Dear Families and students,

I have accepted a full time position at Smilie Memorial School next year. I have enjoyed my time here at UID getting to know you! Each of you holds a special place in my heart. I will miss you! I want to thank each of you for your part in enriching my time here. UID is a terrific community and you have all made it what it is; a wonderful place to be! 

Sincerely,

Nurse Kristen

June 3, 2016
Dear Parents,

Each of us dreads the thought that it will be our child that gets lice. The best advice that I can give you is to check your child's head regularly, once a week preferably. Below you will find more information on preventing the spread of lice. If you would like more information, please refer to the Lice page of the Health Blog or contact me in the Health Office.

New Evidence Based Information on Head Lice                                          

Here are some general guidelines and updated evidence based information on lice.

General Guidelines for Staff:

Head Lice:

Remind Students to:

1) Keep heads from touching when lying on the floor or sitting in comfy reading areas (No heads resting on pillows).

2) Do not share hats, combs, hairbrushes, or hair accessories.

General Guidelines for Parents:

Head Lice:

1) Do not share hats, combs, hairbrushes, or hair accessories with friends.

2) Keeping long hair up/back in a braid, pony tail, or pig tails is helpful (not mandatory) while at school and when in close contact with friends; e.g.: summer camps, play dates, overnights, etc....

3) Weekly home head checks are recommended.

General Guidelines for Students:

1) Do not share hats, combs, hairbrushes, or hair accessories with friends.

2) Keep heads from touching when lying on the floor or sitting in comfy reading areas (No heads resting on pillows).

3) If your head feels itchy and you have been scratching your head more than usual, have your parents check your head.

Lice are often not found until the lice are well established. This could take from 6-8 weeks or longer. For this reason CESU school nurses strongly recommend regular home checks. Regular home checks will catch lice before they become well established. Evidence based practice says that only close contacts and family members need to be contacted and screened.

Transmission of lice in school is rare; only 1 out of 10 cases are transmitted at school. The most common times for lice to be transmitted are during summer, winter and spring breaks and whenever children are in the community for extended periods of time together.Once the children are back in school, this is the time when we notice the itching because the children are now still enough to take notice of it.

Lice do not jump. They like to stay close to the scalp where it is warm and they can feed. Lice cannot live off the head for more than 24 hours. Eggs will not hatch off the scalp. Eggs need warmth to hatch. Any eggs farther than 1/4 inch from the head are not viable.

Evidence based practice recommends checking close family members and close contacts. It is not recommended to do mass screenings. We need to remember, that lice are in the community at all times. When we hear of a case we tend to panic. None of us want to get lice. By following the general lice guidelines, you should be able to avoid the chances of getting lice.

Please also refer to the CESU website for Management and Procedures for Head Lice within the district.

http://cesu-nurses-information.cesu.k12.vt.us/modules/locker/files/group_files.phtml?parent=17031042&gid=2296367&sessionid=1446b85c1a3a88e88f9fd892f9cc1c99

Sincerely,

Kristen Taylor, RN

899-4680

kristen.taylor@cesuvt.org

Dear Parents/Guardians,

The nice weather is here!! The students are enjoying getting outside and playing hard. We are asking that students wear sneakers/or closed toed shoes with grip while playing on the playground. Sandals don't protect their feet/ankles well enough while playing and running.
If your child wears sandals to school, please remind them to bring sneakers to wear for recess. They can play harder, run easier and protect their feet while doing so.

Thank you,

Nurse Kristen

Dear Families,

What a mild winter we have had! Unfortunately, we haven't had much snow to play in this year, but I hope you are finding ways to get out and have some fun in our beautiful state of Vermont!

Just a few reminders:

      1. Good hand washing is key to making this a healthy winter. Remember to keep your hands away from your face and mouth, unless you have just washed your hands. This helps to prevent the spread of germs.

                a. Good Hand washing includes warm running water, scrubbing backs and fronts of hands and in between fingers with soap for 20 seconds before rinsing hands in water.

                b. Use a dry, clean paper towel to dry hands and use the paper towel to turn the faucet off.

      2.  Even with the milder temperatures, we are asking that students wear their snow pants, boots, gloves and hats outside as they help to soften a fall (especially with all the ice we have had lately) and they help to keep your students clothes and feet dry. 

      3. Lice are alive and well in the community. Please check your students heads regularly at home. Most cases of head lice are transferred from child to child while at home during play dates and over nights. Only one out of ten cases of lice are transferred in school. If you are concerned about lice at school, you can put your child's hair up in a pony tail or braid. This seems to give some protection against the transfer of lice. Students are taught not to share personal items such as combs, brushes and hats. Students are also taught not to sit so close that their heads are touching. Students may lean their upper backs on pillows, but do not rest their heads and shoulders on pillows. When you check your child's head, it is best to check their head when their hair is wet (after a shower or bath is ideal). Then use a comb to comb through their hair. Check the comb to see if there are any lice on comb (or head). A white paper towel or napkin will provide contrast to help visualize lice that the comb may have caught. Below you'll find an updated clinical report on lice by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

       4. The staff throughout CESU is participating in a hydration challenge. Did you know that being 2% dehydrated can decrease your mental clarity? We encourage you and your students to join us in drinking more water! It is recommended for adults to drink half of your weight in ounces each day.

     

As always, I am available by phone, email or by stopping in the office during office hours.

899-4680

kristen.taylor@cesuvt.org

Here is an updated clinical report by the American Academy of Pediatrics:

AAP Updates Treatments for Head Lice

4/27/2015

​
It’s probably making you squirm just thinking about it – your child comes home from school scratching his head. He has lice. It’s every parent’s nightmare, but it is important to remember that head lice is a nuisance, not a serious disease or a sign of poor hygiene.

An updated clinical report by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) “Head Lice,” in the May 2015 issue of Pediatrics (published online April 27), provides information to pediatricians and other health practitioners on safe and effective methods for treating head lice, including new products and medications.

Most cases of head lice are acquired outside of school. In the report, the AAP continues to recommend that a healthy child should not be restricted from attending school because of head lice or nits (eggs). Pediatricians are encouraged to educate schools and communities that no-nit policies are unjust and should be abandoned. Children can finish the school day, be treated, and return to school.

Unless resistance has been seen in the community, pediatricians and parents should consider using over-the-counter medications containing 1 percent permethrin or pyrethrins as a first choice of treatment for active lice infestations. The best way to interrupt a chronic lice problem is with regular checks by parents and early treatment with a safe, affordable, over-the-counter pediculicide. After applying the product according to the manufacturer’s instructions, parents should follow with nit removal and wet combing. The treatment should be reapplied at day 9, and if needed, at day 18.

In areas with known resistance to an over-the-counter pediculicide, or when parents' efforts on their own do not work, parents should involve their pediatrician for treatment with a prescription medication such as spinosad or topical ivermectin. These are new medications that were introduced since the last time the AAP published recommendations on head lice in 2010.

Once a family member is identified with head lice, all household members should be checked. The AAP does not recommend excessive environmental cleaning, such as home pesticides. However, washing pillow cases and treating natural bristle hair care items that may have been in contact with the hair of anyone found to have head lice are reasonable measures. 

While it is unlikely to prevent all cases of head lice, children should be taught not to share personal items such as combs, brushes, and hats. Regular observation by parents can also be an effective way to detect and quickly treat head lice infestations.

# # #

The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 62,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults.

- See more at: https://www.aap.org/en-us/about-the-aap/aap-press-room/Pages/AAP-Updates-Treatments-for-Head-Lice.aspx#sthash.fmCE12PR.dpuf

Let's give a big shout out to Firefighter Sean and Firefighter Craig for coming to Underhill ID to talk to us about Fire Safety!
Thank you for all you do!

Dear Parents and Guardians,                                    October 5, 2015

October is Fire Safety Month.

On Thursday, October 1st, the third graders were offered an opportunity to take part in the 25th Annual Vermont Fire Safety Calendar Contest. To prepare for this, we invited Captain Harry and Fireman Sean and Fireman Greg to talk to us about Fire Safety and Prevention. Here are some of the topics that were discussed:

 1) Stop, Drop and Roll

 2) Carbon Monoxide Detectors

 3) Having an Emergency Exit and Meeting Plan (Have two ways out!)

 4) Smoke Detectors (Maintenance and Replacement)

 5) Safe use of Candles and Holiday Safety

 6) How and When to Call 9-1-1

 7) Firefighters are Heroes; Don't Fear Firefighters in    Gear

Captain Harry Schoppman and a couple of the firefighters will be here on Friday, October 16th, from 0845-0930 (K-2) and 0930-1015 (3-4 grades) to teach Fire Safety to the K-2 and 3-4th graders, respectively. Parents and siblings are welcome to join us for this event.

Sincerely,

Nurse Kristen

Dear Parents/Guardians,      September 4, 2015

Welcome back to a new school year! We have been excited to hear about all the students summer activities. We are looking forward to another great year at UID!

Here are some Health Tips to start the School year.

Please read these tips with your child/children and help them fill in the blanks.

Be Active: Run, Dance, Walk, Bike, etc... '60' minutes of activity is recommended for students each and every day. Being Active not only helps our bodies to be healthy but helps our minds to be healthy also. Being Active helps our minds to learn and retain new information. How many minutes are you currently active each day? _____ What activities can you do to increase your activity each day? _________________,_____________,_________________.

It is recommended that 'screen time', which includes computer time, tv time and hand held device time, including video games, should be limited to one hour or less a day.

Too much screen time can:

• Make it hard for your child to sleep at night
• Raise your child's risk of attention problems, anxiety, and depression
• Raise your child's risk of gaining too much weight

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/patientinstructions/000355.htm

Mayo Clinic recommendations for Screen Time

Drink enough water: Our brains are made up of 77-78% water.  Being just 2% dehydrated can make our bodies feel tired and our brains feel sluggish. Drink half your weight in ounces of water each day. So, if you weigh 44 pounds, you should drink 22 ounces of water a day. There are 8 ounces of water in one cup. So, how many cups of water would you need to drink for your weight? _____  Another indicator that you need to drink more water is when your urine is dark yellow in color. The color of urine, when you are well hydrated is light yellow to almost clear in color.

Get enough sleep: Children between the ages of 5-10 years old should be getting between 10-11 hours of sleep each night. Children who sleep well and get enough sleep at night do better in school. They are better able to pay attention and learn. So, if you need to get up at 6:30 in the morning to arrive at school on time, what time do you need to go to bed if you are going to get 10-11 hours of sleep? _______

And last but not least, eat well. This includes lots of fruits and vegetables along with protein, whole grain foods and dairy. Adding protein to your morning snack can give you the energy you need to keep going strong until lunch time. http://www.choosemyplate.gov/food-groups/

This is the time of year we also want to remind you to check your children for head lice. Lice are present in the community at all times. Transmission of lice in school is rare; only 1 out of 10 cases are transmitted at school. The most common times for lice to be transmitted are during summer, winter and spring breaks and whenever children are in the community for extended periods of time together. Once the children are back in school, this is the time when we notice the itching because children are now still enough to take notice of it.

Lice are often not found until the lice are well established. This could take from 6-8 weeks or longer. For this reason CESU school nurses strongly recommend regular home head checks. Regular home checks will catch lice much more quickly than waiting for the itching to occur before we take notice. If you have any questions, please call or you can check out my Health Office Blog at http://nursekristenuid.blogspot.com/p/lice.html

I look forward to a healthy school year!!!

Sincerely,

Nurse Kristen

UID 899-4680

kristen.taylor@ cesuvt.org