Clinic Visits

How many visits does the Harrison Clinic have in an average month?  You might be surprised at the volume of students that come in for various ailments and daily needs.  There can be as many as 35 to 40 kids that come in daily to receive some sort of help in the clinic! 
The most common complaint?  This month it was stomach aches with head aches and sore throats close behind.  Occasionally this complaint can be minimized by good planning and by taking care of ourselves.  Missing time in class can have an effect on grades and learning material that is needed for testing.
Eating breakfast is the number one way to prevent that growly morning stomach discomfort.  Getting enough rest and exercise are both important ways to take care of ourselves.  If you know you have a big test coming up and you're having some anxiousness,  learn some ways to help yourself relax.  Deep breathing, listening to music, yoga or stretching or journaling are some ideas that may help you! 

Quiz #3 Answer

The question was posted outside the clinic this week.  The question was...

Where would you find your patella?

The answer is...in your knee.  It's also called your knee cap!

Reflection

We've been through 5 weeks of school already! 
 I love watching our students walk through the hall, I've seen some great behavior and all our students are able to be ROCKSTARS! 
Some kids have to work a lot harder than others to get to be a Rockstar.  There are many students that struggle with behavior issues or disorders that may require them to learn how to be good citizens and work well as a team.  They may need reminders or modeling to show their true Rockstar behavior. 
 My son struggles with behavior issues and was diagnosed with autism and as a parent it's frustrating and somewhat disheartening to know that they struggle with things that most kids can do easily.  To see a child that struggles learn a new skill or master something that has challenged them is truly a privilege.  At school we get to see this transformation as our students learn and mature.  By staying positive and modeling and reinforcing high expectations we are seeing our most challenged students be successful and reaching their potential.  It's an amazing thing to see this year at Harrison and all staff members are proud of our ROCKSTARS! 

Quiz #2 Answer

Bruxism is grinding your teeth!  It can be caused by stress or anxiety and can contribute to headaches, jaw pain, and muscle tension.  See your dentist for guards that can help protect your teeth and be sure to practice good stress relief techniques.  Nurse Stephanie has lots of ideas for stress relief activities to keep these and other symptoms to a minimum! 

Quiz of the Week #2

Here's the weekly quiz posted outside the clinic:

Does Bruxism keep you awake at night?  Do you know what it is?

Hint:  Maybe you should ask your dentist about it

I'll give the answer on Monday!

Emergency Planning

The recent weather is a great reminder for all families to have an emergency/disaster plan in place.  We all know we should have an emergency kit, but have you taken the time to gather everything and put it in an accessable location?  Are the batteries good?  Have expiration dates been checked?

This can be a simple twice a year check for most households.  Verifing everything when daylight savings time begins and ends each year will ensure you have what you need and it is up to date. 

How do you know what to pack in an emergency kit?  The best resource by far for this information and to
even purchase a premade kit is from the American Red Cross.  At http://www.redcross.org/ you can access a check list of supplies, find out how to make an emergency plan and know what is needed on an emergency contact card.  If you need a checklist or just have any questions about emergency preparedness you can always ask your school nurse! 

Stop Bullying Now

Here's some great info for both kids and parents about bullying.
Check out http://www.stopbullyingnow.hrsa.gov/kids/ for kid friendly advice
and talk with you child about bullying and how to prevent and stop it!