Week-Long Trial Run For Changes
to Postal Truck Deliveries
A sign inside the post office in Provost displays a message to Canada Post customers. ©Provost News Photo.
Proposed changes are being made to when the mail arrive and when it leaves the post office in Provost.
Postmaster Mary Ostrosky told The News that a trial run will be held this week to see how a proposed truck route delivery system works.
Full story in March 19 edition of The Provost News.
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No Epidemic But Schools, Students
Battle The ’Flu
• Doctor’s advice: wash your hands
Influenza season has been hitting the schools in the area the last few weeks but teachers, administration, nor a local doctor interviewed say there’s an epidemic.
St. Thomas Aquinas School in Provost appears to have been hit the hardest with students missing school because of sore throats and illness.
Principal Jean McClean said that they noticed it most about a week before a recent teachers’ convention. She said they were missing up to 40 percent of their students at one point and it “was unusual” the number of students missing. The students missing were mainly from Kindergarten and Grades 1, 2 and 3. The teachers however were basically unaffected by the illness: “We’re pretty immune around here.”
McClean says that if a child is suffering the parents should keep them home to guard against a full blown epidemic. “I don’t think it’s over yet.”
Across the street at Provost Public School from March 3 to 11 there were 21 percent of the students missing —mainly due to illness. Principal Bob Hawriliuk said that most of the sick students have been from the elementary but junior and senior high school have also been hit with some illness.
He points out that this term the sickness “seems out of character” because usually a sickness hits once and works its way through, but this winter they have been hit two or three different times. He does not call it an epidemic but “it’s noticeable.” Hawriliuk adds that some students would feel better for two or three days and then the illness would return so “it was a bit of a cycle.” Any suspension of classes or school closure would be a decision of the school board. Even in stormy weather the school remains open he says.
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He said that teachers missing due to ’flus has not been more than normal at this time of year. He said that most parents are taking their children to see a physician if they are ill.
Teacher Connie Wuest at Czar School meanwhile says that there has not been a huge illness there with one or two students missing each day for the last couple of weeks. She says there has been some problems with students’ respiratory systems and some stomach flu. The Czar School has classes for Grades 1 to 3 in one room and Grades 4 to 6 in another room. None of the teachers there have been ill lately. She said that the school did get some information from the health unit reminding people to wash their hands and keep students home if they are ill so the sickness does not spread.
Hughenden Public School appears to have been hit with illness more towards the end of February and by the time teachers’ convention was over things were back to normal. Principal Dale Mitchell said there had been a few missing due to flu but the situation “was not epidemic proportions.” One student, he said was away for a week due to illness.
He adds that the teachers have avoided most of the illness except for some just before and after the Christmas break.
If students are sick, they should remain home, says the Hughenden principal. If students ask, arrangements can be made to help them catch up on their school work. If teachers are sick it’s best they stay home too: they can be in contact with 80 to 90 students per day at Hughenden so “you don’t want to spread germs as well.”
At Dr. Folkins School in Chauvin about 10 percent of students have recently been missing from class because of illness. Secretary Sonja Taylor says like some other schools the sickness in the school population showed up before teachers’ convention and they are “just getting back on their legs now.” There has been fevers, coughing, bronchitis and some students throwing up at school and on the way home from school. It has been affecting students from the “bottom to the top” of the school population. Taylor, who has worked at the school for 30 years says that she has seen it like this before like the year before last when there was some kind of flu bug in the area.
She says it has been unusual this season however because when the students are sick the staff usually are too. But not this time.
Parents should inform the school if they know they won’t be sending a student to class.
Last Monday and Tuesday Amisk School felt the brunt of illness with up to one third of students sick. There are about 80 students registered at the school which offers Grades 1 to 8. On the day teaching assistant Patti Hovde was contacted at the school by The News (March 12) there were about 10 people absent but she wondered if there were “lots here that maybe shouldn’t be.” Many weren’t able to go outside because of coughing. They should be home in bed, suggested Hovde.
There are four classrooms at the school.
Students—mainly the younger ones—at Amisk have been suffering from coughing, head colds, aching while some have been complaining about upset stomachs. Students have been told to bring their own water bottles to school. Parents meanwhile have been sent notes home advising them to keep their children home if they are sick.
Rest of story and pictures in March 19 edition of The Provost News.
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