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TURBOTVILLE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

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Health Information

Welcome to the Elementary Nurse's Page!

My name is Tracy Golder and I am the Certified School Nurse for Turbotville Elementary. I have been a nurse for about 28 years and have always worked with children and their families. My hope is that this page will provide the families of Turbotville Elementary with information of common issues that the school nurse sees on a routine basis.

Please feel free to contact me with any medical questions or concerns regarding your student. I am here to help you and your student achieve the best academic achievement by advocating  for you and promoting wellness and health during the school day. 
 

Tracy Golder, RN, MSN, CSN
PH: 570-649-5135 ext. 1012
FAX: 1-570-392-9103
tgolder@wrsd.org

 

Head Lice

Head lice are tiny, wingless insects that feed only on human blood. They do not fly or jump but move by crawling. Most people become very upset when they think they may have a case of head lice in their families, but I’m here to share a few facts about the tiny creatures that cause us all to feel a little itchy!

  • It is a community problem. What this means is that it originated within the community and is brought into other people’s homes or the schools. Head lice have been around forever and approximately 6-12 million families are affected each year.
  • It is not infectious. Head lice does not cause disease or infections. It is a nuisance problem, which means it is more annoying than anything else because it causes us to feel very itchy!
  • It can affect anyone, regardless of race, hair type, socioeconomic status, or gender.
  • You CANNOT get head lice from your pets! This is strictly a human to human issue. Family pets get fleas and humans get head lice. It can not be spread from your pets to your head.
  • Home remedies are ineffective! Please use a lice killing shampoo, such as NIX, RID, or even the generic versions of these shampoos. If you are concerned with using a pesticide on your child’s head, cetaphil face wash is the next best agent to rid of the nuisance insects! Home remedies, such as mayonnaise, vinegar, tea tree oil will NOT kill the head lice. You must first use a lice killing agent (listed above) to start!
  • Follow the directions on the lice killing shampoo. DO NOT use more than recommended. Believe it or not, there is something called “Super Lice”. It is lice that are hard to kill because regular treatments have been used too frequently. The lice can actually become immune to the treatments and this makes it much harder to get rid of them.
  • You MUST manually remove all of the nits, or eggs, that are attached to the hair shaft. The shampoo only kills the live lice. It does not kill the eggs! This is THE most important step in getting rid of the lice infestation.

Don’t waste your time trying to figure out where the head lice originated from. Please focus all of your energy on getting rid of it permanently. You will waste a great deal of time trying to figure out where it came from and honestly, there is no way of knowing for certain. 

 

 

District Medical Forms

If you need a medication permit, school physical examination form, school dental form, or any other medical forms specific to the school setting, please click on the following link. This will take you to the District Health Services page, where you can find all the forms we use in the nurses office.

https://www.wrsd.org/content/844

 

 

Infection Control Practices

It's true. Your child goes back to school after summer vacation and it seems like some school years,they are sick a great deal. When we are around groups of people, regardless of their age, we are all prone to a multitude of bacteria, viruses, and other microscopic critters. When we think about how to protect ourselves from illness, or what we nurses call Infection Control Practices, this is the key in keeping us and our families safe from illness.

The easiest, most effective way to decrease the spread of infections and illnesses, is to wash your hands frequently. Hand sanitizer can be helpful in a pinch or if you do not have access to water and soap, but washing your hands with running water and hand soap as soon as you can is the most effective way to cut down on disease transmission. I wash my hands between each student I see. And most days, I see between 30-40 students every day! 

https://www.cdc.gov/handwashing/show-me-the-science-hand-sanitizer.html

Epinephrine

I notice that many parents and/or guardians mark “no” to epinephrine every year on their medical forms for medications that can be administered during the school day.

 

Please note that if your child has an allergic reaction to something, like certain foods, insect stings, etc.,  during the school day that none of us, including parents, are aware of, this life saving medication will not be available to them if you mark “NO” on the medical form. 

 

They will only receive the epinephrine IF they have signs and symptoms of a severe anaphylactic reaction. It may be necessary to save their life!