November Awareness Activities: American Diabetes Month (www.diabetes.

org) PTA Newsletter Nearly 26 million children and adults in the United States have diabetes. In recognition of American Diabetes Month, now is a good time to take stock of healthy eating and exercise habits that can help prevent type 2 diabetes in the future. Morning Announcement Keeping your weight healthy can help you feel good and prevent diseases. There are 3 important things you can do for a healthy body weight: 1) spend less time watching TV, 2) spend more time each day active (like running, walking, or playing outside), and 3) eat more fruits and vegetables instead of things full of sugar and fats like candy or fried foods. Keeping your body healthy now can keep you strong for life!

What can parents do to make sure your child is healthy?

Limit media time and follow the American Academy of Pediatrics regarding age appropriate media time for kids whether at home, school, or child care (no more than 1 to 2 hours of quality media time per day). Provide plenty of fruits and vegetables, limit foods high in solid fat and added sugars, and prepare healthier foods at family meals Save money and calories by serving your family tap water instead of drinks with added sugars. Making sure your child gets at least one hour of physical activity each day. Practice healthy eating habits and physical activity early. Encourage active play, and be a role model by eating healthy at family mealtimes and having an active lifestyle.

For more information, see: http://www.strong4life.com/

http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/107/2/423.full http://www.diabetes.org/living-with-diabetes/parents-andkids/children-and-type-2/preventing-type-2-in-children.html Seizure Smart! Lets get seizure smart for Epilepsy Awareness Month. Did you know 1 in 10 people will have a seizure in their lifetime and 1 in 26 people in the United States will develop epilepsy at some point in their lifetime? Epilepsy is characterized by having two or more unprovoked seizures; it is one of the most common disorders of the nervous system. Epilepsy is not contagious, children with epilepsy can go to school and learn like all other children, and in most cases epilepsy occurs without a family history of the condition. Seizures can involve many different behaviors, for example: brief period of blank staring; uncontrollable blinking or chewing movements; sudden falls; or convulsions and muscle jerking. We have sent home a quiz about seizures in childs backpack and we hope you complete the quiz together so you can learn more about seizures and are prepared if someone you know has one. For more information on epilepsy visit: www.epilepsyga.org or www.epilepsyclassroom.com Be Your Childs Smoke-Free Role Model Do you know what a seizure is or what to do if you see one? Seizures can look many different ways like: staring off into space, uncontrollable blinking or chewing; sudden falling; or body shaking and muscle jerking. Epilepsy is the tendency to have seizures. It is a condition (not an illness) that means that the brain does not always work as it should. It is different from a cold; you cannot catch it from someone else. For Epilepsy Awareness Month, we are sending you home with a quiz that you can share with your parents and learn what to do if someone you know is having a seizure. You too can become seizure smart!

American Epilepsy Month

Lung Cancer Awareness Month

Smoking not only makes you smell bad but it causes damage to all the most important Smoking behaviors most often start in childhood, 88% of adult organs in your body. Did you know that you smokers who smoke daily report that they started smoking by can give your body more years of being the age of 18 years. Each day in the United States, nearly 4,000 healthy and happy by avoiding cigarettes and children and adolescents smoke their first cigarette, and an tobacco? If someone you know offers you a estimated 1,000 youth in that age group become new daily cigarette, tell them no. If you need help cigarette smokers. This means that nearly 400,000 young saying no to others about smoking, talk to an people become daily smokers each year. Smoking is the adult you trust. You are in charge of your leading cause of preventable deaths in the United States, and body and you can choose a healthier life that

can cause cancer, heart disease, and lung disease. Social models and peers highly influence smoking behaviors. For example, images in movies and media of smoking promote youth smoking. Young people are more likely to use tobacco if their peers use tobacco or their parents smoke. Start talking to your child now, take charge and be his/her smoking role model, make sure your child is hearing and seeing the messages you support in terms of smoking and its risks. For some helpful links for talking about smoking with children, see: http://pbskids.org/itsmylife/body/smoking/article2.html http://kidshealth.org/parent/positive/talk/smoking.html http://www.lung.org/stop-smoking/aboutsmoking/preventing-smoking/for-parents.html Thanksgiving Holiday
Let us remember that, as much has been given us, much will

is smoke-free.

be expected from us, and that true homage comes from the heart as well as from the lips, and shows itself in deeds. -Theodore Roosevelt In psychology research, gratitude or thankfulness is associated with greater happiness. Gratitude helps people feel more positive emotions, enjoy good experiences, improve their physical health, reduce stress, handle challenges, and build strong relationships. For Thanksgiving this year think about the ways you can express gratitude or accept it from others and make every day a day of gratitude. For example: 1. Graciously, accept thanks from others. 2. Model thankfulness for your children. 3. Look for small things to be grateful for every day, write

What are you thankful for? It is important to think about thankfulness not only on Thanksgiving but every day. Being thankful for the things in our lives helps us feel good and can keep us healthy. Try telling someone else thank you and see how good it makes both of you feel.

them down. 4. Don't worry about missed thank yous from others or those you have missed. 5. Write thank you notes.

For more see: http://women.webmd.com/features/gratitute-healthboost http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/alzheimers-andgratitude/MY02401