McMeen Elementary

Greetings McMeen Families!

Happy Women's History Month! 

As we begin to come down off of the peak respiratory illness season, we find ourselves entering the gastrointestinal illness season. Here at McMeen, like most other schools this time of year, we are seeing an increase in vomiting/diarrhea illnesses. Often called the "stomach flu," norovirus is a leading cause of these symptoms. Norovirus is not acutally the "flu" (influenza), rather it is highly contagious virus that causes gastroenteritis. The main way the virus is spread is through the fecal to oral route. The leading cause for this fecal to oral contamination to occur is unclean hands. Please continue to talk with your children about the importance of not only washing hands regularly, especially after using the bathroom and before eating, but also the the importance of keeping their hands and other objects out of their mouths. 

This all being said, many children frequently complain of stomach-aches all year round. Sometimes children will also have a single episode of vomiting related to other issues besides stomach illness, such as coughing too hard. I do not typically call home/send home students with a vague complaint of a stomachache or a single episode of vomiting unless there are more symptoms detected during my nursing assessment. 

If a person contracts norovirus, they will most likely experience more than just a stomach-ache. Here is a list of signs/symptoms of norovirus: 

- low grade fever (100.4 degrees F or 38 degrees C to 101 degrees F or 38.3 degrees C)

- abdominal cramping

- diarrhea

- vomiting

- nausea

- headache

- body aches

If your child experiences norovirus-like symptoms, please keep them home until symptoms are resolved for at least 48 hours without the use of medications. If you do keep your student home for these symptoms, please make sure you're calling the attendance line (720-424-5520) every day your child is absent and indicate the reason why. By providing us with the reason why your student is out ill, we are better able to keep track of the illness trends here at McMeen.

If you ever have questions about when to keep a student home, feel free to reach out to me via phone or email (miriam_cavender@dpsk12.net or 720-424-5525.)