Henry Happenings
Seasonal Allergies
Dear Parents,
Seasonal allergies, also known as hay fever or seasonal allergic rhinitis, are allergy symptoms that occur during certain times of the year, usually when outdoor molds release their spores, or trees, grasses and weeds release tiny pollen particles into the air.
If your child tends to display severe allergy symptoms, please talk with your Dr. to see if a daily non-drowsy antihistamine, nasal spray, or eye drop would be a good idea. The school nurses will be attentive to symptoms of runny nose, congestion, sore throat, headache, and cough as these are symptoms of allergies and colds as well as other viral and bacterial illnesses. The nurses follow a strict protocol to screen students and will determine if a child can stay at school, go home, or need to see a physician to be evaluated.
There is no real cure for seasonal allergies, but it is possible to relieve symptoms. Start by reducing or eliminating exposure to allergens. During allergy season, keep windows closed, use air conditioning if possible, and change your air filter often. It is also a good idea to give your child a bath at night if they have played outside that day.
At school, we are reminding students to wash their hands. In the nurse’s office, we can rinse the eyes if necessary with water and give a cold wet towel or ice pack to place on the eyes for comfort. If a child is having an extreme reaction they may stay inside, but this needs to be a temporary solution.
If reducing exposure to allergens isn’t possible or is ineffective, medicines can help ease allergy symptoms. There are many non-drowsy antihistamines, nasal sprays, and eye drops available as a prescription and over the counter. Many of these medicines can be taken at home once or twice a day. ** In order to reduce the severity of allergy symptoms in a person with known seasonal allergies, it helps to start the medication on a daily basis before pollination starts. This is much more effective in controlling symptoms than taking the medicine on an as-needed basis.
Please talk with your physician about what would be best for your child and remember that a consent form from the parent and a physician’s order is needed to give medications at school. The doctor can fax the order to the school nurse at 314-415-6361.
Jen Baker
314-415-6360
Jbaker4@parkwayschools.net
Staff Bulldog Brag
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Each staff member who receives a Bulldog Brag will be honored with a certificate and a special surprise. As part of our character education, it is important for students to see adults modeling these values every day—and to hear real examples of what they look like in action!
Henry Elementary School
Email: joliver2@parkwayschools.net
Email: lsmith6@parkwayschools.net
Website: https://henry.parkwayschools.net/
Location: 700 Henry Avenue, Ballwin, MO, USA
Phone: 314-415-6350
Facebook: facebook.com/henryelementaryschool
Instagram: @pkwyhenrybulldogs