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Ben's Buzz
Health Office Special Edition


Greetings from your School Nurses, Jenny Auerr and Diane Williams. We hope you and your family are having a wonderful summer, full of adventures and good times together.  
 
As you begin to make preparations for your child to return to school, we wanted to let you know of some health-related information and activities here at school.
   

BFCCPS Health Office
 
School Nurse Hours: 

School Nurses are present and caring for the health needs of students every school day, from 8:20 - dismissal.  During the summer, we are on vacation too!  We will be back in the Health Office beginning August 23rd, a few days before school begins. We welcome communication about health-related needs and concerns.  You are welcome to contact us via phone, email, or in person.

Health Screening and Monitoring: 

Nurses at BFCCPS conduct several different health screenings during the year, and also collect a variety of health-related information about students.  These activities are mandated by Massachusetts.  Below is a chart detailing these activities by grade:

 
 
K
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Physical Exam Report collected
X*
 
 
 
X*
 
 
X*
 
Vaccine Report collected
X*
 
 
 
 
 
 
Evidence collected of Tdap booster received*
 
Hearing Screening
(at school)
X
X
X
X
 
 
 
X
 
Vision Screening
(at school)
X
X
X
X
X
X
 
X
 
Height/ Weight Screening (at school)
 
X
 
 
X
 
 
X
 
Postural Screening (at school OR
report collected)
 
 
 
 
 
X*
X*
X*
X*
SBIRT Screening
(at school)**
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
X**
 

* denotes information to be submitted by parents. Please feel free to submit this information as soon as you have it.  There is no need to wait for the information to be requested.

**SBIRT screening is new at BFCCPS for  the 2017-2018 school year.  SBIRT stands for Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral for Treatment.  This screening is  state-mandated.  Screening results are confidential (and do not become part of the student's school record).  SBIRT screening assesses a student's thoughts and actions with respect to drug and alcohol use/abuse.  "Screening" consists of a few questions asked in private to the student. "Brief interventions" may consist of affirmation of healthy behaviors, and/ or helping students to identify unhealthy beliefs or practices and identify healthier alternatives. "Referral for Treatment" will happen if student responses indicate a need. Depending on the level of need, students may be referred within BFCCPS, or to an outside provider. 
Field Trip Information: 

  • Students in grades K-4 are usually accompanied by a nurse on field trips.
  • Students in grades 5-8 are NOT usually accompanied by a nurse for day-long field trips.  Instead, nurses do work with school staff to coordinate care for health-related needs.
  • Students in grades 5-8 who go on overnight field trips will be accompanied by a nurse.
  • Field Trip snacks and lunches should not contain peanuts or tree-nuts.
Food Safety at BFCCPS: 

In order to keep all students as safe as possible, please review this list of frequently asked questions about how we manage food allergies at school. Please remember and remind your child that:
  • Food trading and sharing are not allowed at BFCCPS. Each child should eat the food they bring from home.  If a child forgot to bring food from home, he or she should go and see a faculty member.
  • Field trip snacks and lunches must not contain peanuts or tree-nuts of any kind.  
  • Classroom snacks must not contain peanuts or tree nuts of any kind (but lunches may contain nuts, so long as the child will not be sitting at the nut-sensitive table or eating in their classroom).
  • All faculty are trained to recognize a life-threatening allergic reaction.  School Nurses are available to respond quickly in an emergency, and give life-saving medicine.  A list of faculty who are able to administer epinephrine to a student with a diagnosed life-threatening allergy is maintained in the Health Office.  
Forms to Complete: 

  • To ensure that we have the most accurate health information to provide care for your students while they attend school, please complete the Health Information Form which has been mailed to your home. This form is due to the front office in advance of the first day of school.  You can also click here to download a copy of the form.
  • If you would like for your child(ren) to be able to receive ibuprofen or Tylenol at school you must also fill out the Tylenol/Ibuprofen/Cough Drop Permission Form that was sent home by mail in advance of the first day of school. You can   click to download a copy here.
Attention Parents Who are Nurses: 

If you are a nurse with a current Massachusetts nursing license, and you are interested in substituting in the Health Office and/or going along with classes as a Field Trip Nurse, please submit the substitute Nurse Form which has been sent home in the summer mailing.


 
Thank you for your time and attention!
 
Your School Nurses,
 
Jenny Auerr, RN, NCSN
Diane Williams, RN, NCSN
 
Phone: 508-528-1945
Fax: 508-541-8483
Email: nurse@bfccps.org