The following I got in the mail, sent by Alexis Black of Current. I would like to lift the whole mail out here as it is too timely and contains some wonderful tips for us parents in lieu of the coming cold and flu season:

Cold & Flu Season is rapidly approaching and instead of being fearful, we have ways to help prepare. Classrooms are critical in helping keep kids, parents, teachers and the community healthy. Kids can touch up to 300 surfaces in just 30 minutes and the average desk has 400 times more bacteria than the average toilet seat. Think these stats are bad, we have more...There are things that we can do to help prevent illness and absenteeism in the classroom.

This year Clorox® and the PTA are working together to help reduce the spread of germs in schools across the country. A cleaner classroom can be a smarter classroom. Below are tips for parents, teachers and students that will ensure a healthier, happier school year.

PARENTS - Help battle germs in your kids classroom [that can make them sick]!

• Create a Cleaning Crew: Host parent cleaning events before school starts and periodically throughout the year. Have everyone bring a different classroom wellness supply - such as disinfecting wipes, tissues and hand sanitizer - to help keep your school clean year-round.


• Help Stock Up: More than 56 percent of teachers buy their own cleaning supplies[1]. You can help by donating cleaning supplies, such as disinfecting wipes, to help your teacher stock the classroom and keep it clean*.


• Honor a Healthy Hero: Nominate the teacher that is making a difference by keeping his/her classroom clean in the Clorox® Healthy Classroom Heroes Contest. Submit an essay on why your teacher should be named the Healthy Classroom Hero and you could both with a trip for two to New York for three nights and a guest appearance on "The View." The nominating parent also receives $200 in Clorox product, while the winning teacher receives $10,000 for him/herself and another $10,000 grant for the school.

Visit CloroxClassrooms.com for details.

TEACHERS - You make the difference!

• Make a List, Check It twice: Add cleaning supplies, such as disinfecting wipes, to your school supply list to ensure your classroom is stocked all year.


• Take Five: Experts believe that up to 80 percent of infectious illnesses are spread by touch and students can touch up to 300 surfaces in just 30 minutes. Take 5 minutes to wipe down commonly touched surfaces in the classroom such as desks, pencil sharpeners and keyboards to help reduce the spread of germs.


• Teach Healthy Habits: Remind kids to share wisely. It's great to share items like books, toys and pencils, but not items like combs, brushes, hats, toothbrushes, tissues, whistles, cups and forks.

KIDS - Get in on the healthy hygiene act!

• Do the Elbow Cough: Cough into your elbow, not hands (where you're more likely to spread germs through touch).


• Sing & Scrub: Make sure to wash hands frequently with warm water and soap for at least 20 seconds (the time it takes to sing "Happy Birthday" twice).


• ABCs of Sneezing: Keep tissues handy and teach kids how to blow their noses early - instead of doing the icky sleeve swipe. The key is tossing tissues in the trash right away to keep germs at bay.

Visit CloroxClassrooms.com for additional tips and information.