Health and Wellness

At Holy Spirit School, we all want our children to have good attendance and we hope that they are healthy so that they will have few absences.  Unfortunately, there are some occasions when your child may need to stay home.  As the colder months are upon us, we would appreciate it if you would continue to follow these few guidelines to protect all of our students and staff:

• When calling your child out sick, please let us know whenever he/she has a fever, sore throat or cough.  A note from the parent should be sent in when your child returns to school, and if your child visits the doctor, a doctor’s note stating your child’s diagnosis and date of return is expected.  It’s also wise to have sick day arrangements in place beforehand should your child need them.
• A child with a fever greater than 100 degrees should stay home until their temperature is normal when not taking Tylenol or Advil for 24 hours.  Returning too soon will slow your child’s recovery as well as expose others unnecessarily to illness.
• Any child who vomits or has diarrhea should also remain home for 24 hours.  If your child does vomit in school, we will call you to pick her/him up.
• Other symptoms that prevent your child from participating in school are also valid reasons for keeping your child home.  These include excessive tiredness, lack of appetite, productive coughing, sneezing, headache, body aches, earache and sore throat.
• Any child who is diagnosed with an infectious disease (ie strep throat, pink eye, etc.) that requires antibiotics should be on the medication 24 hours before returning to school.  If you take your child to the doctor for any reason, please have him/her fill out a note for the school/nurse.  This could include when it is safe for your child’s return to school or gym participation, vaccines given, new medications, results of yearly exams  or other information to enhance the health and safety of your children and their peers.

Finally, prevention is our best protection.  Please encourage your children to wash their hands frequently, before and after meals, after coughing or sneezing, and to go to bed early. Keeping doorknobs, phones, remote controls and keyboards clean is also helpful.

Thank you for your anticipated cooperation toward keeping our children healthy.

Sr. Marie Antonelli, M.P.F.                                    Mrs. Jilda Sidebottom

Principal                                                                School Nurse

Links to School Medication Information/Forms:

 Medication Administration

Medication Request Form

Sixth - eighth grade students who participate in interscholastic or intramural sports are required to have an annual physical exam.  A copy of the form is available on the New Jersey Department of Education website.

This link brings you to the State of New Jersey H1N1 Influenza Weekly Update.