Mid Rivers Newsmagazine 11-29-23

16 I SCHOOLS I
November 29, 2023
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Immanuel Lutheran welcomes
best-selling ‘What if?’ author
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The benefits of exercise have been
well established for people living with
Parkinson's Disease (PD). What's
been found is that not all exercises
are created equal.
People with Parkinson's have
symptoms that affect movement.
One of the most common is rigidity.
When someone has rigidity, they will
have extreme stiffness in one or
more areas of their body. This
makes it difficult for them to achieve
fluid, natural looking movements.
Another symptom affecting people
with Parkinson's is bradykinesia, or
slowness of movement. This can
impact trying to start a motion as well
as carry out a movement.
People with Parkinson's often
experience lack of coordination with
their movements. This can result in
poor balance, falls and difficulty
carrying out daily tasks.
Another area that suffers with
Parkinson's disease is the
automaticity of certain tasks. This
means it takes someone with
Parkinson's more concentration to
perform simple tasks that the rest of
us do on "autopilot".
Exercises specifically designed to
target these problem areas have
been very successful in improving
PD symptoms. This makes it crucial
to find someone who is trained in
Parkinson's specific exercises.
It's common that people have
symptoms for several years before
getting an actual diagnosis. So even
LEARN ABOUT
PARKINSON'S: JOIN
OUR HELPFUL TALK!
BY: DR. BETH TEMPLIN, PT, DPT, GCS
GERIATRIC PHYSICAL THERAPIST
If you are newly diagnosed, you've
probably been experiencing some
of these symptoms for several
months to years. That's why it's
never too early or too late to start
exercising.
Want to learn more about the best
exercise options for people living
with PD? Then register to attend
our “Parkinson's and Exercise”
Talk at HouseFit. During this FREE
Community Talk we will cover:
Why you shouldn't accept
losing your independence with
PD.
How intense exercise helps you
slow the progression.
How exercise can improve your
balance and even prevent falls.
Why everyone with PD needs
to be seen by a Physical
Therapist.
Why PWR!Moves are a great
option for anyone with PD.
When: Fri, December 8th at 2:30
pm
Where: 3809 Lemay Ferry Rd,
63125
*Attend in-person or join us online
from your home. Space is limited.
Call (314) 939-1377 to register.
3809 Lemay Ferry Rd.
Saint Louis, MO 63125
(314) 939-1377
info@housefitstl.com
HouseFit www.housefitstl.com
Laura Numeroff with Immanuel Lutheran students.
By BETHANY COAD
If you give a school a book, an author
may come to visit. At least, that is what
happened at Immanuel Lutheran St.
Charles, when Laura Numeroff, author of
the widely popular “If You Give a Mouse a
Cookie” series, came to visit.
On Friday, Nov. 10, the entire student
body had the opportunity to meet and greet
Numeroff, who interacted with all classes
from preschool through the middle grades.
The event was the brainchild of kindergarten
teacher Darlene Rockenbach, who
is currently in her ninth year of teaching
at Immanuel but has taught in elementary
schools for 30 years across the states of
Nebraska and Missouri.
A passionate advocate for reading
instruction, Rockenbach believes if students
learn to read they can accomplish any
of their life goals. For her, inviting authors
to school is nothing new.
“While I was in Nebraska
I’d get famous authors to
come to my school and do
presentations,” Rockenbach
explained. “It got our students
excited about reading
and writing. I wanted to
create this same excitement
at Immanuel Lutheran.”
Rockenbach started communicating
with Numeroff
more than a year prior to
the visit, trying to schedule
a good date. Last year, fundraisers
were in anticipation
of the big day and students
spent time getting ready to ask solid questions.
“Students spent time doing art projects
and writing their own “What If …” stories.
Laura was excited to read their thoughts
and see the artwork!” Rockenbach
exclaimed.
Zillah and Numeroff
(Source: Immanuel Lutheran School)
Numeroff began her visit by reading
some of her own books to Immanuel’s preschool
classes. Springboarding off her own
experiences and tailoring her explanations
to each grade category, she explained how
she created books – viewing words as if
put together like a puzzle.
“Don’t give up,” Numeroff told the students.
She said “If You Give A Mouse a
Cookie” was rejected nine times before a
publisher accepted it. She also explained
that rejection and editing, which can feel
like another obstacle, come with the territory
of being a writer. Demonstrating that
perseverance pays off, she relayed that she
recently sold the rights to her 48th book.
A more interactive presentation was
given to the sixth through eighth grades in
the form of a writer’s workshop at which
Numeroff asked students to read their own
“What If” stories.
“Our students were excited
and very brave to get up and
read to her,” Rockenbach
said. “She encouraged students
to be careful on how
many “what ifs” and “thens”
to use in their writing.”
In discussing how the
publishing process works,
Numeroff talked about the
ins and outs of getting an
illustrator involved in the
book process, including how
she had illustrated several of
her own books when she was
getting started.
An avid animal lover, she
connected with Immanuel Lutheran’s
comfort dog, Zillah. In 2016, she released
the book “Raising a Hero,” which supports
Canine Companions for Independence and
represents all those – human and canine –
helping children, adults and veterans with
disabilities and special needs.