H1N1 Swine Flu Vaccination

October 21, 2009

Dear Parents:

There is some controversy regarding the H1N1 Swine Flu Vaccination. Not only has it been approved to contain Thimerosal, but there are alleged possible side affects—sterilization. The injectable vaccine contains thimerosal, a preservative that prevents the growth of bacteria and fungi in the event they make their way into a vaccine. Thimerosal contains a small amount of mercury. According to "The Epoch Times" (http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/20157/)

"A recent study reveals that the small amounts of thimerosal found in vaccines are connected to brain pathology found in autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

The study "A Mitochondrial Dysfunction, Impaired Oxidative-Reduction Activity, Degeneration, and Death in Human Neuronal and Fetal Cells Induced by Low-Level Exposure to Thimerosal and Other Metal Compounds," by Paul King, David Geier, and Marc Geier is published in the June 2009 issue of Toxicology & Environmental Toxicology. [1]

By inoculating neural cells with infinitesimal amounts of thimerosal (ethylmercurithiosalicylic acid) and other metal compounds (aluminum sulfate, lead acetate, methyl mercury hydroxide, and mercury chloride) comparable to the amounts a baby or child would get in a vaccine, it was found that thimerosal was by far the most toxic.

Cell injury included mitochondrial damage, reduced oxidative-reduction activity, cellular degeneration, and death. Cell damage was similar to that found in cell studies of autistic children. [2]

A urine test is available for non-chelated children or adults with ASD. Mercury poisoning correlated closely with the severity of ASD. [3]

Many dedicated doctors and parents are searching for answers and for cures for autism. Until all the mechanisms of its cause and cure are laid bare by private doctors, entrepreneurs, and concerned citizens, it appears that the epidemic of autism will continue.

Reference:
1. sarnet.org/doc/Geier-mito.pdf

2. mercury-freedrugs.org/docs/090709_PR_ThimerosalCausesBrainPathologyb.pdf

3. mercury-freedrugs.org/

Last Updated
Jul 26, 2009"

H1N1 Communication--Steps The Children’s Hour Academy is taking now

At this time, program staff and children who are NOT sick can safely come to The Children’s Hour Academy. We are working closely with the Clackamas Health Department and will keep you updated with any important information regarding the current flu conditions. The following information is taken directly from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website.

The following steps are being taken at our program to help keep children and staff from getting sick with flu:

CDC encourages staff to get vaccinated for seasonal flu and 2009 H1N1 flu (if recommended) when vaccines become available.

CDC encourages parents to have children (6 months of age and older) vaccinated for seasonal flu and H1N1, when the vaccines become available. Children under the age of 5 years are at higher risk for flu complications.

Teachers and staff are educated and encouraged to cover their mouth and nose with a tissue when they cough or sneeze and are teaching children how to do the same. We have posted numerous “Cover the Cough” signs with pictures to remind children to cough in the elbow.

Teachers and staff are practicing good hand hygiene and we are providing the time and supplies for staff and children to wash their hands as often as necessary. Our staff is actively helping children wash their hands frequently. We have posted numerous “Germ Buster” Hand washing signs.

We are performing a daily health check of children and staff when they arrive on school. Please make sure your contact information is up-to-date so we can contact you to pick up your child if he or she becomes sick.

If children or staff have flu-like symptoms, they are kept in a separate, but supervised, space until they can go home. We are also limiting the number of staff who takes care of sick children.

We are asking parents and staff to keep themselves and children home if they have flu-like illness. They should stay home until at least 24 hours after they are free of fever (100 degrees Fahrenheit or 37.8 degrees Celsius measured by mouth), or signs of a fever (chills, feeling very warm, a flushed appearance, or sweating). This should be determined without the use of fever-reducing medications (any medicine that contains ibuprofen or acetaminophen).

We are frequently cleaning surfaces and items that children touch with their hands, mouths, and body fluids such as toys, diaper stations, chairs, tables, or playground equipment.

If the flu conditions become MORE severe, we will consider adding the following steps:

We may decide to temporarily close the program if there is a lot of flu in the community. This measure will only be taken in a severe situation. Please consider alternate child care arrangements in case we need to close temporarily. Check with your employer to find out if they will allow you to stay at home to care for your children. Ask if you can work from home. If this is not possible, start planning for other ways to care for your children at home.

Extending the time sick children or child care providers stay home to at least 7 days, even if they feel better. Those who are still sick after 7 days should continue to stay home until at least 24 hours after symptoms have gone away.

Allowing children and staff at higher risk for flu complications to stay home. Parents and staff should make this decision in consultation with their health care provider.

Finding ways to increase social distances (the space between people) in our program by dividing lunches into smaller groups, and holding classes outdoors, weather permitting.

Considering temporarily closing the program if we are unable to continue to operate because many staff and children are at home or if the CDC or our health department asks us to close to help decrease the spread of flu in our community.

For more information about flu, call 1-800-CDC-INFO or visit www.flu.gov.

A Message from our friends at Victory Academy

Dear Families and Staff of The Children’s Hour Academy,

Victory Academy expresses its deepest thanks and appreciation to all of you at the Meridian Campus for sharing your school with us and for warmly welcoming our students, staff, and families.

Victory Academy is the first school of its kind in the greater Portland-metro area that offers a comprehensive education to children with unique learning differences, including Autism Spectrum and related disorders. We provide challenging academics to elementary-aged children (Kindergarten through Third Grade), integrating proven, research-based therapeutic strategies into every learning task. We are unique from the public school settings, as we offer year-round school at 7.5 hours per day, low student to teacher ratio (8:3), customized education plans carefully crafted by a highly qualified team of teachers and therapists. We also offer additional therapies to our students, including occupational and music therapy, targeted literacy instruction, social skills, daily living practice, and language and communication. Currently, there is no model like this in Oregon for these ages of students. Victory Academy is founded by educators and parents of children with ASD; they believe that we can and must do better for the children of our community.

Victory Academy currently enrolls eight students and has one lead teacher, Miss Ashley, and three teacher’s assistants, Miss Tiffanie, Ms. Janet, and Ms. Jen. Victory Academy’s Directors are Ms. Tricia and Ms. Thea. Our students receive most of their instruction in Room 112 and will share lunch, recess, and chapel times with The Children’s Hour Academy. We hope to join and support many of The Children’s Hour Academy’s special events, starting with October’s Pumpkin Patch Trip.

We welcome any of your questions or thoughts as we begin the 2009-2010 school year. We are quite excited and a bit anxious too!

Again, we thank all of you for offering us this tremendous opportunity to join a thriving school. While we operate separately from The Children’s Hour Academy, our visions are very much the same.

With Gratitude,


Tricia Hasbrook and Thea Schreiber
Directors, Victory Academy

A few thoughts about the first week of school

The new school year is off and running! We have had a very busy week. Last Wednesday, the teachers spent the first portion of their day in inservice training. We had a music therapy workshop, a course on objective observation techniques, and we learned about new ways to use the accu-cut (die cut) machine in our classrooms for 'more than just bulletin boards.' Teachers earned between two and four credit hours, depending on the courses in which they took part. The next two days (and nights, and weekend for many of them!) were spent getting classrooms in perfect shape for the first day of school on Tuesday. We hope you enjoy the new looks all around the building.

We have many new friends joining us this year and we are all learning our new routines and such. Things are going well. We also have friends back from vacation...it is great to see our friends we have missed all summer. Everyone looks so proper in their uniforms, and we are all excited for next week, when we have our first full week of school, and we will begin German and Spanish as well.

Grandparent's Day will be celebrated Thursday at 3:15 at the Jean Road campus, and Friday at 3:00 at the Meridian campus. Please RSVP to your child's teacher as soon as possible so we know how many Grandparents we'll have the pleasure of meeting.

That's all for now....enjoy the sunshine!

Future "Ace of Cakes" Baker and Culinary Artist...

So, Ethan, how about a field trip to 2936 Remington Avenue, Baltimore, MD‎ to meet Duff Goldman owner of "Charm City Cakes." Let's see if he can create a Ms. Patty cake!