Reminders from the Health Office
Emily Wong
Certified School Nurse
The Health Office's district Web page
provides additional information that you may find helpful.
February 2011
We hate to "nit-pick," but...
Lice is back at Byrd.
Please check your child and follow these precautions. 
Official comments and procedures
from the Glen Rock School District regarding pediculosis (head lice).
June 14, 2010
Safety tips for Field Day
Preparation for our fun-filled Field Day starts now with some hints to ensure that each child has a great time:
1. The HSA is providing hot dogs and watermelon for lunch that day, but if you would rather send your child to school with lunch, please make sure the bag is labeled.
2. Water is available throughout the day; however, it is most helpful for the children to bring their own labeled water bottle to carry from site to site.
3. The sun truly warms the day, but the rays may be dangerous for all. Please use sunscreen on your child before they come to school that day and if renewing the lotion is necessary, just send in a note with the product on the day of the event. Please discourage sharing of the product as many children are allergic to additives found in different products.
4. Hats also offer protection from the effects of the sun and help prevent over-heating. Of course, NO sharing of hats or use as a toy.
5. Please send your child appropriately dressed for the fun of the day. Sneakers with socks are highly recommended and help prevent accidents. No sandals, crocs, open toed shoes, or flip flops.
Most of all….. come prepared to have a great time! And thank you for your help in making that possible!
November 20, 2009
Bergen County H1N1 (Swine) Influenza Vaccination Clinics
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
4:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Vaccine is limited. Only people who have pre-registered will be vaccinated.
PLEASE READ THE FLYER FOR IMPORTANT DETAILS
September 2009
WELCOME BACK!!!
Welcome back to school after a refreshing summer break. Mrs. Small and I hope you are healthy and ready for a great school year!
A few thoughts to share:
Allergies: please notify this office in writing of your child’s allergies and submit appropriate medication and completed administration forms to this office.
Pediculosis: It is this time of the year to begin checking your child’s head for nits [eggs] and live lice. Please notify this office immediately if you have found lice or nits in your child’s hair. It is vital that you notify all the parents of the child’s contacts from the previous 3 weeks to be vigilant as well. Shampoos may not prevent an incidence; treatment with approved pediculocide shampoos will be a first line of defense in eliminating them. For more information, do not hesitate contacting me or Mrs. Small.
Illness: please follow reasonable precaution if your child exhibits, fever of 100’ or more, productive and chronic cough, nausea and/or vomiting in the previous 12 hours, sore throat or other symptoms unique to them that indicate illness…keep your child home for observation and a visit to your medical provider when appropriate. To return to school, the child needs to be fever-free without the use of medication for at least 24 hours, medication for contagious diseases such as strep for at least 24 hours, and symptom –free in gastro-intestinal illnesses for the same period.
Hand washing is one of the best ways of preventing the spread of communicable diseases. Please reinforce this essential and simple practice with your child. Sending wipes to school for them to use at lunchtime is another line of defense.
Medication in school: by state law and district policy any and all medications needed during the school day require a medical provider order, parent signature with permission to administer and the medication in its original properly labeled container. This is true for OTC and prescriptions alike.
Attendance/Absence: Please use the attendance line through the main “district-wide” telephone number following the prompts for each school’s attendance line. Mrs. Small and I receive these calls through that telephone number/extension and are responsible for attendance on a daily basis. If you choose to use e-mail, please send it to both of us. You need to call in your child every day they are absent unless informed otherwise.
Physical Education: when an injury is sustained at home or in school, certain activities may need to be limited or curtailed. When you seek medical evaluation, please obtain a note from the medical provider [including the emergency room] indicating injury, body part injured and activity to be curtailed, the length of modification. When a child is unable to participate in physical education, they are also unable to participate in recess activities.
Forms: I continue to receive updated physical examination forms as they are done. Although no longer required, those reports are beneficial in maintaining updated health records on your child; you may submit a copy to this office.
All in all, our wish is for a productive and enriching school year with everyone healthy for that promotes learning.
May 2009
Allergies
We are into the full swing of spring and warmer weather. Accompanying our beautiful days is the pollen that wreaks havoc with our children who have such allergy issues. Inflamed eyes, coughing congestion, headaches and sneezing are the norm; however, if your child is one of the children with allergies, please medicate them as appropriate to minimize the allergic response, of course, according to your medical provider’s direction. Another line of defense is hand washing and washing of the face when they come in from being outside; this allows removal of the pollens on the skin.
Medication
Whether prescribed or over the counter, medication must be brought to the nurse in its original container with a prescription from the prescribing physician/APN and permission from the parent/guardian for the nurse to administer it during the day. This is the LAW and School Policy.
Attendance line has a new message
The absence/attendance telephone line has taken on a new sound. When you call in your child for absence, Mrs. Small and I are responsible for that information. You will now hear the message “You have reached the school nurse’s office/Health Office” and correctly so. Please do not hang up and call the main office to report your child’s absence, continue to call the absence line. By receiving absence calls as a forwarded message, we are able to know when those calls come in by a flashing light on our phones. Thank you for your assistance in this matter. Don't routinely report absences via email -- the teacher may be absent or unavailable that day and no one has access to his/her mailbox.
Water
As the weather becomes warmer, it may be necessary to send your child to school with water for the day in a container that is refillable. As we all strive to be “Green,” I know some object to the commercially available plastic water bottles and know there are alternatives available to you. Dehydration is always a concern especially for the younger school population and their need to be reminded to drink water will aid in its prevention.
No flip flops!
Outdoor play needs to be safe during school hours and that means appropriate footwear. Please avoid footwear that is open-toed, like sandals, and of course "flip flops." There is little stability for the kinds of activities available; abrasions of the toes and feet are most uncomfortable. Navigating the stairs may be challenging with less constructed footwear as well.
Help us keep our children safe. Enjoy the wonders of the season.
April 2009
Happy New Year to all, with hope that it is a healthy and prosperous one.
Change of clothing - Winter has truly arrived and so has the ice and snow. Children continue to have outdoor recess at lunch and occasionally, the ground may be snow-covered and wet. Please realize that when your children’s clothes become wet, it may be necessary for them to change. With the very small supply of clothing and sizes, I am unable to provide those changes. It is a good idea to send an extra pair of pants to school on those days for that "just in case" time.
The Health Office's district Web page provides additional information that you may find helpful.
December 2008
A few things to remember:
Dress in layers - Please think of dressing your child in layers as we begin the chill of December, cool mornings, warm in the school and a bit warmer outside at lunch recess.
Cough drops - It is also the time when the dry air of the building causes dry throats and the need may arise for cough drop use. It is the OTC use of cough drops that you must give permission to use and send in with your child without the need for a medical provider’s order. This gives the nurse the ability to allow their use throughout the year. Don’t forget to include the “cough drops” and no candy.
Head lice - On the Health Office Web site is information regarding Head Lice as a guide for you when preventing/treating. Please know in the recent past, there was a single case of lice reported to the Health Office. Continue to check your children so that we may control and work toward eliminating it.
Allergy emergencies - As you may know, allergies to foods, latex, bee stings, etc. have the potential to be serious and require immediate emergency treatment. The weeks of November 17-24 our faculty (and the staff eventually) were trained in handling ANAPHYLAXIS emergency care. The training includes the early warning signs, actions to treat and the safe administration of epinephrine, used to stop the worst of allergic responses.
When bringing in food - Please be sure when you send food in for your child to use or the class for a celebration, that you check with the teacher and/or the Health Office to avoid any potential untoward reactions.
ATTENDANCE LINE - Please use the standard call-in (not e-mail) procedure described in your opening of school packet and in the Handbook. The calls are directed to the Health Office and we are responsible for the accounting of children. At times, the e-mail you may send is not received due to a substitute who lacks access to teachers’ mailboxes.