The logo for springfield international charter school is purple and black.

Pneumonia

Pneumonia Handout 12.24 

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH) has noticed a significant increase in cases of respiratory illnesses caused by Mycoplasma pneumoniae (walking pneumonia ) and Bordetella pertussis (whooping cough), particularly among school-aged children and adolescents.

Pneumonia is an infection of the lungs. Normally, the small sacs in the lungs are filled with air. When someone has pneumonia, the air sacs fill up with pus and other fluids.


The signs and symptoms of pneumonia may include:

  • fever
  • cough
  • chills
  • fast breathing 
  • breathing with grunting or wheezing sounds
  • working hard to breathe
  • vomiting
  • chest pain
  • belly pain 
  • being less active 
  • loss of appetite (in older kids) or poor feeding (in babies)


Viruses, like the flu or RSV (respiratory syncytial virus), cause most cases of pneumonia. Children with pneumonia caused by a virus usually have symptoms that happen over time and tend to be mild.


Less often, bacteria can cause pneumonia. When that happens, children usually will become sick more quickly, starting with a sudden high fever, cough, and sometimes fast breathing. Types of bacterial pneumonia include pneumococcal pneumonia, mycoplasma pneumonia (walking pneumonia), and pertussis (whooping cough).


The Healthcare Provider (HCP ) will perform an evaluation for pneumonia. They will check physical appearance, breathing pattern, vital signs and might order a chest x-ray. Depending on the cause of the pneumonia, the HCP may order antibiotics. Most symptoms start to resolve in one week, but this is dependent on general health and age. If you notice symptoms worsening or persisting, contact your healthcare provider. 


Welcome Letter 2024

September 13, 2024 Download

The Nursing Team is excited to welcome our students back to school. Our professional staff continue to provide equitable healthcare to promote student success. As the school year begins, we would like to remind parents of some important health topics that will help us, help keep your child healthy. 

COVID-19 care is now symptom based and is being treated like other respiratory illnesses. Our current protocol based on CDC guidelines was emailed to all parents and is located in the Health Services section of the SICS website under Wellness. 


It is time to think about your annual flu vaccine. The best way to protect yourself and your family against influenza ( flu) is to get a flu vaccine. Flu is a contagious respiratory disease that can lead to serious illness or hospitalization. The CDC recommends everyone six months and older get an annual flu vaccine. 


Nursing staff will begin our annual immunization surveys that are mandated by the Department of Public Health (DPH). You may receive a call if the information we have on your child’s immunizations is incomplete. Anytime your child gets a physical exam or vaccine please send us a copy so we can update their school health record. DPH requires students in 1st, 4th, 7th and 10th grade to obtain a physical. 


We have a medication administration protocol for any children who require prescribed medication during the school day. The school nurse is responsible for medication plans and should be contacted if this applies to your child. For your convenience, we plan to have our medication forms and protocol posted on our website in the near future. 


The nursing team recommends you keep ill children home from school. This will promote a full recovery and lessen the risk of passing the illness to others. If your child has a fever ( temperature over 100.0), diarrhea, vomiting or persistent cold or flu symptoms, they should stay home. They may return when a fever has resolved for 24 hours without fever reducing medication. If antibiotics have been prescribed, your child may return to school after being on the medication for 24 hours and showing improvement in health. 


As always, if you have any questions related to your child’s school health needs, please contact us. 


Kathleen Dupuis, RN and Cindy Barry, MA @ 783-2600 

Kristen Wrisley, RN and Ali Boner, RN @ 783-3434

160 Joan Street, Springfield MA 01129    Tel: 413-783-2600    Fax: 413-783-2555            www.sics.org

Springfield International Charter School does not discriminate based on race, color, national origin, disability, sex, religion, sexual orientation, homelessness, or gender identity.

Celebratory Foods

September 25, 2024

Springfield International Charter School is committed to providing a safe and healthy school environment for all students. Food allergies can be an emergency for both individuals with known allergies and those having an allergic reaction for the first time. According to FARE ( Food Allergy Research and Education ), 1 in 13 students have a food allergy. 

 

To decrease the risk of allergy emergencies, we have changed our K-5 protocol for classroom celebrations. Food related classroom celebrations will now be managed by SICS. We will not allow outside food to be brought into school for any special occasions. Food brought into school will be held and returned as time allows. SICS will provide a monthly food based celebration for each K-5 class. This will acknowledge special dates for the students. Student allergy needs will be addressed with the nursing staff prior to classroom celebrations. Students will still be allowed to bring in their individual daily snack and lunch if applicable.


Read About Seasonal Allergies in our Wellness section

Share by: