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Some Health Tips for Staying Healthy
The Importance of Hand Washing
Does it seem as if your child is sick all the time? In the early school years, your child's immune system is put to the test. After all, young children in large groups are breeding grounds for the organisms that cause illness. Fortunately, we can teach our children healthy habits that help decrease the number of illnesses they get.
Many childhood illnesses are caused by viruses. A single child can bring a virus to school and begin the spread. Consider this common scenario; a child who has a cold coughs or sneezes in the classroom. The children sitting nearby inhale the infected respiratory droplets and the cold spreads. Or perhaps a child who has a stomach virus uses the toilet and returns to the classroom without washing his or her hands. Illness-causing germs might spread from anything the sick child touches to other children who touch the same object and then put their fingers in their mouths.
This is why hand-washing counts! Frequent handwashing is one of the simplest, and most effective ways to stay healthy in school. Remind your child to wash his or her hands before eating and after using the toilet, blowing his or her nose, or playing outside. Children should rub their hand with soap for as long as it takes to sing the "Happy Birthday" song two times, or roughly 20 seconds. Then they can rinse.
Please reinforce good handwashing at home. We are hopeful that by focusing on handwashing, we can be proactive in fighting illness in our school during the winter months to come.
Thank you and God bless you!
The SCS Nurses
Paige Clancy, RN, CPNP and Lisa Ferary, RN, CNP
SCS School Nurses
SCS Illness protocols: Children must be 24 hours fever free without the use of fever reducing medications and illness symptoms greatly improved before returning to school. If a child has vomited, 24hrs must pass without them vomiting, as well as they are eating and drinking normally, before returning to school. As always, feel free to reach out to the nurse at nurse@scsiena.org with concerns.
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