Nurse

School Nurse

Winchell Elementary Nurse for the 2018-2019 school year is Mrs. Kari Thwaites-Meister.  Kari is on campus at Winchell every Monday and Tuesday from 8am-3PM.  Kari can be reached by phone on days that she is at other school sites. The best way to reach her is through email.  Her email address is Kari.Thwaites-Meister@fresnounified.org.  Currently, there is not a health aide/LVN on campus to assist in the nurse’s office. If your child needs to receive medication at school, please read the following.

​​​​​​Medications and Ill Students

A doctor must prescribe medications that are taken at school. A parent or guardian must bring in the medication in the original container and with complete instructions. There must be on file a consent form signed by the parent or guardian and the physician explaining the time and dosage to be given at school along with any special instructions that might be necessary. Medications will be stored in a locked cupboard in the nurse’s office.

Notify the school office if your child has a health condition that may affect his/her activities at school. If your child becomes sick during the school day the parent will be contacted. If the parent cannot be reached another person on the emergency card will be contacted. Students cannot be released to walk home. Ill students must be picked up at the school by someone over 18 years of age, and must be listed on the emergency card.

HEALTH INFORMATION

COMMUNICABLE DISEASE GUIDELINES AND POLICIES

If your child complains of stomachache, earache, sore throat, cold symptoms or has not been free of fever for at least 24 hours, he/she should be kept home for observation.

To ensure that all children remain safe and healthy, the following guidelines should be used in determining when a child should return to sch

Disease	Incubation Period	May Return to School
Chicken Pox	12 to 14 days	When cleared by physician.  Pox rash should be dry.
German Measles	14 to 21 days	When rash is completely gone, cleared by physician.
Measles	10 days	When cleared by physician , rash should be gone.
Mumps	12 to 26 days	When swelling of the salivary glands has subsided, usually in about   10 days.  Needs to be cleared by physician.
Ringworm	No way to determine	Must be under treatment and visible lesions covered.
Scabies	24 to 48 hours	May return after treatment.
Scarlet Fever	2 to 5 days	May return after cleared by physician..
Whooping Cough	7 to 10 days	Needs to be cleared by physician after treatment.

ool. It is important that parents inform the nurse should their child develop any of the following communicable diseases.

Any child with a temperature of 100.0 or above will have their parents contacted and be sent home to recover.  Student must remain fever free without the benefit of medication to bring the fever down for at least 24 hours.

FIRST AID AND ILLNESS DURING THE SCHOOL YEAR

First aid is administered in case of minor injuries. If illness or a serious accident occurs during the school day, an attempt is made to notify the parent at once. For this reason, the school requires an emergency number to call when parents are not at home. If the parent cannot be reached, the school will arrange to have the child taken to the hospital when necessary (the parent is responsible for the cost of transporting the child). It is important that the school be notified immediately of any changes in phone numbers for the benefit and welfare of the child.

HEAD LICE POLICY

Under Fresno Unified School District policy, students may be sent home if evidence of active/live head lice is found. A student may not return to school until he/she has been treated and his/her hair and scalp are free of active lice. The student is to check in with the school nurse or office before he/she returns to the classroom. Students will not be sent home with the presence of nits only.

IMMUNIZATION REQUIREMENTS

California law requires the following immunizations to enter or transfer into public and private elementary and secondary schools (grades kindergarten through 12). Pupils under age 18 years must have:

VACCINE REQUIREMENTS	MINIMUM DOSE REQUIREMENTS
​    Polio	​   4 doses at any age, but 3 doses meet the requirement for ages 4-6 if at least one dose was given on or after the 4th birthday.
​    Diphtheria, Tetanus and    Pertussis    Age 6 yrs. And under    (Pertussis is required)    Age 7 yrs. And older    (Pertussis is not required)	​   5 doses at any age, but 4 doses meet the requirement for ages 4-6 years if at least one dose was on or after the 4th birthday.   4 doses at any age, but 3 doses meets the requirement for ages 7-17 years if at least one was given on or after 2nd birthday. If last dose was given before 2nd birthday, one additional dose is required.
​    Hepatitis B	​   3 doses for kindergarten entry and entry into the 7th Grade.
​    Measles, Mumps, Rubella	2 doses both on and after the 1st birthday.   1 dose must be on or after 1st birthday.
​     Varicella (Chickenpox)	​   1 dose required for entry into kindergarten effective July 1, 2001.

 

MEDICATION

California State law states that medications may not be dispensed by school personnel without a physician’s order. A student is not allowed to carry medication with him/her on school grounds. In these special cases, school personnel may administer medication through the nurse’s office when parents provide a physician’s order which includes name(s) of the medication, dosage, time(s) and duration that the medicine is to be given to the child. This physician’s order can be obtained at the time of the visit if the student will be returning to school while on medication. A parent permission slip is also required. The mediation must be in the original container and correctly labeled. This includes over the counter medications. Any changes in medication, amount or means of administering require new physician’s instructions. Physician’s instructions must be reviewed and renewed each year.

Name: ​​Kari Thwaites-Meister

​Phone: (559) 457-3440

Health Office: 77759

Email: Kari.Thwaites-Meister@fresnounified.org

Health Services:​​(559) 457-3294