Friday, November 20, 2009

November is ending on a healthier note...


It is extremely nice to see the closing of November ending with a huge decline in absentee's. At this time I am happy to state our absenteeism is 1-2% in the BREC which is a far cry from what we began the month with. This should make us all feel a sigh of relief. Clearly the students are doing what we asked of them in regards to hand washing, coughing into their arm and utilizing the paper cups as opposed to drinking straight from the fountains. From what I have heard Black River has had far less absenteeism than many of the surrounding school districts, so parents you should all be proud of the proactive measures this school has taken since the beginning of the school year.


With this said; I want you to be aware that we are still seeing a few cases of Influenza A, head lice and most recently a few cases of scabies (rash caused by a mite). Please pay attention to your children's complaints regardless of what they might be. One never knows when a complaint may just be an early warning sign of what's to come.


For now there is not much else to report health wise, so I will close wishing everyone a very happy Thanksgiving and a healthy Christmas Season to all.


Nurse Donna

Monday, November 2, 2009

November-Absenteeism on the Rise

As the new month begins I note an increase in student absenteeism. Especially on the Elementary School side of the BREC. Having said this, I will continue to preach the need for parents and teachers to work together to promote and monitor for excellent hand washing techniques and proper respiratory etiquette with ALL children.

We are still seeing the occasional case of Chicken Pox but nothing I am concerned about (less than 1/2 dozen cases in total since the beginning of the school year). The Flu viruses and Strep Throat seem most prevalent at this time. Having said this; Do note that our rate of absenteeism on its worse day has NOT been any where near high enough to warrant parents wondering why we have not closed the schools. Folks, the numbers just are not there! Yes, we are seeing more illnesses than norm for this time of year, but then again so are all the other school districts near and far.

My belief is if we continue to work together promoting good hygiene habits here at Black River School District, we will see far less illnesses over the winter months ahead. Not allowing drinking from the water fountains, hand sanitizers in all the classrooms, teachers/students wiping down desks regularly are ALL excellent preventative measures be taken daily here at Black River.

Wishing everyone a safe and healthy holiday season....

Nurse Donna