Mrs Hayes's blog

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6th Grade Dental Screenings

Please watch for the following signs and symptoms:

* Sudden onset of fever with sore throat pain.
* Discomfort with swallowing and tender, swollen glands in the neck.
* Some children report having a stomach ache and/or headache.

Diagnosis can only be made with a throat culture performed by your physician. Please wait until you receive the results of the culture before sending your child back to school. Strep throat, which includes a fine rash, is called Scarlet Fever. Treatment is the same for both forms of Strep.

Symptoms usually present one to four days after exposure. Transmittion is usually upper respiratory. Treatment includes antibiotics therapy by prescription.

Please see attached article for more information on MRSA (methycillin resistant staph aureus) that has been in the news recently.

Vision screening is not a substitute for a complete eye and vision evaluation by an eye doctor.  Your child is not required to undergo vision screening if an optometrist or ophthalmologist has completed and signed a report form indicating that an examination has been administered within the previous 12 months.  Please provide a copy of this report to the school if applicable.  Vision screening is only done for 8th grade students, special education students (including speech), teacher referrals, and for students new to our district. 

Some parents have received a letter stating their child is being referred to a doctor for further evaluation.   For eye evaluations you can bring your child to see an optometrist or ophthalmologist.  Your child may pass an exam done in the doctors office as they have more sophisticated testing instruments then the screening tools that we have at school.  Please send back the vision exam report even if it is normal.  You can download the form from my blog titled "Download forms" or from this blog entry.  For hearing referrals, please see your general doctor and have them fill out the treating physican's report sent to you.  There is a copy of this form on this blog and the "download forms" blog entry if needed.

Please see attachment for recent information on Reye's syndrome, a dangerous flu like illness that has been attributed to aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid) and aspirin product use in children.

I have found some good information on the web for preventing and treating lice.  See the links below for your reference. 

The school's only role is to screen for lice not to treat.  Parents are responsible for making sure that children are treated and nit-free before returning to school.  The staff is not responsible for any treatment for lice or nits.

www.ehow.com/how_2346_treat-head-lice.html

www.licepreventionnews.com

www.co.washington.mn.us/client_files/documents//DPC-lice.pdf

Please see attachment below of recent Lincoln Hall lice letter sent home 10/07.  Please also review the student handbook sent home at the beginning of the year. 

We are feverishly trying to process all of the incoming sports physicals and EKG's for our upcoming sports season!  Here are a few reminders that you should be aware of:

• Intramural and interscholastic sports both require the sports physical and the EKG. 
• The sports physical form, all four pages, and completion of EKG are needed before trying out for any sport.
• The doctor must check off on the sports physical form that the EKG was done which signifies it is normal.  If it is not marked appropriately, we will need a copy of the completed EKG or a copy of the results.
• We are only accepting the sports physical forms, not the state of Illinois forms, for the physicals.
• The parent/guardian, student and physician must sign the form.
• If you have questions about the EKG's performed here at school on 8/16/07 please access the Midwest Heart Foundation's website at midwestheart.org to get more information.
• If the EKG is abnormal for any reason, you must provide a separate note from your physician that you can still participate on a sports team.
• EKG results as well as sports physicals are only good for one year from the date you had the them done.  They will need to be updated every year and need to cover the try-out, practice, and entire length of the sports season.

You can download the 4 page physical form from this blog now!