Healthy Students: Letter from our School Nurses

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

As your school nurses, we enjoy the very special privilege of caring for your child/children here at SWS. Here we share important information that will help us provide the best care and service to your family.

Illness and Injury

The school nurse makes every effort to safeguard your child’s health here at school. In the event that the nurse may need to contact you, please keep the school office and the nurse informed of any home/cellphone number or out of town status changes immediately. If the school is unable to contact you in the event or need for emergency treatment, we are obligated to call 9-1-1 to treat your child. Your child will then be transported to Children’s National Health System for further care and evaluation. A school staff member (not the school nurse) will accompany your child to Children’s National.

Exams & Immunizations

Physical Exams: Are required on all students every year. They are good for one year from the date of the health exam, not the date that you or the provider signed the form.

Dental Exams: Are required on all students every year. They are good for one year from the date of the dental exam, not the date that you or the provider signed the form.

Immunizations: For the 2015-2016 school year, the school’s goal is to be 100% compliant for immunizations at School Within School (SWS). We are asking that your child’s immunizations be up-to-date throughout the school year. If you decide to opt-out of a vaccination, please complete the form and submit to the school nurse (yearly). Periodically, you will receive a call, letter and/or e-mail from the school nurse if your child is out of compliance with immunizations. Please submit the forms to limit calls and letters.

Medications

Medications: The school nurse is happy to assist students who need medications at school. The school requests that all medications be brought to the school by a parent, guardian, or designated adult- not by the child or a teenage sibling. Medications, both prescription and over the counter, will require a written medication order to be completed and signed by both the parent/guardian and by the child’s doctor on a ‘Community Health Administration Medical/Treatment Procedure Form’.

Prescribed medication must be in an unopened box/container with a pharmacy label matching the written doctor’s orders. Over the counter medications do not require a pharmacy label, but the box and bottle must be brand new and unopened. The school nurse will label it with the student’s name (first and last name) and date of birth. We will continue to send reminders when medications doses are running low. Please address urgently, so your child does not run out of medication.

Medication Pick-up: At the end of the 2015-2016 school year you will receive a letter and a courtesy call informing you of dates and times to pick up your child’s medication. If your child’s medication is not picked up within the given time frame it will be destroyed per DCPS and Children’s School Services policy and procedure.

When To Keep Your Child Home

Your child should be kept home with any of the following symptoms:

  • Fever of 99.5 F (Fahrenheit) degrees or greater (by mouth). Your child may return to school only after his/her temperature has been consistently below 99.5 degrees for at least 24 hours without fever reducing medication: (fever reducers: Tylenol, Motrin, Cold/Flu medication, etc.).
  • Vomiting and Diarrhea symptoms. Your child may return to school once they are symptom free for 24 hours.
  • Frequent congestion or wet cough and/or chills, fatigue (tiredness), weakness and muscle aches.

If your child vomits at school, the school nurse will call you to pick up your child.

IMPORTANT: When your child is home sick and treated for a significant illness a doctor’s note for clearance is required upon returning to school. Please bring the note to the school nurse’s office upon returning to school. Illnesses that should be reported to the school nurse include but are not limited to: Lice, Ringworm, Strep Throat, Flu, Scarlet Fever, Scabies, Measles, Chicken pox, Pertussis (Whooping Cough), Fifth’s Disease, etc.

We have immune compromised students here at SWS; please assist us in keeping the school environment clean, safe and as healthy as possible.

SWS Health Education

As the school nurses we will be holding several health educational sessions for students throughout the school year. We will cover some of these topics including: Lice, Hand Washing, Food Allergies, Street Safety (Crossing the road/walking/biking to school), Speak Up Be Safe (permission slips to opt-out are available), Nutrition (healthy eating habits), Dental hygiene, Bullying (including Cyberbullying), and Human Anatomy (4th graders, permissions slips to opt-out are available). All of the education will be tailored to the age group of the students in the classroom. The health education portion for students is very interactive as we encourage them to utilize their “Thinking Routines: Seeing, Thinking, and Wondering.”

If your child’s classroom is scheduled for an upcoming educational session you will receive a friendly reminder letter with dates and times. If you prefer your child to not participate in certain educational activities, please let your child’s teacher know, so we can accommodate them accordingly.

“Student’s must be Healthy to be Educated and Educated to be Healthy.”

Best wishes for a fantastic and joyous school year!
Nurse Jade, RN and Nurse Sheritta, LPN
Health Office Hours: Monday- Friday: 8:00 a.m. – 4:15 p.m.
Health Office Number: 202-730-1797