Welcome to the Health Suite/Nurse’s Office

The Health Suite/Nurse’s office is an important part of the school environment. Our school nurses work hand-in-hand with teachers and staff to identify medical, physical, and emotional problems which could affect a student’s ability to learn.

Medical Records

A lot happens in the nurse’s office beyond attending to ill or injured children. We are mandated by state law to maintain accurate health records on every student. These records contain copies of the state mandated exams. Physical and dental exams are mandated for certain grade levels, and are as follows:

Dental Exams

Kindergarten or 1st entry
Third (3rd) grade
Seventh (7th) grade

Physical Exams

Kindergarten or 1st entry
Sixth (6th) grade
Eleventh (11th) grade

For your convenience, these exams are accepted one year prior to the mandated year.

Health records are treated as confidential. They also contain the results of yearly height/weight and BMI checks on every student, hearing tests for students in grades K-3, 7, and 11, plus those who have had past failures of the hearing test. Every student has his/her vision tested for near and far sightedness. In addition grade 1 is tested for color blindness, depth perception, and hyperopia (extreme farsightedness). We also maintain accurate immunization information. Please review the information from the Department of Health regarding new immunization requirements for 2020-2021.

Health Instruction
The Certified School Nurse teaches the health unit on Human Sexuality to grades 4 and 5. Each nurse also uses everyday situations to educate students on the importance of good nutrition, proper rest and exercise, and personal hygiene. We STRESS good hand washing!

Head Lice
We perform checks for head lice as needed. Pennridge School District has a NO NIT policy, which means your child must be free of lice and nits to attend school. We would appreciate it if you would let us know if your child gets head lice. Early detection and treatment can help prevent an outbreak that might affect many students.

Medication
Please be advised that NO MEDICATION will be given to your child without proper completion of the Medication Dispensing form. This form is used for both prescription and non-prescription medications (over the counter) and requires physician and parent signature.  All medications must be delivered to the school nurse by an adult. Students are not permitted to carry any medications with them to school with the exception of properly labeled inhalers and Epi-pens.  ALL medications (including over-the-counter products) must come to school in the original container.  Please do not bring mediations in baggies or foil.  Additionally, we ask that you inform us if your child is taking any medication regularly at home. Knowledge of this can help us if your child exhibits any symptoms or side effects. Likewise, we ask that you inform us of any existing or newly acquired medical conditions.

Forms and Important Information
If the nurse has contacted you about medical information that is required, one of these forms may be the one that you need. Click on the name of the form to bring up a printable .pdf files viewable on most computers.

Medication Dispensing Form

Private Dentist Report of Dental Exam

Private Physician Report of School Physical Exam

Top 10 Tips for Flu Prevention

Vaccination Info (English)

Vaccination Info (Spanish)

Vaccination Fact Sheet (English)

Vaccination Fact Sheet (Spanish)

Our goal is to provide the best possible care for your child so he/she can be a “healthy” learner.  Notices that come home from our office are important. We encourage communication between our office and home. Please feel free to contact us any time with questions or concerns:

South MS - 215-257-0467 (ext. 991004)

Melanie Anders, RN, BSN, Certified School Nurse (manders@pennridge.org)

Marianna Buso, RN, Support Staff Nurse (mbuso@pennridge.org)