Message From The School Nurse
Jacelyn Otte, BSN, RN
About Me
I am Jacelyn Otte. I have been a nurse since 2016. My background is ICU nursing, so it's a big change from school nursing. I decided I wanted to make a change to better suit my home life, so last year I switched over to school nursing and was offered a full time position here at Cortland this year. I still work ICU every now and then to keep my skills up. I am married to Dr. Nathan Otte and I have a 4 year old son. I love to run in my free time, so you might see me around town. We stay pretty busy. I love what I do and I love this school I am at and I look forward to hopefully staying here for many years to come!
What Do I Do?
On top of making sure your children are healthy and safe, I have yearly duties I need to take care of. I keep records of all immunizations and make sure each student is up to date. If there is any lacks in immunizations, you will be contacted. I conduct hearing screenings usually in the first couple months of school. Hearing screenings are required for all accredited public and accredited non-public schools for grades K or 1, 4, 7, and 10, as well as any new students or student with suspected hearing defects. Vision screenings are conducted as well. The Lions Club usually helps to take care of this at the beginning of the year. Notices will be sent out letting you know the date of the exams. Vision screenings are required for grades 1, 3, 5, and 8, as well as new students and anyone suspected of having visual difficulties. If there is an issue found in vision or hearing, a referral will be sent home. If you receive a referral please respond about actions taken. This is important because at the end of the year, I need to submit a report with all of this data.
COVID
If your child has been exposed to a positive person, is showing symptoms, or tests positive, please call the office to discuss all of the options. The guidelines are changing frequently and the Indiana Department of Health has just updated a new set of guidelines. Even if you just have a simple question or concern, don't hesitate to call or email. I am attaching two links of resources that you can use to know what to expect regarding COVID and up to date isolation protocols. If your child is tested for COVID, you must provide proof of a positive or negative result. Without this, your child may be asked to stay home until it is provided. Please continue to encourage your children to wear masks at all times, unless eating or playing at recess.
Updated Health Issues or Concerns
If your child has a new health update or diagnosis, etc. please contact me with an update. We can discuss the individualized plan of care for your child. I want to make sure your child is as healthy as possible and if there is anything I can do to make the school day better for them, I would love to work with you on that.
Reaching Out To You
If your student comes in to see me for anything, I like to send a copy of the nurses report to update you about the visit. If it is a serious issue, I will call you. I will send out emails if I need information from you. I usually send them through harmony, so whatever email was submitted through that is the email I will use. Please continue to check emails!