School Nurse

Build healthy habits for your students now! Four years goes by in a flash. Make sure you use this time to offer lots of attractive healthy choices that your kids will make a routine part of their lives:

1. Healthy snacks and meals:  it takes time and energy. Involve them by getting their requests for fruits and vegetables and other healthy foods. Make sure they’re readily available for your students to have at home, pack for school, and take with them when on the run. When I was growing up, my mom would always put out a platter of different fresh veggies with a healthy dip in the middle. It would always disappear quickly…try it! Bonus idea: make a “hummus” by blending a can of beans and add some tahini and different spices.
2. Help your students learn how to put together an easy, nutritious and tasty meal:
   1. Prepare a grain: rice, quinoa, pasta
   2. Vegetables: steamed, sauteed, roasted
   3. Healthy protein: (I prefer roasted tofu)

If you “batch cook” and make a big bowl of each, you’ll have enough for a few meals, or at least leftovers.
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 or use this QR code:

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

What’s new with COVID? Parents, we still want you to call the attendance office to report Covid, as we are still required to report cases. However, we are now considering Covid as any other respiratory illness: students and staff can come back if, for 24 hours, their symptoms are getting better overall and they have not had a fever (without taking fever-reducing medication). You can read these CDPH Guidelines: Considerations when a Child has Symptoms of Illness in Child Care or School.

Just a reminder to make sure your student has healthy food/snacks and water with them to nourish and fuel them during the school day.

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

What’s new with COVID? Parents, we still want you to call the attendance office to report Covid, as we are still required to report cases. However, we are now considering Covid as any other respiratory illness: students and staff can come back if, for 24 hours, their symptoms are getting better overall and they have not had a fever (without taking fever-reducing medication). You can read these CDPH Guidelines: Considerations when a Child has Symptoms of Illness in Child Care or School.
Just a reminder to make sure your student has healthy food/snacks and water with them to nourish and fuel them during the school day.
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
 
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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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