Term 4

Term 4 is all about Hauora; our health and well being.  To begin the term we are looking at our Oral Hygiene- the importance of looking after and  taking care of our teeth.  We are using a great programme created by Colgate and designed with the different age groups in mind. 

‘Bright Smiles, Bright Futures’

Here is a couple of blurbs from the programme..

A Global Partnership Each year, Colgate-Palmolive Company’s award-winning Colgate Bright Smiles, Bright Futures® (BSBF) global oral health education program reaches over 50 million school children and their families … in 30 languages and 80 countries. It’s teachers like you who have made this self-esteem-based program an international success!

 BSBF: Empowerment for the Future Bright Smiles, Bright Futures gives teachers, children and families around the world the tools they need to make good oral health a permanent part of their lives. With the focus on prevention, the program builds self-esteem and teaches good oral health practices to create lifelong habits. And most importantly, BSBF inspires kids to take control of their own oral health. Its messages of empowerment enable children to not only understand “what” to do to take care of their teeth and gums, but the “why” behind the messages. In this way, BSBF equips them to become lifelong Tooth Defenders

   We have watched an entertaining dvd introducing Dr Rabbit and his band of Tooth Defender super heros.  They all have a message and an important job to do. Of course there has to be a baddy and in this case it is definitely Platicus the plaque monster who enjoys nothing more than digging holes in teeth. We look at ways of preventing this.  At the end of the programme the children are given a toothbrush and small tube of toothpaste which they are already excited about.

The simple message in the programme is..

 Bright Smiles Key Messages

• Brush with fluoride toothpaste twice a day, especially after eating breakfast and before bedtime

 • Floss daily (over 7 years old)

 • Limit the number of times you eat sweet and sticky snacks

• Visit the dentist regularly

• Oral health is an important part of overall health 

There is an added bonus with this programme that fits in well to our ‘Eliminating Waste’ focus from last term.  We can actually recycle all oral tooth products by bringing them to school and sending them away.  It is worth doing and last week Riley, Hagen and Teo introduced it to the whole school in the assembly.  If we can encourage our school community to come on board we can not only prevent a whole heap of ‘rubbish’ going into the landfill but we can also earn money for the school.  In this same initiative yoghurt pouches can also be recycled.  We will be sharing that bit of info as well. Here’s a bit about it from their site.

As a reminder, the school that collects the most oral care waste by the end of November 2015 in NZ will win NZD$1000. However, the programme runs all year and you will receive two cents per item of waste collected. We have also launched a new programme for schools with leaders of milk for schools programme Fonterra.  By joining the Fonterra Pouch Brigade, your school can make a big impact by diverting any yoghurt pouch from landfill.

The Colgate Oral Care Brigade allows your school to not only educate around good dental health but also about looking after the planet. Your school can then send the items in any other used box to TerraCycle via our partners Australia Post. It is completely free to participate and includes shipping. Once we have received the waste we will recycle it into new sustainable products! 

We think that is too good an offer to resist so Room 7 & 8 will once again transform into becoming the

‘Eco-warriors’

       of the school and work tirelessly to cut down our schools waste……  Pretty cool ah??