Welcome to the Nurse's Office Webpage

My name is Annemarie Russell and I am the school nurse for St. Anthony of Padua Grade School. A little about me...I am married with three daughters who have attended St. Anthony's and Padua Academy. I am originally from Philadelphia and have attended catholic school all of my life. I am a graduate of St. Francis Xavier Grade School, John W. Hallahan Catholic Girls High School, and I earned my Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing from Villanova University. I have been an RN since 1995, with 2 years of adult critical care and 20 years of pediatric critical care/step down experience. I am also a Certified Pediatric Nurse. I am very excited to have this opportunity to provide a safe and healthy environment for your child while they are in school. I will be working with you, your child, and the school staff to address any health needs or special concerns your child may have.

I am available in the school 5 days a week and will be assisting your child with any healthcare needs. Communication with parents/guardians is such an important part of my job. In order to best help your child, I need to know if your child has any specific medical problems. These may include allergies, medications, or chronic conditions. Also, if anything changes with your child throughout the year, such as a medication change, please let me know as soon as possible. My goal is to keep your child healthy so they can concentrate on learning!

Covid-19 Daily Screening Tool

Dear Parent/Guardian,

The Delaware Department of Education and Delaware Department of Health and Social Services’ Division of Public Health (DPH) have requested that we provide you information regarding practices related to COVID-19. To protect our school community, please wear a face covering and practice social distancing when in public. Wash (sanitize) hands regularly and screen students prior to school.

We request that students and/or their families complete this health assessment consisting of a self-screening EVERY morning before leaving for school.

Please answer the following questions:

• In the past 10 days, have you been near (within 6 feet for at least 5 minutes) a person who has a lab-confirmed case of COVID-19, or have you had direct contact with their mucus or saliva (and are unvaccinated)?

• In the last 48 hours, have you had any of the following symptoms?

  • Fever of 100.4 F or above (or symptoms like alternating shivering and sweating)

  • New cough

  • New trouble breathing, shortness of breath or severe wheezing

  • New chills or shaking with chills

  • New muscle aches

  • Sore throat

  • Vomiting or diarrhea

  • New loss of smell or taste, or a change in taste

  • Nausea

  • Fatigue

  • Headache, congestion or runny nose (with no known other cause such as allergies)

If you answered YES to any of the questions above, do NOT send your child (or their siblings) to school today. Instead, contact your child’s primary healthcare provider and school nurse.

(This screening tool was adapted from the Mayo Clinic’s online COVID-19 Self-Assessment. To use the Mayo Clinic’s tool online, visit https://mayoclinic.org/covid-19-self-assessment-tool )

• Students must stay home if they are exhibiting any symptoms, have been confirmed to have COVID-19 or if required by DPH to isolate or quarantine. If your child has had close contact with a person confirmed to have Covid-19, and is unvaccinated, your child must quarantine for 5 days, then mask at school for 5 days. If vaccinated, he/she does not need to quarantine, but must wear at mask at school for 10 days. Keep sick children home. Do not send to school with a fever of 100.4º or greater. Do not give fever reducing meds and then send to school. If a Covid test is recommended, your child must remain home till results come back.

• Teach your children to wash their hands frequently with soap and running water for 20 seconds; cover coughs and sneezes with tissues or by coughing into the inside of the elbow; avoid touching eyes/nose/mouth.

• If negative for Covid-19 (or physician doesn’t recommend testing), students can return to school after 24 hours with no fever (without use of fever reducing meds), and when symptoms have improved. If positive for Covid -19, your child must first isolate at home for 5 days after symptom onset (or positive test result if asymptomatic) and then be fever free for 24 hours. Your child is still contagious for 10 days so he/she will need to mask at school for the next 5 days after he/she returns. Your child is still considered positive, even if he/she tests negative the next day or later that week. Positive individuals may test positive for 90 days. They are only contagious for 10 days, but shed the virus for 90 days. So retesting in that 90 day window is not recommended.

HEALTH REQUIREMENTS

All children entering PRESCHOOL and KINDERGARTEN, and ALL NEW ENTRANTS are required by the Diocese of Wilmington to have proof of the following:

*IMMUNIZATIONS: - children must have already received the following immunizations and provided documentation prior to the start of school:

-Four (4) or more doses of DTaP Vaccine (If a child received the 4th dose of DTaP before the fourth birthday, the child must have a 5th dose)

-Three (3) or more doses of Polio Vaccine (If a child received the 3rd dose of polio before the fourth birthday, a 4th dose is necessary)

-Three (3) doses of Hepatitis B vaccine

-Two (2) doses of MMR vaccine (1st dose given after 12 months; 2nd dose after age 4)

-Two (2) doses of Varicella vaccine (1st dose after 12 months; 2nd dose after age 4)

*HEALTH EXAMINATION:

-a physical examination must be performed within the two years prior to school entry. The required health form (history/physical/Tuberculosis & lead screening/immunizations) must be completed by your healthcare provider and returned to the school nurse within 30 days from the start of school.

*TUBERCULOSIS SCREENING:

-Mantoux skin test results or Risk Assessment questionnaire must be completed within the past 12 months.

*LEAD BLOOD TEST:

-documentation of date with results must be completed for incoming preschool and Kindergarten.

MEDICATIONS

*NON PRESCRIPTION (OVER-THE-COUNTER) MEDICATION

Diocesan policy states that children are not allowed to bring any form of medication to school to administer themselves. This includes Tylenol, cough drops or any other type of over-the-counter medication. The nurse’s office currently stocks the medications that you may have consented to on the back of the yellow emergency card (Tylenol, ibuprofen, Benadryl). If you need another non-prescription medication to be administered, it must be sent in the original container and accompanied by the “non-prescription medication” form or a handwritten note giving parent/guardian consent.

*PRESCRIPTION MEDICATION

All prescription medication administered at school must be in a labeled prescription bottle with specific instructions. If the medication is a controlled substance, it must be personally delivered by the parent/guardian to the school nurse. All prescription medication must be accompanied by the “prescription medication” form containing BOTH - a written order from a licensed healthcare provider and parent/guardian consent. *This includes EpiPens and inhalers, since both are prescribed medications. Please also send these medications in the original box with the prescription label, along with the “prescription medication” form and a completed "action plan" (containing your healthcare provider’s instructions and parent/guardian consent). In the event that you are at the doctor’s office for an unplanned sick visit, you may not have the “prescription medication” form with you. In this case only, the prescription label on the bottle/box can be used as the written order. A handwritten note giving parent/guardian consent is still needed.

All health/medication forms are under the parent section of the school website.

SCREENINGS

Hearing/vision (Grades K, 2, 4, 7) and postural/gait (Grades 5-8) screenings will be conducted by school nurses to students, as required by Delaware state regulations. Hearing/vision & postural/gait screening is usually performed in October/November/December.

Why is screening important?

Hearing - The ability to communicate effectively impacts the well-being of a child, in terms of education, physical and social development. Early identification and intervention of hearing loss is critical in supporting speech/language development and full participation in the learning process. Even mild hearing losses may be educationally and medically significant.

Vision - Vision problems are common amongst school aged children and adolescents. If vision problems are not detected and treated early, they can lead to permanent vision loss and learning difficulties. When a child has an undiagnosed vision problem, it makes it much harder for them to succeed in school, sports, social situations, and in life.

Postural & Gait- For more than 30 years, Delaware students in grades 5 through 9 have been screened annually to detect orthopedic problems such as scoliosis. Scoliosis is a curvature of the spine. This thirty-second screening may result in early detection and treatment, consequently avoiding surgical correction.

How will the results be shared?

If your child passes the screening, you will not be notified by your school nurse. You are welcome to contact the nurse to learn the screening findings. If your child does not pass the screening, the school nurse will contact you to share the results and may make a recommendation for further evaluation by a specialist.

WHEN TO KEEP YOUR CHILD HOME FROM SCHOOL:

*See Covid-19 information above

* Fever - temperature over 100 degrees in the last 24 hours. It is not appropriate to give Tylenol/Ibuprofen and then send to school.

*Vomiting or Diarrhea in the last 24 hours

*Conjunctivitis/Pink Eye - white part of the eye or eyelid is red, with thick drainage. Your child must have started treatment before returning to school.

*Headache/Cough/Sore throat/Congestion severe enough to interfere with the ability to perform schoolwork.

***If your child is sent home from school with a fever/vomiting/diarrhea, they are not to return to school the next day per the 24 hour policy. Your child does not feel well enough to perform school work and they are contagious to their classmates.

Thank you for keeping our school healthy!!

SCHOOL MEDICAL RECORDS

To: Parents/Guardians

For the safety of your child, we need your assistance to keep the yellow emergency cards up to date. Please inform the school nurse at any time during the school year if:

*your child develops a medical condition

*your child begins a new medication/stops taking a medication

*there are medication dosing adjustments

*your child develops an allergy

*your contact information/phone number has changed

St. Anthony’s Substitute School Nurses Needed

-Help out as needed when nurse is absent

-RN with a DE license

-CPR certified

-TB test results

-Background clearance (info available in office)

-Signed “For the Sake of God’s Children” covenant (available in office)

-Will train

-School day hours: 8am-3pm

-Email arussell@stanthonynet.org