Campfire Closes the Day at Touch of Nature Expedition
Rainbow Graces the Jekyll Island Expeditioners
Aquatic Studies at Jekyll Island Expedition
Annual Cardboard Boat Regatta
The Day Begins!
Middle School Promotion Ceremony
School As Expedition
At MRH, we have developed metaphors that are used in our schools to describe the teaching and learning that takes place there.
Students at MRH Middle School are immersed both inside and outside the classroom in a variety of experiences through the metaphor, “School as Expedition.” Learning expeditions are in-depth studies of topics that engage students through authentic projects, real-life studies, field work and service. Expeditions occur within the school walls when the community is brought into the classroom through expert guest speakers and outside of the classroom, on journeys to conduct fieldwork.
Expeditions are sometimes as close as across the street. Other times our students board buses and travel miles out of state all the way to Tennessee or Alabama to study mountains or ocean ecology. On these trips our students build amazing relationships with each other and with their teachers.
What is an Expedition?
Expeditions are shared studies that provide the opportunity to bring to life the best of middle school philosophy, real-world learning, and teaching for understanding. This creates a rigorous curriculum for MRH Middle School that focuses on important ideas and skills, and addresses the "why" and "how" of learning in addition to the information learned. In each expedition, a complex concept is investigated from multiple perspectives. This integrated learning experience is created as each discipline is incorporated into the study. In town expeditions include the MetroLink, Forest Park, LREC, Finance Park, South Tech, Rockwood Cave, The Eagleton Courthouse, Whole Foods and the Soulard Market. MRH students travel to The Great Smoky Mountain Institute in Tremont Tennessee, and to the Sea lab at Dauphin island in Dauphin Island, Alabama. Shared studies involve weeks of instructional time and may involve more time in the major discipline for the study.
Lice are small parasitic insects that live on the scalp and neck hairs of a human host. Lice cannot hop or fly, and therefore head-to-head contact with an infected person is the most probable form of transmission. However, transmission from hats, combs, pillows, etc., is possible, although less likely.
How Are Head Lice Transmitted?
Nits (louse eggs) cannot be passed; only living lice can transfer from one person to another. Due to pesticides found in lice treatments, it is only recommended that persons with live lice or viable eggs be treated. According to the CDC, most transmissions occur in the home environment, such as playdates and sleepovers.
Who Gets Lice?
Anyone can get lice, but cases of lice and lice exposures are more commonly found in children of preschool and early elementary age. Caucasians, more frequently than other ethnic groups, tend to have lice due to their hair type and haircare regimens.
How Is Head Lice Treated?
Check with your child’s doctor before beginning any head lice treatment. The most effective way to treat head lice is with head lice medicine. After each treatment, using the comb-out method every 2 to 3 days for 2 to 3 weeks may help remove the nits and eggs. Head lice medicine should be used only when it is certain that your child has living head lice.
Remember, check with your child’s doctor before starting any head lice medicine. Also, when head lice medicines are used, it is important to use them safely.
Safety Guidelines for Lice Treatments
Follow the directions on the package exactly as written.
Never let children apply the medicine. Medicine should only be applied by an adult.
Always rinse the medicine off over a sink and not during a shower or bath, so the medicine doesn’t run off the head onto other areas of skin. Place your child’s head over a sink and rinse the medicine off with warm water, not hot water.
Never place a plastic bag on a child’s head.
Do not leave a child alone with medicine in their hair.
Store medicine in a locked cabinet, out of sight and reach of children.
Check with your child’s doctor before beginning a second or third medicine. Your child may just need to repeat the same medication or switch to a new one.
Ask your child’s doctor if you have any questions or if treatments you have tried have not gotten rid of lice.
There is no conclusive evidence that alternative treatments are effective, including petroleum jelly, margarine, mayonnaise, herbal oils, olive oil, and enzyme-based products.
Warning About Dangerous Home Remedies for Lice
Never use dangerous products like gasoline or kerosene or medicines made for use on animals!
School Policies and Head Lice
I Don’t Like My School’s Lice Policy. Can CDC or DPH Do Something?
CDC is not a regulatory agency. School head lice policies are typically determined by local school boards or school districts. In Saint Louis County, head lice does not fall under the purview of DPH because it is not considered a public health threat. However, DPH is available to schools in the event they have any questions regarding head lice.
Is Head Lice Reportable to the Local or State Health Departments?
No. St. Louis County and the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services do not require head lice to be reported in a K–12 school setting. Note: Licensed daycare and early childhood settings may have different rules and reporting policies for head lice.
Because an infestation of head lice is not a reportable condition in Missouri, the only way to know someone has lice is if the individual or parent/guardian notifies the school. It is the responsibility of a case’s parent/guardian to notify their school’s nurse of a lice diagnosis so the school may put in place any preventive transmission measures.
It may be beneficial for the sake of others to share information with others, such as families of playmates, about contact with head lice. This responsibility falls to the parent/guardian of a child who has been diagnosed with lice.
Do Children With Head Lice Need to Be Excluded From School?
Exclusion policies for students and staff with head lice are typically determined at the district level for public schools or the school level for private schools. Check with your school or school district for their specific exclusion policy.
St. Louis County Department of Public Health (DPH), in line with the American Academy of Pediatrics, recommends the following regarding lice and nits:
Children diagnosed with live head lice typically do not need to be sent home early from school as long as they can reliably refrain from direct contact with other people, others’ clothing and belongings, carpets, and soft furnishings. They can go home at the end of the day, be treated, and return to class after appropriate treatment has begun.
Schools can determine how to verify that treatment has been initiated and been successful in whatever way makes sense for their communities and resource levels. For example, some schools may want school nurses to verify that treatment was initiated.
Children may need to be rechecked by the school nurse 9–12 days after treatment. Nits may persist after treatment, but successful treatment should kill crawling lice.
Head lice can be a nuisance, but they have not been shown to spread disease.
I Know There Is a Lice Outbreak at My Child’s School. Why Hasn’t a Notification Gone Out to Parents?
For licensed daycare and early childhood settings, the threshold for notifying parents is one active case. However, K–12 schools are not required to notify families of active cases of lice. Many schools and school districts notify families when there are cases of lice in a school or classroom for awareness and so that parents can monitor their children. As noted above, guidelines for how an infestation of lice is handled in a K–12 setting are typically determined by school districts or school boards. Check with your school or school district to learn more about their notification policies for head lice.
How Should Families and Schools Control Head Lice?
Examples of School Nurse Responsibilities
Notify the family of the child with a case of head lice.
Notify the families of classmates that there is a case in the class.
Screen the entire class only if there are more than two confirmed cases in the class.
Screen the affected child after treatment to allow return to class.
Make appropriate referrals for treatment in persistent cases, educating families and staff as needed.
Initiate maintenance intervention as needed.
Examples of Family Responsibilities
Parents should check their children regularly for lice at home. Widespread head lice screening efforts by schools have not been shown to be effective.
If you are notified that your child has head lice, you should treat an active infestation both for your child’s comfort and to prevent transmission to others.
Head lice medicine should be used only when it is certain that your child has living head lice.
Remember, check with your child’s doctor before starting any head lice medicine. Also, when head lice medicines are used, it is important to use them safely and as directed.
Treat the child as recommended by their healthcare provider prior to the child returning to school.
Notify the school nurse of an infestation if discovered in the home environment.
For two weeks, recheck the child every two to three days for nits and remove those that are within ¼ inch from the scalp.
Retreat as recommended by the primary healthcare provider.
Returning to School
Children diagnosed with live head lice do not need to be sent home early from school as long as they can reliably refrain from direct contact with other people, others’ clothing and belongings, carpets, and soft furnishings.
Below you will find information about the enrollment process. If after reviewing the directions, you have questions or problems completing this process, contact Glennis Wagner or by phone: 314-446-3900. If you have questions about residency and eligibility for enrollment, email our Director of Student Services, Vince Estrada, or call 314-565-7441.
The information from the registration form must be processed by school staff. You will receive an email from school staff to gain access to further enrollment information. Please read through and gather the documents listed below to complete the process.
Required Documents: (Forms marked * should be downloaded, renamed, and saved on your device; then, enter the information on the forms which you downloaded.)
1. Proof of Residency - Acceptable Forms of Proof of Residency:
List A (one document; must list the parent/guardian)
Signed Lease Agreement
Mortgage Statement
Real Estate Tax Bill
Deed of Trust
List B (one document; must list the parent/guardian)
Occupancy Permit
Personal Property Tax Invoice
Current Utility Bill (dated within 60 days; electric, gas, water, trash, MSD, internet/phone
Homeowners' Insurance Statement
2. Birth Certificate
3. Parent/Guardian Photo ID: Only (1) parent/guardian ID is required. At least one of the parent(s)/legal guardian(s) must be an MRH resident.
4. Immunization record. All immunizations need to be completed before the start of the school year.
5. Most recent physical examination: Child's most recent well-child statement is requested before the start of the school year. Please note that pediatricians often include a Well-Child statement along with the annual physical examination and immunization report. If your child’s doctor does not provide a well-child statement, please feel free to download this document as an option and take it to your child’s pediatrician: MRH School-Aged Physical Form_K-12
The members of the Principals Advisory Leadership (PAL) Board are advisors (non-voting) to the Board of Education, serving as representatives and advocates for all levels of the student body. Their roles include providing insights and perspectives that contribute to discussions and deliberations on matters that could potentially influence the thinking of Board members. At times, they may be requested to report on specific issues relevant to the student body, ensuring that student concerns and interests are heard.
