dave Mangum via e-mail at dave.mangum@education.ky.gov or by phone at (502) 564-5279.
OUTSIDE AGENCIES
Non-Emergency KOIN Alert – Get Vaccinated Against Flu
Below is information provided by the KOIN Network and is provided in both English and Spanish.
State public health officials encourage Kentuckians to get the flu vaccine now to reduce the spread of illness this coming flu season. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) is now recommending flu vaccine for all individuals older than 6 months of age. People who should especially receive the flu vaccine, because they may be at higher risk for complications from the flu include:
• children age 6 months to 19 years
• pregnant women
• people 50 years old or older
• people of any age with chronic health problems
• people who live in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities
• health care workers;
• caregivers of or people who live with a person at high risk for complications from the flu
• out-of-home caregivers of or people who live with children less than 6 months old
Healthy, non-pregnant people age 2-49 years can receive either the flu shot or the nasal vaccine spray. Children younger than 9 years old who are being vaccinated against flu for the first time should receive a second dose four or more weeks after their first vaccination.
Kentuckians should contact their health care provider or local health department for more information.
Symptoms of the flu include fever, headache, cough, sore throat, runny nose, sneezing and body aches. Flu is a very contagious disease caused by the flu virus, which spreads from person to person. Good health habits to prevent illness, like washing hands often with soap and water, avoiding touching your eyes, nose or mouth and staying home from work or school if you are sick, are also recommended.
In addition to the flu vaccine, all adults 65 or older and others in high-risk groups are encouraged to ask their health care providers about the pneumococcal vaccine. This vaccine can help prevent a type of pneumonia, one of the flu’s most serious and potentially deadly complications.
Approximately 23,000 deaths due to seasonal flu and its complications occur on average each year in the U.S., according to recently updated estimates from the CDC. However, actual numbers of deaths vary from year to year.
For more information on influenza or the availability of flu vaccine, please contact your local health department or visit http://www.healthalerts.ky.gov or contact Barbara Fox, KOIN Coordinator, at BarbaraJ.Fox@ky.gov .
Spanish Version:
Non-Emergency KOIN Alert – Get Vaccinated Against Flu
Llamado de Alerta KOIN No de Emergencia – Vacúnese contra la influenza
Los oficiales de salud pública del estado animan a las personas que viven en Kentucky a recibir ahora la vacuna contra la influenza (gripe), para así reducir la propagación de esta enfermedad durante la venidera temporada de influenza. Los Centros para el Control y la Prevención de Enfermedades (CDC, por sus siglas en inglés) están recomendando ahora la vacuna contra la influenza para todas las personas mayores de 6 meses de edad. Las personas que especialmente deben recibir la vacuna contra la influenza, por tener mayor riesgo de complicaciones con la influenza, incluyen:
• Los niños de 6 meses a 19 años de edad;
• Las mujeres embarazadas;
• Las personas de 50 años de edad o mayores;
• Las personas de cualquier edad que tienen problemas de salud crónicos;
• Las personas que viven en hogares de ancianos y otras instalaciones de atención a largo plazo;
• Los profesionales de atención médica;
• Las personas que cuidan a una persona que tiene alto riesgo de complicaciones de la influenza, o las personas que viven con tal persona; y
• Las personas que cuidan a niños menores de 6 meses de edad fuera del hogar, o las personas que viven con estos niños.
Las personas sanas que no están embarazadas y tienen entre 2 y 49 años de edad pueden recibir la vacuna, ya sea mediante inyección o vía rocío nasal. Los niños menores de 9 años de edad que reciben la vacuna contra la influenza por primera vez deben recibir una segunda dosis cuatro semanas o más después de la primera dosis de vacuna.
Se espera que los departamentos de salud locales y los proveedores de atención médica privados tengan adecuados suministros de la vacuna contra la influenza este año. Las personas que viven en Kentucky deben comunicarse con su proveedor de atención médica o con el departamento de salud local para más información.
Los síntomas de la influenza incluyen fiebre, dolor de cabeza, tos, dolor de garganta, goteo nasal, estornudos y dolores corporales. La influenza es una enfermedad muy contagiosa causada por el virus de la influenza, el cual se propaga de persona a persona. También se recomiendan buenos hábitos de salud para prevenir enfermedades, tales como lavarse las manos frecuentemente con agua y jabón; evitar tocarse los ojos, la nariz o la boca; y quedarse en casa en vez de ir al trabajo o la escuela si está enfermo.
Además de solicitar la vacuna contra la influenza, a todos los adultos de 65 años y mayores, así como a otros grupos de alto riesgo, se les anima a preguntarles a sus proveedores de atención médica acerca de la vacuna contra la enfermedad neumocócica. Esta vacuna puede ayudar a prevenir un tipo de neumonía, una de las complicaciones más serias y posiblemente fatales de la influenza.
Según las estimaciones recientemente actualizadas de los CDC, en los EE.UU. cada año ocurren un promedio aproximado de 23,000 muertes debidas a la influenza estacional y sus complicaciones. Sin embargo, el número real de muertes varía de un año a otro.
Para más información sobre la influenza o la disponibilidad de la vacuna contra la influenza, por favor comuníquese con el departamento de salud local o visite http://www.healthalerts.ky.gov.
Farm to School Week Art Contest
Kentucky students can compete for prizes and learn about the benefits of local food in a statewide art contest to commemorate Farm to School Week, Oct. 9-15. The contest is being conducted to raise awareness of the Kentucky Department of Agriculture’s Farm to School Program.
Students must submit original drawings on white, unlined 8½ X 11-inch paper based on the theme “Let’s Grow Healthy the Kentucky Proud Way!” Participating school districts will select winning entries in elementary school, middle/junior high school and high school levels. The districts must submit the winning entries at the Kentucky School Nutrition Association conference on Oct. 26.
A panel of judges selected by the Kentucky Department of Agriculture will select the first- , second- and third-place entries statewide. The student who creates the first-place entry will win a $50 savings bond from the Kentucky Department of Agriculture; the student with the second-place entry will win a $30 savings bond; and the student with the third-place entry will win a $20 savings bond. The winning students will be honored at the Kentucky Commodity Conference in December in Bowling Green. Individual school districts may award prizes to their district-wide winners.
The contest is sponsored by the Kentucky Department of Agriculture, the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service and Nutrition & Food Science Department, the Kentucky Dairy Development Council and Kentucky Action for Healthy Kids. The UK food science department will use the leading entries in its 2012 calendar.
More than 80 Kentucky school districts participate in the Farm to School program. Eleven districts spent more than $62,000 on local food for their students during the first eight months of the year.
For more information about the contest, including full contest rules, go to www.kyagr.com, click on Food Distribution, and click on Farm to School. For more information about the Farm to School program, contact program coordinator Tina Garland at (502) 573-0282 or tina.garland@ky.gov.