Nassau Health Office

UPDATES FROM THE HEALTH OFFICE…

It is Tick Season!

With warm weather upon us, beware the tick! Please check your children for ticks frequently when they have been playing outside. Many ticks carry Lyme disease. Symptoms of Lyme disease may be a bull’s eye rash at the tick site, chills, fever, headache, fatigue, muscle or joint pain. The best way to handle Lyme disease is to prevent it! Wear light colored clothing to spot ticks easily. Use insect repellant. Avoid long grass, sitting on the ground and stay on well-cleared trails. Contact your physician if you suspect Lyme.

Exercise and Children…Nassau’s Healthy Heart Kids Program

Exercise does not have to be done all at once. Encourage your children to be active throughout the day- small amounts of time will add up! In general, school-age children should get at least an hour of physical activity each day. This month, Nassau is running the Healthy Heart Kids Contest. Please help your children keep track of their daily fruit servings and exercise minutes. The class with the highest numbers will be rewarded with the opportunity to create an Edible Arrangement in their classroom!

School Absences

While winter is reaching the final stretch, we thankfully report that our school illness incidence has been low. However, please be reminded of the information in the following excerpt from the Student Handbook about your child being absent from school:

“It is requested that parents contact the school in the event of your child being ill or being late for school. An absence note on the day the child returns to classes is also required.  Please state the day and reason for the absence. As there is a direct correlation between school attendance and academic achievement, it is urged that parents support children coming to school on time and regularly.  In the case of an absence, parents may call the school and request that work is sent to the office to be picked up prior to 4 pm. or sent home with a sibling.”

As required by NYS Education Law (Article 19), the new Commissioner’s regulations for vision screening recommends distance visual acuity once within six months of admission to school, in Kindergarten, grades 1, 2, 3, 5, 7 and 10. Additionally, the guidelines state that near visual acuity, color perception and plus lens [hyperopia] should be done once within six months of admission to school. Hearing screening must be administered to all students within six months of admission to school, in Kindergarten, grades 1, 3, 5, 7 and 10. Scoliosis screening is to be done at least once each school year to all students in grades 5 through 9. Screenings may also be done at other times as deemed necessary by school personnel. The minimum requirement for heights and weights are on the years that health appraisals are completed. The goal of the requirement is to assess each student’s status, identify problems that may impede learning, create a parent contact list for referrals, if necessary, and notify teachers when appropriate.

Screenings are conducted by the school nurse in each building as an integral part of the total school health program. Early detection will provide a child more opportunity for educational success. The earlier impairments are diagnosed and treated the more favorable the outlook for correction or improvement of the child’s well-being.

Mandated health appraisals (physical examinations) are now required for new entrants, Kindergarten, grades 2, 4, 7 and 10. Parents are encouraged to have their children examined by their family physician. Results of the examination must be noted on health forms signed by a physician and returned to the appropriate school health office. Students who do not present a signed form by the family physician will have a medical examination by the school physician. Those students wishing to participate in any interscholastic sports in middle school or high school are also required to have a physical exam by the school physician. Any health conditions which seem to require more complete diagnosis or treatment will be referred to the parents for appropriate medical follow-up.

If you have any further questions please call your school nurse.