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Greetings Mustangs!
We are officially welcoming the fall season and enjoying cooler temperatures! We are also entering the beginning of cold and flu season, so now is a wonderful time to get your annual flu shot, embrace health living and boost our immune systems. Here are a few tips to help you and your student stay healthy this fall:
1. Enjoy Seasonal Produce: Autumn brings a bounty of delicious and nutritious fruits and vegetables. Incorporate items like apples, pumpkins, squash, sweet potatoes, and Brussels sprouts into your meals. These foods are not only tasty but also rich in vitamins and antioxidants.
2. Hydrate: While it may not be as hot as summer, staying hydrated is still important. The drier air and indoor heating can lead to dehydration, so be sure to drink enough water throughout the day. This, along with the use of saline nasal spray and cool mist humidifiers at night, will help to thin any secretions or congestion that may be present when we are experiencing sinus symptoms.
3. Boost Your Immunity: Focus on maintaining a strong immune system by eating a balanced diet, getting enough sleep, and considering supplements, like vitamin C and zinc, if needed.
4. Get Adequate Sleep: With the change in daylight hours, ensure you get enough quality sleep. A consistent sleep schedule can help regulate your body’s internal clock.
5. Maintain Good Hygiene: Continue to practice good hand hygiene and cleanliness to prevent the spread of germs. Wash your hands frequently. While alcohol-based hand sanitizers are good, fast and easy, using friction to wash hands with soap and water is even better! Here are some tips for proper handwashing:
Wet your hands with clean, running water and apply soap.
Rub your hands together to create a lather and scrub all surfaces of your hands.
Continue rubbing your hands for at least 20 seconds. Need a timer? Sing “Happy Birthday” from beginning to end twice.
Rinse your hands well under clean, running water.
Dry your hands using a clean towel or air dry them.
6. Manage Allergies: For those with seasonal allergies, fall can be challenging. Stay informed about pollen levels and consider using air purifiers or allergy medications as needed. Visit the air quality guidelines for outdoor activities page for more information.
7. Prepare for Illness: Getting your annual flu shot is one of the best ways to protect your family. Flu shots are recommended for everyone six months of age and older. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that people get vaccinated against the flu starting in October. The earlier you get your shot, the sooner your immune system can start producing antibodies — typically within two weeks. However, getting vaccinated later is still beneficial and can help protect you through the end of flu season.
I want to encourage you to review When To Keep Your Child Home From School and Respiratory Virus School Guidance, linked from the Denton ISD website under the Health Services tab. Follow these guidelines for the health and well-being of our students, staff and families. This is such a fun time for our students to enjoy the changing of the season, activities and events, and to learn about all of the ways we are responsible for keeping ourselves, our school and our greater community safe and healthy, so please share these tips with them.
If you still need to turn in medications such as inhalers or epi-pens, please review Medication Parent Permission Form for DISD medication policy and to fill out a permission form when turning in medication at school. I am available for parents to turn in medications with paperwork between 7:25am-3:35pm during the school week.
If you have not already done so, please upload immunization records at this link now and at any time throughout the school year when your child receives new immunizations to avoid receiving delinquency notices. Visit this link if you need more information on the immunization schedule by grade level. If you are turning in an immunization exemption form, you must supply the school with the original, notarized exemption form. The form is valid for 2 years from the notarized date and a new notarized form is required upon expiration. For more information, or to request an immunization exemption form, please visit Texas Immunization Exemptions.
Please be aware, as per Senate Bill 12, we are now required to get written consent for annual health screenings at school. This is a change from years passed, so please, if you have not already done so, fill out the form as soon as you are able to ensure your child is screened in a timely manner, as I have already begun these screenings. Parents and guardians can submit the required authorization form online by visiting: www.dentonisd.org/healthscreenings. Consent will also be required for screening referrals from school SPED specialists. Please see below what grades will participate in annual health screenings and what screenings they will have:
Kinder– Vision and Hearing
1st, 3rd, 5th – Vision, Hearing, and Type II Diabetes Risk Assessment
If your student wears glasses or contacts, it is important that they wear them daily to prevent an unnecessary health referral. If your child has hearing loss and is under the care of a physician, you may submit documentation to skip the referral process. If your child does not meet the screening requirements, you will get an email from me with a referral for additional health screenings. Female students aged 10, or in their fall semester of 5th grade, will have spinal screenings completed. If you would like more information regarding required health screenings, please visit the following websites: Vision, Hearing, Type II Diabetes Risk Assessment, Spinal.
As always, please reach me via email with any questions going forward.
Take care,
Lauren Garner, RN, BSN
Shultz Elementary School Nurse
(940) 369-4507
Medication Parent Permission Form
Student Immunization Documents Upload
When to keep your child home from school
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