Screening Updates from the School Nurse

Message from the Health Office

The Littleton High School Health Office will conduct health screenings for students throughout the 2019-20 school year.

Postural Screening on 9th grade students: The purpose of this screening is to find early signs of possible spinal problems in students in grades 5-9. It is not a diagnostic service, but a program to identify young people who should have further medical evaluation. If your child has any unusual findings, you will be notified and be asked to take the child to a physician as a precaution.  If nothing unusual is found, we will not contact you.

Body Mass Index (BMI) on 10th grade students: In April 2009 the Massachusetts legislature passed a regulation requiring public schools to collect the height and weight of students in grades 1, 4, 7 and 10. A student's height and weight are used to calculate their body mass index (BMI). BMI is a useful tool in calculating your child’s "weight for height for age" status and identifying possible future health risks related to weight. The BMI calculation results are kept strictly confidential.  A copy of the BMI will be kept in the student's health record and is available to the parent/guardian upon written request.

Vision and Hearing Screenings for 10th grade students: The school nurse will evaluate students’ far and near vision at 20/30 acuity, as well as test students’ hearing. If a student fails a screening, parents will be notified in writing to recommend further medical evaluation.  

All screenings will be done in a private setting by the school nurse.  Parents and guardians may waive these screening examinations by submitting a written request addressed to the school nurse AND if the school has an up to date (i.e. completed within the 13 months prior to the examination) physical examination document on file.

Nashoba Associated Board of Health Newsletter

Influenza Newsletter

Is It a Cold or the Flu?

The cold and flu are both respiratory illnesses, but they are caused by different types of viruses with different symptoms. Use this chart to learn the difference between the two.

Signs and Symptoms	Influenza	Cold
Fever	Usually present	Rare
Aches	Usual, often severe	Slight
Chills	Fairly common	Uncommon
Tiredness	Moderate to severe	Mild
Symptom onset	Symptoms can appear within 3 to 6 hours	Symptoms appear gradually
Coughing	Dry, unproductive cough	Hacking, productive cough
Sneezing	Uncommon	Common
Stuffy nose	Uncommon	Common
Sore throat	Uncommon	Common
Chest discomfort	Often severe	Mild to moderate
Headache	Common	Uncommon

 

Excerpt from www.flufacts.com