Great Hearts Health Office News – November

We would like to take a moment to remind all parents on a few tips in keeping your scholars healthy as we move into cooler weather. Please make sure, even in the cooler months, your scholars are well hydrated, receiving adequate sleep and a healthy breakfast.  Take a moment and review the importance of good hand washing techniques and covering their cough or sneezes into their elbows. These techniques will help prevent the spread of any illnesses. Additional reminders, if your child is sick with fever over 100 degrees and/or vomiting please keep them home an extra 24 hours after fever and vomiting resolved.

Any questions or concerns regarding your child’s illness please feel free to reach out anytime.

Coughing & Sneezing

Hygiene etiquette involves practices that prevent the spread of illness and disease. An important time to practice good hygiene etiquette is when you are sick, especially when coughing or sneezing. Some illnesses are spread by:

• Coughing or sneezing
• Unclean hands
• Touching your face after touching contaminated objects
• Touching objects after contaminating your hands

To help stop the spread of germs:

• Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze.
• Put your used tissue in a waste basket.
• If you don’t have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your upper sleeve, not your hands.

Hand hygiene is one of the most important steps we can take to avoid getting sick and spreading germs to others. Many illnesses are spread by not washing hands.

Remember to wash your hands after coughing or sneezing:

• Wash with soap and water for 20 seconds, or
• If soap and water are unavailable, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol to clean hands.

One final practice that helps prevent the spread of illness is avoiding close contact with people who are sick. If you are ill, you should try to distance yourself from others so you do not spread your germs. You should also stay home from school when you are sick.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION: A child who is sick will not be able to perform well in school and is likely to spread the illness to other children and staff.

Helpful information for when to keep your child at home if they have the following Illnesses:

Fever
Temperature of 100.0 degrees Fahrenheit or higher.
YES– when accompanied by behavior changes or other apparent symptoms, the student must be fever free, without the aid of fever reducing medication, for 24 hours before returning to school.

Sore Throat
YES– If with a fever or swollen neck glands. If student has a positive strep test they may return to school after 24 hours of antibiotics.

Cough and/or discolored nasal discharge, stuffy nose with clear drainage, sneezing, mild cough
YES- A frequent, moist, productive cough, chest congestion, and/or nasal discharge that are not clear in color may be contagious and require treatment.

Vomiting/diarrhea
YES- students with vomiting and/or diarrhea will not be able to attend school, remain at school and/or return to school for 24 hours if they are experiencing these symptoms.