I hope you had fun over the summer and are excited for a new school year.
Remember to encourage your students to get plenty of rest and stay hydrated. We're seeing lots of illness at the schools right now. If your student has a temperature of 100 degrees or higher, please keep them home from school until the fever is gone (for 24 hours.) Stomach virus, colds, strep throat and pink eye seem to be making the rounds.
Another thing we're seeing again is head lice. Please keep an eye on your student(s) and if they're complaining of an itchy head, or you notice them scratching, take a few minutes and look for signs of head lice. Small whitish grey nits (eggs) attached to the hair shaft close to the scalp, or even very small lice crawling through the hair. If you suspect head lice, you can check with your health care provider, or ask the school nurse or health clerk to check your student's head. All head lice must be treated and student must be nit free to return to school. It is helpful if you communicate with the school if/when your student has head lice.
If your child needs medication at school, please don't send it with them to take on their own. All medication should be cleared through the nurses office and proper documentation should be in place before it can be administered by an authorized adult. If your student requires an Epi Pen or an asthma inhaler, contact the school nurse immediately if you have not done so already. Lots of students at the middle school and high school levels are bringing their inhalers to use, but don't have a signed note from their health care provider in place.
Some of you may have received letters from the nurses office regarding your student's immunization status. If you have questions, please feel free to call and speak with the nurse, 782-2001. If your student needs an immunization, a simple nurse visit may be all that you need to get this accomplished. If you choose not to vaccinate, you will need a Certificate of Exemption signed by your health care provider.
Last, but certainly not least, food allergies!! Please keep in mind that more and more students are being diagnosed with severe food allergies and this can be a very scary and sometimes life threatening thing that they deal with on a daily basis. We ask that you take this into consideration if/when you bring snacks into your students classroom (more applicable for Vale students). Check with your students teacher before bringing a snack in, as there may be a student with a severe food allergy in that classroom and your snack may not be allowed. Some teachers have approved snack lists for their classroom and we ask that you only bring snack items in from the list they provide. It may seem inconvenient at times, however it may also save another students life. Unfortunately peanuts and tree nuts seem to be one of the more common culprits with food allergies. Please consider reading food labels and making yourself more aware.
Have a fantastic fall and don't hesitate to call with health related questions.
Thanks,
Mrs. Varrelman - District Nurse
