What Time Should Kids to Sleep?
DID YOU KNOW?
Children who do not get enough sleep may not be able to learn as well as their school friends who get enough sleep.
Normal sleep patterns
Kidshealth.org
Sleep is important for children’s learning and behaviour. Sleep also helps children’s brains grow.
Role of sleep
Sleep is important for children’s learning and behaviour. Sleep helps to restore physical and mental health and keep our memory and immune system on track. Sleep also helps children’s brains grow. Children who do not get enough sleep may not be able to learn as well as their school friends who get enough sleep.
Science of sleep
Circadian rhythms, or sleep-wake cycles, are controlled by light and dark and take time to develop. They are stages of sleep that develop from about 6 weeks of age. By the age of 2, most children have spent more time asleep than awake and overall, a child will spend 40 percent of their childhood asleep!
There are 2 types of sleep that we cycle through many times each night. These cycles last 45 – 60 minutes in children and 90 minutes in adults.
- “Deep” or Non-Rapid Eye Movement (NREM) sleep makes up 75 percent of our sleep. During deep sleep, muscle blood supply is increased, energy is restored, and essential hormones for growth and development are released.
- “Light” or Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep makes up 25 percent of our sleep. During light sleep, our brains are active and dreaming occurs. Our bodies become still and breathing and heart rates are irregular.
Effects of lack of sleep
Emotional
Lack of sleep may cause your child to be moody, irritable, and cranky. They may have a difficult time controlling their feelings; for example, they may be frustrated or upset more easily.
Behavior
School-aged children who do not get enough sleep are more likely to have behaviour problems, such as not being able to concentrate, not doing what is asked of them and being very restless.
Thinking and learning
Lack of sleep may result in problems with paying attention, memory, decision-making, reaction time, and creativity, all which are important in school.
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Broward School Board makes it easier for absent students to make up work
By Scott Travis
The Broward School Board voted to make it easier to make up missed work for students with unexcused absence
Whether they’re out of school for the measles or the movies, Broward students can now get full credit for any missed work.
The School Board voted Tuesday to relax a three-year-old policy that allowed teachers to give bad grades to students with unexcused absences. Under the old policy, students could be penalized 10 percent on tests they miss and get a D on homework they turn in late due to an unexcused absence.
That will change for the new school year. Students will now have two days to make up work, regardless of whether their absence is excused or unexcused. Teachers can extend the time but not shorten it.
This is the third time the district has changed this policy in four years. Teachers used to have discretion whether to allow make up work and how to grade it. Then in 2015, the School Board decided that was punishing kids with excused absences and required teachers to accept makeup work. A year later, after teachers complained of large number of students failing to show up for class, the district imposed academic penalties.
Most board members said they felt the policy should be revised after seeing statistics that they felt showed the policy isn’t working. Overall attendance rates have been flat, while unexcused absences have risen. Data also showed black and Hispanic students are absent the same amount as white students, but when it comes to unexcused absences, black students have 50 percent more and Hispanic students have 25 percent more.
“The numbers are alarming,” Board member Patti Good said.
Proponents of the change say parents of white children are much more likely to report their child has an excused absence, regardless whether it’s legitimate.
The change came over the objections of three board members, Donna Korn, Laurie Rich Levinson and Ann Murray. They sided with the Broward Teachers Union, which argued the change in policy makes it more difficult to penalize students who skip school.
Union President Anna Fusco said teachers know their kids and know which ones are out for valid reasons and which ones play hooky.
“Teachers need to have responsibility, control and accountability in their classroom,” Fusco said. “They take many hours of professional development, attend college courses. They have common sense. They know when students need to have work turned in.”
Tips! Parents &guardians,
Don’t forget to notify your child’s school
of all absences!
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Broward provides vaccines at Lauderhill Mall, Edgar Mills Health Center and Paul Hughes Healthcare Center
By Sallie James • Florida Department of Health in Broward County
Shopping for new clothes, stocking up on school supplies and picking out edgy new backpacks are some of the back-to-school rituals kids look forward to every year. Making sure their childhood vaccines are up to date is equally important and required by Florida law.
Children can’t start school unless they receive all vaccines against nine contagious and potentially fatal childhood diseases. School shots are especially important for children entering kindergarten and seventh grade, because different requirements begin at those grade levels.
“Vaccination is the best way to protect the health of your children and our community,”
said Dr. Paula Thaqi, Director of the Department of Health in Broward. “Vaccines are safe and effective. Back
to school time is a great opportunity to make sure vaccinations are up to date.”
The best choice is to have the children vaccinated by your family doctor. But if that isn’t possible, you can visit county offices of the Florida Department of Health. DOH will be offering free immunizations at the Lauderhill Mall at 1267 NW 40 Ave. from Monday Aug. 5-16. The immunization campaign will include a back-to-school Resource Fair at the mall on August 10.
Children in Broward County get most of their vaccines from their healthcare provider. DOH-Broward also provides vaccines at the Edgar Mills Health Center at 900 NW 31st Ave., in Fort Lauderdale and the Paul Hughes Healthcare Center at 205 NW Sixth Ave., in Pompano Beach centers (appointments (954) 467-4705).
Vaccinations required for school include:
- Diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (whooping cough) – 4-5 doses of DTaP for babies and pre-schoolers. 1 booster dose, TDaP, before seventh grade.
- Polio – 3-5 doses for babies and preschoolers.
- Measles, mumps, rubella (German measles) – 2 doses of MMR for babies and preschoolers.
- Varicella (chickenpox) – 2 doses for babies and pre-schoolers. 1 booster dose before seventh grade.
- Hepatitis B – 3 doses for babies.
Parents are encouraged to consider additional vaccinations recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Family Physicians. These include vaccines against flu (yearly starting at age six months), rotavirus (3 doses for babies), Haemophilus influenzae B (3-4 doses for babies), pneumococcal disease (4 doses for babies), hepatitis A (2 doses for babies), human papilloma virus (2-3 doses starting at age 11) and meningococcal disease (2 doses starting at age 11).
DOH-Broward – Shots will be administered during the DOH’s Back to School campaign at the Lauderhill Mall per the following schedule:
* 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.: August 5 -9 and August 12-16
* 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.: August 5, 8, 12 and 14.
* 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.: August 10 during the Back to School Resource Fair.
Information is available online at http://broward.floridahealth.gov/
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Important Broward School Numbers
DEPARTMENT PHONE
Main Switchboard 754-321-0000
Anonymous Tip Line 754-321-0911
Applied Learning 754-321-1851
Athletics & Student Activities 754-321-2550
BCPS Info Hotline 754-321-0321
BECON TV 754-321-1000
Before & After School Child Care 754-321-3330
Bilingual & ESOL 754-321-2590
Broward Virtual School 754-321-6050
Charter Schools Support 754-321-2135
Community Relations 754-321-2300
Community Schools & GED 754-321-7600
Early Learning/School Readiness 754-321-1961
Elementary Learning 754-321-1850
Emergency Hotline 754-321-0911
Equal Education Opportunities 754-321-2150
Exceptional Student Learning Support 754-321-3400
Family and Community Engagement 754-321-1599
Literacy 754-321-1866
Food & Nutrition Services 754-321-0215
Guidance/BRACE 754-321-1675
Gifted & Talented 754-321-2620
Head Start/Early Intervention 754-321-1961
Home Education 754-321-1558
Homeless Education 754-321-1566
Innovative Learning 754-321-2620
Legislative Affairs 754-321-2608
Magnet & Innovative Programs 754-321-2070
McKay Scholarship 754-321-3445
Mentoring Programs 754-321-1668
Psychological Services 754-321-3440
Office of Communication 754-321-2300
Public Records Requests 754-321-1925
Rumor Control Hotline 754-321-0321
Service Quality/Parent Concerns 754-321-3636
School Police/Special Investigation Unit 754-321-0735
School Social Work Services 754-321-1618
Secondary Learning 754-321-2119
STEM 754-321-2620
Student Assessment & Testing 754-321-2500
Student Assignments 754-321-2480
Student Health Services 754-321-1576
Student Services 754-321-1550
Student Support Initiatives 754-321-1660
Student Transportation 754-321-4400
Title I, Migrant & Special Programs 754-321-1400
Transcripts & Diplomas 754-321-3150
Virtual School 754-321-6050
Volunteers Services 754-321-2300
