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Welcome to the Smith School Health Office
What I saw this week: Covid is back. Stomach viruses are still around.
Vomiting, stomach aches, headaches, pink eye, sore throats, fevers.
Activity Level for Bergen County
Covid as of 2/2: Medium (Yellow)
Flu as of 1/28: Moderate
Please keep your child home if they are sick.Keep them home at least24 hours after fever, diarrhea, or vomiting have resolved.This will help reduce the spread of illness across our school.If such an illness develops during the school day, I will be calling you to pick them up.COVID related District Quarantine guidelines are as follows:(Guidance from the NJ Dept of Health, as of 9/2/2022If 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.ORIf Positive, please call or email Mrs. Angermeyer for guidance@ 201-358-4796See below COVID REMINDERS for further informationIMPORTANT: Please be sure to communicate any medical concerns, illnesses, injuries, or medication needs as soon as possible. Keep in mind that most/all medical forms are due right away for new students, and those with existing medical/health alerts on file often need to be refreshed or updated year after year. See additional information below about medication distribution and urgent medical forms that are required.
As always, please reach out to me via e-mail or telephone to discuss allergy symptoms, cold symptoms or other concerns.
Please contact me for any illness or injuries:
iangermeyer@hillsdaleschools.com
You may also leave a message on my voicemail:
(201) 358-4786.
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Dear parents,If your child visits me in the Health Office for a minor occurrence, I will assess and treat them accordingly. For example, many students stop by the Nurse's Office for a band-aid, ice pack, a bug bite, etc. If the incident is minor, like those examples just mentioned, I usually will not be contacting you. However, in cases of serious illness or injury, I will contact you using the information on file with the school. Please ensure your contact information is accurate and up-to-date with the Main Office.COVID-19 REMINDERS:If anyone tests positive for Covid-19, quarantine time for our district is now 5 days beginning as Day 0 on the day symptoms began, or the day of positive test if asymptomatic. They may return to school on Day 6 if asymptomatic, and wear a mask from Day 6 through Day 10. If someone in the household tests positive, student will be required to wear a mask for 10 days. Please be sure to notify the Nurse's Office as soon as this situation develops to coordinate and clarify important start/end dates, and to complete the proper notifications so that attendance is accurately recorded. There will not be any remote learning this year.____________________________________________________________________________________________
Smith School has a peanut/tree-nut free classroom policy this school year. Please check all food labels. This important rule applies to classroom snack; students are allowed to have peanut/tree nut ingredients during lunch in the all-purpose room ONLY. Otherwise, snacks and food must be peanut/tree-nut free.
As always, I invite all parents to reach out whenever there are questions about illness, allergies, or Covid-19 protocols. Open communication can help the school, your child, and all parents ensure a safe, healthy, and happy day.
Thank you for your cooperation in keeping our kids safe!
Stay healthy!
-- Mrs. Angermeyer
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Kindergarten and New Students: All physical examination forms and immunization records are due PRIOR to the first day of school. These forms should be mailed, dropped off or sent electronically to the School Nurse.
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 PRIOR to the first day of school. Additionally, all medication listed in the plan must be provided to the Health Office.
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Medical Updates and Communicable Issues
Please notify the nurse if your child has any communicable illness/issue (COVID-19, strep throat, respiratory infections, gastrointestinal infections, MRSA skin infections, impetigo, pink eye, flu, head lice, etc.). Sharing this information is critical since it promotes the ability to keep you informed as to health-related concerns in our school community. As always, such information is kept in strictest confidence. PLEASE BE ADVISED THAT STUDENTS MUST BE FEVER-FREE (and not taking fever-reducing medications) FOR 24 HOURS BEFORE RETURNING TO SCHOOL.
Do You Need a Medical or Dental Home?
If so, please see this link for free or affordable medical and/or dental care for your whole family.
Healthy School Snacks and Lunches
Please see this link from The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) regarding nutritious school snacks and lunches.
HandwashingHandwashing, Handwashing, Handwashing! You can help us limit the spread of illnesses by encouraging your family members to wash hands often, especially after coughing or sneezing. Washing with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds is ideal. Alcohol-based hand sanitizers are also effective. Remember to keep hands away from the face and avoid touching the mouth, nose, and eyes. Cover coughs and sneezes with tissues or cough into the inside of the elbow. Stay home when sick.Please remember to review handwashing with your children. Specifically, be sure that they know HOW to wash, rinse, and dry; WHEN to wash, and WHY washing is important. Sending a hand wipe or hand sanitizer for use prior to snack and lunch should be considered and serves as an adjunct to washing with soap and water. Please know that the school will reinforce this practice with your children. As we all know, handwashing is the single most effective way to prevent the spread of infection.Parents of Kindergarten, New, and 3rd Grade StudentsPlease remember to submit all physicals and immunization forms per district policy. For Kindergarten and new students, a physical examination is required. For 3rd grade students, a physical examination is strongly recommended. Please keep this in mind as you schedule your child's medical appointments.Medication AdministrationPlease remember that all medication administration forms must be updated annually and signed by both the physician and a parent. This applies to prescription and OTC medications.Health InsuranceIf you are interested in obtaining information about NJ Family Care, New Jersey's affordable health insurance plan, please visit njfamilycare.org
