School Nurse

Mrs. Campbell

 

October 2008

Welcome to a new school year.  I am happy to be at Marshall Elementary full-time.  Please contact me with any concerns you have or if there is anything you feel I should know about your child’s health.  I check my email often or I can be reached by phone.

Please remember all medications must come to school with an adult.  There is a form to be filled out for every medication.  A physician’s signature is required for all prescription medications and a parent’s signature is required for all over the counter medications.  These forms can be picked up at the school or downloaded from our Web site.

On November 7, the Lion’s Club van will be here for third grade students to have hearing and vision screenings. Parent volunteers are needed for morning or afternoon.  Please let me know if you can spare a couple of hours that day.

Please contact our school nurse, Joyce Campbell, R.N., if you have any questions or concerns. (703.791.2099)

 

Responsibility of Parents/Guardians

It is the policy of Prince William County Schools and Thurgood Marshall Elementary School that parents/guardians are responsible for picking up their child in a timely manner when they are notified by the school that their child has complained of illness or injury while at school.   We are not equipped to care for an ill or injured student for an indefinite amount of time.  A sick child belongs at home and should not be in school. 

 Parents/guardians are to pick-up their child within forty minutes of notification of their child’s illness or injury at school.  If the parent/guardian is unable to come to the school when notified, it is the responsibility of the parent/guardian to make arrangements for another responsible person or someone who is listed on the child’s Emergency Information Card to act on their behalf and pick the child up at school.  Please make arrangements for such an event in advance.  The fact that a parent works does not excuse him/her from that responsibility.

Please keep your child’s Emergency Information Card current.  Be sure to inform the school when phone numbers or emergency contacts change.

For the health and safety of all students and staff at Thurgood Marshall, please do not send a sick child to school.

Note Prince William County School Regulation 758-1 regarding:

Illness or Injury Exclusion Criteria.

Reasons for which a child may be sent home from school or for a parent to keep the child home from school.

  1. Fever of 100° F and over- exclude until student has been fever-free for at least 24 hours. (without anti-fever medications)

  2. Conjunctivitis (pink eye), strep infections, ringworms, and impetigo are all infections and must be treated with medication for a minimum of 24 hours before returning to school.  Please do not allow affected students back before this time so that other students are not infected unnecessarily.

  3. Rash of unknown origin (especially if accompanied by a fever).

  4. Head injury.

  5. Severe coughing or difficulty breathing.

  6. Colds-a child with thick or constant nasal discharge should remain home.

  7. Diarrhea or vomiting-exclude until student has been symptom-free for at least 24 hours.

  8. Stiff neck associated with a fever and/or a recent injury.

  9. Inadequate immunizations with known disease outbreak in school.

  10. Refer to the Virginia Department of Health (VDOH) “Communicable Disease Reference Chart for School Personnel” for other exclusions/information.

 

Judging Whether Snacks Are Healthy

Choosing healthy snacks means shopping smart.  Be cautious of the health claims on food packages.  Here are some things to watch for:

Just because something is “all natural” or “pure” doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s nutritious.  For example, “all natural” juice drinks or sodas can be filled with sugar (which is, after all, a natural ingredient) but all that sugar means they’ll be high in calories and give you little nutrition.

A granola bar is a good example of a snack that people think is healthy.  Although granola bars can be a good source of certain vitamins and nutrients, many also contain a great deal of fat, including a particularly harmful type of fat called trans fat.  On average, about 35% of the calories in a regular granola bar come from fat.  Also, there can be a lot of sugar in granola cereals and bars.  Check the Nutrition Facts label on the package to be sure.

Be skeptical of low-fat claims, too.  If the fat has been eliminated or cut back, the amount of sugar in the food may have increased to keep that food tasting good.  Many low-fat foods have nearly as many calories as their full-fat versions. 

The best  way to judge whether a food is healthy for you is to read the ingredients and nutrition information on the food label. 

Good nutrition tip from kidsHealth.org

 

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