I hope you are all having a wonderful new year! As the winter season progresses, I want to remind you about the importance of keeping your child at home when they are unwell. This not only safeguards their health but also that of their classmates and teachers. It is our collective responsibility to ensure the safety of everyone in our community.
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health recommends the following guidelines to keep children home from school:
- Fever: Temperature of 100.0 or greater - Your child must stay home for 24 hours after the fever has dropped and no fever reducing medication has been given in a 24 hour span of time.
- Diarrhea: Your child must stay home until there is no more diarrhea for 24 hours.
- Vomiting: Your child must stay home until vomiting has stopped for at least 24 hours.
- Cold symptoms: Frequent cough, runny nose, sneezing (not necessarily associated with a fever)-Please test for COVID 19. If negative, please use your best judgment when sending your child to school. If positive, please call the health office.
- Remind your child to cough or sneeze into elbow and not into hands. Encourage frequent hand washing.
- Contagious illnesses: (such as Strep throat* or conjunctivitis), Your child needs to have taken at least 24 hours of prescribed medication before coming back to school.
- Rashes: Rashes need to be evaluated by a doctor to determine cause and treatment
* According to the Centers for Disease Control, the symptoms of strep may include:
- Fever (100.0 or higher)
- Sore throat with or without swollen, red tonsils
- Difficulty swallowing
- Headache, when combined with sore throat
- Stomachache, when combined with sore throat
- Body aches
(It is important to note that not all sore throats are caused by strep throat, and a lab test is needed to confirm a strep infection.)
We understand the difficulties that arise when keeping your child at home, but we urge you to prioritize their health and safety. With your cooperation, we can create a safe and healthy environment for everyone.
We could always use clothing donations in the health office. Maybe you have done some new year's cleaning and organizing and have some items to donate.
The following items are always welcome and very much appreciated:
- Pants---sweatpants, leggings or elastic waist pants are preferred because they can fit many sizes and body types
- New unused underwear (especially boys) any sizes
**If your child needed to borrow an item, please wash and return (besides underwear-you can keep
those) as soon possible so they are available for other students to use.
Thank you!
