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10/5/2020

Families of Mendell Elementary,

My name is Jasmine Idiokitas and I will be your student's full time school nurse for the 2020-2021 school year. I am excited to be back in the building, meet your children, and provide them with the support/care they need. As a BPS nurse, our mission is to foster growth and development by promoting health and wellness and to provide for the health and safety of every student. Some of the work I do as a school nurse include providing emergency care, administer medications, help families meet immunization compliance and address physical, mental, emotional and social health needs of our students to support their achievement in the learning process.

Covid-19 has caused us to change the way we approach health, learning, and communicating. So this year we will collaborate to ensure all students have a safe and healthy year in school.

Please view the following as we prepare to phase in more students in the school building. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions, 617-635-8234 (ask to speak with the nurse), Virtual Nurses Office, Email- Jidiokitas@Bostonpublicschools.org

Thank you for all your hard work and support. I look forward to helping our students have a happy, healthy, safe, and fun school year!

Nurse Jasmine

Home Health Screening for Students

Students cannot be successful without the support of their families. During this time, it is especially important that we partner together in order to support our students academically and socio-emotionally.

Parents/guardians can prepare their children for the changes that will take place this school year by modeling and encouraging preventive and healthy behaviors at home. Before students leave for school each day, there are a few steps to ensure that their child is safe and ready for school. This will include assessing the child for illness or a fever, keeping them home if they have either, and ensuring that students have their learning materials prepared for the day.

The CDC currently recommends universal symptom screenings at home prior to arrival to school/work and not upon arrival to school buildings. Parents/guardians and all employees are tasked with monitoring their children for signs of infectious illness every day. [Home Health Checklist]

Student Medications

Medication Drop-Off and Pick-Up Due to the COVID-19 pandemic: BPS has limited access to school buildings to students and staff only. If your student requires prescribed medication during school hours please make arrangements for drop off before/after school with the school nurse via phone/email. Virtual Nurses Office. If your student has as-needed medications (i.e. asthma inhaler/epi pen), there will be a designated staff member at the entrance to collect medications and appropriate paperwork. Please do not give medications to students or place them in backpacks.

Please complete the OTC Consent Form in order for your student to receive over the counter medications(tylenol, motrin, benadryl) while at school.

Immunizations/Physical Exams

Immunization Requirements/Records Immunization requirements should continue to be followed. Documentation of immunization status should be submitted to schools within 60 days of school start. Records can be mailed to the school or faxed from the PCP's office. (fax # 617-635-8238)

**Note that beginning with the 2020-2021 school year, influenza vaccine is required for all students. Students must receive influenza vaccine for the current season by December 31, 2020, and students newly enrolling between January 1^st and March 31^{st .}

The current public health emergency has created delays at many medical offices and increased the use of telemedicine, therefore some flexibility in timing and modality of PE's has been granted. Please make all efforts to provide up to date PE's for this school year. Students new to the school, whether transferring from another school or entering prek/kindergarten are required to submit an in person PE conducted 1 yr to 90 days prior to the start of school.

Mandated Screenings

At this time, requirements for health screenings (vision, hearing, height, weight, postural) was suspended on April 28, 2020. Once the waiver is lifted, screening should resume as soon as possible, and more information will be sent home to families.