Diane Celi, M.Ed, BSN, RN, NCSN
Tel: 781-861-2510, Option #2
Fax: 781-861-2303
dceli@lexingtonma.org
Welcome to the Bridge School Health Office Website!
Please reference the main page of the Lexington Public Schools Nurses website and the links on the left for information regarding district polices, procedures, immunization requirements for school entry, FAQ’s, health links, and all downloadable health forms that you may need.
Click here to view the March 17, 2016 Kindergarten Orientation PowerPoint Presentation for a review of school entry requirements in Massachusetts as well as more specific information on district policies and guidelines.
As our home page suggests please help me care to for your child by contacting me if your child has:
any chronic or acute illnesses
a new medication or change in medication dosage
been exposed to a communicable disease such as a strep throat infection, chicken pox, or conjunctivitis
a life-threatening or new allergy
a serious injury requiring hospitalization, or a diagnosed head concussion
an injury requiring casting, sutures, a splint, or mobility assistance of crutches or wheelchair
Please be in touch at any time to share important information that may impact your child:
Updating the phone numbers on your child’s school record so the nurse can always reach you
Sharing if there is an event at home or in the family that may impact your child at school such as military deployment, birth, or death of a family member or of a beloved pet.
Please keep your child home when the following symptoms are present
Temperature of 100 degrees F or greater within the past 24 hours
Vomiting or diarrhea occurring within the past 24 hours
Strep infections of any kind, untreated ringworm, conjunctivitis, or impetigo. These are all contagious infections and must be treated with medication for at least 24 hours before returning to school
Rash of unknown origin – this may indicate many different things and should be checked by your pediatrician
Untreated head lice (pediculosis) infestation.
Children with pain should be taken seriously. Earaches, toothaches, and headaches should be evaluated.
Please be sure to dress your child for the cold weather.
This informative guide from the CDC offers excellent information on health and safety during the cold winter months.
Although students will remain indoors throughout the school day when temperatures drop to below 18 degrees Fahrenheit, factoring in the wind chill, it is imperative to be cognizant of the fact that students must be prepared to evacuate the building regardless of the temperature or weather conditions. The following link Child Care Weather Watch is an informative reference regarding air temperature and the wind chill factor.
The Lexington Public Schools Wellness Policy Implementation Guidelines July 2012 references this policy. These guidelines also include information on physical activity during the school day, nutrition, nutritional guidelines for food and beverages served, offered, or sold, as well as the Massachusetts School Nutrition Regulations for Competitive Foods and Beverages. Parents are encouraged to send their children to school with healthy snacks.
The following information is excerpted from page two of these guidelines and offers guidance regarding district policy on outdoor recess:
At the elementary level the following requirements will be implemented:
1. All elementary schools will adhere to standardized decision making for outdoor recess based on weather conditions; when the temperature declines to18 degrees F factoring in wind chill, outdoor recess will be cancelled.
2. Playground safety at each location will factor in the principal’s decision regarding indoor or outdoor recess.
3. It is the parent/guardians’ responsibility to ensure that their children come to school dressed appropriately for the weather so that all may participate in the benefits of outdoor play activity and socialization. Parents will be called to bring in appropriate attire or supply replacement clothing when necessary. The school is not responsible for providing clothing to children.
**At Bridge we recommend that parents send in a change of clothing for their child to keep in their locker.
Wellness Campaign
In October 2014 our students gathered for a morning meeting and viewed a power point presentation on hand washing that I created especially for them. Perhaps your children have mentioned this to you. They were quite enthusiastic and really enjoyed the Scrub-a-Dub-Dub video at the end. In order to view the video simply right-click on Scrub-a-Dub-Dub on slide #12 and choose “Open Hyperlink”. Wellness Campaign: Hand washing PPT
The following links offer additional helpful information and guidance regarding illness prevention and the flu:
Preventing the Flu: Good Health Habits Can Help Stop Germs
http://www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/habits.htm
Cold versus Flu: How to Tell the Difference
http://www.mass.gov/eohhs/docs/dph/cdc/flu/cold-flu-comparison.pdf
The Flu: A Guide for Parents
http://www.cdc.gov/flu/pdf/freeresources/updated/fluguideforparents.pdf
Weekly U.S. Influenza Surveillance Report
http://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/
Head Lice
Head lice is a topic which is frequently of interest to parents of elementary school-aged children The district protocol for the management of pediculosis can be viewed by clicking to the left on our Policies, Procedures, and Guidelines link.
It is recommended that parents check their children’s hair weekly (take-a peek, once-a-week) for any evidence of pediculosis.
If head lice is discovered parents should do the following:
1. Treat the infestation in accordance with the recommendation of their child’s pediatrician and remove as many nits as possible before returning to school.
2. Notify close contacts- family and friends so that they can check their children’s heads.
3. Notify the school nurse and bring the child to the health office for a head check before their return to the classroom. School nurses will offer guidance and support to families while maintaining confidentiality. Preventing the stigmatization of the student and family is essential. The National Association of School Nurses in their Position Statement, revised January, 2011, addresses this issue and offers additional guidance: https://www.nasn.org/PolicyAdvocacy/PositionPapersandReports/NASNPositionStatementsFullView/tabid/462/ArticleId/40/Pediculosis-Management-in-the-School-Setting-Revised-2011
4. Families should continue to comb, inspect their child’s head, and manually remove nits daily.
5. A recheck of the child’s head will be scheduled with the school nurse in 1 week.
Myths and Facts About Head Lice
The following link to the CDC website is shared to offer additional information to families http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/lice/head/parents.html
These images may be helpful to parents who have never seen head lice as they examine their child’s head.
Checking weekly will ensure that if an infestation is discovered it will be in its’ early stages.
Please stop by the health office with your child at any time for assistance if you question if you have identified pediculosis.
School nursing is a specialized practice of professional nursing that advances the well-being, academic success and life-long achievement and health of students. To that end, school nurses facilitate positive student responses to normal development; promote health and safety including a healthy environment; intervene with actual and potential health problems; provide case management services; and actively collaborate with others to build student and family capacity for adaptation, self-management, self advocacy, and learning (NASN, 2010)
Dr. Julie Hackett, Superintendent
146 Maple Street, Lexington, MA 02420
Phone: 781-861-2580 | Fax: 781-863-5829
Send feedback to
lpswebadmin@lexingtonma.org
