Hot chocolate season is here :)

I just wanted to send out a few updates for the upcoming months..

7th Grade mandated screenings will not begin until January 2024. If you would like to OPT OUT your student from these screenings please inform me in writing....

Flu season is upon us and one of the best ways to stay healthy is to get vaccinated. I have included information about the difference between the Flu and the common cold from the Fall Newsletter- please review! Also attached is information about what to do if your student is COVID positive.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving Break!

~Nurse Lisa

The fall season brings back fun events like football, apple picking, and pumpkin carving, but also there is usually an uptick in viral illnesses! This viral season has already been one for the books! With flu season upon us I have included a poster illustrating the difference between cold like symptoms and flu like symptoms- please take a second to review...

Important Ways to Fight off Viruses:

Hand washing, Hand washing, Hand washing
Vaccines such as the Flu Vaccine and COVID vaccine
Increasing Antioxidants in your diet to boost your immunity (some listed below):

Citrus Fruits

Strawberries

Bell Peppers, Broccoli, Spinach

Dark Chocolate (My Favorite!)

Busting Myths:

The Flu Vaccine does NOT give you the flu. You can have mild reactions such as a low grade fever, muscle aches, or soreness at the injection site, but those usually resolve within a short time frame. I have included the Vaccine Information Statement from the CDC below so you can be well informed before receiving your flu vaccine.

If you do get the flu, treat the symptoms with hot soup, fluids, plenty of rest and Tylenol or Motrin for fever and headaches.

Students can come back to school when they have been without a fever for 24 hours without the use of fever reducing medicine.

If your student does test positive for COVID please notify the nurse as well...

Per the Watertown Public Schools Handbook this is the protocol for students returning to school after being COVID positive:

POSITIVE COVID-19 CASES

Returning after COVID

Self-isolation for COVID-19 positive cases is a minimum of 5 days - regardless of vaccination status. For absences to be considered excused, documentation must be provided by a physician.

If a student or staff member tests positive for COVID and they are asymptomatic, they may come back on day six. The day they test positive for COVID is day 0. For example, if an individual gets a positive test on Wednesday, they can return on the following Tuesday. See chart below.

• If a student or staff member is symptomatic and then they test positive, day 0 is the first day they had symptoms.

• If a student or staff member tests positive and develops symptoms AFTER their positive test, day 0 resets to the day they become symptomatic.

• A student or staff member CAN ONLY RETURN after 5 days of isolation if they were asymptomatic, OR if they are fever-free and symptoms are significantly resolving.

In January 2024, the state mandated screenings will begin......

7th Grade Screenings:

Vision

Hearing

Postural

SBIRT

6th & 8th Grade Screenings:

Postural

If you choose to have your student(s) opted out of these screenings please notify me in writing via email.