Welcome

Welcome back and especially “welcome” to all new parents and students to the College. I hope that you will enjoy this year. The Health Centre has moved up in the world … it is now situated at the top of the Le Couteur Centre at the car park end, while building works continue. There is a lift for those with injuries or disability and there are no steps if you enter from the car park end of Le Couteur.

I am here Mondays to Thursdays 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM and Fridays 8:00 AM -3:30 PM. We also have first aid coverage for Saturday sport in the first aid room just inside the back gates on Newington Road.

Please let me know if you have any changes to your medical details or if your son has had any recent injuries/illnesses that I need to know about, so I can update his file. New parents please ensure that you have completed the Online Medical Form under the ‘Essentials’ tab of the Welcome to Newington College insite.

Parents,we have some boys at school who are receiving treatment for cancer and other serious conditions. These students are recovering well but are nevertheless more prone to infections. Therefore, it is very important that if your son develops an infectious disease in particular chicken pox or measles, that you contact me at the Health Centre. It is also important for your son to stay home if unwell with a fever/bad cold and cough or if they have a gastric infection, to help prevent the spread of infection to others.

Nut Free Zone

The college is not a ‘nut free’ zone. There are many boys at school with anaphylaxis, so it would be appreciated if Nutella and peanut butter products were not brought to school. If your son is really keen to bring these items then please have a conversation with them about not sharing these foods and explain how some boys can have a serious life threatening allergy.

Spare epipens are located in the Health Centre, pool office, Library, Common Room, Concordia, Boarding House and the Boat Shed.

For those with asthma, please ensure that you carry your reliever in your bag. At school ventolin inhalers are available from the pool office, Library and the Health Centre.

Vaccinations for 2014 will commence in March

Year 7 are offered:

• Boostrix (diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough booster) – single dose

• Chicken pox vaccine – only if they have not had it previously or had the disease

• HPV vaccine in a three dose course.

Year 11 & 12 are being offered:

• Measles, mumps and rubella vaccine (MMR) – one dose if you do not have documented evidence of two doses previously

Consent forms will be handed out at Mentor group later in February. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions regarding immunisation, as it can be confusing.

 Settling into School

To help your son settle into the school routine, the best advice I can offer is to be positive, patient and encourage him to get enough sleep each night. Nine hours of sleep really helps the boys to cope with the demands of school and new friendships.

I have a small supply of spare uniform in case an item has been forgotten or gets damaged, which the boys are welcome to borrow. I would appreciate it if these could then be returned ready for the next boy.

If you would like to discuss any concerns, please feel free to contact me on email or via my landline 02 9568 9426 or mobile 0407 004 738.

Sister Margaret Bates
College Nurse