European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - January 1, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse                                The stars and stripes Page 11 writer questions Wisdom of enlisting overweight men tetters regarding the recent article about overweight males i was surprised to learn that we allow overweight males name and location withheld our own goals perhaps even self defeating in my experience As a supervisor limited As it May be i be come to realize the time Effort and documentation invested in monitoring overweight personnel could be better used performing our Normal duties. I also believe it s unfair to the service members who maintain standards that i must occasionally rearrange a shift schedule or allot time so the overweight person can attend mandatory exercise programs. With this in mind would t it make More sense to avoid compounding the problem we should simply refuse enlistment to overweight personnel. Whether or not we agree with the standards they re Here to stay. I believe we should enforce them beginning with the new recruits. But i m not entirely unsympathetic to the plight of being overweight. Cafes is discontinuing its salad bars. Now Well have to Settle for no salads with our of staff for personnel department of the army replies the army has traditionally fostered a military appearance which is neat and trim. Due to the in tense 12-week initial entry training Iet enlisted soldiers Are allowed to come on Active duty weighing More than the recommended standards listed in the army weight control program army regulation a 600-9. A study is being conducted to evaluate whether cur rent enlistment weight and body fat standards need Tobe revised. Iet personnel Are exempted from the provisions of a 600-9 until completion of Iet or completion of six months Active duty whichever comes first. Prior service soldiers coming on Active duty Are required to meet the body fat standards outlined in a 600-9. Army physical fitness program paragraph 7a., com Manders and supervisors will establish and or conduct ongoing physical fitness programs for the Active duty Soldier to maintain appropriate standards of health and fitness. A 600-63 also outlines the fit to win program that provides an initial Opportunity for department of the army a civilians to utilize administrative time to participate in Heath risk prevention programs. With respect to the comment in the letter that cafes is discontinuing salad bars. And now Well have to Settle for no salads.", that is not quite Correct. Cafes will be discontinuing salad bars in its fast Foo restaurants but will be offering pre packaged salads for the consumer. This will provide an added service by increasing Access at drive up windows. Health risk prevention including nutrition and weight control physical conditioning cholesterol management stress reduction anti tobacco use substance abuse prevention and hypertension management is being addressed by the army health promotion  Gram. The goal is to enhance the Quality of life for Allan essential function of Day to Day effectiveness Andears. I of we 11 Nave 10 seme for no Sagaas with our combat readiness of the army is that All personnel Are members of the total army family by encouraging life diet cokes and Fries and burgers and Apple pies and healthy and physically fit. According to a 600-63, styles to improve and protect physical emotional and army health promotion chapter 2, and a 350-15, spiritual health. Lack of Progress report angers Parent recently my child brought Home a report card Dis playing an of. This astounded me for i had no reason to believe my child was doing so poorly in this subject. You see i had received Only three Progress reports during the four to five week period of school. When i questioned Why All the classes Don t give Progress rep9rts i was informed that it was Only Nec Essary to mail a report if the child was receiving a a or below or the individual teachers decided to give one but they were not mandatory if the child maintained a a or above. At this time i assumed a a or better was what my Chi a was receiving in the other three classes. Upon my conference with the teacher i was satisfied that my child s Grade was Well deserved. However something bothered me. I was told a Progress report showing the Grade of a a was sent at the four five week period. I informed the school that i had never received it. I feel that had i received the report and known my child was having problems the of might have been avoided on the report card. I asked the school if it was required for All Progress reports with a a or below to be signed and returned to the teacher. They informed me that once the Prog Ress reports were sent that no copy was kept at the school and that there were no requirements for the teacher to receive the signed copy Back. My question is this Why have a Progress report if there is no requirement for the parents to see them it seems to me the schools Are wasting paper and time to Send reports that either get lost in the mail Are delayed or Are never brought Home by the child. In addition when you do find out an original was sent and you never received it the school cannot even verify the original copy was sent because it keeps no copy. For me this problem can be reversed because my child is Young enough. However if it was a matter of whether or not your child graduated who would be at fault after All Aren t we the adults supposed to guide our children How can we guide them when we Don t know what is happening while i realize there will always be mistakes made in mailing or in receiving letters sent from Home from school it seems there should be a Back up system to ensure proper notification. I understand Dodds schools Are extremely full and the number of students is immense but if the time is taken to make Progress reports then the Job should be As Complete and efficient As possible. May i suggest that the requirement for a Parent s signature for a a or below be implemented. If they Are not received after two weeks a follow up letter should be sent Home with the student. In addition i suggest that it is annotated or kept track of in the school office. This Way nobody is surprised by the Grade their child is receiving. In conclusion i would like to say that i am fully aware that the responsibility for children remains with the parents. However we must be Able to rely on the adult supervision we place our children under during school time. Communication cannot Stop with the teacher and the student. It must continue to the Home to ensure our children learn to become responsible adults through proper guidance. Name withheld Ramstein West Germany editor s note a. Smith Reeves chief executive services Dodds Germany Region replies normally parents Are notified of unsatisfactory Stu Dent achievement at the end of the fourth week in each marking period. This will usually give parents and Stu dents sufficient time to Correct the unsatisfactory Prog Ress. The notification is either mailed to the parents or hand carried by the student. Although there is no requirement for the school to maintain copies of Progress reports sent to parents most do. The suggestion that a Parent s signature be required on All Progress reports for a a or below and that copies be retained for follow up is in fact being done at Many schools. Dodds Germany will discuss this subject at the next superintendent s meeting to see about the practicality of making this a mandatory requirement in All schools. The school Counselor have an intensive tracking sys tem for each senior. Those who Are in danger of not graduating Are carefully monitored through conferences with teachers and parents throughout their senior year. Elementary schools and a few secondary schools have Parent conferences to discuss kindergarten and Elemen tary students achievement. Most secondary schools hold open House to enable parents to visit the school meet with the teachers and make appointments to discuss student Progress. Parents Are encouraged to Contact classroom teachers whenever their child seems to be experiencing unsatisfactory performance. The school principal May also be requested to provide the services of guidance Counselor and other specialists in helping students overcome difficulties. The writer is obviously a concerned Parent and is commended for his her interest in providing Quality educational services and opportunities to the students entrusted to our care. Pen pals i would like to correspond with people All Over the world. I am 19 years old and i like to collect Stamps. Josephine arbas262 Colon Extension Dumaguet City Philippines please add my name to your pen pal column. I am 19 years old. I like the martial arts and an sports involving the martial arts. I also like gymnastics and  Hazlett Echo co. 1/6 in Stork Barracks Box d138 8352 ill Eshelm West Germany i would like to correspond with people in other countries. Pearlie Ard Sablo of Alan 6502 Negros Oriental Philippines i would like pen pals. I am 21 years old and enjoy singing dancing Reading and listening to Good music. I also like volleyball Badminton and table Tennis. Daisy Vocana Capotulan Tulsa Sta. Terms la Viii. Cebu City Philippines please put my name in the pen pal column. I am 14 years old and a Baptist. Kari Anne Farman . Box 1086 . 09405-5363 i am 26 years old and would like pen pals. I like to collect coins bowl Cook and go on outings. Jacqueline Urdaneta Mabll Escalante Negros Occidental Philippines 6124 i would like to correspond with people All Over the world. I am 21 years old. My hobbles Are Reading swimming Mountain climbing Bowling and playing volleyball. Mercy or Sipeo id and Urdaneta Mabll Escalante Negros Occidental Philippines i am very interested in corresponding with pie from different countries. I am 24 years of interested in sports. Judith Asinero #760 Magsaysay avenues of Bilbao s footwear Banawan Negros oriental6221 Philippines please include me in your pen pal column. I am 19 years old and enjoy Reading and listening to music. Pamela c. Grajo Purok Agbin Sligay Bata  City Negros Occidental Philippines 6100 Arm Landers greetings dear readers if some lines in today s column sound vaguely familiar you have a very Good memory. They appeared in this space about 10 years ago. A Detroit Reader sent in the Golden Oldie. Not much has changed about new year s Day so thank you for letting me loaf a Little. Good morning everybody How do you feel Are you read ing this column through bloodshot eyes does your head feel like you be been slugged with a bag of wet Cement do your eyeballs feel As if they be been boiled does the sound of the cat s footsteps on the carpet Send shooting pains through your temples sorry about that. So when Are you going to learn twas the same Story last new year s Day. Here Are some cheerful thoughts that will help get you through the next eight hours. First you will live. No one Ever died from a hang Over although Many people have wished they could. Everything in your closet is now last year s. Your car has just depreciated $800. The . Dollar will buy less than it did last year at this time. But cheer up. The Money mavens Tell us your Buck will buy More this year than next. The name of the game is  Don t despair. A new year offer fresh Hope. Starting tomorrow you Are going to shape up get your act together go on that diet you be been meaning to tackle lose 15 pounds and Wear some of those perfectly Good slightly snug clothes that have been hanging i your closet. Tomorrow you Are going to Stop smoking once and for All. No More empty promises. No More sneaking around like a criminal. This is it you be been masquerading As a social Drinker for a Long time and gone in for occasional use of recreational drugs. You know deep Down that you Are awfully close to the danger zone and this Means within inches of being out of control. Tomorrow you re going to get All the iffy garbage out of your life and Stop this destructive behaviour. In the Back of your mind there s a list of people you have been neglecting. At the beginning of this new year you will make those phone Calls and write those Long overdue letters. The responses will make you feel terrific. You Are going to slow Down re evaluate situations and relationships that create stress in your life and Stout to eliminate them one by one. No More staying up to watch old movies on the tube. You re going to turn the Light off at a respectable hour so you can Rise and Shine at the crack of Dawn and do those exercises. You will be More patient with the kids and More communicative with your spouse. You will be nicer to your in Laws and Kinder and More considerate to the people at work. And of yes you Are going to get a Complete physical this year and reschedule that dental appointment that you cancelled four months ago. Today is More than the beginning of a new year folks it is the first Day of the rest of your life. Make it count. Savor every moment. Time is precious. You will never get a Chance to live a single Day Over. Resolve to get this year off to a smashing Good Start and make it your Best