Deer Park High School is sending both its girls' and boys' cross country teams to State!!

On Friday, October 30, the girls' team earned their third straight trip to the state cross country meet by winning the District 7 championship.  Led by senior Jessica Duenich and coached by Wes Player, the Lady Stags beat GNL champion Cheney who finished second.  

Coach Scott Daratha's boys' team finished third in the boys' district race and qualified for state for the first time in 33 years!  Senior Reggie Peone has led the Stags this year.  With a large contingent of returning runners, the team hopes to make a state trip an annual happening.

The state cross country meet will take place on November 7 in Pasco at Sun Willows Golf Course.

Good Luck Deer Park runners!!

DPHS fall conferences are November 4 ... please see the announcement below.

Middle and elementary school conferences will be held later in November.  We are trying something new this year.  Our conference half days will be reduced and we are hoping to help families who are traveling during the Thanksgiving holiday.  The fewer half days, we believe, will help improve learning!

The schedule is as follows:

• Deer Park High School ... no change in schedule; kids in school all days.
• Thursday, Nov. 19 ... half day at Deer Park Elementary and Arcadia for conference planning.
• Monday, Nov. 23 ... half day at Deer Park Elementary/Arcadia; conferences in the afternoon; conferences in the afternoon and evening at Deer Park Middle School (full school day at DPMS)
• Tuesday, Nov. 24 ... no students at DPE/Arc/DPMS;conferences all day at all three schools.
• Wednesday, Nov. 25 ... no students at DPE/Arc/DPMS; conferences through noon; 1/2 day release at DPHS.

If you have any questions regarding the schedule, please contact your school office.

The wonderful Missoula Children's Theatre is back in Deer Park!

Annually, the Missoula Children's Theatre works with students at Arcadia for a week and then puts on a show at the end of the week.

This year's production is "The Amazing Adventures of Robinson Crusoe" loosely (very loosely they say!) on the novel by Daniel DeFoe.

The show will be held in the Arcadia gym on Saturday, October 24 at 3:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.  Family admission is $10 or $3 for single admission.  

Each year this production is truly outstanding; please come and see this year's show.

The first cases of seasonal and H1N1 flu have been reported in our school district and we are very thankful to parents of sick children for letting us know and for keeping their kids home from school.

We urge you to pay particular attention to your child's health, monitoring for influenza symptoms. Symptoms of H1N1 illness, which are similar to seasonal flu symptoms, include rapid onset of fever with cough and/or sore throat.  Some people may also have diarrhea and vomiting.  If your child or any family member experiences these symptoms, stay home until symptoms have diminished and they have been free of fever (less then 100°F, without using fever reducing medication) for at least 24 hours or as directed by your health care provider.

People are being encouraged to treat flu symptoms at home to avoid spreading the illness in health care settings. If your child has symptoms mentioned above and develops difficulty breathing, chest pain, bluish skin; develops seizures, is unable to keep fluids down or is less responsive than normal, seek medical care immediately.  

H1N1 has caused an increased concern for children and infants who have high-risk medical conditions and neurodevelopmental conditions such as cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, heart conditions, seizure disorders, long-term respiratory (asthma) and lung conditions (cystic fibrosis), premature infants and others.  If your child has any of these conditions that may put him/her at increased risk, we encourage you to contact your child's health care provider to discuss the risks to your child's health and his/her school attendance. Special care should be taken to protect these children from catching H1N1, and it is recommended that they be among the first to receive a vaccine once it becomes available.  The H1N1 vaccine is also recommended for all people ages 6 months to 24 years of age.

The Health District has scheduled three free community H1N1 vaccination clinics for people in priority groups:

• October 24 -- at the Central Spokane YMCA - from 8:00 am to 3:00 pm
• November 7 -- at the Spokane Valley YMCA - from 8:00 am to 3:00 pm.
• November 14 -- at the North Spokane YMCA - from 8:00 am to 3:00 pm.

SRHD is planning to distribute the H1N1 vaccine (whether it is the nasal spray or shot version) to area medical facilities soon, and it is recommended that you contact your child's health care provider to see if they will offer these.  When we have more information regarding vaccination clinics, we will post it on this website.

To protect yourself and your family against H1N1 influenza, as well as seasonal influenza, and to help prevent the spread of disease, teach your children to:

• Wash their hands often.
• Cough or sneeze into their sleeve/elbow not into their hands.
• Cover their nose and mouth when sneezing, coughing or blowing their nose.
• Promptly dispose of used tissues and wash hands with soap and water.
• Not share food, utensils or beverages with others.
• Avoid close contact with sick people.

In the past, Washington State law required public schools to screen children for scoliosis. As of the 2009-10 school year, schools are no longer required to provide such screening.

However, if parents have concerns about their child in regards to their spinal curvature and would like them to be screened for scoliosis, please contact our District nurse, Dawn Epler, at 464-5527 to set up a screening.

Further, if parents have any questions about scoliosis, or any other health concerns, please contact Dawn.

The Deer Park Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring a political forum.  It will be held Tuesday, October 6, 2009at the Deer Park Elementary School gym.  The forum is from 6:30pm to 9:00 pm.  We will have the mayoral and city council candidates and school board candidates have been invited. 

Please come an meet candidates and help make an informed decision.  The election day is November 3, 2009 and ballots will be out the week of October 12.