Do you know which immunizations your child needs?

School starts August 23!  Do you know which immunizations your child needs?

Here is an updated list of immunizations required by VAISD prior to the first day of class:

Texas State Immunization Requirements

Immunizations must be validated by physician office or health clinic personnel, and must show month, day and year received.

Grayson County Health Department offers low-cost immunizations in Denison (903 465-2878) or Sherman (903 893-0131).  Call ahead for immunization clinic hours.

Collin County Health Department also offers immunizations with cost based on income.  Call 972-548-5500 for additional information.

If your child has an affidavit for Vaccine Exemption for Reasons of Conscience, it is valid for one year and the updated copy must be on file in the health clinic.  For more information see the DSHS FAQ page.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact your school nurse.

Upcoming events

Mark your calendars!

April 23 FREE Student Immunization Clinic
All Van Alstyne ISD campuses - Time TBA

Grayson County Health Department will be at each campus on Friday April 23 to administer any immunization your child needs to be enrolled in school.  This is a FREE clinic!

Parents do not have to be present, but a consent form must be signed ahead of time.  Please check with your school nurse if you have not received one yet.

We strongly encourage parents of younger children to stay, just as you would at your child's doctor appointments.

Times will be announced when we receive word from the Health Department.


May 1 Little Big Town 5k Run
11:00 a.m.

Van Alstyne Physical Therapy will host The Second Annual Little Big Town Run this year to benefit  Forest Moore Park, and the expansion of the running trail.  The event will start with the 1 mile fun run starting at 11:00 am, and the 5k to follow.  Please call 903-482-9741 for more information. 

VAISD School Health Action Committee (SHAC) will be coordinating health-related events during the morning's activities.

H1N1 Shot Clinic Information

H1N1 flu shots will be given at each campus TOMORROW, Thursday January 21. This is for students and staff only.

Each child MUST have both forms filled out (health questionnaire AND parent release form) in order to receive the shot. 

NO child will be given medication of any kind without a signed parent release form.

In case you missed this one, the next FREE H1N1 shot clinic is open to the public:

PLACE: Van Alstyne Community Center
DATE: Wednesday, January 27
TIME: 3 p.m.-6:00 p.m.

Here are more FREE H1N1 clinics being offered in Grayson County.

Is it a cold or is it the flu?

Colds and flu are both caused by viruses and can cause symptoms such as coughing and sore throat. A cold is a minor infection of the nose and throat.

The flu, however, is usually more severe with higher fevers and the addition of aches and pains.

Remember, your child must be fever free for 24 hours without fever reducing medications (Tylenol, Advil, etc) before he or she can return to school.

COLD	SYMPTOM	FLU
Rare, low fever if any	Fever and chills	Common, can be high (102-104) and last 3-4 days
Rare	Headache	Common
Mild if any	Fatigue and weakness	Can last up to 2-3 weeks
Never	Extreme exhaustion	Early and prominent
Common	Runny or stuffy nose	Sometimes
Common	Sore throat	Sometimes
Mild to moderate hacking cough	Chest discomfort and cough	Common, can be severe
Common	Sneezing	Sometimes
Rare	General aches and pain	Common, can be severe

• Remember to wash your hands often! Keep your hands away from your nose, eyes and mouth.
• Try not to touch people or their things when they have a cold or the flu.
• Get regular exercise and eat well.
• Get adequate rest.
• Drink plenty of fluids like water, juice and clear soups.
• Talk to your doctor about getting a flu shot.

As a reminder, Grayson County Health Department will be holding an H1N1 immunization clinic for VAISD students and staff THIS Thursday, January 21.

For more information, contact your school nurse.

SHAC Meeting January 25th, 2010

You are welcome to join us at our next SHAC (School Health Advisory Council) meeting is this Monday January 25th at the High School Lecture Hall @ 6 PM- 7 PM.

We will be discussing the up-coming health fair.

Attention seniors: NEW immunization requirements for college freshmen

Here are the official words:

The State of Texas has passed a new law (HR 4189) that requires all first-time freshman and transfer students who wish to live in campus residence halls or apartments to have a vaccination against bacterial meningitis.

All first-time freshman and transfer students wishing to live on campus after January 1, 2010 must provide the following before moving into campus housing:

1. Certification from a physician (shot record) evidencing that the student has been vaccinated at least ten (10) days prior to moving into the residence halls; or

2. An affidavit or a certificate from a physician stating that the vaccination would be injurious to the health and well being of the student or stating that the vaccination has been declined for reasons of conscience.

The approved form for an exemption can be found at: https://webds.dshs.state.tx.us/immco/affidavit.shtm.

Meningococcal Disease is devastating, with risks that can include amputation, scarring, hearing loss and neurological damage and death. Students going to college and staying in dorms are the most at risk with up to 5 times higher fatality rates that other ages. Younger students are also be at risk.

Medication Rules

If your child needs to take medication at school (prescription or over the counter), it must be provided by the parent and be in the original, properly labeled container with the recommended dosage and directions.

A parent-signed medication consent form must accompany any request for medication. Middle School and High school students may carry cough drops that do not contain DextroMethorphan. All other medication must be kept in the clinic.

Students who carry and self-administer their inhaler for asthma, at school or school-related events, must have a note from their physician giving them permission to carry and self-administer their inhaler plus a parent signed medication consent form. All paper work must be on file with the school nurse.

Please contact your school nurse if you need additional information.

Medication Consent form

4 steps to backpack safety

Below are helpful tips to insure you know how to safely use your backpack in order to promote spinal health.

	Step 1: Choose Right. Choosing the right size backpack is the most important step to safe backpack use. Tip: Bring a friend to help you measure your backpack properly.
	Step 2: Pack Right. The maximum weight of the loaded backpack should not exceed 15 % of your body weight, so pack only what is needed. Tip: If the backpack forces the wearer to move forward to carry, it's overloaded.
	Step 3: Lift Right. Face the Pack -Bend at the Knees - Use both hands and check the weight of the pack. - Lift with the legs - Apply one shoulder strap and then the other. Tip: Don't sling the backpack onto one shoulder.
	Step 4: Wear Right. Use both shoulder straps - snug, but not too tight. Tip: When the backpack has a waist strap - use it

Give Kids a Smile!!

January 30, 2010 is Give Kids a Smile Day, sponsored by the North Texas Dental Society.

Here is the criteria. Children must:

• be between the ages of 3 and 13
• be enrolled at a VAISD school and have good attendance
• demonstrate an inability to receive regular dental care due to financial limitations (such as parental unemployment; no dental insurance and/or parental income belw poverty line; or qualification for govenment aid, such as Medicaid, Head Start, and school lunch programs).

Qualifying children will receive a dental education along with:

• a dental examination
• x-rays
• cleanings
• protective sealants

The program is being held at Collin College's Dental Hygiene School in McKinney on Saturday January 30 ONLY. Participants are responsible for providing their own transportation and translator, if needed.

If you believe your child qualifies or if you would like to recommend a child to receive these services, please contact Katherine Smith at 903 482-8826 or krsmith@ednet10.net for an application form by Friday January 15. Because we have been given a limited number of slots, this deadline is firm.

H1N1 Flu shots coming soon!

In the coming weeks the Health Department will be offering the H1N1 ("swine") flu shot free of charge to teachers and students. Information for students is being posted on the web site. Elementary students will receive an information sheet in their Thursday packet.

If you are interested, please return the Health Department form to your child's school by MONDAY JANUARY 11.

Staff members, please contact your school nurse by email or phone so we can get an estimate of how many to expect.

For more information on the flu and if the vaccine is right for you or your child, please visit flu.gov.

Cold or flu?

Colds and flu are both caused by viruses and can cause symptoms such as coughing and sore throat.

A cold is a minor infection of the nose and throat.

The flu, however, is usually more severe with higher fevers and the addition of aches and pains.

• Remember to wash your hands often!
• Keep your hands away from your nose, eyes and mouth.
• Try not to touch people or their things when they have a cold or the flu.
• Get regular exercise and eat well.
• Get adequate rest.
• Drink plenty of fluids like water, juice and clear soups.
• Talk to your doctor about getting a flu shot.

Head lice!

Please check your children from time to time.

Head lice are tiny insects that live on the human scalp. They are wingless insects that have claws on each of their six legs that enable them to cling to human hair shifts. An initial infestation usually consists of less than 12 adult head lice.

Head lice exist on blood feedings that they obtain from the head of a human host. If separated from the environment and sustenance of a human host, a louse will starve to death and die within 1 – 3 days. Head lice do not inhabit a physical environment and/or subsist off anything other than human blood.

Head lice are transmitted from one human to another by some form of direct or indirect head-to-head contact. Common forms of transmission among children are head-to-head contact or sharing personal items such as combs, hairbrushes, hats, coats, hair clips, ribbons, scarves or other head coverings. The type of lice that infest human’s head DO NOT infest other animals nor vice versa.

In an active case of head lice, nymphal or adult lice (1-2 mm long) are present. Grayish white oval nits are found firmly attached to the hair shaft near the scalp. (Nits may appear as dandruff flake but cannot be flicked off such as dandruff can) The nits are glued to the hair shaft with cement that the female louse secretes. Nymphal and adult head lice can be difficult to detect visually because they tend to crawl towards a darker region when exposed to light and head lice are capable of crawling rapidly along human hair shafts. For this reason, an active head lice infestation is best confirmed by the presence of eggs less than ¼ in. from the scalp rather than the presence of actual head lice.

If you find your child does have lice or eggs, there are several products over the counter that you may purchase. Just follow the instructions on box or bottle. Here are the answers to some frequently asked questions.

If any questions please feel free to call your school nurse.
Elementary:
Katherine Smith RN 903-482-8826
Middle:
Gayla Wood RN 903-482-8878
High School:
Cynthia Tillett RN 903-482-8862

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