Dear Parents and Guardians,
As predicted, our string of cold weather continues. The morning routine has gone smoothly and I thank you. Recesses present an additional challenge when we have to be inside, as we do not have any large gathering spaces available during lunch recesses. The result of this is that the five classes of a grade level go into three supervised classrooms for the recess. In these rooms, students typically have choices that may include construction toys, game playing, coloring, Go Noodle movement activities, reading, math applications on the iPad, or simply doing nothing. In kindergarten yesterday, I saw many students ‘playing school,’ pretending to be the teacher and using the pointer to have others read or write! In fifth grade, groups of students were simply talking. During this time, the lunch recess supervisors who are usually outside supervise in the classrooms. Many students find indoor recess enjoyable and teachers frequently build in movement activities after indoor recesses to provide a speck of exercise.
Many families are reporting illnesses at home. It can be difficult to decide when to keep kids home from school. Some cases are clear cut - fever, vomiting or communicable diseases. Others are less clear cut. Here are some notes to review from our clinic website. Call the clinic if you have a specific situation you would like to talk through.
FEVER: A child may have a fever in the evening, then be without a fever the next morning. If sent to school, the fever may return later in the school day. The Whitefish Bay School District's policy states that a child is excluded from school with an oral temperature of 99.6 F. Please keep the child home until fever-free for at least 24 hours without the help of fever-reducing medication. If your child develops a temperature of 99.6 or higher during the day, s/he must go home.
COMMUNICABLE DISEASES: Students are excluded from school with communicable diseases including: Pertussis, Hand Foot and Mouth. (This is not an exhaustive list.)
PERSISTENT COUGH, COUGHING SPELLS, VOMITING, EXHAUSTION, DIARRHEA: These are all reasons to keep a child home. If these signs and symptoms continue, medical evaluation is appropriate.
SORE THROAT: Irritation of the throat can be caused by persistent coughing, post-nasal drainage (drainage down the back of the throat from sinus and nasal passages due to a cold, allergies, or sinus infections), or throat infections such as Streptococcus bacteria (Strep Throat). Some children are more susceptible to Strep infections and develop a beefy-red throat, fever, swollen glands in the neck, nausea, and headache. Others may have a Strep infection and show mild or no signs or symptoms. Strep infections can lead to other infections such as Rheumatic Fever that can seriously damage major organs. Medical evaluation is important to rule out Strep infections.
ANTIBIOTIC MEDICATION THERAPY: Medication Antibiotic Therapy is sometimes prescribed by the child's physician to treat bacterial infections. If antibiotics are prescribed the child must be on them for 24 hours before returning to school.
INFORM YOUR SCHOOL: Please notify the clinic of the following: your child's specific health condition or allergy, any communicable disease, such as chicken pox, or any immunizations received by your child.
If we work together to follow these guidelines, we can facilitate a speedy recovery for our kids when they're under the weather and also minimize the spread of illness to others at school. Thank you for your cooperation!
We are grateful for today’s sunshine, even if we are inside!
Warmly,
Jayne Heffron
