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In the news:
School attendance being closely monitored for effects of H1N1 virus Attendance in schools in Prince William County Public Schools (PWCS) is being closely monitored for the effects of the H1N1 virus, and absences among students and staff are trending upward, particularly at the elementary school level. Attendance data are being tracked to identify potential trends and areas where there may be higher reports of absences due to symptoms of Influenza Like Illness (ILI). However, it is important to note that these figures include absences for any reason, not just ILI. Some schools have shown student absences of 15 percent or above on a given day, but Divisionwide, data show that student absences are near 10 percent on average, compared to the normal 3-5 percent. Staff absences are about 3 percent on a given day, an increase from the normal rate of less than 1 percent on average. As has been communicated previously, in accordance with the Center of Disease Control (CDC) guidance, the Prince William Health District (PWHD) is not testing all students/staff having ILI symptoms for the H1N1 virus. Therefore, it is impossible to know which cases are, indeed, caused by the H1N1 virus. However, since we know the virus is circulating in the community, and due to the number of students/staff who are ill, we continue to provide updated information through schools and on the PWCS Web site (at pwcs.edu) as part of our ongoing efforts to keep our community fully informed of important school-related news. PWCS is working in concert with the PWHD and following the guidance of the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) and the CDC. All appropriate measures are being taken to ensure the health of all PWCS students and staff, including the use of approved disinfectant detergents that kill viruses such as H1N1. Please continue to monitor your children for any of the symptoms of influenza, which include fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue, and occasionally vomiting and diarrhea. If your child is experiencing any symptoms which you are concerned about, please keep your child at home and contact your child’s healthcare provider. As a continued reminder, there are simple steps that can be taken to keep families healthy. These include: Wash your hands frequently with soap and warm water. Clean hands with an alcohol-based hand cleaner if soap and water are not available. Cover your nose and mouth with your sleeve or a tissue when you cough or sneeze Stay home when you are sick. Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth to prevent the spread of germs. Avoid close contact with those who have symptoms of flu. If you need to seek care for you or your child, please call ahead to your health care provider’s office and tell them what symptoms you have, so they can see you quickly and prevent exposing other people in the waiting room. The health and safety of our students is always of the utmost importance. Please refer to the PWCS Web site at pwcs.edu, or the VDH Web site at www.vdh.virginia.gov for more information and for helpful resources regarding ILI and the H1N1 Virus.
When Should Your Child Stay Home?
When deciding whether or not to send your child to school, please consider the following guidelines. FEVER-Your child should stay home with a temperature greater than 100 degrees. They should return to school only after their temperature has been below 100, without fever medications, for at least 24 hours. Keep your child home under the following conditions: VOMITING and DIARRHEA-even if just once FREQUENT COUGH-if congested (wet) or croup-sounding cough EXCESSIVE NASAL CONGESTION-with runny nose or frequent need to blow
Please remember it is an extremely long day for a child who is sent to school ill. Remaining at home will help minimize the spread of the infections and viruses in the classroom. We appreciate your help with keeping all our Marshall students healthy and ready to learn. Please contact our school nurse, Joyce Campbell, R.N., if you have any questions or concerns. (703.791.2099)
Responsibility of Parents/Guardians It is the policy of Prince William County Schools and Thurgood Marshall Elementary School that parents/guardians are responsible for picking up their child in a timely manner when they are notified by the school that their child has complained of illness or injury while at school. We are not equipped to care for an ill or injured student for an indefinite amount of time. A sick child belongs at home and should not be in school. Parents/guardians are to pick-up their child within forty minutes of notification of their child’s illness or injury at school. If the parent/guardian is unable to come to the school when notified, it is the responsibility of the parent/guardian to make arrangements for another responsible person or someone who is listed on the child’s Emergency Information Card to act on their behalf and pick the child up at school. Please make arrangements for such an event in advance. The fact that a parent works does not excuse him/her from that responsibility. Please keep your child’s Emergency Information Card current. Be sure to inform the school when phone numbers or emergency contacts change. For the health and safety of all students and staff at Thurgood Marshall, please do not send a sick child to school. Note Prince William County School Regulation 758-1 regarding: Illness or Injury Exclusion Criteria.
Choosing healthy snacks means shopping smart. Be cautious of the health claims on food packages. Here are some things to watch for: Just because something is “all natural” or “pure” doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s nutritious. For example, “all natural” juice drinks or sodas can be filled with sugar (which is, after all, a natural ingredient) but all that sugar means they’ll be high in calories and give you little nutrition. A granola bar is a good example of a snack that people think is healthy. Although granola bars can be a good source of certain vitamins and nutrients, many also contain a great deal of fat, including a particularly harmful type of fat called trans fat. On average, about 35% of the calories in a regular granola bar come from fat. Also, there can be a lot of sugar in granola cereals and bars. Check the Nutrition Facts label on the package to be sure. Be skeptical of low-fat claims, too. If the fat has been eliminated or cut back, the amount of sugar in the food may have increased to keep that food tasting good. Many low-fat foods have nearly as many calories as their full-fat versions. The best way to judge whether a food is healthy for you is to read the ingredients and nutrition information on the food label. Good nutrition tip from kidsHealth.org
Those sixth grade students who do not obtain and provide appropriate documentation of the Tdap booster will be excluded from school until this immunization requirement is satisfied. All PWCS students must meet all
Tdap boosters may be obtained from your doctor, military clinics, or the health department. For those who wish to receive this immunization at the Health Department, please bring the following documents: your child’s immunization record, social security number, insurance card if privately insured, and if your child has Medicaid, please bring their current Medicaid card. Written documentation must be provided to your child’s school upon completion of this requirement. The new Tdap booster requirement was initiated at the recommendation of the Virginia Department of Health and by other medical experts to give adolescents added protection against tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis (better known as whooping cough). These potentially serious ailments are largely preventable with proper vaccination. Please, protect your child and ensure that he/she meets all school immunization requirements by arranging for the Tdap booster before entering 6th grade. If you have questions regarding this information, please contact |
Judging Whether Snacks Are Healthy
A Tdap booster shot is required for sixth grade students. A measure passed by the Virginia General Assembly in July, 2006, required all sixth grade students to have documentation of a Tdap booster shot prior to the start of school in September.
