Welcome to the Forrestdale School
Health Page for 2011-2012.
The School Health Office is an integral part of Forrestdale School. Our goal is to provide all students with a healthy learning environment to facilitate academic success. The health office is staffed with a Certified School Nurse; in addition a Medical Director is available to provide medical oversight of our services.
School Nurse Maria E. Montanez, RN, MSN
Medical Director Margaret Fisher, M.D.
School Physician Richard DeGroote, M.D.
The School Nurse can be reached at her office at 732-842-0383 ext. 318.
The Nurse is available to administer medications and/or treatments, assess illness and injuries, administer first aid, screen students, and intervene with actual or potential health problems. Please read the section on medication administration to avoid any medication delays.
As we start a new school year a few reminders.
Avoiding colds and the flu during the school year.
The Centers for Disease Control recommends these simple measures to reduce your exposure to germs that can cause the flu or colds!! Cover your mouth and nose when you cough and sneeze with a tissue. Use hand sanitizer or wash your hands after sneezing, coughing, using the bathroom, before eating or before touching your eyes, mouth or nose. Hand washes should last long enough to sing Happy Birthday twice. Please review these simple tips with your child. Flu season is also quickly approaching please contact your pediatrician or primary health care provider to schedule your childs influenza vaccination.
Back Packs
Backpacks come in all sizes, colors, fabrics, and shapes and help kids of all ages express their own personal sense of style. And if they're used properly, they can be a useful tool for kids.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that parents look for the following when choosing the right backpack:
- a lightweight pack that doesn't add a lot of weight to your child's load (for example, even though leather packs look cool, they weigh more than traditional canvas backpacks)
- two wide, padded shoulder straps - straps that are too narrow can dig into shoulders
- a padded back, which not only provides increased comfort, but also protects your child from being poked by sharp edges on objects (pencils, rulers, notebooks, etc.) inside the pack
- a waist belt, which helps to distribute the weight more evenly across the body
- multiple compartments, which can also help distribute the weight more evenly
Here are some easy steps your child can take to prevent injury when using a backpack:
Lighten the load . No matter how well designed the backpack, doctors and physical therapists recommend that children carry packs of no more than 10% to 15% of their body weight - but less is always better. If your child doesn't know what 10% to 15% of his or her body weight feels like, use the bathroom scale to get an idea (for example, if your child weighs 80 pounds, his or her backpack shouldn't weigh more than 8 to 12 pounds).
Spring Sports
Girl's Softball, Boys Baseball and Track signup started the week of February 21. Sign up list will be provided in the cafeteria during lunch or students can stop by and see the nurse.
Any student wishing to tryout for any school sport must have a history, physical exam and a permission slip completed. A physical is required prior to the first day of tryouts. They are valid for one year (365 DAYS).
NJ Department of Education has a "Pre-participation Health History Questionnaire and Physical Examination form that is available online http://www.state.nj.us/njded/districts/forms.htm . Or click here for many downloadable forms.
This form is the only form that can be used for any student wishing to tryout for any school sport.
All areas must be completed. This included date of exam, blood pressure, vision test results, and pulse rate. An incomplete form will be returned to the student and can interfere with the student's ability to tryout.
Prior to tryout the coach for each sport will need a parental consent for tryouts and emergency contact numbers. This form is also available on the district web site.
Remember no physical means no tryout. If you have had a documented physical on the specified form and it is still valid a health history update form will need to be completed by parents/guardian.
We always encourage school physicals to be administered by your primary health care provider. For those students that will not have a physical by the deadline our school physician will provide a (no charge) sports physicals on Friday March 16 at Forrestdale.
Parents please download the NJ state forms http://www.state.nj.us/njded/districts/forms.htm complete the history and the top demographic portion of the physical and return the forms to the nurse.
Parents please contact the school nurse to request an appointment for your child to have a school physical. The nurse can be reached at 732-842-0383 ext. 318 or via email mmontanez@rumsonschool.org .
All forms are due to the school nurse due by March 14th.
Health Topic: Preventing sports injuries
Sports injuries may seem inevitable but many are preventable. Here are a few helpful hints to enjoy the sport of your choice while minimizing the chance of injury.
Use protective gear when possible.
Warming up, stretching and light jogging can help decrease muscle strains or injuries. Start getting ready for tryouts a few weeks before the season begins.
Fluids, fluids, fluids. Drink plenty of fluids to avoid dehydration in warm weather.
To avoid sunburn, apply sunscreen, wear a hat and avoid the sun during the hottest part of the day (usually between 10 am-4 pm).
For more information log onto the National Institute of Health's web site http://www.niams.nih.gov/hi/topics/childsports/child_sports.htm
Medication administration during the school day
Medications that are adminsitered by the school nurse must have a signed physician order. The orders must include the name of the medication, dose, and frequency. All orders unless otherwise specified are generally valid for that school year. If the medication is to be administered as needed the order should spell out when the medication is to be administered for example, Ibuprofen 200 mg every 6 hours as need for pain. Medications that are provided must match the container, any pills that are provided in Ziplock bags will be returned. These requirements include all OVER THE COUNTER MEDICATIONS i.e., ibuprofen, acetominophen,. There are only 2 medications that may be self administered epipens, and asthma inhalers. The primary health care provider must state on the order that the student may self administer the identified medication. Physicians and health care providers may fax orders to the school at 732-219-9458. Please consider medication needs when you are at the pediatrician or health care providers office i.e., Orthodontist office for application or tightening of braces. Blank medication forms are available under downloadable forms in the health services section for Forrestdale tab. If you have any question regarding medications administration during then school day please feel free to contact the school nurse at 732-842-0383 ext. 318 or via email mmontanez@rumsonschool.org .
For sports forms, medication forms, and more information you can go to the Forrestdale tab on the school website www.rumsonschool.org under health services.
Our goal is to provide a safe and healthy learning environment for all our students.
Please feel free to contact the School Nurse with any questions or concerns. The Nurse can be reached at (732) 842-0383 ext. 318 or via e-mail at mmontanez@rumsonschool.org.
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