Health Announcements

Annual Notice about Recommended Vaccinations for Grades 6-12:

Dear Parent and/or Guardian,

The purpose of this letter is to inform you of two vaccines which are recommended for the age group of your child.  The meningococcal conjugate vaccine and human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccine are both recommended for adolescents starting at age 11. 

Both meningococcal and HPV exposures cause serious and often deadly consequences. Meningococcal disease is a serious infection of the brain (meningitis) and blood. Fortunately, this life-threatening infection is rare -- only about 30-60 people are infected each year in Washington, with 1-8 deaths. Adolescents and young adults are more likely to get meningococcal disease, especially those living in group settings, like college dorms.

The meningococcal conjugate vaccine protects against meningococcal disease and meningitis, very serious illnesses where death can occur in as little as a few hours. This vaccine is administered in two doses.  The first dose is administered starting at age 11 or 12.  A second dose is recommended for teens at age 16 to continue complete protection against meningococcal meningitis.

HPV is a very common virus spread through genital contact. Up to 75 percent of HPV infections occur among people 15-24 years old. There are many types of HPV. Some types can cause cervical cancer or genital warts, with two types of HPV causing 75 percent of cervical cancer in women. Both women and men can get HPV and easily spread it to others without knowing they have it. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) states “93% of cervical cancer can be prevented through screening and HPV vaccination.”

The HPV vaccine protects against cancers and other diseases caused by HPV infection. Both boys and girls should receive three doses of HPV vaccine to protect against these serious diseases. If they complete the series before age 14, they may only need two doses.  Your preteen/teen should receive the second dose a month or two after the first dose, and the third dose six months after the first dose.

I urge you strongly to consider these vaccines or at the very least have a conversation with your child’s healthcare provider about these recommendations.  If you would like to research the vaccines, I recommend visiting the following websites for more information:

If you have questions about these vaccines or diseases, please do not hesitate to contact Special Services at 360-277-2111. 

Querido padre y/o Guardian,

El proposito de esta carta es para informarle de las dos vacunas recomendadas para los ninos de la misma edad que su nino. La vacuna conjugada antimeningocócica y virus del papiloma humano (HPV) estan recomendadas para adolecente de edad 11 para arriba.

Tanto meningocócica y HPVson causante de serias consequencias y frecuentemente la muerte. La Enfermedad meningocócica es una infeccion seria del cerebro (meningitis) y de la sangre. Afortunadamente esta infeccion es rara—solamente como 30-60 personas son infectados cada ano en el estado de Washington, con 1-8 muertes. Adolescente y jovenes adultos suelen tener la enfermedad de meningocócica, especialmente los que viven en grupo, como en dormitorio de colegio.

La vacuna conjugada antimeningocócica da proteccion contra enfermedades y meningitis meningocócica, y serias enfermedades donde la muerte pueda que ocurra en tan solo unas horas. Esta vacuna es administrada en dos dosis. La primera dosis es administrada a la edad de 11 o 12. Una segunda dosis es recomendada para jóvenes a la edad de 16 para continuar una completa protección contra la meningitis meningocócica.

HPV es un virus muy común que se difunde a través del contacto genital.  Un 75 % de infecciones de HPV ocurre entre personas de 15-24 anos de edad. Hay muchos tipos de HPV. Algunos pueden causar cancer cervical o verrugas genitales, y dos tipos de HPV causan un 75% de cancer cervical en las mujeres. Mujeres y hombres pueden tener HPV y contagiar a otros sin saber que tienen la enferemedad. El Centro de Control de Enfermedades (CDC) del estado, “93% de cancer cervical puede prevenirse con la detección y vacunación VPH.”

La vacuna HPV ofrece proteccion contra canceres u otras enfermedades causado por infecciones de HPV. Tanto como ninos y ninas deben  recibir tres dosis  de HPV  para proteccion contra estas enfermedades serias. Su hijo/a debe recibir la Segunda dosis un mes o dos depues de la primera dosis, y la tercera dosis seis meses despues de la primera dosis.

Le insto firmemente a considerar estas vacunas o por lo menos tener una conversación con el médico de su hijo acerca de estas recomendaciones. Si desea mas informacion sobre estas vacunas, le recomiendo visitar los siguientes sitios para más información:

Si usted tiene preguntas acerca de estas vacunas o enfermedades, por favor no dude en comunicarse con Servicios Especiales al 360-277-2111.

Medical Guidelines for School Attendance

Should my child stay home from school today?  If you're wondering whether your child should go to school or stay home, follow these guidelines.  If you have a medical question you'd like to discuss with the nurse, contact the Special Services office at 360-277-2111 during school hours.

En Espanol: aqui

Head Lice Resources

Lice can be a problem in classrooms during any time of the year.  As the school year continues, it's important to review some key facts about lice in the school setting. 

If your child has lice, contact their healthcare provider for treatment options. Resistance to over-the-counter products have been reported, so it's important to have the conversation about treatments with a healthcare provider.

For more information on lice, here's a quick read about head lice to review.  Frequently asked questions and answers about lice are found here.

The following letter about lice is distributed to all families during the school year, but is not given out to individual classrooms in order to maintain student's privacy:  Lice letter and En Espanol.