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VINAL SCHOOL
NEWS FROM THE NURSE |
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IMMUNIZATION REQUIREMENTS FOR CHILDREN ENTERING KINDERGARTEN: A reminder to parents of children entering kindergarten in the fall of 2003 that state required immunizations must be up to date. The following is a list of those immunizations.
Documentation should be available to the school nurse before the start of school. Please feel free to call or e-mail Mrs. Almeida with any questions or concerns. POSTURE SCREENING – GRADE 5Posture screening will be done this year in early June during the fifth grade physical education classes. A written notice will be sent home with students with specific dates and information. Parents/Guardians will only be notified an abnormality is found. Please remember this is a screening and findings are not a medical diagnosis Thanks to the generosity of the Vinal School PTO, a set of walkie-talkies have been purchased. They are used during lunch and recess to improve communication between the playground aides and Mrs. Almeida. The size of the Vinal School recess area has increased dramatically this year and the use of walkie-talkies will reduce the time for Mrs. Almeida to respond. Ongoing throughout the year, Mrs. Almeida has been conducting vision and hearing clinics. Starting with kindergarten, all children will be tested. This is a basic screening and unless your child fails a portion of the test, you will not be notified. If necessary, a recommendation will be made to consult your child’s physician for follow up. If you have any concerns regarding your child’s vision or hearing, please notify Mrs. Almeida. You may have noticed signs outside of some of our classrooms indicating that they are ‘NUT FREE’. These signs are a reminder to visitors that foods containing nuts should not be brought into the classroom due to a food allergic child. In the past five years the increase in the number of food allergic children has increased tremendously. Schools have had the challenge to make accommodations to assist in preventing and managing life threatening allergies. Mrs. Almeida has worked with the families of all the children with food allergies in the school to develop personalized plans. We thank everyone for your continued support in this area as we continue to develop policies and work to educate staff and families! IS YOUR CHILD TOO SICK FOR SCHOOL? Many parents are unsure if they should keep their child home or send them to school. You don’t want your child to miss school neither do you want to send a sick child to school and risk his feeling worse or spreading illness to other children. Here are a few guidelines you might wish to follow. COLD, SORE THROAT, COUGH Many children have several colds and runny noses per year. In most cases, the presence of a cold is not a reason to keep your child home. But if cold and cough symptoms are associated with a fever, impede breathing or do not readily improve, call your doctor. A sore throat accompanied by a fever and swollen glands (and often headache and stomachache) may indicate a strep throat. Call your doctor for an evaluation. Norwell Public Schools infectious disease policy states a child should receive a full twenty-four hours of antibiotics and be fever free before returning to school. STOMACHEACHE, VOMITING AND DIARRHEA A child with vomiting and/or diarrhea should be kept at home until symptoms have resolved and the child is able to keep down food and liquids. Consult your doctor if symptoms persist or if your child has poor oral intake and appears dehydrated. Early signs of dehydration include dry mouth, sunken eyes and diminished urine output. FEVER Children may attend school for fever less than 100 degrees F. as long as they feel well. Fevers are generally signs of infection. Consult your physician if your child’s fever is associated with other symptoms and also to find out if anti-fever medication is indicated. HEADACHE Your child should be kept at home if a headache is severe and does not respond to medication. Call your physician should headaches persist. CONJUNCTIVITIS OR PINK EYE This is a very contagious infection of the eye caused by a virus or bacteria. The condition is uncomfortable and your child may complain of burning or itching of one or both eyes. The white part of the eye (sclera) appears pink or red and produces a yellowish or whitish discharge. Treatment is generally a prescribed ointment or eye drops and should be used for twenty-four hours before sending your child to school. Frequent hand washing and avoidance of touching or rubbing of the eyes will prevent the spread of conjunctivitis. Also avoid sharing face cloths at home with other family members. RASH Rashes are usually associated with viral illnesses. They may also be the body’s reaction to a plant, medication, food, soap or detergent. Contact your physician if your child has an unusual rash or if it is associated with fever. You should keep your child home until you have discussed it with your doctor. ALWAYS REMEMBER: HANDWASHING IS THE SINGLE MOST EFFECTIVE WAY TO PREVENT THE SPREAD OF INFECTION. ALSO, Please notify the school if your child will be absent and notify the nurse if your child has an illness that may be contagious to others. GUIDELINES FOR STUDENTS COMING BACK TO SCHOOL FOLLOWING A CONTAGIOUS ILLNESS: Please use these guidelines taken from our infectious disease policy when determining when to send your child back to school. It is important in keeping all our students well!
Please call the school nurse 781-659-8820 with any questions! |
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