Welcome to the KES Health Office Web Page!
Stephanie Klemarczyk, RN
School Nurse
From this site you will be able to access information on various health related issues that are important to the families, staff, and students at Kensington Elementary School. I will also post information from the Wellness Advisory Committee, including recipes.
The navigation bar at the left contains links to information that is frequently requested from the school nurse.
Spring has sprung! And so have the birds, bees and ticks - just a reminder that if you want your child to wear bug spray, you need to put it on them before they come to school. We cannot do it here at the school. Thank you!
**The pile of lost and found is growing quickly! Please come in and take a look. There are lots of mittens, gloves and hats, as well as snowpants, jackets and pullovers**
Health Guidelines for KES
or, "Should my child stay home today?"
(Courtesy of Beth Brown, RN)
One of the most common dilemmas families have is knowing when to keep sick children home from school. Sick children should not be in school not only for their own well-being, but also for the well-being of others. Children are a major source of epidemics such as influenza in the greater community; a sick child will infect his/her teacher, other children, and in turn, those children’s parents, siblings, etc. Please help to break this cycle by keeping your child home when they might be ill and contagious.
Often the first sign of illness is a change in behavior, such as irritability or extreme tiredness. A fever may or may not be present. When your child shows signs of not feeling well, it’s best to keep them home from school so you (and possibly their health care provider) can further evaluate their condition.
These are some of the symptoms of illness that may cause you to keep your child home from school:
Nausea/vomiting
Diarrhea
Headache/stomachache (worse than usual)
Earache
Sore throat
Drainage from red eyes
Strong, persistent cough, that keeps the child up at night
Extreme tiredness, not feeling well enough to participate in school activities, whiny, fussy
Fever
(it’s recommended that a child stay home until his/her temperature is below 99.5 degrees for at least 24 hours before coming to school. Usually temperatures are lower in the morning and rise during the day.)
When a child shows signs of illness at school, a parent or an emergency contact will be called to come pick up the child as soon as possible. We know that for working parents, taking time from work may be difficult, so please arrange an emergency contact person who will be willing to pick up your child in cases of illness. Please notify the school office in writing if there are any changes in telephone numbers on the student’s emergency contact form.
Good hygiene habits help to keep everyone well, such as covering mouths when coughing and sneezing, and, especially, good hand washing. Please reinforce these habits with your child. Other recommendations are to encourage drinking plenty of water and 10+ hours of sleep at night.
Also, please be advised that children will go out to recess every day that it is not actively raining, or the windchill is below 15 degrees. Please send your child to school appropriately dressed for the weather, particularly now that the days are getting cooler!
If you ever have any questions about sending a child to school when s/he may be not be feeling well, please call your health care provider or me at 772-5705.
Wellness Advisory Committee
Our healthy snack taste testing was a great success! The children enjoyed trying new snacks and they learned about where these foods all fit on the food pyramid. Thank you very much to the volunteers who helped us with the preparing and serving of the food. We could not have done it without you!
Some of you have called with questions regarding what to bring to holiday celebrations. Below are the guidelines we sent home last year after the Wellness Policy was passed.
1. Policy does not dictate no sugar/no fat - it requests that school sponsored snacks be moderate, low sugar, low fat and nutrient dense.
2. Birthday parties/recognition should be arranged between parent/teacher, but should not include a group snack. Possible suggestions for birthdays are: book to the library from the birthday child, lunch with special adult in the school, etc. Teachers are best resource for how to celebrate a special day in the classroom.
3. Classroom projects such as gingerbread houses can still be done. Microsociety can still be done as long as teacher/parents are mindful of what is being brought in. Candy/sweets should not be used as a reward in the classroom.
4. Classroom holiday celebrations: Room mothers can contact either Stephanie Klemarczyk or Lili Spinosa with questions. Our goal is to keep a balance; i.e., sweets are ok, but should be balanced with more healthful choices.
Recipe of the Week
Granola Circles
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup canola oil or other vegetable oil
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 cups regular oats
1 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 teaspoon salt
Preheat oven to 350o. Spray non-stick cooking spray into each muffin cup.
Mix brown sugar, oil and eggs in a large bowl until smooth.~Combine the~flour and baking powder in a separate bowl. Stir~flour/baking powder mix and~remaining ingredients into the sugar/oil mixture. Drop~a heaping tablespoon of batter into each muffin cup. Spread batter with spoon or fingers to evenly cover the bottom of the muffin cup. Bake until edges are brown, about 12 minutes.~Let sit a~few minutes in the muffin pan~then remove for complete cooling. Makes approximately 48 granola circles.
| 
Kensington Home