News for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category

Please No Candy! An open letter to all MNS parents.

Hello!

I am Leilani’s Mom, Sonja, the web designer and blogger and would like to convince all of us to not bring candy to school.

At Leilani’s previous school there were 2 teachers for about 30 kids. The classroom had a few hideaway corners, one of them being the entryway, where the kids were dropped off and picked up. One day I opened the door, and a 5 year old boy was making friends by handing out brightly colored peanut M&Ms from his lunchbox, the kids were eating it on the spot, blue and green color on their faces. Just like MNS the school had a strict no-nuts policy.

Fortunately nothing that bad has happened at MNS, but over the summer kids did hand out candy to other kids, and part of it was eaten at school. This may be OK for a couple parents and tolerated by a few more, but some of us really do not want this. Candy is bad for their teeth, unhealthy, empty calories, and it spoils the appetite for healthy food. Some of the candy I took away from a 2 year old was definitely a choking hazard. Leilani is allergic to certain food dyes. Juvenile diabetes is on the rise. I could go on…

Please try to make sure you and your child are aware of this and do not bring candy to school.

Even if it goes into a birthday goody bag and is sent home with the kiddos – it leaves some of the parents in the unhappy situation of taking the candy away from a hopeful kid. If you feel the need to pass out goody bags there are many non-edible options. Or consider donating a toy to MNS instead. Sand toys would be a good option. Or find more on the wish list.

Thanks so much for your understanding,

Sonja

Edited: August 30th, 2010

Study: A Link Between Pesticides on Berries and ADHD

From Time Magazine (time.com) and The Independent (independent.co.uk):

A new study in the journal Pediatrics associates exposure to pesticides with cases of ADHD . ADHD rates of diagnosis have risen 3% a year between 1997 and 2006. Increasingly, research suggests that chemical influences, perhaps in combination with other environmental factors — like video games, hyperkinetically edited TV shows and flashing images in educational DVDs aimed at infants — may be contributing to the increase in attention problems.

Researchers at the University of Montreal and Harvard University examined the potential relationship between ADHD and exposure to certain toxic pesticides called organophosphates which are commonly used in North America on non-organic strawberries, blueberries and celery. Children are most likely to ingest the chemicals through their diet — by eating fruits and vegetables that have been sprayed while growing

The team analyzed the levels of pesticide residue in the urine of more than 1,100 children ages 8 to 15 and found that those with the highest levels of dialkyl phosphates, which are the breakdown products of organophosphate pesticides, had the highest incidence of ADHD.

“I was quite surprised to see an effect at lower levels of exposure,” says Bouchard, who used data on ADHD from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, a long-term study of health parameters of a representative sample of U.S. citizens.

Bouchard’s analysis is the first to home in on organophosphate pesticides as a potential contributor to ADHD in young children. Organophosphates are known to cause damage to the nerve connections in the brain — that’s how they kill agricultural pests, after all. The chemical works by disrupting a specific neurotransmitter, acetylcholinesterase, a defect that has been implicated in children diagnosed with ADHD. In animal models, exposure to the pesticides has resulted in hyperactivity and cognitive deficits as well.

“I am very confident in the correlation in this study, because we controlled for quite a few things that we thought could play a role,” says Bouchard. “Adjusting for those things did not change the results very much. Which indicates that there is very little potential for confounding in this association between pesticides and ADHD.”

The study also raises the possibility of setting a national threshold for safe levels of exposure; the study authors note that according to the U.S. Pesticide Residue Program report, organophosphates were detected in 28% of frozen blueberries and in 19% of celery samples tested for pesticides. It is not clear whether those levels pose a threat to cognitive function in children, but the current study’s findings suggest it may be wise to figure that out.

In the meantime, Bouchard suggests that concerned parents try to avoid using bug sprays in the home and to feed their children organically grown fruits and vegetables, if possible. While pesticide-free fruits and greens may be more costly, Bouchard says they may be worth the price in terms of future health. While one article suggested that, parents should be careful to scrub all produce to reduce residue when using non-organics, another one pointed out that washing the fruit does nothing to get rid of the pesticides as they penetrate the skin and reside in the part of the fruit that we eat.

The sad news is that neurologist have known that pesticides are harmful to cognitive function for a long time. They have seen children exposed to pesticides on farms suffer cognitively as a result of organophosphate exposure and have warned against having young children close to fields during fumigation.

What they did not know is that even very small levels of exposure are harmful. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) limits how much residual pesticide can be left on food but this allowed amount, as it turns out, is harmful. In a way this is very similar to the lead story. The EPA set limits on the lead exposure that was considered ‘safe’ and but the allowed exposure level can actually cause cognitive problems and ADHD.

Pet products can also contain toxic pesticides so avoid pet shampoo, flea collars and other flea medicines with organophosphates and avoid using toxic pesticides in the home and garden.

The study was published online in the Journal Pediatrics on May 17 2010.

I found a guide of which other fruits and vegetables are high in pesticide residue at Foodnews, which is part of the Environmental Work Group.

Edited: July 29th, 2010

Caterpillars, Silk Worms and So Much More

In the month of May we have made changes to our class room. We changed our play dough to the color yellow and we brought in to our classroom caterpillars and silk worms. The children have enjoyed watching the caterpillars crawl and hang in their cocoons. The children are patiently awaiting their transformation into butterflies. The children have been learning about the shape of a diamond, with their first and last name in them. At the end of month we will be taking a train trip. We will be talking about trains and making trains in anticipation of our trip.

Megan and I would like to thank all of our parents for all the help and support you have given us. Being that this is our first year with Millbrae Nursery School, we want to thank everyone who has been helpful and encouraging in what we have done and what we hope to do. It has been a pleasure to watch the children grow and develop so much from the beginning of the year. The kiddos have been so much more vocal in being able to express themselves and even carry on conversations with each other. It has been a great pleasure and privilege to teach them and watch them grow. Megan and I hope that you all have a great summer and can’t wait to see you again in the fall.

Teacher Megan & Teacher Norma

Edited: June 18th, 2010

Special Note from the Hernandez Family

From the Hernandez Family, we would like to express our great gratitude and sincerity when I say that Millbrae Nursery School is a community of genuine families and individuals building, instilling and teaching great fundamental qualities in all the children. The hard work of all the parents and teachers will never be forgotten, yet always remembered by the students and families who have past through the doors of Millbrae Nursery.

Once again thank you.

Edited: June 8th, 2010

Posey Parade

Sunday, June 6 at 1pm

Please join the fun at the San Bruno 70th Annual Posey Parade.

The theme this year is “Green Transportation and your Carbon Footprint”.

We will meet at school at 11am to decorate our group with FLOWERS.

Participants gather at 12:30pm for parade at Hensley Street in San Bruno.

We will keep you posted on any updated times and meeting locations.

Prep Days remaining are May 27, 3:30-5:30pm

If enough people are interested (3 or more) we can have a crafts evening to make textile crafts for the parade (felt hats and tie-dye clothes) I’d be very happy to show you how, and help with your projects. My available time slot is 6:30 -9:30, pretty much any day next week except Monday (Friday and Saturday might not be a good idea as the stuff needs to dry well) . The materials are not child-friendly and stain permanently, even brief interrupts at the wrong time will destroy the entire project, and kids are cranky past their bedtime, so I ask that these events have no children under 3 and no more than 1 child per participant. (I will not bring Leilani). Email me if you are interested.

Edited: May 26th, 2010