School Nurse Updates
Greetings from Acalanes School Nurse Dvora Citron:
Welcome to the new school year. My work schedule will be Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and every other Friday, with periodic alterations. You can access my exact schedule and a wealth of other information on health, wellness, and adolescent issues on my Blackboard website: http://tinyurl.com/5zena8. There you can also download forms for medication and medical issues.
"How Drugs Hijack the Teenage Brain:
Do you really know how marijuana and alcohol interfere with the learning that is
supposed to take place during the teenage years?"
A Parent Education Evening with Ralph Cantor, Tuesday, November 17 at
7pm in the MUR at Stanley.
Adolescence is the time when teens are supposed to be working on self
identity, dealing with stress, boredom, emotional growth, intellectual
development and learning to socialize with others. Drugs and alcohol not
only impair decision making abilities but also interrupt your child's
ability to master these developmental tasks. Join us at Stanley for an
informative evening and Q & A with esteemed Drug Educator, Ralph Cantor
and the Stanley Counseling Staff. Sponsored by the Stanley PTA.
Your Adolescent and Drugs
All parents and high school students in other grades are encouraged to attend an evening
presentation of the same material.
STUDIES reveal that the vast majority (over 80%) of freshmen age students have not yet
participated in risky health behaviors, yet by the time they are juniors, participation is well
over 60%.
For Parents and Students: An Evening with Drug Educator, Ralph Cantor
Wed Dec 3, 2009, 7- 8:30PM,
Las Lomas High School Theater.
This will be a crowded event so please RSVP to wood.birgit@gmail.com
Attention: Parents of Adolescent Daughters Between the Ages of 11 & 16 Years Old
Is your daughter losing weight when she should be gaining or maintaining her weight?
Has she stopped gaining weight when she should be growing?
Does she exercise too much or get upset when workouts are missed?
Has she stopped eating, skipped a lot of meals or have you noticed her eating behaviors
changing?
Have her periods stopped because of weight loss?
Is she obsessing about losing weight even though her weight is fine?
Is she overly preoccupied with weight and the shape of her body?
Are you worried that she may be in the early stages of an eating disorder?
If so, you may be eligible to participate in a research study designed to help parents prevent
anorexia nervosa - and help your daugher get back on the right track to regaining healthy
behaviors. School Nurse Dvora Citron recently participated in an Educational Conference on
Eating Disorders in Children, Adolescents and Young Adults at Stanford University. Stanford
University is conducting a study examining the effectiveness and acceptability of an online
program to help prevent Anorexia Nervosa. The study is an online, 6-week program and you
are not required to come to Stanford at any time during the study. More information is
available at the website: http://edresearch.stanford.edu/pan.html or you can contact
Dvora Citron: dcitron@acalanes.k12.ca.us
Parents and caregivers should use the following questionnaire to assess the health status of their child on a daily basis.
Does your child have:
Fever (100◦ F or greater)? ÿ Yes ÿ No
Sore Throat? ÿ Yes ÿ No
Cough? ÿ Yes ÿ No
Nasal congestion? ÿ Yes ÿ No
Runny nose? ÿ Yes ÿ No
SHOULD I KEEP MY CHILD HOME?
● If you checked yes to fever AND one of the other symptoms, keep your child home. No one
should return to school until they have had no fever for 24 hours without the use of fever-
reducing medicine, even if they feel better. If you have questions about your child's health or
symptoms, call your child's healthcare provider.
● If your child has been diagnosed by a healthcare provider with a different disease, such as
strep, follow your healthcare provider's recommendation and school policy for when to return to
school.
WHAT SHOULD I TELL MY CHILD'S SCHOOL?
· If you checked "yes" for fever AND one of the other symptoms, tell your child's attendance
office that your child is home with influenza-like illness.
· If your child has been diagnosed by a healthcare provider with a different disease, such as
strep, tell your child's attendance office.
When your child is well, get them vaccinated for seasonal and H1N1 Flu.
The Flu is Flying Around!!!
Many Acalanes students have been sick with viral illness/influenza. Please make sure not to
send your student to school if they have had a fever WITHIN 24 hours. What does that mean? To return to school, your student should have NO fever for 24 hours WITHOUT medication (Tylenol, Advil,
Aspirin). Vaccination for Seasonal Flu and H1N1 is recommended by the Academy of American
Pediatrics for school-age children and adolescents, but each family should consult with their
primary care physician to make the right choice for them. Take precautions by washing hands
properly, avoiding ill people, covering your nose and mouth with tissue or sleeve/elbow when
you cough or sneeze, discard used tissues in trash (then wash hands!), and do not share food
drink, or utensils. Please see the School Nurse Blackboard website for more information.
SWINE FLU INFORMATION
Below is information on the swine flu from our local health department and our district for all
students and families in our district:
Contra Costa Health Services (CCHS), the California Department of Public Health and the U.S.
Centers for Disease Control (CDC) continue to monitor the H1N1 Influenza (Swine Flu) situation. We have been advised by CCHS that schools in Contra Costa County will not be closed unless there is a large
number of students or faculty who are ill which interferes with the school's ability to function.
CCHS will consider school and childcare closure on an individual basis, taking into consideration
health information available at the time. We will keep you updated with any important
information.
H1N1 flu is present throughout Contra Costa County. As children return to school and spend
less time outdoors and more time in confined spaces, such as classrooms, CCHS expects to see
more illness caused by H1N1 flu.
Please follow these prevention tips to prevent the spread of this illness:
Ø Check your children for symptoms of influenza (primarily fever with either a cough or a
sore throat).
Ø Keep sick people at home. Don't send them to school, childcare or work. No one should
return to school until they have had no fever for 24 hours without the use of fever-
reducing medicine, even if they feel better.
Ø Teach your children to wash their hands often with soap and water for at least 20
seconds. If soap and water are not available, have them use an alcohol-based hand rub to
clean their hands.
Ø Teach your children to cover coughs and sneezes with tissues or by coughing into the
inside of the elbow.
Ø Teach your children to stay at least six feet away from people who are sick.
Ø Vaccinate your children and yourself with the seasonal flu vaccine.
Currently an H1N1 flu vaccine is not available. CCHS will let us know when and where the
vaccine will be available. However, regular, seasonal flu vaccine will be available in the fall.
Although seasonal flu vaccine doesn't protect against H1N1 flu, it does protect from seasonal
influenza viruses.
To find out where to get seasonal flu vaccine for you and your family, contact your health care
provider or health plan. You can also call the Public Health Flu Hotline at (925) 313-6469 or
visit www.flucliniclocator.org.
Dvora Citron, Acalanes School Nurse
280-3970 ext. 7128
Email: dcitron@acalanes.k12.ca.us
1. Sick-and-poke tattoos:
Some of you may have seen the recent newspaper article regarding this fairly new phenomena: HERE
Another opportunity to talk to your kids. This can been considered "sharing needles" and therefore carries many of the same risks. Please read and inform yourself about this issue.
2. Would you know if your teen was experimenting with drugs or alcohol? Check out this great new website: HERE
Mission
Healthy Choices committees are now active at all four high schools as well as at the District level. Developed for teens, parents and the overall community, Healthy Choices committees encourage open communication, education and implementation of programs that promote wellness, seeking various ways to bring information to parents and students in hopes of encouraging them to make healthy choices not only for themselves, but for our entire community. The committees work to build a culture of health by providing opportunities for students, parents and the community to learn about wellness, thereby developing the ability to make choices that will enhance their well-being.
Safe Driving
Great summary of driving requirements and restrictions for teens.
Motor vehicle crashes are the number-one cause of death among teens in the United States, and the fatality rate for drivers ages 16 to 19 years is four times that of drivers ages 25 to 69 years. What is causing these grim statistics? To try to understand the problem, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and State Farm Insurance Company went to the people best able to describe teen driving — the young people themselves.
Stress & Students
American Academy of Pediatrics guide for parents and teachers.
Great tips on nutrition, workload, rest and exercise.
Free the Mind and Fewer Injuries May Follow
New York Times article: Relieving emotional stress emerges as a preventive measure for athletes.
Alcohol & Drugs
Nutrition
Emotional Wellness
Student Committee
Health Services
Community Services
Articles & Reports
Healthy Choices & School Nurse Updates
Parent Ed. Info. - HERE
