Health News

The Importance of Breakfast
You probably heard it from your own parents: “Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.” But now you’re the one saying it to your sleepy, frazzled, grumpy kids who insist “I’m not hungry” as you try to get everyone fed and moving in the morning.

Breakfast is a great way to give the body the refueling it needs. Kids who eat breakfast tend to eat healthier overall and are more likely to participate in physical activities—two great ways to help maintain a healthy body weight. Breakfast also kick starts the body’s metabolism to start burning calories. Kids who eat breakfast get fiber, calcium and other important nutrients. They also tend to keep their weight under control, have lower cholesterol levels, have fewer absences from school and make fewer trips to the school nurse with stomach complaints related to hunger.

Skipping breakfast can make kids feel tired, restless or irritable. In the morning, their bodies need to refuel for the day after going without for 8-12 hours during sleep. Their mood and energy can drop by midmorning if they don’t eat at least a small morning meal. People who don’t eat breakfast often consume more calories throughout the day and are more likely to be overweight. This is because someone who skips breakfast is likely to get very hungry before lunchtime and snack on high-calorie foods or overeat at lunch.

To help with morning scheduling, have grab and go alternatives such as fresh fruit, yogurt or smoothies, individual boxes of cereal or trail mix. If kids are not hungry first thing in the morning, send something they can eat later on the bus such as fresh fruit, nuts, peanut butter and banana sandwich, or peanut butter snack crackers. Toaster pastries and breakfast bars are portable, easy and appealing to kids but be careful of your choice. Many have no more nutritional value than a candy bar and are high in sugar and calories. Read the nutrition labels carefully before purchasing these items.

Breakfast doesn’t have to be fancy or elaborate. Even washing down a piece of whole wheat toast and a banana with a glass of juice or milk will start your child off towards a successful day.

This breakfast can be prepared the night before and is a good source of calcium. It is also a good breakfast for diabetics.
    3/4 c. fruit flavored fat-free yogurt
    1/3 c. oat bran
    1/3 c. sliced peaches (canned in water or light syrup)
    1 T. dried cranberries
Layer peach slices in a 16 oz. plastic cup. Next, layer the yogurt on top of the peach slices. Sprinkle dried cranberries on top of yogurt. Top with oat bran. Serve
immediately or cover and refrigerate until ready to eat. Try different yogurt flavors. Add nuts for more protein.
                      —Janett Doile, School Nurse

Additional immunizations required for the 2008-2009 school year
Starting with the 2008-2009 school year one chickenpox vaccine (varicella) or proof of having had the disease will be required for all elementary students, kindergarten through fifth grade. This is a new requirement for all of those students who will be 5th graders. The Hepatitis B series of three shots is also being required next school year (08-09) for K-5 students. Dates need to be included on the immunization record for both the varicella and Hepatitis B vaccines.

PERTUSSIS (WHOOPING COUGH): Onset 7-10 days, but can occur up to 21 days after exposure to infected person. Pertussis is communicable throughout the incubation period and for approximately 3 weeks following onset if untreated. If treated, infectiousness usually extends 5 days or less after onset of therapy. Symptoms include runny nose, sneezing, low-grade fever, thick mucous, a cough lasting at least 2 weeks with one of the following: inspiratory “whoop” or vomiting after coughing, and exhaustion. If treatment is initiated within 7 days of exposure and no signs or symptoms are present, student may return to school after 24 hours of antibiotic therapy. If symptoms are present and no treatment is initiated the student is excluded for 21 days after exposure and symptoms subside. Students not current with immunization guidelines will be excluded from school for 21 days after exposure and must have a physician’s release to return to school thereafter.

MUMPS: an infection of the salivary glands caused by a virus. Symptoms include fever, headache, muscle ache, and swelling of the glands close to the jaw. Transmission of mumps occurs through coughing and sneezing by airborne particles, or through direct contact with infected droplets or saliva. Mumps is about as contagious as influenza and rubella, but less so than measles or chickenpox. It is generally transmitted from about 3 days before symptoms appear to about 4 days after, although the virus has been isolated from saliva as early as 7 days before to as late as 9 days after onset of symptoms. Complications of mumps can lead to meningitis, inflammation of the testicles or ovaries, inflammation of the pancreas and deafness (usually permanent).
Exclusion: Persons diagnosed with mumps are excluded from school for 9 days following diagnosis. Those without the compliant immunizations (1 MMR after 12 months of age and a second MMR before entering school) are excluded from school based on a range of days during which exposure could have occurred (i.e., starting the 12th day of exposure following the first day of exposure and extending to the 25th day following the last day of exposure). The MMR vaccination is recommended for all exposed persons who do not have the proper immunizations. Persons born before 1957, or those who have had a confirmed case of the mumps are considered to have immunity.

Please be aware that the district may exclude your child from school for 25 days if your child’s immunizations are not up to date. As soon as your child is up to date with his/her MMR (Measles/Mumps/Rubella) immunizations they may come back to school. Kansas Department of Health and Environment strongly recommends two doses of mumps-containing vaccine for all persons for whom vaccine is recommended.