School Nurse

Thanksgiving break is an opportunity to spend time with your family and take advantage of doing activities (or not!) that our regular busy schedules don’t always allow for. We all need to reset and have down time. I hope you all enjoyed the break together and enjoyed some simple activities together such as afternoon tea or game night.

I hope you liked the pumpkin pie oatmeal recipe I shared and had a wonderful week with your loved ones. Stay healthy! 

​AHS School Nurse Calendar
See my website for more information.

Always Your School Nurse,
Dvora Citron, RN, MS
dcitron@auhsdschools.org, 925-280-2970 x7128
IG: acalanesschoolnurse, ​School Nurse Website

Thanksgiving break is an opportunity to spend time with your family and take advantage of doing activities (or not!) that our regular busy schedules don’t always allow for. We all need to reset and have down time. I encourage you to think of some special practice that you can enjoy together. It can be as simple as afternoon tea or game night.

I also want to share a recipe I made this week that I really love. It’s a healthy and delicious way to use the nutrient-rich pumpkin. Maybe you can try it during your break. I actually make enough so I can pack for work in the morning.

Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal
Serves 4
Ingredients:

• Old-fashioned rolled oats: 1 cup dry
• Ground flaxseed: 2 Tbsp
• Pumpkin puree: ½ cup
• Maple syrup: 2 Tbsp
• Pumpkin pie spice: 1 tsp
• Toppings: chopped roasted walnuts or pecans and diced persimmon

Cook oatmeal as directed. Just before finishing, add in ground flaxseed, pumpkin puree, maple syrup and pumpkin pie spice. Add oat milk as desired and top with roasted walnuts and diced persimmon. Enjoy and tell me how you like it!

​AHS School Nurse Calendar
See my website for more information.

Always Your School Nurse,
Dvora Citron, RN, MS
dcitron@auhsdschools.org, 925-280-2970 x7128
IG: acalanesschoolnurse, ​School Nurse Website

This is a reminder to consider getting flu and covid shots if your family members are due. Timing is a personal issue, but if you get it done now, you’ll be covered for the upcoming school vacation breaks!

I want to share information about this online program: Depression and ADHD in Adolescents: A Parent’s Guide to Understanding and Support.

​AHS School Nurse Calendar
See my website for more information.

Always Your School Nurse,
Dvora Citron, RN, MS
dcitron@auhsdschools.org, 925-280-2970 x7128
IG: acalanesschoolnurse, ​School Nurse Website

Happy November!
This is a reminder to consider getting flu and covid shots if your family members are due. Timing is a personal issue, but if you get it done now, you’ll be covered for the upcoming school breaks!

​AHS School Nurse Calendar
See my website for more information.

Always Your School Nurse,
Dvora Citron, RN, MS
dcitron@auhsdschools.org, 925-280-2970 x7128
IG: acalanesschoolnurse, ​School Nurse Website

Pumpkins aren’t just for carving! They are highly nutritious and yummy too! While you may not want to cook the big pumpkin sitting outside your front door, go ahead and grab some canned pumpkin puree. Add it to multiple recipes and meals (think chili, soup, muffins). The fiber and nutrients help keep your kids healthy, strong and smart! And when you do carve that pumpkin, roast those seeds and enjoy them as a healthy snack!

Let me know if you have questions or need support.

​AHS School Nurse Calendar
See my website for more information.

Always Your School Nurse,
Dvora Citron, RN, MS
dcitron@auhsdschools.org, 925-280-2970 x7128
IG: acalanesschoolnurse, ​School Nurse Website

I was really glad to get some feedback on last week’s update regarding breast self examinations (BSE) for Breast Cancer Awareness and Prevention month. I heard back that the ACS (American Cancer Society) does not recommend BSE anymore because it has not been shown to decrease breast cancer deaths (here’s a link to last week’s newsletter if you’d like to review).
With that said, I just wanted to highlight that self-monitoring for any health issue has so many benefits – just having awareness of the issue means you prioritize your health. Although the ACS has stated that BSE has not led to a decrease in deaths, there are still some positives and BSE continues to be advocated by many breast cancer prevention organizations:

• “A breast self-exam is an early detection tool that uses a combination of physical and visual examinations of the breasts to check for signs and symptoms of breast cancer. The purpose of a breast self-exam is to become familiar with the way your breasts normally look and feel.” – National Breast Cancer Foundation.
• “Forty percent of diagnosed breast cancers are detected by women who feel a lump, so establishing a regular breast self-exam is very important.”  – Lillie D. Shockney, Johns Hopkins University Distinguished Service Professor of Breast Cancer

I hope you all understand how establishing a regular routine for this free, portable self-care practice can be helpful. Let me know if you have questions or need support.

​AHS School Nurse Calendar
See my website for more information.

Always Your School Nurse,
Dvora Citron, RN, MS
dcitron@auhsdschools.org, 925-280-2970 x7128
IG: acalanesschoolnurse, ​School Nurse Website

Happy October!
October is Breast Cancer Awareness and Prevention Month.  We know a lot more about this area than we used to, so there is a lot we can do to help increase awareness and hopefully reduce our risk of breast cancer. One of the most basic strategies is to teach young women to perform BSE (breast self exam) and encourage them to perform this life-saving technique monthly throughout most of their lives. I am sharing an excellent resource from The Get In Touch Foundation. The Daisy Wheel is an interactive, safe, and easy-to-use tool outlining the eight steps necessary to do breast self-examination. This tool is accessible as a downloadable app and also available as a hard-copy paper tool. I have several of the paper tools in my office and am happy to share with anyone who is interested.

I want to encourage all families to access these tools and share them with your daughters. I encourage you to view this instructional video with your daughter(s) and consider physically practicing this together. Your discussion should include incorporating this practice into a regular health hygiene routine. 

So take action and make a commitment to: 1. Review this information and materials with your daughter(s), or even just yourself; 2. Download the app or/and get the paper tool from me; 3. Schedule this practice on your calendar to perform monthly with a reminder.  Make this a habit that will become a regular practice. The more we perform these preventative health measures, the more it motivates and inspires us to increase our healthy habits in other areas.  I want to hear from you about this – please “get in touch.”

Let me know if you have questions or need support.

​AHS School Nurse Calendar
See my website for more information.

Always Your School Nurse,
Dvora Citron, RN, MS
dcitron@auhsdschools.org, 925-280-2970 x7128
IG: acalanesschoolnurse, ​School Nurse Website

Here I go talking about healthy food again…
There are two things I want to highlight:

1. Let’s go over what I talked about last week:  What is true about almost all the students that come into my office not feeling well is that they haven’t eaten breakfast. Most kids say they don’t have time and/or are not hungry in the morning. I always start out by asking them what they’d be WILLING to eat. Our students really need to start their day with “fuel in their tank” for optimal learning (and to feel well). How did your conversation go with your student about EATING BREAKFAST? What breakfast ideas did you come up with together?
2. OK, stay with me here…Remember how I talked about the nutritional conference I recently attended? One of the greatest presentations was from an ophthalmologist speaking how important optimal nutrition is for visual health. How can you support optimal nutrition for your kids? To begin with, provide an abundance of green leafy vegetables, other vegetables and fruits at meals and for snacks. That’s a good starting point. A next step can be to have your student participate in choosing healthy foods for the household (take them with you to the supermarket, or better yet to a farmer’s market!). You can challenge them to pick out three different COLOR fruits and three different COLOR vegetables. This doctor also said evidence shows that kids who play outside for 2 hours a day have a lower incidence of vision issues. Makes sense but now here’s your reason!

Please, let me know if you have questions or need support.

​AHS School Nurse Calendar
See my website for more information.

Always Your School Nurse,
Dvora Citron, RN, MS
dcitron@auhsdschools.org, 925-280-2970 x7128
IG: acalanesschoolnurse, ​School Nurse Website

Here I go talking about healthy food again…
There are two things I want to highlight:

1.  What is true about almost all the students that come into my office not feeling well is that they haven’t eaten breakfast.  Most kids say they don’t have time and/or are not hungry in the morning.  I always start out by asking them what they’d be WILLING to eat.  Our students really need to start their day with “fuel in their tank” for optimal learning (and to feel well).  Could you have that conversation with your student and help take action steps to empower them for academic and health success by EATING BREAKFAST?
2. This past weekend I attended a nutritional conference.  One of the greatest presentations was from an ophthalmologist speaking how important optimal nutrition is for visual health. How can you support optimal nutrition for your kids?  To begin with, provide an abundance of green leafy vegetables, other vegetables and fruits at meals and for snacks.  That’s a good starting point. THis doctor also said evidence shows that kids who play outside for 2 hours a day have a lower incidence of vision issues.  Makes sense but now here’s your reason!

​AHS School Nurse Calendar
See my website for more information.

Always Your School Nurse,
Dvora Citron, RN, MS
dcitron@auhsdschools.org, 925-280-2970 x7128
IG: acalanesschoolnurse, ​School Nurse Website

Build healthy habits for your students now! Four years goes by in a flash…

Does your student know who their doctor is? That’s a question I ask almost every student. I do that to find out if they have an identified primary care provider (hopefully a pediatrician). I talk to the older students about how they will be accessing health care on their own when they are in college. Student Health and Wellness Centers in the University setting are uniquely designed to meet the needs of these young adults. Discussing accessing health care (beginning with knowing who your doctor is) with your student begins to empower them to think and function independently.

It takes a village- keeping our students healthy and safe is our highest priority. Give yourself permission to regularly speak with your own kids about safe and healthy behaviors. That includes drinking alcohol, substance use and sexual activity. Talk with your kids about what routines and practices will keep them stay healthy and strong so they have as many positive options to choose from in their future.

Please, let me know if you have questions or need support.

You can access the medical forms page HERE.

My office hours are:
Tuesdays, Wednesdays and some* Thursdays
Tuesdays & Thursdays:  8am – 3:50pm
Wednesdays:  7:30am – 3:20pm

​AHS School Nurse Calendar
See my website for more information.

Always Your School Nurse,
Dvora Citron, RN, MS
dcitron@auhsdschools.org, 925-280-2970 x7128
IG: acalanesschoolnurse, ​School Nurse Website