August News

Welcome to our monthly newsletter. We have a very busy month starting off with our centres 15th Birthday celebrations, on Friday 18th August.  We will be combining book week dress up day with our birthday party, come dressed up as your favourite book character. Families are welcome to come along at 3pm to help cut the cake and have afternoon tea with your child.  

Head lice, we have a few cases in the centre at the moment, so I thought it would be a good time to learn about them and how we can prevent them.  

Head lice (nits) are a common problem in primary school aged children. Head lice do not spread disease, but their bites can cause itching and sometimes skin irritation. There are safe and effective ways to treat head lice at home.

What are head lice?

Head lice are tiny wingless insects about the size of a sesame seed that live in the hair of humans and animals where they feed on blood by biting the skin. Head lice commonly affect children but adults can also have lice.

What are the symptoms of head lice?

Lice often cause itching of the skin. Bites can cause the skin to become red and irritated, which can be made worse by scratching.

You can see the lice and nits (eggs) if you look closely at your head and scalp. Nits look like tiny white dots attached firmly to the hair. They cannot be brushed or flicked off the hair, but must be physically removed with fingers or fingernails or special nit combs.

How are head lice spread?

Head lice are only found on the human head or hair. Lice can spread when people are in close contact and when they share an affected comb or hair brush.

Lice need warmth and blood to survive so they do not live for long on furniture, hats, bedding, carpet or anywhere else in the environment.

How are head lice treated?

There are two main treatment options for head lice:

• wet combing using conditioner and a fine-tooth comb
• chemical removal using synthetic or natural insecticides

The wet combing method is a cheap and effective way to treat head lice. The conditioner doesn't kill the lice but it briefly stuns them, making it easier for the nit comb to trap and remove the lice and eggs.

If you decide to use chemical treatment, it is important that you follow the instructions closely. Repeat the chemical treatment in a week to kill any newly hatched eggs.

No single treatment works for everyone. You might need to try a few different treatments or a combination to find the method that works best for you.

Should I keep my child home from school?

There is no requirement to keep children home from school or child care as long as effective treatment begins before the next day of school or child care.

Can head lice be prevented?

It is difficult to prevent head lice. There is no evidence that chemical or herbal products can ward off head lice. Some people think that having clean hair can prevent head lice — but head lice are attracted to hair — long or short, clean or not. For more information and support:

For more information and support:

• Visit Pregnancy, Birth and Baby website for more information about treatments for head lice and how head lice affects children.
• NSW Health has tips on choosing the right head lice treatment.

Sources:Department of Health, Victoria (Head lice), National Health and Medical Research Council (Staying healthy - Preventing infectious diseases in early childhood education and care services), Raising Children Network (Head lice), NSW Health (Head lice)

Internet safety and your children. 

 Will be hosting a ThinkUKnow presentation on Wednesday 23rd August  and all parents, carers and teachers are encouraged to attend.

ThinkUKnow Australia is an evidence based education program delivered nationally to prevent online child sexual exploitation.

ThinkUKnow Australia is a partnership between the Australian Federal Police, Microsoft Australia, Datacom and the Commonwealth Bank of Australia. The program is delivered in collaboration with policing partners New South Wales Police Force, Northern Territory Police, Queensland Police, South Australia Police, Tasmania Police, Western Australia Police, as well as Neighbourhood Watch Australasia.

The presentation will be delivered by a local law enforcement member and an industry volunteer. The presentation is pro-technology and addresses topics including self-generated child abuse material, online grooming, sexual extortion, and importantly encourages help seeking behaviour.

This is a fantastic opportunity for you to learn more about young people and the online environment, and how you can help them to be safe and responsible users of technology.

For more information, you can visit www.thinkuknow.org.au or contact Leanne in the office for more details.