Malvern Primary School Newsletter

You're In Good Hands

Spring is here and so is the unpredictable weather, swirling pollens, itchy eyes, runny noses, colour, flowers, smells and ASTHMA.  And this week is Asthma Week. 

 

Did you know that 

  1. Poorly controlled asthma can be fatal and or can cause permanent damage to airways
  2. On average 1 in 9 people live with asthma
  3. At least 100 people per day have an asthma attack of such severity that they need to be hospitalised 
  4. At least 1 person per day has a fatal asthma event and 
  5. Parents tend to self-assess their child’s asthma status over time which is dangerous.

At Malvern Primary School, our Asthma community is growing and to date has been relatively incident free. But as a community we can do better. 

 

The school is committed to ensuring that all teachers are asthma emergency trained, there are Ventolin emergency kits in each yard duty bag, camp bag and sports bag. But all this effort becomes a waste if the school does not have updated asthma care plans and medications. 

 

So what can you do?

  1. Have your child’s asthma plan reviewed and renewed every year. 
  2. If your child displays signs and symptoms of Asthma but not diagnosed, take them to be assessed, don’t wait. 
  3. Download the AIR SMAT App on your phone so you as a parent and your child can be prepared for any ASTHMA triggers
  4. Ensure your child has Ventolin on their person and it is in date
  5. Provide the school with up-to-date Asthma Plans (yearly would be fantastic, not ideal if the plan is 3 years old) 
  6. If you believe your child has outgrown their Asthma Diagnosis, please have it confirmed by your GP and provide the school with written documentation
  7. Be Aware that if the school has on its files that your child is an Asthmatic, you will be required to provide a GP signed camp asthma plan two weeks prior to the camp date
  8. Before your child attends a school camp, visit your child's doctor to complete a Camp Asthma Plan.  These plans are vital to the support of your child whilst on camp, where there is often a higher risk of asthma.

Asthma is not a condition that can be ignored. Please help the school keep your children safe.

 

 

Have a great week

Jenny Klein

School Nurse