Nursing Newsletter

It's hard to believe another year has come and gone, and here we are at the start of 2023! The start of a new year is often a time many adults look to reflect, restart and set new years resolutions for themselves. How about this year, you help your children set some for themselves? Here are a few ideas:

✨ Cleaning up their toys before going to bed each night

✨ Brushing their teeth twice per day

✨ Read a book 30 minutes per day

✨ Eat a fruit and vegetable every day

✨ Find a new, active hobby to try

✨ Start a savings account

Just like adults, children need plenty of water to help them carry out daily functions. Water is one of the most important part of a child's diet and is essential in keeping bowel movements regular, keeping skin hydrated and helping prevent urinary tract infections. Water also allows our bodies to regulate body temperature. As a parent, it can be hard to gauge just how much water your child needs to stay hydrated. A general guide to follow for school-aged children and teens is that they should consume 1/2 an ounce of water for each pound they weigh. For example, a child who weighs 125 pounds should drink about 64 ounces of water per day. Other beverages, such as milk or juice, are not counted in this daily recommended amount.

As the weather gets colder we tend to see an uptick in cases of head lice within our schools, primarily in the elementary setting. Head lice is transmitted by head to head contact. The increase this time of year is primarily because kids are spending more time indoors, sharing hats and scarves and having sleepovers with friends. As a reminder, in the MPSD we have a policy in place that does not allow live lice in the school setting. Students must be treated at home before returning to school. Below you will find a link to some helpful tips regarding head lice. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to your child's school nurse.

As a reminder, students are must have a signed medication consent form on file in order to take medications as school. Over the counter (OTC) medications require only parent/guardian signature but any prescription medications must have a signature from the prescribing medical provider.

We can't say this enough... children do not learn well and cause a disruption in the classroom when they come to school ill! Please be conscious of when your child isn't feeling well and keep them home from school. Children should remain home from school when they have a fever >100.4, vomiting, diarrhea or uncontrolled coughing. They may return to school when they have been symptom free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medications.

There are times when children become ill during the school day and need to be picked up. For this reason, please be sure to let the school office know if your contact information has changed.

As a reminder, the WI State Immunization Law requires children to receive a dose of the Tdap vaccine prior to starting 6th grade. If your child has already turned 11, they are eligible to receive the vaccine at any time. Please consider scheduling them an appointment to get this taken care of before the start of the 2023-24 school year. As always, immunization waiver forms are available in the school office for anyone opting for their child to not receive vaccines.

Did you know that with your public library card, you can check out an adventure pass that gets you and your family free admission to several local attractions? Click below for more information!