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 | Name: Mrs. Abercrombie, RN |
| With the cold weather ahead remember to send your child to school with warm clothes including boots, hats and gloves. The students go outside every day to play unless the temperature is below 20 degrees. If you do not wish your child to go outside we must have a note from the doctor. If your child has asthma remember if you put a neck warmer or a scarf around his mouth he will breathe in warm air and it will cut down on asthmatic episodes. Just a reminder, snacks are not provided by the school and if you want your child to have a snack you will need to send them to school with one. Sometimes we have a very limited supply of snacks in the health room for emergencies only, not for daily use. Thank you for your cooperation in this matter. An important reminder especially for our preschool students! According to the state of CT Department of Public Health all preschool students are now required to show documentation of having an influenza (flu) immunization between August 1st and December 31st This must be provided to the school nurse as soon as possible. Just because it’s cold outside doesn’t mean you can’t exercise. Try going for a walk at night with your family looking at Holiday Lights, go sledding, walking back up the hill is great exercise, making a snowman or try ice skating Enjoy your family this winter and exercise and stay healthy! |
Info from the Pleasant Valley Nurse's Office! I can be reached at Pleasant Valley every day. Please feel free to give me a call or stop in with any questions you may have about your childs health while at school and keep us updated on allergies and medications. We wish to provide your child with a healthy and safe environment while at Pleasant Valley School. Here are a few important reminders from the Health Office: P Up-to-date immunizations for incoming students are due. I will have to exclude students who do not meet the state requirements as I check their records. P Please make sure all emergency contact information is kept current. Keep your listing of phone numbers up-to-date, i.e. home phone, work phone, cell phone, and the number of at least one person to call in an emergency when we are unable to contact either parent. P No medication, either prescription or over-the-counter, can be given without a doctors written order. P While the weather is still warm children may need a water bottle at school and may also want to keep wearing their summer shoes! However, flip flops and the playground usually dont mix well, so I recommend students wear sneakers to school if possible. P If your child requires sunscreen while at school please apply before they leave the house. If you wonder when to keep your child home due to illness: Please remember that if a child has a temperature over 100.5 they must stay home from school and if a child is sent home with a fever they should stay home until they are fever free for 24 hours. With flu season just around the corner I thought you might find the following information helpful! The CDC (Center for Disease Control) recommends that everyone over the age of 6 months be immunized against the flu. Remember, it takes 2 weeks after a flu shot for antibodies to develop that will protect against the influenza virus. The CDC recommends that flu shots be given as soon as the vaccine becomes available. Vaccination before December is recommended but later vaccinations are beneficial as well. The vaccine will provide protection for the entire flu season. Another step in preparing for the flu season is washing your hands. You should wash your hands especially after sneezing or coughing. Also disinfecting is very helpful in spreading the flu virus. Regularly disinfecting surfaces such as door handles, bathroom surfaces, telephones and computers especially the keyboard will certainly help. If we all try to remember to sneeze into our sleeve or tissue and keep our hands away from our eyes and mouth and try to avoid contact with people who are sick we should stay healthy. If you are sick you should stay home to avoid infecting others. I’m hoping our students will miss little or no school this season due to illness! Thanks again for reminding your student not to share his/her snack or lunch in order to keep our friends with food allergies safe! I am eagerly looking forward to a great 2011-2012 school year at Pleasant Valley School. |
1. Bicycle helmets are mandatory and do prevent head trauma.
2. Sunscreen does help prevent skin cancer.
3. Washing hands is the single most important way to prevent infection. Remember germs are invisible!
4. Stay hydrated by drinking water.
5. Eat more fruits and vegetables in your diet.
6. Use insect repellent.
7. Check for ticks after playing outdoors.
8. Keep up on your child’s immunizations and routine medical care.
Hopefully by following a few safety tips your student will have a healthy and safe summer. Remember if you have a child entering kindergartner in September they will need their immunizations and physical before the start of school! Enjoy, exercise, and stay healthy this summer!
A school age child requires 10-11 hours of sleep per night. A child that does not get enough sleep can be very fussy, irritable and aggressive and may not be able to learn or play well. Your brain needs sleep so you can remember what you learn, pay attention and concentrate at school. Your body needs sleep so your muscles and bones can grow. Therefore, we need sleep to keep us healthy, happy and doing our best!
Starting your child off with a HEALTHY BREAKFAST provides the fuel your child needs to get through the day. Any breakfast is better than no breakfast but do try to avoid foods high in calories, sugar and fat, like doughnuts and pastries. Remember, overweight children are more likely to develop serious health problems such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure, heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
Some healthy breakfasts are eggs, whole wheat bread, whole grain cereals and waffles, cold cereal and oatmeal. Try bagels with cream cheese or peanut butter. Fruit is also good added with some protein. How about a banana with peanut butter or a breakfast taco? Put some shredded cheese on a tortilla and fold it in half and top it with salsa. Dont forget the old standbys are great too like a peanut butter sandwich or grilled cheese. Leftovers from a healthy dinner the night before can also be reheated for breakfast.
Even if you or your child oversleeps you can have bags of trail mix premade and grab some on the way out the door. Trail mix can consist of dried fruit, pretzels and crackers, dried cereal, nuts and sunflower seeds.
So, start tonight and make sure your child sleeps 10-11 hours and in the morning make sure he doesnt run out the door on an empty stomach. Have him fuel up with a healthy breakfast or hand him the trail mix to go, ensuring you have done your part in helping him be successful in school.
Immunizations are the best way to prevent the spread of the flu. BUT, there are still many other things we can do as adults and children to prevent germs from spreading.
Hand washing with soap and water is one of the best ways to prevent flu from spreading. Wash hands for 15-20 seconds (long enough to sing the Happy Birthday song). Alcohol based hand rubs may also be used to wash hands when soap and water are not available. There are hand sanitizers in every classroom at Pleasant Valley.
Covering your nose and mouth with a tissue or the corner of your arm when you are coughing or sneezing also helps to prevent the spread of germs.
Also, sick students and staff should stay home for 24 hours after being fever free.
Contact your local doctor or the PV health office and I will be glad to assist you in finding a flu clinic.
Stay warm and healthy as the weather begins to turn cold!
Heating your Home Safely:
Health Room Tips:
If your child has exercise or cold weather induced asthma a scarf or neck warmer is extremely helpful in filtering the cold air from going into the lung. Also please remember to bring in a medication authorization sheet with your child's inhaler if he/she will need it during the winter months.