Welcome Dons to our 2024-25 School Year!
I will be present at Dons’ Day if you have any questions, updated forms to submit, or just to say HI!
You can access the Medical Forms page HERE or use the QR code below.
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
School Nurse
School Nurse
HAPPY SUMMER DONS AND GRADUATES!
Many students and families go to visit college campuses over the summer. If you are visiting or taking your students to start school, make sure to actually visit the Student Health Center. This valuable resource center offers more services than most people are aware of, including, but not limited to, physical AND mental health services. Many offer wellness programs, classes and workshops, as well as supplies and resources. Especially if it’s your student’s first time away from home, it’s important for them to feel empowered about how and where they can go for support when they’re not feeling well.
It’s also a good idea to create a mini first aid kit for new dorm students and it’s a great way to create a dialogue on some important issues.
For new and returning Acalanes students, we need NEW medical forms for each school year. Get them filled out at the doctor’s office this summer and turn in to me at the start of school in August. Check out this QR code for the various forms your student might need:
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
School Nurse
FUEL YOUR STUDENTS FOR FINALS with Phytonutrients and Healthy Proteins! There are lots of delicious berries and stone fruits showing up at the markets. Get plenty of healthy whole foods for your students to choose from. Hydrate them with our fantastic east bay tap water.
We need NEW medical forms for each school year. Get them filled out at the doctor’s office this summer and turn in to me at the start of school in August. Check out this QR code for the various forms your student might need:
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
School Nurse
FUEL YOUR STUDENTS with Phytonutrients for Academic Success!
With AP exams and finals coming up, support your student’s academic success by providing them with nutrient dense food choices – they support brain health (and emotional health too!). Try to substitute processed foods and snacks with whole foods rich in these ingredients. Here’s a good resource. Let me know if you need more ideas!
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
School Nurse
FUEL YOUR STUDENTS with Phytonutrients for Academic Success!
With AP exams and Finals coming up, support your student’s academic success by providing them with nutrient-dense food choices – they support brain health (and emotional health too!). Try to substitute processed foods and snacks with whole foods rich in these ingredients. Here’s a good resource. Let me know if you need more ideas!
PERTUSSIS (WHOOPING COUGH)
Please review the notification sent to the Acalanes Community from Principal Eric Shawn on Apr 16.
Whooping cough, also called pertussis, is a very contagious bacterial infection that can spread through close contact when people with the disease cough. Symptoms can appear 5 to 21 days after infection. It usually starts like a common cold (e.g., sneezing, runny nose, etc.), followed by a cough that worsens over one to two weeks. People with whooping cough may have coughing spells in which they can’t catch their breath between coughs. Some may loudly gasp (“whoop”) and vomit or feel like they’re choking. There is usually no fever with whooping cough.
In general, the whooping cough vaccines are very effective in either preventing disease or decreasing its severity soon after receiving the vaccine series or booster dose. However, immunity from vaccination wanes quickly over time, so even children who have been fully vaccinated can get whooping cough.
A booster vaccine (Tdap) is recommended in middle school at ages 11-12 years and is required for 7th-grade entry in California. It is also recommended for adults, especially pregnant women (with each pregnancy) and caregivers of young infants. The Tdap vaccine is widely available at doctor’s offices, some pharmacies, and local health departments and is generally covered by most insurance plans.
If you are a parent with a child or are in contact with a child: If your child, or a child you are in contact with, has cold symptoms and is coughing, please contact your doctor. Tell the doctor that several confirmed cases of whooping cough have been reported at Acalanes. If your child has been seen by their doctor and whooping cough was diagnosed, please keep your child at home until the child has completed 5 days of the prescribed antibiotic treatment. The most accurate test for diagnosing whooping cough is collected using a nasal swab.
Pertussis Fact Sheet
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
School Nurse
PERTUSSIS ( Whooping Cough)
Please review the notification sent to the Acalanes Community from Principal Eric Shawn on Apr 16.
Whooping cough, also called pertussis, is a very contagious bacterial infection that can spread through close contact when people with the disease cough. Symptoms can appear 5 to 21 days after infection. It usually starts like a common cold (e.g., sneezing, runny nose, etc.), followed by a cough that worsens over one to two weeks. People with whooping cough may have coughing spells in which they can’t catch their breath between coughs. Some may loudly gasp (“whoop”) and vomit or feel like they’re choking. There is usually no fever with whooping cough.
In general, the whooping cough vaccines are very effective in either preventing disease or decreasing its severity soon after receiving the vaccine series or booster dose. However, immunity from vaccination wanes quickly over time, so even children who have been fully vaccinated can get whooping cough. A booster vaccine (Tdap) is recommended in middle school at ages 11-12 years and is required for 7th-grade entry in California. It is also recommended for adults, especially pregnant women (with each pregnancy) and caregivers of young infants. The Tdap vaccine is widely available at doctor’s offices, some pharmacies, and local health departments and is generally covered by most insurance plans.
If you are a parent with a child or are in contact with a child: If your child, or a child you are in contact with, has cold symptoms and is coughing, please contact your doctor. Tell the doctor that several confirmed cases of whooping cough have been reported at Acalanes. If your child has been seen by their doctor and whooping cough was diagnosed, please keep your child at home until the child has completed 5 days of the prescribed antibiotic treatment. The most accurate test for diagnosing whooping cough is collected using a nasal swab.
Pertussis Fact Sheet
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
School Nurse
APRIL IS ALCOHOL AWARENESS MONTH!
Honestly, this is not a fun topic to discuss.
Statistics Tell the Tale
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, alcohol is the most commonly abuesed addictive substance among American youth. Within the past month
- 1 in 3 American high school students have drunk alcohol at least once
- Almost 1 in 5 have engaged in dangerous binge-drinking
- 8% consumed alcohol and then drove
- 20% accepted a ride from someone else who had been drinking
- 4300+ underage youths die each year due to excessive drinking
- There are 189,000+ ER visits by youths as a result of alcohol-related causes
Parents: You Make a Difference!
The longer youths delay drinking and drug use, the less chance they have of having problems of use, including addiction. TALK with your kids to discuss how to make smart decisions. Role model for them – your behavior sets the standard. 10% of US children live with alcoholic parents and those children are 4x as likely to become alcoholics.
Brain Development
Your student’s brain is still developing and will for years to come. Alcohol can have long-term effects on brain development that can last through adulthood.
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
School Nurse
APRIL IS ALCOHOL AWARENESS MONTH!
Honestly, this is not a fun topic to discuss.
Statistics Tell the Tale
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, alcohol is the most commonly abused addictive substance among American youth. Within the past month:
- 1 in 3 American high school students have drunk alcohol at least once
- Almost 1 in 5 have engaged in dangerous binge-drinking
- 8% consumed alcohol and then drove
- 20% accepted a ride from someone else who had been drinking
- 4300+ underage youths die each year due to excessive drinking
- There are 189,000+ ER visits by youths as a result of alcohol-related causes
Parents: You Make a Difference!
The longer youths delay drinking and drug use, the less chance they have of having problems of use, including addiction. TALK with your kids to discuss how to make smart decisions. Role model for them – your behavior sets the standard. 10% of US children live with alcoholic parents and those children are 4x as likely to become alcoholics.
Brain Development
Your student’s brain is still developing and will for years to come. Alcohol can have long-term effects on brain development that can last through adulthood.
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
School Nurse
KEEP AN EYE ON SLEEP!
Based on recent feedback I’ve received from parents, I encourage you to talk with your child about sleep. They may not know how important it is and how much they need. You may be able to discuss together how to optimize their schedule so that they can get more of the sleep they need. Good quality and amount of sleep = academic success!
Acalanes students need SLEEP to:
- Excel in the classroom by maximizing attention, memory and learning abilities
- Perform better in sports by being faster, stronger and more accurate
- Feel positive and have a more optimistic attitude toward life
- Look their best and maintain a healthy weight
- Have fun and enjoy life by making better decisions and staying safe
Teens need between 8-10 hours of sleep per night. Working backwards, if your student can get to school on time if they sleep until 7am, they should be considering going to bed as early as 9pm but not later than 11pm. Parents can assist their students in prioritizing their sleep environment and sleep windows.
To optimize sleep quality, parents can help by:
- Keeping digital devices out of the room
- Leaving 3 hours between eating and going to sleep
- Having a wind-down time before bed
- Being prepared for the next day before going to bed (including having breakfast and snacks ready/available)
When you go visit prospective colleges, think about visiting the Student Health Center. They are expertly equipped to address a variety of health and wellness issues for 18-25 year olds, whose bodies and brains are still growing and developing
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
School Nurse
IT’S SLEEP AWARENESS MONTH!
Acalanes students need SLEEP to:
- Excel in the classroom by maximizing attention, memory and learning abilities
- Perform better in sports by being faster, stronger and more accurate
- Feel positive and have a more optimistic attitude toward life
- Look their best and maintain a healthy weight
- Have fun and enjoy life by making better decisions and staying safe
Teens need between 8-10 hours of sleep per night. Working backwards, if your student can get to school on time if they sleep until 7am, they should be considering going to bed as early as 9pm but not later than 11pm. Parents can assist their students in prioritizing their sleep environment and sleep windows.
To optimize sleep quality, parents can help by:
- Keeping digital devices out of the room
- Leaving 3 hours between eating and going to sleep
- Having a wind-down time before bed
- Being prepared for the next day before going to bed (including having breakfast and snacks ready/available)
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
