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Parents, please check to make sure your child has all mandated immunizations for the new school year. Click Vaccine Information for details. Contact your school nurse
if you have questions.
Click here for more information. Click here for great ideas for parents, teachers and PTOs. Click here for Pottsgrove's revised guidelines in detail. Click here for important clarifying notes on how these guidelines will be applied and phased in during the 2012-2013 school year.
 Nurses
Nancy Miller - High School x 7481
Dianne Manula - Middle School x 2058
Kimberly Emery - Lower Pottsgrove x 4075
Deanna Santangelo - Ringing Rocks x 3075
Joanne Wirt - West Pottsgrove x 5033
Emergency
Contact Information 
It is important that the information be current. It is necessary that we have your
phone numbers (home, work, and cell) as well as the phone numbers of two
additional friends, neighbors, or family members that will assume temporary
care of your child if you cannot be reached. In case of an emergency
when parents cannot be reached, the parent’s signature authorizes the school to
call physicians listed on the sheet and to make arrangements for emergency
medical care if needed. Please log on to PowerSchool Parent Portal to check this information and update it as necessary. If you prefer, contact your school for a form. Please be sure the emergency contacts
you list know that the school may contact them and are willing to pick your
child up from school when you are unavailable. It also helps if your
emergency contacts are easily reached by phone when you are not.
Please notify the office immediately of
any changes or additions that need to be made on your child’s emergency
information during the school year.
Illness 
Students and parents are frequently concerned about possible illness and
whether he/she should stay home or attend school We ask that you follow
these guidelines:
- If a student has a fever of 100
degrees or more, the student should stay home for 24 hours after the
temperature has returned to normal.
- If a student has vomited or has
diarrhea, the student should stay home until 24 hours after the last
episode.
- If a student has any rash that
may be disease-related or you do not know the cause, check with your
family health provider before sending the child to school.
- If your child has red eyes with
drainage or crusting keep your child home and contact your family health
provider. If "pink eye" is diagnosed, the student may return to
school after the first 24 hours of treatment.
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Care
of Sick and Injured Children
Health services are offered to students who become ill or injured during the
school day. Standing orders for treatment written by the school physician
are implemented by the certified school nurse or the registered nurse assistant
If a case appears to require immediate medical attention, parents are
notified as quickly as possible.
Parents may be asked to pick up their
children from school under the following circumstances:
- The child has a fever of 100.0
degrees or above.
- The child is vomiting and/or
has diarrhea.
- The child has a rash that may
be disease related.
- The child does not feel well
enough to return to the classroom.
Parents may also be asked to follow-up
with a medical professional regarding diagnosis and treatment of
illnesses. Parents and/or guardians and the child’s medical provider are
responsible for the care of the student. School health service staff
provides support to families in their responsibility of caring for their
children.
In order for the nursing staff to carry
out comprehensive health care for our students, they must depend on your
cooperation, particularly in the following areas:
- Emergency contact information must be complete and up to date.
- Any health questionnaires
brought home should be completed and returned.
- If your child receives any
immunization, has surgery, or is treated for accident/illness outside of
school, please notify the school nurse.
- Inform the school office of any
change in address, phone number, or emergency contacts.
Health information given to the school
nurse is considered both privileged and confidential. This means that the
information will be shared only on a need-to-know basis for the safety and well
being of the child.
The
health and wellness of our children are a national priority. In the Pottsgrove School District, we address our children's health and wellness
needs with a comprehensive approach that includes health screenings, physical
activity programs, and education.
This
year, as the result of a state mandate, the Growth Screening Program becomes
part of our efforts. All children enrolled in Pennsylvania schools will have
their height and weight measured, and then used to calculate their body mass
index (BMI). BMI is a screening tool used to determine whether a child is
overweight or underweight.
Your
child's BMI is based on the ratio of height to weight. BMI is reported as a
percentile ranking based on the child's age and gender. The Centers for Disease
Control (CDC) created the percentile ranges to identify children who may be at
risk for serious health conditions such as insulin resistance (a precursor to
diabetes) and heart disease.
Like
all screening tools, BMI can produce some false positives or negatives. For
example, a student may have an artificially high BMI due to a high level of
lean body tissue or muscle, as may be found in a well-conditioned athlete.
That's why it's so important to follow up with your doctor if your child's BMI
is high or low.
Your
child's BMI is strictly confidential and will not be discussed with anyone
other than you and your child. Please share your child's BMI information with
your child's health care provider. Your doctor or nurse is in the best position
to evaluate your child's overall health.
For
more information please see All the Buzz About BMI. Feel free to call your
child's school nurse with any questions you have about the Growth Screening Program.
Other health screenings include:
Height, Weight & Vision- K-12
Hearing- Grades 1, 2, 3, 7, & 11
Scoliosis- Grades 6 & 7
Dental- K, 1, 3 & 7
Physicals- K, 1, 6 & 11
The head louse is a small parasitic
insect that infests only human hair, laying eggs on the hair shafts and feeding
on the scalp. They do not carry disease. The adult louse is about 3 mm
long (about the size of a sesame seed), tan, gray, or brown. Lice are very
small, flat wingless insects with stubby antenna and three pairs of legs that
end in sharp curved claws. The female lays about four eggs a day on the hair
shaft fairly close to the scalp and near the nape of the neck and behind the
ears. The eggs or nits are very small, whitish in color and may be mistaken for
dandruff. The eggs take about one week to hatch and three weeks to become adult
at which time the female starts to lay eggs. Each louse survives about one
month as a mature adult.
How are they spread?
Head lice are easily spread from one
person to another by:
- Coming in close contact with an
infected person.
- Wearing infested clothing such
as hats, scarves, coats, etc.
- Using infested combs and
brushes.
- Lying on infested carpets,
beds, upholstered furniture or car seats.
- Head lice survive only by
feeding on human blood. Eggs may survive for seven days away from the
scalp.
What to look for:
- Head lice should be suspected
when there is intense itching and scratching of the scalp and the back of the
neck.
- A close examination of the
scalp will reveal white, brown or gray eggs firmly attached to the hair
shaft. The eggs may look like dandruff, but nits cannot be easily removed.
Actual lice may be seen as well as many itchy red marks on the scalp. (Natural
light or a magnifying glass may help.)
What to do if you find head lice:
- Contact your physician for
advice, if you wish.
- Follow the directions carefully
on the recommended lice product. Pay special attention to the instructions
on the bottle regarding how long the medication should be left on and
whether rinsing the hair is recommended after treatment. Do not use a
crème rinse or combination shampoo/conditioner before using lice medicine.
Don’t re-wash hair for 1-2 days after treatment. Treatment may need to be
repeated in seven to ten days to kill newly hatched lice.
- Remove all dead lice and nits.
Several products may be recommended for this including a variety of
fine-tooth combs. Alternatively, the nits may be effectively removed by
running your fingernail down the effected hair shaft.
- Check all family members for
lice and nits every day for 2-3 weeks to make sure head lice are gone.
Treat only those family members who do have lice.
- Wash sheets and recently worn
clothing (from the last 48 hours) in hot water and dry in a hot dryer.
- Soak combs and brushes in hot
(130 degrees F) water for 10 minutes (provided they will not be damaged by
heat) or soak them for one hour in rubbing alcohol or a 2% Lysol solution.
- Vacuum mattresses, rugs, bare
floors, car seats and furniture that have been in contact with the
affected person in the 24 or 48 hours before treatment. Use of lice sprays
can be harmful to people and pets and is not recommended.
- Any other potentially infected
fabric item which cannot be soaked, washed or vacuumed (such as favorite
plush toys) should be sealed tightly in a plastic bag for ten days.
- Head lice is not transmitted
from animals to humans, domestic pets should
not be treated.
- When you find a case of lice,
tell others! Call parents with whom your child may have had close contact,
school and day cares.
Return to School:
The school nurse
will check for lice and viable nits. Pottsgrove School District has a NO NIT policy. Student must be nit and lice free before being permitted to return to school.
How
to keep lice from coming back:
Teach children to avoid playtime and other activities that are likely to spread
lice.
- Avoid head-to-head contact
common during play at school and at home (sports activities, on a
playground, slumber parties, at camp).
- Do not share clothing, such as
hats, scarves, coats, sports uniforms, or hair ribbons.
- Do not share infested combs,
brushes, or towels.
- Do not lie on beds, couches,
pillows, carpets, or stuffed animals that have recently been in contact
with an infested person.
Outbreaks are possible whenever and
wherever children gather. Screen your child regularly and notify us immediately
if head lice or their nits are detected. (We welcome the opportunity to teach
those of you who do not know how to check your child for head lice.) Working
together helps us protect all of the children, including your own. Thanks you
for your cooperation.
How can you tell the difference between a cold and the flu?
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Symptoms
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Cold
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Flu
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Fever
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Rare
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Characteristic
High
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Headache
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Rare
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Prominent
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General
Aches, Pains
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Slight
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Usual,
often severe
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Fatigue,
Weakness
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Quite
mild
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Can last
up to 2-3 weeks
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Extreme
Exhaustion
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Never
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Early and
prominent
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Stuffy
Nose
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Common
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Sometimes
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Sneezing
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Usual
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Sometimes
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Sore
Throat
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Common
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Sometimes
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Chest
Discomfort, Cough
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Mild to
moderate, Hacking cough
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Common,
can become severe
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Complications
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Sinus
congestion or earache
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Bronchitis,
pneumonia; can be life threatening
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Prevention
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None
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Annual vaccination;
amantadine or rimantadine (antiviral drugs)
|
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Treatment
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Only
temporary relief of symptoms
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Amantadine
or rimantadine within 24-48 hours after onset of symptoms
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Chart courtesy of National Institute of
Allergy and Infectious Diseases
Health Resources
Pennsylvania Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP)
CHIP is Pennsylvania's program to provide quality health insurance for children
of working families who otherwise could not afford it.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
CDC offers tips for travelers' health, training and employment resources, news
updates, and reports on the spread of dangerous diseases.
American Academy of Pediatrics - Parenting Corner (Now part of HealthyChildren.org)
Dedicated to the health and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and
young adults.
American Heart Association
National directory of resources related to heart health and disease. Resources
include medical information and contacts.
American Red Cross
American Red Cross offers biomedical, blood-donation, disaster, and emergency
services. Check the press room and learn about how to donate or volunteer.
The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America® (AAFA)
Thousands of Answers. for Millions of People. You are not alone ... you and
your loved ones can live healthy and active lives. The Asthma and Allergy
Foundation of America® (AAFA)
American Diabetes Association Home Page
Information you can trust from the diabetes experts... Your American Diabetes
Association. In Diabetes Today. Get the latest news and information about diabetes.
Montgomery County Department of Health
Free Childhood Immunizations
Childhood immunizations include: Td, DTaP, DT, HBV, Hib, MMR, Varicella and IPV
recommended schedule. Free childhood immunizations up to age 18 years old.
Montgomery County Health Department, PA (MCHD)
... is the mission of the Montgomery County Health Department to assure the
provision of services that promote, protect and preserve the public's health.
...
A special thank you to the nursing staff at the School District of Springfield Twp. for generously sharing their web resources with us.
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