EP-MRC Contact List:

Berkeley: Director:
Dr. Diana Gaviria
Coordinator:
Denise Ryan
Unit Leader:
Stacy Tressler
Threat Prep: Berkeley:
Carl French
Jefferson:
Arletta Lancaster
Morgan:
Mary Hook

Links Section

	UNITED WAY OF THE EASTERN PANHANDLE
	MRC TRAIN RESOURCES
	BERKELEY COUNTY HEALTH DEPT
	JEFFERSON COUNTY HEALTH DEPT
	MORGAN COUNTY HEALTH DEPT
	WEST VIRGINIA REDI
	MRC NATIONAL HOME PAGE
	SHENANDOAH VALLEY MEDICAL SYSTEMS
	CITY HOSPITAL-WVU HOSPITAL EAST
	JEFFERSON MEMORIAL HOSPITAL - WVU HOSPITAL EAST
	WAR MEMORIAL HOSPITAL
	BERKELEY COUNTY COMMISSION
	JEFFERSON COUNTY COMMISSION
	MORGAN COUNTY COMMISSSION
	JEFFERSON COUNTY SCHOOLS
	BERKELEY COUNTY SCHOOLS
	MORGAN COUNTY SCHOOLS
	SHEPHERD UNIVERSITY
	MOUNTAIN STATE UNIVERSITY
	EASTERN PANHANDLE CHAPTER AMERICAN RED CROSS

Creating compost and exploring its creatures can be cool. So can tracking garden pollinators. It’s well-accepted that when students dig in with hands and minds, they build skills and grasp concepts.

Now, imagine how your young scientists would flourish if you also invited them to interpret and portray their discoveries through a cast of characters; dramatic story; poem, rap, or song; musical performance; or interpretive dance. “The life cycle of a plant begs to be acted out!� says educator and drama specialist Mel Ludington.

Growing Understanding Expressive arts can excite students’ imaginations; engage them as inquirers; and deepen their grasp of abstract concepts, processes, and relationships. That’s what we hear from teachers, performing arts professionals, and researchers. Involving students in producing a skit, puppet show, or other performance can also serve broader teaching goals, such as building literacy and critical thinking skills. Such opportunities help students with nontraditional learning styles thrive and nonnative speakers grow as language learners.

A creative performance can be a forum where students communicate their ideas and understanding to peers, teachers, and communities. They might even use the event to persuade audiences to take action or shift habits. And that’s just for starters. Garden-related performing arts activities are adaptable depending on your context, student readiness, curriculum standards, and learning goals.

Protect yourself and your family this Winter while enjoying the outdoors, snowfall, and winter activities!

Winter sunshine and UV rays are strong and can cause skin and eye damage!

UV rays are strongest and most harmful from mid day through early afternoon. Use sunscreen to prevent sunburn, it can still be a pest - even in winter, especially when enjoying outdoor activities wher ethe sunshine reflects off of ice or snowfall!

Cover 'em Up.
Clothing that covers exposed skin helps protect against UV rays.

Wear a Hat.
Hats that shade the face, scalp, ears, and neck are easy to use and give great protection. Baseball caps are popular among kids but they don't protect their ears and neck. If your child chooses a cap, be sure to protect exposed areas from sun with sunscreen, and protect neck and ears from cold temperatures with a scarf and ear muffs if needed.

Wear sunglasses.
Even in winter, they protect the eyes from UV rays, which can lead to cataracts later in life. This goes for children and adults equally! Look for sunglasses that wrap around the sides of the face, and block as close to 100% of both UVA and UVB rays as possible.

Know Sunburn Signs & Symptoms.
While children (and adults) can get a sunburn in as little as 15 to 30 minutes of being in the sun without adequate protection, the symptoms of a sunburn typically don't develop until about 2 to 6 hours later, especially in winter when teh heat fo a burn is masked by cold temperatures outdoors. Some especially vulenrable areas in winter are the face, especially lips, eyes and also the ears.

BE SURE YOU ARE PREPARED FOR WINTER BY CHECKING THESE ITEMS:

HOME HEATING METHODS (see below)

VEHICLES (see below)

HOME PREPAREDNESS KITS
Weather forecasts often provide ample warning to prepare for an impending storm, blizzard, ice-storm, or extreme cold temperatures.

When a winter-storm warning is issued, prepare for it by gathering items you may need if the power goes out in your home, including:

• candles, matches, flashlights , battery operated radio, cellular telephone, extra batteries (for the flashlight, radio, and the cellular telephone), blankets or sleeping bags, extra clothing, high-calorie non-perishable food (such as granola bars), first aid kit and any medications you require, tool kit

HOME HEATING SAFETY:

If you are using heat from a fireplace, wood stove, pellet stove, coal stove, kerosene heater, or a space heater, be sure to use the appropriate fire safeguards and properly ventilate the device to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning.

If you lose heat in your home, consider the followiNG steps:

• close off un-used rooms. Wear layers of loose-fitting clothing and remove layers when necessary to avoid overheating, perspiration, and subsequent chill.

  For more information from the Home Heating council
  "Click Here"

• 
  Layer clothing, preferably wind resistant, to reduce loss of body-heat caused by the wind.

• 
  Tell relatives and friends where you are going and when you expect to return.
  Do not ignore shivering as it is an important first sign that the body is losing heat. Persistent shivering is a signal to return indoors.

SNOW REMPVAL
Removing snow and ice from sidewalks and vehicles after a snowfall is very important. Snow-covered or icy sidewalks can be slippery which can cause people to fall and injure themselves.

Wearing sturdy, rubber-soled boots and taking care where you step can go far in preventing slips and falls.
When you do go outside after a storm be sure to be properly dressed:

• wear layers of windproof and waterproof clothing, and be sure to wear a hat and gloves. To prevent injuries while shoveling, try pushing the snow with short strokes instead of lifting it. Also, use your leg muscles and not your lower back to move the shovel . Take frequent rests, and again, be aware of the precautions to take with extreme cold temperatures.

TRAVEL PRECAUTIONS

If you must travel during a winter storm, try to plan ahead. Keep your gas tank near full to avoid ice in the tank and fuel lines. Be sure to let someone know of your travel plans, including expected time of departure and arrival, and your planned route.

Before you leave, make a winter emergency kit and place it in your car. Items to include:

• Blankets / sleeping bags Flashlight with extra batteries First-aid kit Utility knife High-calorie, non-perishable food (for example: granola bars) Extra clothing to keep dry Sack of sand (or cat litter) for traction Shovel Windshield scraper and brush and extra windshield wiper fluid Tool kit Tow rope Booster (jumper) cables Water container Compass and road maps Candle, tin can, matches

• Stay in your car or truck: disorientation may occur quickly in sleet, freezing rain, wind-driven snow and cold. If your vehicle's engine is in good shap and can run, try runing the engine for ten minutes every hour to warm up. Be sure to chek that teh exhaust pipe is clear and no carbon monoxide fumes are entering teh vehicle Be sure to crack a window to allwo fo rsome fresh air. If you are stranded at night , turn on the dome light on the inside roof of the vehicle to increase visibility for approachign vehicles. Tie a red cloth to teh antenae or door handle to icnrease visibility and to indicate you are stranded.

  This information is from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation.