Your child’s health and well being is of utmost importance not only to you, but also to us here at St. Agnes Cathedral School. Together we can optimize our children’s ability to learn while staying healthy.
Physical examinations are REQUIRED for all newly entering students, and students entering Kindergarten, 1, 3, 5 and 7 grades. Physical examination forms are distributed along with the report cards at the end of each school year. These forms are to be completed by your child’s health care provider. They MUST be returned to the Health Office during the first week of school in September. Physicals are valid for one year (insurance companies only allow one physical per year). They are also required for any student (grades 7 & 8) wishing to try out for soccer, track, volleyball, cheerleading, basketball, lacrosse, baseball and/or softball.
See links below for forms.
Immunizations |
Number of Doses |
Polio |
4* doses or 3 doses if the 3rd dose given at 4 years of age or older |
Hepatitis B |
3* |
Diphtheria/Tetanus/Pertussis |
5* doses or 4 doses if the 4th dose given at 4 years of age or older |
Measles/Mumps/Rubella |
2* |
Varicella (Chickenpox) |
2* |
Tdap |
1 Age 10: Not required to receive the Tdap until they turn 11 years old. At that time they must provide documentation of a booster dose of Tdap or provide proof of an appointment for the booster dose within 14 days. Age 11: Must receive an immunization containing tetanus toxoid, diphtheria, and acellular pertussis (Tdap) |
Meningococcal conjugate |
1 By grade 7: One dose of meningococcal conjugate vaccine is required for students entering grade 7 |
*Must be given at correct intervals based on age |
In order to avoid exclusion from school, you must submit one of the following:
If your child has a medical reason that is not permitting him/her to be in compliance with their immunizations by the first day of school, your child’s healthcare provider must write a specific medical reason for your child’s noncompliance due to medical reasons and indicate the length of time for the medical contraindication. All medical exemptions must be renewed annually prior to the first day of school to avoid exclusion.
In order to TRY OUT for any sports program offered by St. Agnes Cathedral School, all students must submit to the Health Office the following items:
If your child suffered a concussion, there are mandated policies that are strictly enforced. Upon notification of your child’s concussion, a Concussion protocol packet- will be provided to you.
When your child is cleared to return to all activities by your child’s attending medical care provider, he/she must ALSO be cleared by the BOCES MD.
PLEASE NOTE: NO student with a diagnosed concussion will be permitted to participate in physical education classes, outdoor recess and any St. Agnes Cathedral School’s sports team until they are cleared to return to all activities by BOTH their medical provider and the BOCES MD.
As always, please call my office should you have any questions or concerns
ALL medications to be given out by the school nurse must have a written health care providers order as well as the parent’s written permission. The medication must be submitted to the nurse's office in the original container along with the doctor’s order form. THIS INCLUDES over the counter medications such as Tylenol, Motrin, Advil, eye drops, etc.
If your child is diagnosed with any communicable diseases such as fifth disease, pink eye (conjunctivitis), strep throat/scarlet fever, ringworm, mononucleosis, lice, chicken pox, pneumonia, or flu, it is your responsibility to notify the school of these occurrences. As always, this information is kept confidential. You must also notify the school if your child will not be in school on any day. Please leave the reason for his/her absence when “calling in sick”.
If your child has or has had lice, it is your obligation to notify the Health Office. When your child returns to school after being treated for lice, they must report to the Health Office first to be cleared. We are a “nit” free school. As always, all information is kept strictly confidential.
If your child has a cold or the flu, proper education on blowing his/her nose, coughing into his/her sleeve, disposal of tissues in receptacles and frequent hand washing will help prevent the spread of these viruses. If your child has a temperature of 100.4 or higher, keeping him/her home for at least 24 hours after the last fever-without the use of fever reducing medications such as Tylenol or Motrin - is a school policy and is best for your child’s health. The symptoms of a common cold may include a headache, runny or stuffy nose, a hacking, productive cough, sneezing and a sore throat. These symptoms tend to develop over a few days. The flu may manifest itself with symptoms such as a high, sudden fever, a prominent headache, aches and pains, extreme fatigue, a non-productive cough and less often a sore throat, sneezing and a runny, stuffy nose. A sore throat that has a sudden onset, fever, headache, nausea, and occasional vomiting with marked inflammation of throat and tonsils are usual findings of strep throat.
If you know your child is running a fever, it is not a good idea to simply give him/her Tylenol and send him/her to school to “take that test” or to give it a try. Sending your child to school sick is not only unfair to your child but it is also exposing the other students and staff to unnecessary germs.
If a child becomes ill or has an accident during the school day, every attempt will be made to contact the parent(s) or legal guardian(s). Emergency contact cards must be on file in the Health Office and updated as needed.
If your child has an illness/ injury that limits him/her from participation in physical education class, a note from the healthcare provider must be presented to the Health Office to be excused from class as well as to resume all activities. PLEASE note, if a child is not permitted to participate in physical education class, they are NOT permitted to go outside for recess. NO exceptions will be made.
Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or concerns . Together we can keep our school community a healthy one.
Kristine Kleinert Keating, BSN, RN
St. Agnes Cathedral School Nurse