HPSC Newshamper

Health Space

Smile Squad

The Smile Squad Dental Clinic on Wheels has been with us at HPSC since the start of term 4. Smile Squad is a Victorian Government program that offers free dental care to all Victorian government school students.  The team of technicians and nurses are doing fillings and teeth cleaning for some of our students, and they will also see students who were not seen in term 3 to assess them for care and treatment. Read more about Smile Squad here.

 

Health Pop Up

The school nurses will be “popping up” again this term with the HEALTH POP UP.  Students are encouraged to come and ask questions and access health information about anything health related.  Stay tuned for the first pop up!  We will let everyone know via compass and teams about the day, time and location of our first pop up.

Dealing With Worry

October is Mental Health Awareness Month – Check out the poster on “9 things to do when you start to experience worry”.  Some great tips for young and old! 

 

Thunderstorm asthma — be prepared this pollen season

Grass pollen season, which runs from October to December each year, brings an increase in asthma and hay fever symptoms. It also increases the risk of thunderstorm asthma. For people with asthma or hay fever, especially those who experience wheezing or coughing with their hay fever, thunderstorm asthma can be sudden, serious and even life threatening.

 

Hampton Park Secondary College will implement a range of measures to keep our school community safe when the risk of thunderstorm asthma increases. 

 

Many of our staff are trained in asthma first aid, and we will monitor the VicEmergency app to receive thunderstorm warnings, and, where appropriate, keep students indoors when weather forecasts identify greater level of risk. 

How you can prepare 

During pollen season, there are some things you can do to prepare and protect yourself and your family:

  • If your child has ever had asthma: talk to your doctor about what you can do to help protect your child from the risk of thunderstorm asthma, including updating your asthma action plan. Taking an asthma preventer properly and regularly is key to preventing asthma, including thunderstorm asthma. 
  • If your child has hay fever: see your pharmacist or doctor for a hay fever treatment plan and check if you should have an asthma reliever puffer. These are available from a pharmacy without a prescription.
  • If your child has hay fever and experiences wheezing and coughing: it is important to make sure they don’t also have asthma. Speak to your doctor about an asthma action plan. 
  • Where possible, avoid being outside during thunderstorms from October to December, especially during the wind gusts that come before the storm. Go inside and close your doors and windows. If you have your air conditioning on, turn it to ‘recirculate’.

Protect yourself this pollen season – managing asthma and allergies matters.

Remain vigilant for COVID-19

It is important for students to manage any hay fever or asthma symptoms, as these conditions can produce symptoms such as fever, chills, cough, sore throat, shortness of breath, runny nose, and loss or change to sense of smell or taste, which are similar to COVID-19 symptoms.

If your child experiences these symptoms in different or worse ways to their usual hay fever or asthma symptoms, medical advice should be sought. 

Find out more 

For more information, visit your general practitioner (GP) or visit the Better Health Channel.