Ms. Zundel, Nurse

Immunizations- Look for additional requirements for 2009/2010

For the past several years, it has been a requirement by the Pa. Dept. of Health that all seventh graders must have documentation of having had either the chickenpox (varicella) vaccine, or the chickenpox disease. The current recommendation is for all adolescents to have a second chicken pox immunization if they previously have only had one. This will becomes a requirement for all students to be phased in through the 09/10 to 10/11 school years. Currently, all seventh graders are required to have received all three (3) Hepatitis vaccinations. This series takes 6 months to complete.  This also will be a requirement for students in all grades for the 09/10 school year.

Another requirement by the Pa. Dept. of Health for the 2009/2010 school year, all 7th graders will be required to have a meningitis vaccine, Tdap (Tetanus, diptheria and acellular Pertussis(whooping cough) as well as the second varicella (chickenpox)vaccine. Please discuss these vaccines with your physician at your next visit. Please notify your school nurse of any vaccines that are given while at any doctor appointment, so that we may keep immunizations records up to date.

To learn more about recommendations and information on immunizations for adolescents, please visit these Web sites: www.cdc.gov/vaccines ,  www.partnersformimmunizations.org , www.immunizationsinfo.org , www.vaccineinformation.org.

Health Screenings

Vision Testing

 Vision screenings will be completed for all students during study labs or homerooms by the second week in November. This year vision referrals were sent home through US mail. If you have not received a referral for a follow-up eye exam, then it is to be considered that your son/daughter has passed the very basic eye exam given here at school. This should not be a replacement for a periodic exam by an eye physician. If, at any time during the school year, you have a concern about your child's visual health, please call to discuss these concerns and a recheck if possible.

Hearing Screening

Hearing screenings will be conducted throughout the year. Referrals will be sent out as needed requesting a more thorough hearing evaluation. At any time that there is a question or concern regarding hearing, please call to discuss.

Sport Physicals- Changes for Recertification as of October 2, 2008- PIAA Ruling

There continues to be confusion about sport physicals, despite our athletic director's diligence and frequent announcements to the students. A current physical must be in place for each student for each sport season.  For winter and spring sports, if the student has a physical on file from a previous season, the student needs to pick up a recertification form from the nurse's office, or you can find one online at the Jr. High website under athletics. The recert. form is Section 5: WPIAA Re-Certification by Parent/Guardian. The parent will answer a few brief questions regarding the student's health since the original exam. If all questions are answered "NO", that form is signed by both parent and student and returned to the nurse. If there has been a change in the health status and any questions is answered "YES",i.e. an injury or illness, then section 6: PIAA Comprehensive Pre-Participation Physical Re-Evaluation and RE-Certification by Authorized Medical Examiner form must be completed by your health care provider. This year no forms are taken to the doctors for recertification due to the change in WPIAA rules. All of this paper work must be completed before the student is permitted to participate in the first day of practice for any and all sports. No physicals are to be turned into the coaches. All must come through the nurse. 

New as of October 2, 2008: WPIAA has added Blood Pressure (BP) and Resting Pulse (RP) parameters to the sport physicals. If the BP or RP is above these parameters on the initial exam, it will be necessary for the student to return to their primary care physician (PCP) or pediatrician who will assess their BP and RP and complete Section 6 of the sport forms in order to be recertified for the winter or spring sport season. If you have questions regarding this procedure or policy, please contact the nurse either by phone or e-mail at szundel@iasd.cc

Body Mass Index Letters

Letters will be mailed to all  students' homes providing  information about their child's height, weight, Body Mass Index(BMI) and BMI percentile. This requirements was mandated by law through the Pa. Department of Health and was passed in 2004 for students K-4  and has been expanded each year to now include all K-12 students. This is a tool that should be used as a guideline to help assess whether a person is overweight or underweight. There are many factors that can influence the BMI, so this alone should not be considered a definitive measure of overweight or obesity. We merely ask that you share these results with your child's health care provider. There are many valuable online resources available to give you more information of these findings. You may wish to start at either of these sites:  www.panaonline.org and www.cdc.gov/growthcharts.

Tips from Children's Hospital

Know the BIG 5

Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh magazine Promises offers these tips to help instill good eating and activity habits in your children.

1. Limit Fast Food: Once a week- tops. Try cooking together instead to help kids learn how to choose wholesome foods while discussing why high-fat, high-calorie fast food is a poor choice.

2. Limit Screen Time: No more than two hours  a day for TV, computer, DVDs and video games. More than four hours/day tend to develop weight problems.

3. Eat Family Meals: Aim for at least three times/week. If not dinner, how about breakfast on weekends? These meals offer the opportunity to talk about their lives, friends and activities while trying out nutritious foods together.

4. Limit Sweetened Drinks: These include soda, all juice and flavored milks- limit to one serving no more than twice a week. Overweight kids can lose 10 pounds in a year just by avoiding sweetened drinks.

5. Be Active: Go for walks together as a family. Try jumping rope, riding a bike and dancing. Have energetic fun at least 30 minutes a day.