Panther Pride
From the desk of Mr.McElhinney
First week in the books
Enjoy the long weekend
Mr. Mac
Arrival /Dismissal 2021-22
Morning Arrival (7:20 a.m. – 7:25 a.m.) and Afternoon Dismissal (1:55)
Arrival and Dismissal procedures have changed for the for the 21-22 school year please review the map below.
SPORTS UPDATE
Field Hockey is open to 6, 7 & 8th graders this season
As long as students have a physical and register on-line they can participate in practice beginning Tuesday after school.
NOTES FROM THE CLINIC
Notes from the Clinic 9/2/2021:
Welcome back 7th and 8th grade parents and welcome to Stony Brook, 6th grade parents. Every week I will put some information in the newsletter that is health related.
The Westford Public School Nurses have a blog which we update on a regular basis. This is the link: https://westfordpshealthservices.weebly.com/blog
If your child has an Epipen or Inhaler that they will have at school, paperwork needs to be filled out annually. Forms can be found at the following link which is located in the above blog: https://westfordpshealthservices.weebly.com/forms.html. If your child is planning to carry their Epipen or Inhaler at school, indicate that on the form.
7th grade parents: Please continue to send in physicals and immunization forms. Letters were sent out in June letting you know what was missing from your child’s records. If you are new to Westford, we require physicals in grades K, 3, 7 and 10 and annually for student athletes in middle and high school.
All parents of student athletes: Please make sure that there is a current physical on file with me prior to tryouts. A current physical is one that your child has had over the past 13 months. This is an MIAA (Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association) mandate.
All of you will be receiving information about the Test and Stay option for students identified as close contacts at school. I encourage you to sign your children up. This will be a challenging year for all of us as we navigate a ‘new normal’ with COVID still very much in our midst. Please be patient with me and the mandates in place. If your child is sick, do not send them to school. The test and stay option is only for those identified as close contacts at school. I have been a nurse for 35 years, a school nurse for 21 years and am not an alarmist. But if your child comes to the clinic with 2 or more symptoms related to COVID, I will be calling you and sending them home. The following information can be found on our blog but I want to highlight it here:
Westford Public Schools will be following the Department of Public Health and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education guidance on COVID-19 in schools. The full memo can be found on the homepage of this website.
As a reminder, please note that students will be sent home and asked to quarantine and test for COVID if the following symptoms are present.
COVID-19 symptoms list:
• Fever (100.0° Fahrenheit or higher), chills, or shaking chills
• Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
• New loss of taste or smell
• Muscle aches or body aches
• Cough (not due to other known cause, such as chronic cough)
• Sore throat, when in combination with other symptoms
• Nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea when in combination with other symptoms
• Headache when in combination with other symptoms
• Fatigue, when in combination with other symptoms
• Nasal congestion or runny nose (not due to other known causes, such as allergies) when in combination with other symptoms
If your child has these symptoms, please call your pediatrician. Many offices are doing symptomatic PCR tests with results within 24 hours. We will always prefer the PCR test over the Antigen tests. The Binax Antigen test is the one we will be using for the Test and Stay program. These kits can be bought at local pharmacies and are the most accurate antigen tests.
Parents of students 12 and over, please get your child vaccinated. Pfizer has now been FDA approved. On webinars attended recently, school nurses are being asked to encourage all staff, parents and students who are eligible to be vaccinated.
Do not hesitate to contact me via email or phone if you have any questions or concerns. My contact information is below. Enjoy the weekend.
Sue Hanly, MSN, RN, NCSN
978-392-6974 (direct line)