HEALTH SERVICES

The Saddle River Board of Education employs a full-time certified School Nurse at Wandell School. The health office is open from 8 AM-3 PM daily. Parents can contact the school nurse at 201-327-0727 ext. 212.  A pediatrician is also employed as a medical inspector for the school. Please know that you have an extended family of concerned people here at Wandell. In case of minor injury that does not require the services of a physician, the nurse will administer first aid and send the student back to class. In cases of serious injury, the nurse will give emergency first aid and efforts will be made to notify the parents/legal guardian immediately. If a parent cannot be located, the nurse will call the emergency numbers listed on the emergency form. (Parents should make sure there are two correct numbers on the form). If necessary, the students physician will be called or the student will be taken to the emergency room. The school nurse will not administer any medication (including Tylenol, Advil) without written permission from both the students physician and parent/legal guardian (see Medications section below).

ABSENCES

We attempt to account for each child every day they are not in attendance here at school. Please notify the school when you know your child will be absent. If you know in advance that it will be several days, you can explain that in one call. If you are uncertain, you must call each day. Do not assume that we know that your child is safe with you. We must know for sure. Upon return, please send a note explaining the absence. Contagious diseases include, among others: rubella (German measles), chicken pox, hepatitis, mononucleosis, mumps, smallpox, measles, impetigo, scabies, tuberculosis, ringworm and pinworm, scarlet fever, rheumatic fever, whooping cough, conjunctivitis, strep throat and pneumonia. We appreciate receiving as much information about illnesses as you can provide. By keeping us informed, we can try to control the spread of disease here in school.

 

 

CHILD ABUSE/NEGLECT

New Jersey Law (N.J.S.A. 9:6-8.10) and the Saddle River Board of Education policy require that any person having reasonable cause to believe that a child has been subjected to acts of child abuse or neglect shall report it immediately to the Division of Youth and Family Services (DYFS).

This means that we are required to report any suspicious marks or bruises. It is not our responsibility to question you and we are not permitted to notify you that we are calling DYFS.

Frequently, the school nurse gets calls from parents asking how long to keep a child home from school. Although the answer varies from child to child, here are a few suggestions:

1. If your child has an infection and is taking antibiotics, he/she should not come back to school for 24 hours after the first dose of the antibiotic.

2. Any child with a fever (i.e. temperature greater than 100 degrees F) should not attend school. Children should be fever free for a period of twenty-four hours before returning to school.

3. If your child vomits or has a stomach virus or diarrhea in the morning before school, he/she should not attend school that day.

4. A child who wakes up with an itchy, crusty, red eye should not come back to school without first seeing a physician to rule out "pink eye." If "pink eye" (conjunctivitis) is diagnosed, 24 hours is usually needed for drops or ointment to begin fighting the infection.

5. If your child has "chicken pox" (varicella), he or she should remain home until the last crop of pox has scabbed over, generally five to six days. Of note, the period of highest contagion is the two days prior to eruption of the first pox.

6. If your child has a runny nose (or persistent cough), please do not send him/her to school if the mucous is not clear. Yellowish or green mucous is an indication that there is an infection and the child is contagious.

7. Any student diagnosed with lice must be treated with a special shampoo and be nit-free before returning to school. Please notify the school so we can check students for new cases and contact other parents. A letter will be sent home to all parents at that grade level when a case of lice has been detected by the school nurse or reported by a parent. All students are screened at the beginning of the school year and periodically thereafter.

8. Play during recess and participation in gym class are a part of the days activities. If a student is too ill to participate, he/she should not be in school.

Please help us to control the spread of illness at school by following the guidelines above.

Emergency forms are sent home with report cards in June for the upcoming school year. They need to be completed and returned to school on or before the first day of school. One form is kept in the main office and another is kept in the health office. Please complete the form in its entirety and update the information during the school year as needed. Be sure the people you have listed as emergency contacts are available during the day and know you have listed them.

HELPFUL HINTS

Breakfast: Please be sure your child eats a nutritious breakfast each day.

Dress: Dress your child knowing that they will have a busy, active day here in school.

Unless the weather is extreme, they will be outdoors for recess.

Insist that they wear hats, gloves, sweaters and comfortable, safe shoes (no flip-flops).

Personal Possessions: Place your childs name on eyeglasses, glass cases, lunch boxes, toys, clothing and other personal belongings.

Restrictions: Please alert us as to any dietary or physical restrictions that your child/family is known to have. If your child has had surgery or suffered any kind of orthopedic injury, a note from your physician will be required before resuming a full physical education program.

All students must show proof of immunizations according to New Jersey State Administrative Code, Chapter 14.

All newly enrolled students and staff transferring from out-of-state or country must have a Mantoux (TB) test.

Medical history/physical forms are sent home with report cards in June or distributed to new students at Kindergarten orientation or registration. Parents/legal guardians should complete this form prior to the first day of school in order for the nurse to compile a medic alert list to be distributed to staff members. This lists alerts them of any allergies or serious conditions that the parents wish to make known to the staff.

"Request for Medication" forms are sent home in June with report cards for the following school year. They are given to parents of incoming Kindergarten students at Orientation.

In order for the school nurse to administer any medication (prescription and/or over-the- counter), a "Request for Medication" form must be filled out by the doctor and cosigned by a parent or guardian. Over the counter medications must be in their original containers. Students are not permitted to have any medications in their possession during the school day. Exceptions to this rule are asthmatic and allergic students that have parental and physician approval to carry inhalers or epipens. All prescription medication must be brought in by an adult in its original pharmacy container and labeled with the childs name, the name of the medicine, the dose, the route (oral/injectable) and time of administration.

In the event the school nurse is absent and a substitute nurse is not available, we may ask you to come in to medicate your child.

All students enrolled in Wandell School must have a physical examination by a physician upon enrollment, for athletic clearance, and before entering third grade. A student will not be allowed to participate in preseason practice or athletics until a completed physical and emergency form have been submitted. You are encouraged to have this done privately. If you wish to have the examination done by the school physician, please contact the nurse to make arrangements (#201-327-0727, x212).

All students are weighed and measured yearly to monitor their growth. Hearing, vision and scoliosis screenings are also performed. These are only superficial screenings, not diagnostic evaluations. If necessary, you will receive a written notice of referral from the school nurse. Please return the vision, hearing, and/or scoliosis examination referral report after you have followed up with your childs physician.

On August 27, 2001 P.L.2001, Chapter 226 was approved and states, "The board of education of each school district shall make and enforce regulations to prohibit the smoking of tobacco anywhere in its building or on school grounds."

 ACCIDENTS

Every effort is made to prevent accidents. However, sometimes accidents do occur. It is the responsibility of the student to report any accident occurring at school to the nurse or school staff member.

Peer Mediation Being Used to Alleviate Conflicts

Peer Mediation is being employed at Wandell to help students talk and listen to each others point of view in order to find cooperative and fair solutions to problems.  After formal training led by program coordinator Mrs. English, selected 4th and 5th grade students serve as mediators to assist disputants in keeping the lines of communication open in order to resolve conflicts that occur during lunchtime and recess.  The mediators are trained to help students settle their disputes creatively and cooperatively.  In addition to peer mediation, all students are learning about conflict resolution and Win/Win guidelines as a way to acquire skills to solve disagreements peacefully while building lifelong habits to improve their relationships with one another.