From the Nurse: October update
11/1/2024 7:10 am
As October comes to a close, we have completed our vision and hearing screenings for all of our students, and will be completing our vision screenings for students in grade 5 in November.
Coughing, sneezing and fevers are making the rounds, as cold and flu season has started right on time. We have seen cases of strep, walking pneumonia, and a myriad of upper respiratory infections all throughout the district. This is a great time of year to review our district’s Illness Guidelines in order to know when to keep your child home due to symptoms. “Walking pneumonia” is a general term for a mild case of pneumonia, which can be caused by a bacterial, viral, or fungal infection. The CDC has recently reported that a type of bacterial infection that can cause walking pneumonia, called Mycoplasma pneumoniae, has been increasing in prevalence in the past few months and especially affecting young children. Read more on the CDC website here about this illness and what to watch for. While most people will recover without medication, some will develop pneumonia, so it is important to see a healthcare provider for persistent symptoms, like coughing, fever and fatigue. This condition can be especially tough for children and adults with a history of asthma or other respiratory conditions.
If a certain threshold, or number of cases, of a specific communicable illness is met in a classroom or any related group of students, a note is sent home to the caregivers to inform them. Generally, the threshold is three cases within ten days. Please reach out to me directly to report any diagnosed illness such as strep throat, influenza, Covid, or pneumonia so we can track this data and make informed decisions on notification.
Halloween is right around the corner, so I wanted to remind our families about candy and school. Please remind your children that one of our school rules is to not trade or share food. Many candies have peanut and treenut based ingredients, which many of our students have life threatening allergies to. We ask that you check what your child brings to school, and remind them to only eat what they bring and do not trade or share.
APS had great turnouts at their vaccine clinics that were held at most of the schools. If you missed out and would like to get a Flu or Covid vaccination, you can search on https://www.vaccines.gov to find a clinic near you, or call your healthcare provider.
Other important information:
2024/25 SNAP Health Portal Information
