Nurse Updates

Dear Families,

We are heading out of flu season, which I am sure everyone is celebrating.

Below you will find information on the following:

• Health Topic
• Strep Throat
• Proper Hydration
• Illness while at School
• Medications for 2025-2026 School Year
• Illness Protocol
• Our Health Staff

Thank you!

Nicole Wollert

District Nurse

nicole.wollert@westfieldpioneers.org

We have seen some cases of strep throat again this past month. Here is some general information about strep throat.

Strep throat is caused by bacterial infection from the bacteria Streptococcus pyogenes.

• Spread/Transmission: through inhalation of respiratory droplets from an infected person or through shared food/drinks; also from touching surfaces with the bacteria and then touching your nose, mouth, or eyes.
• Typical Symptoms: throat pain, painful swallowing, fever, headache, red/swollen tonsils sometimes with white patches/streaks of pus, tiny red spots on the back of the roof of the mouth, swollen/tender lymph nodes in your neck, nausea or vomiting, body aches, and rash.
• Treatment: antibiotics to reduce the duration and severity of symptoms.
• Prevention: wash your hands, cover mouth when coughing/sneezing, and avoid sharing personal items (drinking glasses, eating utensils, etc).
• Return to School Criteria: students who have been diagnosed with strep throat would need to stay home from school until they have been on appropriate antibiotics for at least 12 hours and have been fever-free for at least 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication.

If your child has symptoms, we recommend contacting their doctor's office.

We want to make sure we are doing everything we can to limit the spread of it so thank you in advance for your help.

For more information on Strep Throat, please visit the WI DHS website https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/publications/p4/p42092.pdf.

References: Mayo Clinic and WI DHS websites

Proper hydration is important for all of us. Proper hydration is essential because water makes up about 50% to 65% of your total body weight and is found in your cells, muscles, organs, and even your bones.

Getting enough water from food and drinks helps your body function optimally in several ways:

• Brain and Body Function: Water supports thinking, movement, mood, and energy levels.
• Waste Removal: It is necessary for removing waste through urine and bowel movements.
• Temperature Regulation: The body manages its temperature through sweating, which requires adequate fluid.
• Organ and System Health: Hydration fuels the body, supports digestion and nutrient absorption, and maintains fluid balance around cells.
• Disease Prevention: Maintaining healthy urine levels through hydration may lower the risk of kidney stones and urinary tract infections.
• Weight Management: Plain water has zero calories and no added sugar; Drinking water instead of sugar-sweetened beverages can help manage weight by increasing fullness and reducing overall calorie intake.

Dehydration occurs when your body puts out more water than it takes in, leaving it without enough fluid to work correctly.

Negative effects of dehydration include:

• Cognitive and Energy Declines: It can make you feel like you have less energy and make it significantly harder to think clearly.
• Physical Symptoms: Dehydration often causes headaches, dry mouth, and dark-colored urine.
• Reduced Performance: You may find that you cannot perform at your best during physical activities.
• Severe Risks: In extreme cases, dehydration can lead to confusion and dizziness.

How much water should you be consuming?

Determining exactly how much water an individual needs is complex, as it depends on factors such as age, health, activity level, and environment.

General guidelines for adults are as follows:

• About 11.5 cups for women (total daily fluid intake)
• About 15.5 cups for men (total daily fluid intake)

These totals include fluids from drinking water, other beverages, and food.

How to Tell if You Are Hydrated?

You are likely getting enough water if you do not often feel thirsty and your urine is colorless or light yellow.

Due to the rising demands for the health office (check out the chart below), we have implemented a new process at the middle/high school for when students visit the health office for non-emergent concerns.

The teachers have been given a handout (see picture below) that lists urgent concerns, in which a student should be sent to the office immediately.

If a student's symptoms are not on this list, the student is encouraged to wait until passing period in order for loss of instructional time to be kept to a minimum.

This process has been implemented in other school districts as well.

What was happening before we implemented this change... students were coming to the office at the beginning or the middle of class, and due to the nurse or health aide being busy with other students (diabetic cares, scheduled medications, emergency medical situations), a student could be waiting for the rest of the class to see the nurse or health aide.

This new process has been working well to limit the amount of time students are missing class.

Note: the number of office visits on the chart does not include the students we see for diabetes care, scheduled medications, or injuries (as these things are documented in a different way and therefore are not part of this count).

When we see a student for illness:

If we see a student who is reporting illness but they do not have a fever, vomiting, diarrhea, eye infection, unidentified rash, or signs of a communicable disease, we offer them any applicable treatment options we have (cough drops, mints, water, crackers, medications if parent consent form is on file), and recommend returning to class. If the student wants to go home, we ask them to use the office phone to call their parent/guardian to discuss it with them.

If your child will need medication to be given at school this school year, please complete the following medication form.

The law states that a practitioner's signature is required if the medication is a prescription OR the dose written by parent/guardian on medication administration consent form for an over-the-counter medication differs from the recommended therapeutic dose on the medication label.

Due to not receiving many signed medication forms from the providers' offices this past school year, we are asking parents to get their child's provider to sign the medication form PRIOR to giving it to the school office. We will no longer be offering to fax the medication forms to provider's offices/clinics for signatures.

The student's parent/guardian must bring the medication in the original (manufacturer's or pharmacy-labeled) package and the package must list the ingredients and recommended therapeutic dose.

Students are not allowed to keep their own supply of medication in their lockers. Needed medication must be administered through the school office.

STOCK MEDICATION

As a courtesy, the School District of Westfield will offer stock (school supplied) Acetaminophen and Ibuprofen to middle school and high school students (ages 12 and over) while at school as needed during the current school year. Parent/guardian consent is needed for students to receive these stock medications - Stock Medication Consent Form.

Stock medication will be administered according to package directions (stated below):

Acetaminophen 500 mg tablet - One tablet every 6 hours for headache/pain

Ibuprofen 200 mg tablet - One tablet every 6 hours for headache/pain

This consent covers occasional use only, and will be given at the discretion of the school nurse or designated school staff. Any student that requires any of these medications on a regular basis will be asked to provide their own supply of medication and will need a medication consent form filled out by the student's parent/guardian and medical provider. School supplied medications will not be given to students more than ten times during the school year. If your child reaches the tenth time, a letter will be sent home, alerting you that your child has depleted their doses for the school year.

School supplied medications will only be given to students during the school day; they will not be available on school sponsored trips, athletic events, or after school activities.

If your child has a fever over 100 degrees, is vomiting, or has diarrhea, your child should stay home from school. Your child may return to school when they have been free of fever/vomiting/diarrhea for at least 24 hours.

Your child should also stay home from school if he/she has an unidentified rash or live head lice.

If your child has a rash, your child may return to school when their doctor recommends. Please provide a note to your child's school office from their medical provider indicating when they may return.

If your child has live head lice, he/she may return to school after they are treated as long as there are no longer any live lice.

Your child should stay home if he/she has an eye infection and is unable to avoid touching their eyes.

If your child has a communicable disease, please refer to this chart for guidance on when they may return to school.

Our current health aide is retiring at the end of this school year. Congratulations on your retirement Diana!

So the students may see a new face in the health room as training occurs for our new health aide, Caroline Wells. Please join us in giving her a great welcome to our wonderful district!