Nurse's Office

Click here for an important message from the Nurses regarding Flu preparedness

St. John's Episcopal School is committed to maintaining the good health of each and every child in our care. "Good Health" is defined as, "a state of physical, mental, and social well-being, as well as the absence of disease or sickness."  Therefore, our Nurse's Office is staffed by two registered nurses with BSN degrees, as well as a trained health assistant. At least one RN is on campus each day to attend to various illnesses and injuries, administer daily medications, treat minor medical emergencies, and case-manage previously sick children who return to School. To ensure a healthy School population, they work closely with parents and teachers, and facilitate the communication of medical processes and treatments from private physicians.

Regular health screenings are performed by the School nurses and other trained personnel. Hearing, speech, vision/color vision, and scoliosis screenings are given to the students, on an age-appropriate basis, several times a year.

Our students also know that they can visit our nurses for information, consultation, and reassurance. You may reach our Nurse's Office at (949) 858-5144, ext. 223.

Health Forms

Request for Medication

Immunization Information

First Grade Physical Form

Athletic Participation Form

Oral Health Assesment Form

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Influenza Preparedness Plan for St. John's Episcopal School

Dear Parents:

As the 2009-2010 school year begins and our children spend more time in confined spaces, such as classrooms, there may be a rise in influenza-like illness (ILI).  The flu can easily spread from person to person, particularly in close spaces.

St. John's has a dynamic pandemic flu plan that was developed in coordination with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendations for elementary schools.  Our plan allows for immediate updates based on the most current CDC recommendations, as we are in daily contact online with the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) and the CDC via the Orange County Department of Education (OCDE).  It is our goal to keep St. John's functioning and open to students this school year.  We will notify parents via email, website, and phone messages, if there is any need to change our current plan based on a change in the severity of the H1N1 virus in our community as determined by the CDC.

Preventative Measures
Prevention is the best defense against flu viruses.  Please remind your children to follow these preventative tips while they are at school and away from school to limit the spread of disease:

• Practice good hand hygiene.  Teach your children to wash their hands often with soap and water, especially after they cough or sneeze.  Hand sanitizers that contain at least 60% alcohol are also effective - they need to be rubbed into the hands until the hands are dry.  For more resources on hand hygiene, please visit http://www.cdc.gov/cleanhands/.
• Practice good respiratory etiquette.  Remind your child to cover their nose and mouth with a tissue or sleeve when coughing or sneezing, and to throw the tissue in the trash after use.  For more information, please visit www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/covercough.htm.
• Do not touch your eyes, nose, or mouth.  Germs often spread this way.
• Do not share personal items like drinks, food, pencils, and pens.
• Ask about getting a flu shot.  The CDC recommends that all children aged 6 months to 19 years get a flu vaccine.  Call your health care provider or the Orange County Health referral line at (800) 564-8448.  For more information, please visit:  http://www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/children.htm.

All classrooms now have hand sanitizer dispensers using 60% alcohol based sanitizer that will be used on a regular basis during the school day.

Classroom cleaning will be done based on the most current CDC guidelines.

Our current Parent/Student Handbook, page 11, already lists the steps we expect parents to follow whenever a student becomes ill during the school year.  Per the Attendance Policy on page 5 of the handbook, parents must call the school to report all absences.

When Flu Occurs

• Know the signs and symptoms of the flu:  these include fever (100° or higher), cough, sore throat, a runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, and feeling very tired.  Vomiting and diarrhea may occur. 
• Do not send children to school if they are sick.  To reduce the number of people who may get infected, St. John's will not give perfect attendance awards.  Homework will be provided to ill students per the current policy in the Parent/Student Handbook.

• Students who become sick at school will be separated from their classmates. They will wait in a separate room (not the Nurse's Office where we also care for well children) and will be required to wear a mask to prevent viral spread, until they are picked up by a parent. The school staff caring for them will also wear a mask. Reassure your children that this is simply to help prevent others from getting sick; we have purchased child-sized masks with a Disney character print.
• Elementary and Middle School students with ILI must stay home for at least 24 hours after they are fever free (Temperature > 100°F ) or have signs of a fever, without the use of fever-reducing medications such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) or acetaminophen (Tylenol), or naproxen (Aleve). Do not give children in this age group aspirin because of the possibility of a rare, but serious complication called Reye's syndrome. Homeopathic remedies are unproven in this situation.
• Preschool children with ILI < age 5 must stay home seven (7) days after the start of illness or until they have been fever free for at least 24 hours without the use of fever reducing medications, whichever is longer, per the current CDC recommendations. Aspirin should also be avoided in this age group.
• Keep your sick child in a separate room at home. Try as much as possible to limit contact with household members who are not sick. Watch for signs of increasing illness severity such as difficulty breathing, severe vomiting, dehydration, or confusion, and seek immediate medical care if those symptoms occur. Increase fluid intake and check with your doctor if you have any concerns.
• Upon returning to school, parents must accompany their child to the Nurse's Office. The nurse will evaluate the student and take their temperature before allowing them to go to the classroom. The Nurse's Office will open at 7:30 a.m. A doctor's note will not be required to re-enter school after influenza-like illness.

Plan Ahead in case your child gets the flu this year.  Our best efforts at school cannot guarantee wellness.

• Child care: Plan for child care at home if your child gets sick. Most flu lasts a minimum of 5-7 days.
• Keep parent and emergency contact information updated during the school year. You must provide at least one (1) emergency adult contact that the School can call in the event that we cannot reach you during the school day.
• Monitor the health of all children in the household. Remember; please keep your child home if they have a fever or other influenza-like symptoms.
• If you have children who are at a higher risk of serious disease from the flu, talk to your healthcare provider about a plan to protect them during the flu season. Children at high risk include children under five years of age and those children with chronic medical conditions, such as asthma and diabetes.

For more information:

Visit the Orange County Department of Education's H1N1/Flu website at
http://www.ocde.k12.ca.us/flu_update.asp

Nurse's Office
St. John's Episcopal School
858-5144, ext. 223

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