** please remember the school-year long 24 hour fever free rule:  ; your child must be fever free for 24 hours WITHOUT the use of fever lowering meds such as acetominphen/tylenol, or ibuprofen/advil or motrin before returning to school or school sponsored activities (games, programs, trips).  This important rule is in place to allow the body time to heal and to minimize exposure of illness to the rest of the student body.  Please, Please do not give your child motrin or tylenol and send them to school if you feel they might be sick or getting sick.

**symptoms of the flu:  fever, cough, sore throat, headache, fatigue, and sometimes vomiting and diarrhea. 

**if a person has the flu, they may be able to infect others, shedding the virus for up to one day BEFORE symptoms start, for up to 7 days AFTER becoming sick.

In General, WHEN TO KEEP YOUR CHILD HOME FROM SCHOOL:

*THROWING UP TWO OR MORE TIMES DURING A 24 HOUR PERIOD, OR NOT BEING ABLE TO KEEP NORMAL FOODS OR DRINKS DOWN.

*A FEVER OF 100.5 OR HIGHER. 

REPEADED SEVERE DIARRHEA FOR AT LEAST A DAY

*STOMACH PAINS THAT LAST FOR MORE THAN TWO HOURS.

*OPEN SORES ON THE MOUTH.

*AN UNEXPLAINED SKIN RASH OR RED EYE.

When your child is not feeling well enough to participate in their normal daily activiites or not alert enough to learn or play, they are too sick to go to school.

Dr. Robert Key of Mayo Clinic says, "Young children's immune systems haven't learned to recoginize and resist most common viruses.  That's why, until they are 8 or so, kids seem to bring home everything that's making the rounds at school.  Children can typically have 6 to 10 colds per year."

THE BEST WAY CHILDREN CAN STAY HEALTHY AND AVOID MISSING SCHOOL IS TO WASH THEIR HANDS THOROUGHLY AND OFTEN.  THE CDC ENCOURAGES WASHING HANDS FOR 15 SECONDS, OR LONG ENOUGH TO SING  THE 'HAPPY BIRTHDAY' SONG TWICE.