May 3, 2010

Dear Parents,

As we wind down another school year that has absolutely flown by, I'd like to take this opportunity to offer a few suggestions you might find helpful.

The Health Center will be sending out "returning student" physical forms the first week in May so now is a good time to set up those appointments for physicals before your doctor's office is jammed. As a reminder to parents of all boarding students, if your daughter takes any daily, prescribed medication please be sure that you have her doctor fill out a Medical Authorization form. You may make as many copies of the one we will include in our mailing as you need. Should you misplace or not receive our mailing, please access and print out the forms available on the Westover web site.

Next Fall we will once again be offering flu vaccines to all our students. There will be a place on the returning student physical form to check off whether or not you would like your daughter to receive a flu shot this next year. I have been told by our medical director, Dr. Diane Fountas, that the H1N1 vaccine will be included in the flu shot for next Fall. There will only be the one vaccine needed for the flu season next year. We encourage as many students as possible to take the flu vaccine. If you should happen to have your daughter vaccinated over the summer, please indicate so on her health form.

Each year many students return with a variety of medications they are not allowed to keep in their rooms. We currently have a cabinet full of these medications and ask that you stop by the health center at the end of the school year to pick up any and all prescribed or over-the-counter medications before your daughter leaves for the summer. We will need to dispose of any medications left here for the summer if they are not picked up.

During the summer months, the Health Center is closed from early June until mid August. Because the Health Center is used by the Bolshoi Ballet Summer program, it is difficult to retrieve voice mail messages. If you have any questions to which you would like an answer in a timely manner, please email me at: npratt@westoverschool.org. I check my email daily and will respond as quickly as possible.

Thank you and have a great summer!

Nancy H. Pratt, RN