Notes from the Nurse
Flu and Respiratory illnesses are circulating in our region
There are currently very high levels of respiratory illness and flu circulating in the Metro Puget Sound area (King, Pierce, Snohomish counties) while Covid-19 levels appear to be low. Please review the following CDC guidelines for respiratory illness:
You can go back to your normal activities when both of the following have been true for at least 24 hours:
· Your symptoms are getting better overall, and
· You have not had a fever (and are not using fever-reducing medication).
If your student requires medication in the morning to feel better, whether or not they have a fever, they are probably not ready to return to school. You can always call the office or nurse in the morning to discuss.
Head Lice in Winter
Head lice is a year-round issue, but spikes are often seen after winter break due to increased close contact with others during travel and holiday gatherings. Also, winter means more indoor living in heated environments which lice prefer.
The best way to prevent head lice is to check your child regularly, at least monthly, especially during cold weather seasons when we bundle up more. The school district website has very good information on how to identify and treat head lice. Parent and community education is what helps prevent the spread. Informing playmates, daycare, friends and family, and others your child is in contact with, is essential to limit the spread of lice.
Tips to help keep your child lice free:
· Teach your child never to share hats, combs, brushes.
· On sleep-over’s teach them to not share pillows or sleeping bags.
· Keep long hair up in a braid and use hair products. Lice don’t like hair products
· Do not wash hair every day, lice attach easier to a clean hair shaft.
· Check regularly, especially checking nape of neck and behind ears
· Recognize symptoms: itching scalp, red bumps to neck or scalp
· Lice neither jump or fly but require head to head contact
If your child has head lice please inform the school nurse at 425-408-4006. Once your student has been treated, please send them to school. We ask that you check in with the nurse before going to class. The removal of nits (eggs) should be done daily for at least 2 weeks and until you are certain the lice and nits are eliminated. We can go over how to do this if needed.
School Nurse Substitutes are Needed
Are you a Registered Nurse who might be interested in exploring the rewards of school based nursing, supplementing work hours or simply maintaining nursing licensure credentials? We would love to discuss available opportunities as a substitute school nurse with the Northshore School District -- this is a great way to transition into community nursing with K-12 school age children.
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