Nursing News
May 2023
End of School Year Reminder Regarding Student Medications
As we are approaching the last weeks of the school year, here are a few reminders if your child has medications at school:
☑️ All medications must be picked up by an adult prior to the last day of the school year. Any medications left at school after the last day will be properly disposed of by the MPSD Nurses.
☑️ If your child is attending summer school and will need the medications there, it is the responsibility of the parent or guardian to bring the necessary medication to summer school on the first day of each session and pick it up on the last day of each session.
☑️ Whenever possible, daily medications should be administered at home prior to arriving at summer school.
☑️ All medication orders on file for this current school year are still in effect for summer school. New orders would need to be obtained again prior to the start of the 2023-24 school year.
Student Health Plan Update
If your child has a health plan on file at school, this must be reviewed prior to the start of each school year with their school nurse. Beginning in mid-August, the MPSD nurses will be emailing the current health plan to the parent email on file in Infinite Campus for parents to review and indicate if any changes need to be made.
Please remember that if your child has a health plan, a chronic medical condition or will need to take medications at school- summer break is the perfect time to get them in to see their medical provider and get any necessary paperwork filled out!
Immunization Update
WI DHS recently made a change to the required school immunization schedule. The Tdap vaccine which has always been required prior to the start of 6th grade will now be required prior to the start of 7th grade. If your child will be entering 7th grade in the fall and they have not already received a Tdap booster, please take care of this prior to the start of the 2023-24 school year. As always, waivers are available in each school office if you a choosing to not have your child receive the required vaccines.
There are two other vaccines that are recommended at age 11-12:
- Meningococcal vaccine which protects children against meningitis which is an infection in the lining around the brain and spinal cord
- HPV vaccine protects children again HPV-related cancers later in life which are typically associated with head, neck and cervical cancers.
Teaching Your Child How to Swallow Pills
For some kids, making the leap from liquid or chewable medication to pills can be challenging. Typically, kids around the age of 10 should be able to swallow pills but some kids are able to by the age of 5 or 6. To help your child learn how to swallow pills, start first with the one thing most kids love... candy! Start with having them practice with very small candies, like sprinkles, and then progress to larger ones such as Tic Tacs or M&Ms.
To get started, your child should:
- Swallow a sip of water or their favorite drink
- Place the smallest candy sprinkle on the middle of their tongue
- Take another sip while keeping the head level
- Swallow the drink with the candy and then take another sip to keep the candy moving
Kids may need to practice many times with the small candy before moving onto a larger sized one. Help them understand that it's "normal" to feel the candy in their throat as it's being swallowed.
If it's still a struggle, try these other steps:
- Use a straw to drink
- Place the candy on a different area of the tongue
- Try the water or other drink at different temperatures
- Try different foods to swallow the candy- applesauce, pudding, jello
It's important to remember that a medication should never be crushed or dissolved without discussing this method with the prescribing provider or pharmacist first!
The Struggle with Vegetables
We all know veggies are an important piece of a healthy diet. For kids who are growing and developing, they are especially important as the fiber, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants found in veggies play an important role in brain development, building and strengthening the immune system and regulating the gastrointestinal tract. But, kids don't always want to eat them. Do you struggle getting your kids to eat their servings of veggies every day? Here are a few tips:
🥕 Add some mashed cauliflower into mashed potatoes.
🥕 Grate carrots or summer squash into meat mixtures, such as meatloaf, meatballs or burgers.
🥕 Add steamed or mashed veggies into pasta sauces.
🥕 Blend them into smoothies- you really can't taste spinach or cauliflower when added!
🥕 Allow kids to dip their raw veggies into hummus, ranch dip or a nut butter.
🥕 If you have an air fryer- try making the veggies in it!
🥕 Lastly, make sure the adults in the home are setting the example and eating veggies too!