Health & Wellbeing

Accidents

Minor cuts and abrasions will be treated as school. In the event of a more serious injury, or where there is doubt as to the serious of the injury, you or your emergency contact person will be advised. In cases requiring immediate medical care the school will contact the ambulance service if appropriate. Please ensure that contact information is kept updated at the school office.

School Health Nurse

The School Medical Service is authorised to conduct medical examinations on children in all Departmental schools. These examinations are conducted at prep level with parental permission. Health Questionnaires are sent home to families of prep students to be completed and returned to school.

Immunisation Certificate

All children commencing school require an immunisation certificate. It is not compulsory to have all the immunisations, but a child who has not been immunised against a particular disease will have to be excluded if there are cases of that particular disease in the school. Principals are required by law to exclude students with certain illnesses.

Pediculosis – Head Lice

Parents should regularly check children’s hair. If head lice are found, treatment should be sought immediately and the school notified. Children with head lice are to be excluded from school until the day after treatment has begun.

Medicines Procedure

If a student needs to take medication while at school or at a school activity:

Parents/carers will need to arrange for the student’s treating medical/health practitioner to provide written advice to the school which details as the name of the medication required, the dosage amount, the time the medication is to be taken, how the medication is to be taken, the dates the medication is required, whether it is an ongoing medication and how the medication should be stored. The full medical policy can be viewed on our school website.

Medical Alerts

Children often complain about “tummy aches” at school. They can often be emotional upsets (e.g. a problem with friends, school work, any other worry or fear) and are usually helped by a little bit of TLC, a lie down, or just by the provision of a distracting task. If the problem persists, then further discussion may reveal the cause of the problem, or a phone call home may be necessary. If you are concerned about your child’s health, please send an accompanying note to alert us of the problem.

Emergency Contacts

Families are asked to provide emergency details as part of the enrolment form. In the event of a sudden illness, parent or their nominated representative will be contacted. An emergency contact should be someone who would be willing to collect and look after your child if you are unable to be reached. It is important that the emergency contact records in the school office are kept up to date at all times.

In the event of you changing your address, work circumstances or telephone number, please advise the school immediately. Given Teesdale’s location, the risk of fire and each family's Emergency Plan needs to be considered and discussed with contacts to ensure that in an emergency your child will be safe. Sick or injured children must be collected from school. The school is unable to provide emergency transport for sick children. Parents are therefore advised to consider the need for ambulance cover for their families, as ambulances will be used in cases of serious illness or injury.

Infectious Diseases

If your child has an infectious or serious illness or is to be absent for an extended period, a phone call to the school would be appreciated. Infections spread quickly at school.

Accordingly the Health Department exclusion table can be located at http://ideas.health.vic.gov.au/guidelines/school-exclusion-table.asp

These procedures must be followed if your child contracts any of the following diseases:

Chicken Pox, Conjunctivitis (acute infections) Diphtheria/Giardiasis (diarrhoea), Hepatitis A (infectious Hepatitis), Hepatitis B, Impetigo (School Sores), Leprosy, Measles, Meningococcal Infection, Mumps, Erythema Infectiosum (Slapped Check Syndrome), Pertussis (Whooping Cough), Ringworm, Rotavirus (diarrhoea), Rubella, Scabies, Shigella (diarrhoea), Streptococcal Infection, Scarlet Fever, Trachoma, Tuberculosis, Typhoid and Paratyphoid.