 |
 Notes from the Nurses - Sue Hanly, RN and Julie Marhefka, RN
March 8th, 2010
6th grade parents: Please continue to send in physicals and immunization records as you take your child to the doctor for a physical. These physicals are the ones we consider the '7th grade physical'-all 7th graders are required to send in physicals and be up to date with immunizations prior to 7th grade not during the 7th grade year. Thank you to all of those parents who have already sent in their forms.
7th grade parents: The vision and hearing screenings are complete. We have mailed out referrals. Please return them to us as soon as you can. We had our SOS program on Monday March 1st--please ask your child about the presentation. They watched a short, age appropriate DVD with the emphasis on ACT-Acknowledge, Care, Tell. Following the presentation, we broke up into homerooms. Each student filled out a short questionnaire and after completing them, there was a group discussion. We also gave each student a newsletter similar to the one you had received in the mail and a list of 200+ famous people who suffer from depression. Many students were very surprised by some of the celebrities and sports professionals listed. As we explained to the kids, depression is not as evident in individuals as people think. If any parent has a question
about the program, please don't hesitate to contact us.
All parents: We have almost completed all of our scoliosis checks. A nurse practitioner from Pediatric West wil be coming on March 16th to recheck any student that we had questions about. If she has concerns, you will receive a referral from us. If your child is under care for scoliosis, please make sure we have documentation in your child's health record. Also, on the 16th-sports physicals will be offered. If your child is planning to participate in one of our spring sports-they will need to have an up to date physical on file with us. If your child's physical is out of date--consider signing your child up for a sports physical. It costs $15. If you are interested, contact us and we will send you a form to fill out and return.
Sleep Hygiene: Please check the attached website of the National Sleep Foundation to see if you're doing everything you can to help your teenager get the appropriate amount of sleep they need each night. It's amazing when you realize how a poor sleep pattern can affect your child's life; from poor grades to mood swings to increased risky behaviors.
Finally, please call us and let us know if your child has been hospitalized, had surgery, had any med changes--or regarding any health issues. Very often parents notify the teachers because of the academic piece but then don't let us know. It is so helpful to have knowledge of this information. If you are e-mailing the teachers about an illness or hospitalization, please include our address in your e-mail. Anything you send to sbnurse@westfordk12.us will go to both of us. If your child has started on a new medication it is particularly important to contact us. New medications can cause side effects including headaches, skin rashes and GI upset. Most doctors want to know if the child experiences side effects during the day and/or at night. You can call us at 978-392-6974 with this
information or send us an e-mail. Thanks for your help with this.
| |
