• Welcome to the Meadowbrook School Health Office

     
     
    Friday, May 19, 2023
     
    Alert: Increase in Strep throat cases
     
    *Wash your hands, and please keep your child home if symptomatic
     
    What I saw in the Health office this week:
    Seasonal Allergies are abating!! 
    Pink Eye
    Strep (some repeats)
    Fevers
    Bloody Noses
    Sore Throats
    Runny noses
    Tummy aches
    Headaches
    Minor injuries
    Stuffy noses
     
     
     
    Parents, please keep your child home if they are sick.
     
    Please send me your required paperwork (email is best)
    Thank you!
    Mrs Kessler, RN
     
     
     
     
    Welcome to the Meadowbrook School Health Office.
    ***New Kindergartners and Pre-K, please scroll down for guidance
     
     
     
    Please let your child stay home if sick.
    Keep them home at least 24 hours after fever, diarrhea, or vomiting have abated without the use of medication.
    This will help reduce the spread.
    If this occurs during the school day, I will be calling you to pick them up.
     
     
     
    Dear parents,
    If your child visits me in the Health Office for a minor occurrence, I will assess and treat them accordingly.
    (Clean up, Band aid, Ice etc)
    If the incident is minor, I may not be contacting you.
    Soon I will be replacing my usual contact emails with a small note advising that your child has been seen in the Health office, Reason and Treatment.
    I will send it home in their backpacks.
    *Be assured, if the occurrence requires your immediate attention and/or follow up...
    I will call you or the contact numbers until I reach someone.
     
     
     
    If you are Positive or exhibiting COVID like symptoms, or have been exposed to a Covid Positive individual, please inform Mrs Kessler by email or call her directly. This information is kept confidential.
     
     
     
     
    COVID related (Hillsdale District) Quarantine guidelines are as follows:
    (Guidance from the NJ Dept of Health, as of 9/2/2022
     
    If a person is Exposed to a positive individual, quarantine is no longer recommended, regardless of vaccination status, as long as the exposed person remains asymptomatic. NJDOH continues to recommend Masking for 10 days after exposure.
     
    We ask that, upon returning to school, they wear a mask for the following 10 days.
    We appreciate your compliance and understanding in our efforts to minimize the spread of illness among our students and staff.
    OR
    If Positive, please call or email Mrs Kessler for further guidance @ 201-358-4781
     
     
    Thank you for your cooperation
     
     
     
      
     
    ***Please be aware that we are a Nut Safe school. 
    Snacks in the classroom must be NUT FREE, also they must be contained with a label. 
    However, this guidance allows for peanut and tree nut products to be consumed for students' lunch, served in the lunch room (ONLY)
    You may send in a peanut/tree nut type food for your childs lunch -ONLY
    For students that have food allergies, there will be a "Nut free table" option offered in the lunch room. (Please contact Mrs Kessler)
     
     
    TIPS FOR CHOOSING A SAFE PEANUT/NUT FREE FOOD 
    • READ THE LABEL AT THE TIME OF PURCHASE 
    • Please do not send a classroom snack if the ingredients list: Peanuts and peanut oil, or Nuts and nut oil.  
    • Snacks with statements such as
    • “May contain traces of…”, or
    • “Made in equipment that manufactures or processes…”, or
    • “Made in a facility that manufactures…”
    • are NOT considered safe foods in the classroom.
    • These will not be permitted and will be sent home.
    • Homemade or prepared foods are not allowed in the classrooms due to the risk of cross contamination from nut-containing products.
    • Only prepackaged foods are considered safe; foods from bins may be contaminated by residue from what food was in the bin prior to the current food.
    • Do not assume a product you have previously purchased is always safe, since manufacturers change ingredients and equipment used regularly.

    +

     
    Here are some general Helpful tips:
     
    *Please label all belongings (coats, extra clothes, backpack etc.) 
    *Pack a couple of Extra Masks in backpacks
    *Please be mindful when packing snacks and lunches. See above
    *Pack a change of clothes~undies & socks too! (Messes happen), leave in a backpack,
    I have a very limited supply of clean clothes (Donations are welcomed)
    *Apply sunscreen/send a hat if weather warrants
    *Send labeled refillable water bottles, try to avoid disposable bottles, as they get crushed and become fun to toss around
    (there is a filtered water dispenser outside of the Health Office for refills) 
    *Allergy medication, if indicated by a physician
     
     
    Questions or concerns are always welcomed!
    Enjoy your family!
    Mrs Kessler, RN
     
     

    Kindergartners~Upon Enrollment (3 required forms)
    1. Physical examination  (not older than 365 days from the first day of school)
    2. Updated Immunization records (Request from doctors office)
    3. Health Questionnaire (Parent or Guardian fills out and signs)
    The three above required forms apply to ALL newly enrolled students (Kindergartners, Pre-K, and Transfers).
    These completed and signed forms can be emailed/mailed, dropped off, or sent to school with your child to the attention of:
    Mrs. Kessler, RN
    School Nurse
    rkessler@hillsdaleschools.com
    I sincerely appreciate your anticipated compliance with this important state requirement.

    Students with Life-Threatening Allergies: If your child has a life-threatening allergy and requires access to an Epinephrine auto-injector during the school day, please download the forms from the Health Office website and submit them NOW. Additionally, all medication listed in the plan must be provided to the Health Office. Please note, only medication in the original box with the pharmacy label can be accepted.

    Students with Asthma or other Health Problems: If your child has Asthma and needs treatment in school, print out the Asthma Treatment Plan found on the Health Office website, (Medical Forms) have them filled out by your child's physician, signed by you and returned to the Health Office with the appropriate medications. Please note that due to the Covid 19 pandemic there will be no nebulizer treatments, only inhalers. All other health problems also need a medical prescription by your medical provider. This is true for all medications, including "over-the-counter medications".

    Please feel free to reach out to me via email/phone for any questions, concerns, or assistance.
    rkessler@hillsdaleschools.com
    201-358-4781



    Important Pre-K Requirements
     
     

    The New Jersey Department of Health (NJDOH) mandates that all children 6 through 59 months of age attending pre-kindergarten (Pre-School) receive at least one dose of influenza (flu) vaccine between September 1 and December 31 of each year (N.J.A.C. 8:57-4.19). 

    Please note:

    • If your child received the influenza vaccine after September 1st, 2022, he or she will be considered compliant as long as the vaccine is for the current flu season.
    • Students who fail to be vaccinated by December 31st, 2022, will be excluded from school for the duration of the influenza season (through March 31st, 2023) or until they receive at least one dose of the flu vaccine or until they turn 60 months of age (5 years old)
    • Make sure your child is up-to-date with all immunizations
    • Northwest Bergen Regional Health Commission is the agency that provides public health nursing services to the borough of Hillsdale. Their phone number is 201-445-7217
    • Rapid COVID-19 Testing - https://pmpediatrics.com/directory/
       
       
     

    https://covid19.nj.gov/faqs/nj-information/travel-and-transportation/which-states-are-on-the-travel-advisory-list-are-there-travel-restrictions-to-or-from-new-jersey.

    International Quarantine List: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/map-and-travel-notices.html#travel-1

     

        
     
     
    Wash those hands!!
    Cover your sneezes and coughs!
     Remember to wash your hands for at least 20 seconds, refrain from touching your face, cover your coughs, stay home when sick, and follow social distancing recommendations! 
     
     
     
     
     .
              **Attention PRE-SCHOOL students**                    
    All pre-school students under the age of 59 months are required to receive a Flu vaccine by December 20, 2022 to continue attending pre-school in the spring.
    It is recommended that all children receive the Influenza vaccine every year.
     
     
     
                                                                                       

    Pediculosis (Head Lice)

    In our ongoing efforts to minimize the spread of pediculosis (head lice), please be vigilant about checking your child's scalp on a regular basis.  It is critical to remember that treatment should only be performed if active head lice and/or nits are found and treatment should NOT be applied as a preventative measure.  As always, with contagious issues, it is imperative that you notify me if you find active head lice and/or nits in your child's scalp.  Adhering to this practice promotes my ability to minimize the spread by screening others who may have been exposed, as well as notifying our parents' community.  All information is kept in the strictest confidence.  Please see this link for evidence-based information concerning its management.  There is additional information under the  "Pediculosis (Head Lice) Management" tab on this website. 

    https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/lice/head/index.html  

     
     
     
     
     
     
    Please report any physician who confirmed infectious diseases to the nurse.
    Cases of lice should be reported to the nurse, even if it is found and treated over a weekend/break.
    Please notify the health office if your child has any communicable illness/issue (strep throat, respiratory infections, gastrointestinal infections, pink eye, flu, etc). Please be advised that students must be fever-free without taking fever-reducing medication for 24 hours before returning to school.