Health and Safety
Physical, Dental, Emergency Info Forms
Here are extra copies of the forms Mrs. Biondi sends in early June for physical and dental appointments, the Special Medical Information newly required by the school and the Family Enrollment Data which has replaced the Emergency Form.
When To Keep Your Child Home
If your child presents any of the following symptoms during the night or in the morning, you should keep him/her home:
- a rash or skin eruption on the body
- nausea
- vomiting
- diarrhea
- persistent cough
- fever
Any of the above symptoms are forerunners of many diseases. If you feel the ailment is a minor one, a day or two of rest will usually eliminate the symptoms. If the ailment is more serious, resting at home at the onset will help prevent complications.
Remember, KEEP THE SICK CHILD HOME for his/her sake. Children learn very little if they don't feel well. The number of ill students who are sent to school is surprisingly high. More than likely, a student who does not feel well at breakfast is not going to feel any better after spending an hour or so at school. In the meantime, while at school he/she has already exposed his/her friends and classmates to the illness and increased the likelihood of their coming down with the same symptoms. Keeping sick children at home provides for a healthy school environment and fewer lost days.
MRSA INFORMATION
October 30, 2007
Dear Parents/Guardians:
You likely have read or heard recent news reports regarding a skin infection called MRSA, which stands for Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus. MRSA is a form of the common staph bacteria that has developed resistance to certain, but not all, antibiotics. Skin infections caused by MRSA are treatable with proper medical care.
In the past few weeks, the news media has reported on MRSA cases involving school students and staff in various locations throughout the country and in our own region. It is important to note that MRSA is not new. MRSA skin infections are treatable with medicine other than penicillin and antibiotics closely related to penicillin. According to the Centers for Disease Control, more serious blood-related infections caused by MRSA are very rare among healthy individuals.
Staph skin infections typically result in redness and warmth of the affected area. A staph infection may look like a boil, pimple, or spider bite. If a common staph or MRSA skin infection is suspected, contact your family physician.
MRSA is most often spread by direct skin-to-skin contact, or contact with an open wound, nasal secretions, or an item that came in contact with someone else's infection (e.g. used bandages, towels). The best defense against MRSA--and any other illness-inducing germs--is good personal hygiene. For this reason, we remind parents, students, and staff to frequently wash their own hands with soap and warm water, or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer. In addition, cuts and scrapes should always be kept clean and covered completely with a bandage until fully healed. Never touch another person's cut or bandage. Health experts also discourage sharing of personal items (e.g. razors, certain sports equipment).
For more information on MRSA, please see the following link from the Center for Disease Control: www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dhqp/ar_mrsa_ca_public.html#4
Thank you for your attention to this matter. We appreciate your cooperation in helping to maintain a healthy school environment for our students and staff.
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