What Is Strep Throat?Strep throat is an infection caused by a type of bacteria (group A streptococcus). Strep bacteria cause almost a third of all sore throats.

What helps ease your child's sore throat?
Soothing drinks
Ice pops/ ice cream
Pain relievers like acetaminophen

Strep throat usually needs treatment with antibiotics. With the proper medical care — along with plenty of rest and fluids — a child should be back to school and play within a few days.
What Are the Signs & Symptoms of Strep Throat?Symptoms of strep throat include sore throat, fever, red and swollen tonsils, and painful or swollen neck glands.
Not all sore throats are strep throats. Often, kids have a sore throat because of a virus, which will usually clear up without medical treatment.
Kids who do have strep throat might get other symptoms within about 3 days, such as:

• red and white patches in the throat
• difficulty swallowing
• headache
• lower stomach pain
• general discomfort, uneasiness, or ill feeling
• loss of appetite and nausea
• rash

Is Strep Throat Contagious?Strep throat is very contagious. Anybody can get it, but most cases are in school-age kids and teens. Infections happen most often during the school year when big groups of kids and teens are in close quarters.

How Can I Help My Child Feel Better?Home care can help your child feel better while battling strep throat. Give plenty of liquids to prevent dehydration, such as water or ginger ale, especially if he or she has had a fever. Avoid orange juice, grapefruit juice, lemonade, or other acidic beverages, which can irritate a sore throat. Warm liquids like soups, sweetened tea, or hot chocolate can be soothing.
Talk to your doctor about when your child can return to normal activities. Most kids can go back to school when they've taken antibiotics for at least 24 hours and no longer have a fever.

The nurses office is looking for donations!

New Girls and Boys underwear size 6-12.
New or gently used socks for size 10 toddler - 10 adult.

Thank you!!

Any student who currently has a religious exemption on file will be allowed to maintain that exemption for the 2017-18 school year, but it will have to be renewed for the 2018-19 school year.  All religious exemptions must be renewed annually.  An annual renewal means that parents/guardians must write and sign a new religious exemption.  All religious exemptions should be dated by the signing parent/guardian to allow for monitoring of annual renewals each school year.   Annual renewal of exemptions should occur at the start of each school year.

Prior to the first day of school, all incoming kindergarten parents are required to submit the following to the nurse:

• Complete Immunization Records with Lead Screening (these must be done before even if your childs physical exam is scheduled for September!)
  
• A copy of a current (after August 2016) physical exam or proof of scheduled appointment in September of 2015.
  
• Vision Screen by the pediatrician at Physical Exam
  
• Emergency Information Card Completed
  

Kindergarten Immunization Requirements for the 2017-2018 School Year:

Hepatitis B: 3 doses
DTaP/ DTP/DT/Td/Tdap: 5 doses
Polio: 4 doses
MMR: 2 doses
Varicella: 2 doses (unless you have medically documented proof of chicken pox)

Medications from the Philadelphia field trip are ready to be picked up by parents!

Thank you!

Attention 8th grade parents: Students entering the high school will need to have a physical that was performed after August of 2016 or have one scheduled from September of 2017. When student enter a new school, they need to have a physical exam that is dated within the last year.

6th grade parents: If your child has not had their Tdap vaccine before the start of the new school year, they will not be permitted to begin 7th grade.

Middle school parents: If your child is interested in doing a fall sport, they will need to have a physical exam completed within 13 months of the start of the sport.

All Parents: Massachusetts Department of Public Health requires that parents submit a physical exam to the school at a minimum of every 3-4 years. If you have not submitted your childs most recent physical exam, please do so!

The doctors offices are very busy and have to schedule physical exams in advance. Please call now!

Kids Should Not Consume Energy Drinks, and Rarely Need Sports Drinks, Says AAP
Sports and energy drinks are heavily marketed to children and adolescents, but in most cases kids don’t need them – and some of these products contain substances that could be harmful to children. 
In a new clinical report, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) outlines how these products are being misused, discusses their ingredients, and provides guidance to decrease or eliminate consumption by children and adolescents. The report, “Sports Drinks and Energy Drinks for Children and Adolescents: Are They Appropriate ?" is published in the June 2011 issue of Pediatrics (published online May 30).
“There is a lot of confusion about sports drinks and energy drinks, and adolescents are often unaware of the differences in these products,” said Marcie Beth Schneider, MD, FAAP, a member of the AAP Committee on Nutrition and co-author of the report. “Some kids are drinking energy drinks – containing large amounts of caffeine – when their goal is simply to rehydrate after exercise. This means they are ingesting large amounts of caffeine and other stimulants, which can be dangerous.”
Sports drinks and energy drinks are different products, said Holly J. Benjamin, MD, FAAP, a member of the executive committee of the AAP Council on Sports Medicine and Fitness, and a co-author of the report. Sports drinks, which contain carbohydrates, minerals, electrolytes and flavoring, are intended to replace water and electrolytes lost through sweating during exercise. Sports drinks can be helpful for young athletes engaged in prolonged, vigorous physical activities, but in most cases they are unnecessary on the sports field or the school lunchroom.
“For most children engaging in routine physical activity, plain water is best,” Dr. Benjamin said. “Sports drinks contain extra calories that children don’t need, and could contribute to obesity and tooth decay. It’s better for children to drink water during and after exercise, and to have the recommended intake of juice and low-fat milk with meals. Sports drinks are not recommended as beverages to have with meals.”
Energy drinks contain substances not found in sports drinks that act as stimulants, such as caffeine, guarana and taurine. Caffeine – by far the most popular stimulant – has been linked to a number of harmful health effects in children, including effects on the developing neurologic and cardiovascular systems. Energy drinks are never appropriate for children or adolescents, said Dr. Schneider and Dr. Benjamin. In general, caffeine-containing beverages, including soda, should be avoided.
The report contains tables listing specific products available today and their contents.
“In many cases, it’s hard to tell how much caffeine is in a product by looking at the label,” Dr. Schneider said. “Some cans or bottles of energy drinks can have more than 500 mg of caffeine, which is the equivalent of 14 cans of soda.”
AAP recommendations include:

Pediatricians should highlight the difference between sports drinks and energy drinks with patients and their parents, and talk about the potential health risks.
Energy drinks pose potential health risks because of the stimulants they contain, and should never be consumed by children or adolescents.
Routine ingestion of carbohydrate-containing sports drinks by children and adolescents should be avoided or restricted, because they can increase the risk of overweight and obesity, as well as dental erosion.
Sports drinks have a limited function for pediatric athletes; they should be ingested when there is a need for rapid replenishment of carbohydrates and/or electrolytes in combination with water during prolonged, vigorous physical activity.
Water, not sports drinks, should be the principal source of hydration for children and adolescents.

Parents of students entering GRADE 7: All students must have a Tdap (Tetanus- Diphtheria) booster before the start of the school year

BMI Screening is mandated by the Department of Public Health for grades 1,4,7,&10. BMI stands for Body Mass Index and it is calculated by taking the child's height and weight. These grades where chosen by DPH as they are growing years. The results of the BMI screening will not be sent home, though results will be available to families upon request, as well as health and wellness resource referrals. If you have any questions or concerns about this please notify me directly at 508-693-0951 ext. 281 or LSchaefer@mvyps.org