• Teach your children to wash their hands often with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand rub. You can set a good example by doing this yourself.
• Teach your children proper respiratory etiquette by coughing or sneezing in a tissue or by covering up their coughs or sneezes using the elbow, arm or sleeve instead of the hand when a tissue is unavailable.
  Link to light hearted video on the proper technique.
• Teach your children not to share personal items like drinks, food or unwashed utensils.
• Know the signs and symptoms of the flu. Symptoms of the flu include fever (100 degrees Fahrenheit, 37.8 degrees Celsius or greater), cough, sore throat, a runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, and feeling very tired. Some people may also vomit or have diarrhea.
• Keep sick children at home for at least 24 hours after they no longer have fever or do not have signs of fever, without using fever-reducing drugs.  (CDC guidance as of August 7th) Keeping children with a fever at home will reduce the number of people who may get infected.
• Do not send children to school if they are sick. Any students who are determined to be sick while at school will be sent home.
  
  For more information go to www.flu.gov

Donna B. Hoscheit RN
St. Francis High School
School Nurse

• Friday will be the last day to bring in school supply donations for Humanitarian Service Project.  Please place them in the blue bin in the main hallway or a box in the chapel!
• Because of the overwhelming interest in the "See It Differently" Service Retreats, October 13-14 (Seniors only, openings available) and  February 25-26 (closed and wait listed) we are adding a March date:
  Friday, March 12, 3:00pm-Saturday, March 13, 5:00pm.  Space is limited so sign up soon in the Pastoral Ministry Department.
• This experience will satisfy your service requirement for the year while providing you with the opportunity to stay overnight in Chicago and participate in a variety of service e experiences with your friends. 
   
  Where: Brother David Darst Cent, Bridgeport neighborhood in Chicago
  Cost: $100 (Must be paid in full in order to reserve a spot)
   
  Questions?  Contact Mrs. Mercadante for more information
  
• Senior Girl's Kairos (September 8-11th ) applications are available and are due on or before Friday, August 28th.  (Note: The half sheet in the summer mailing is not the 'packet') See Mrs. Mercadante for more information.
• There is still room available on the Belize Spring Breakout! Come along with 20 St. Francis students and staff to serve in Belize this Spring Break, March 27th-April 3, 2010.  Cost is approximately $1600 to be made in 3 payments (September 15, November 13, and January 15).  See Mrs. Mercadante for details.

We are pleased to announce that St. Francis High School has been selected as one of the 40 Illinois high school libraries to receive the second annual ISLMA/LBSS Endowment Fund book grant.  The awarding of the grant entitles the St. Francis Library to receive a set of the 22 Abraham Lincoln Illinois High School Book award nominee titles for the 2010 reading campaign. As part of this grant award, St. Francis students will be participating in a state-wide program which encourages students to read the selected books and then vote for their favorite. The Abraham Lincoln Illinois High School Book Award will be determined by the students' votes.