Medical Welcome Letter
A very warm welcome from TCG Jumeira!

A big hello to all our new families! We’re looking forward to our first jam-packed school year, and we’ve plenty of events lined up. The purpose of this letter is to draw your attention to some of TCG’s health policies, so that you can work with us to help make the course of school life run as smoothly as possible. A school nurse is present at all times during the school day to care for ill or injured students and to administer first aid as and when required.  If children are unwell at school they will be cared for at the Nurse’s Room.  In case of more severe illness, you will be informed and required to pick up your sick child.

ILLNESS If children are unwell, they must be kept at home to prevent the spread of illness in the school community and allow them the opportunity to rest and recover.  If unwell, a child cannot enjoy school properly and is unable to participate in classes in an effective or meaningful way.

Children must be kept at home for the following reasons:

Vomiting and/or diarrhea: A child with either of these problems should stay at home and only return to school after being symptom free for 24 hours. The child should pass a normal stool before attending school again.

A temperature of 37.6* Celsius and above: Even if the temperature has been reduced with medication, please keep your child at home until they have been without a fever and without medication for 24 hours.

 

Conjunctivitis: Following a diagnosis of conjunctivitis, a child may return to school 24 hours after the first dose of prescribed medicine, providing the eyes are clean again (i.e. no ongoing secretion).            Sore Throat: If your child is diagnosed with a streptococcal throat infection, he/she may only return to school once he/she has taken antibiotics for at least three days, has no fever and is feeling well.             Rashes: Common infectious diseases with rashes are most contagious in the early stages.  A child with a suspicious rash should return to school only after a doctor has made a diagnosis and the school nurse has examined your child and given permission for the child to return to class. Many rashes are not contagious.  If you are in any doubt, please take your child to see the school nurse before he/she attends the classroom. Colds:  Consider keeping your child at home if he/she is experiencing discomfort from cold symptoms such as nasal congestion and/or cough.

Childhood diseases: Young children are still in the process of building up their immune systems and therefore often suffer from colds, coughs etc. Sometimes it can seem as though they are ‘always’ sick.  This is normal for toddlers and it plays an important part in the development of their immune systems.  Molluscum contagiosum (skin warts), head lice, Chickenpox and Rotavirus, for example, are typical childhood diseases.

Please check your child’s hair regularly, especially if he/she is scratching the neck and the area behind the ears.  If your child has head lice, please administer treatment immediately and inform the school nurse.

 
If my child is sick, who should I inform?                                                 
If your child is unwell and unable to attend school, please telephone our
Front Desk on  971 (0)4 349 2985.  Please also inform the school about any
contagious illnesses diagnosed by the doctor.

The school must be informed immediately of any change in your telephone numbers to enable us to contact a parent or guardian in the event of sickness or accident.  If both parents are out of the country, an alternative emergency contact number must be left with the class teacher and Front Desk.

 

MEDICATION The clinic stocks a variety of over-the-counter medications such as Calpol, Brufen, creams/gels for minor complaints and products for cleaning minor injuries.  However, before we can administer any medications we need a signed consent form from the parents/guardian.  We will contact parents prior to administering any oral medications.

 

If we can’t reach you and your child needs immediate treatment, we will not be able to administer medication without this consent form. If your child is taking any regular medication, either long or short term, this medication will be administered by the nurse.  Please hand the medication directly to the school nurse and ensure it is clearly marked with name, time and dosage required.  With the exception of personal inhalers to prevent/treat an asthma attack, children are not allowed to keep medication on themselves.

 

ALLERGIES If your child suffers from allergies, please ensure you have clearly identified all his/her allergies on the school Application Form.  In case of any severe allergies, please inform the nurse and fill in an Emergency Treatment Response Form.

 As some children and staff suffer from severe nut allergies, we run
a ‘Nut Free School’ which means that no nuts are to be brought onto the premises.  This includes peanut butter, Nutella, breakfast/muesli bars that contain nuts. Nut allergies can be fatal, so please be vigilant about this.

DOCTOR’S VISIT AND MEDICAL EXAMINATIONS                                                                                    Our school doctor visits TCG every Sunday from 9-10 am (day and time may change).  PS 1 children will be measured in height and weight and examined by the school doctor once every school year.  The vaccination record will be checked according to the UAE vaccination schedule.  Please see the nurse for further details.

 

VACCINATIONS Please ensure you have handed over an updated copy of your child’s vaccination record and bring an updated copy every time your child has any new vaccinations. While we will keep a photocopy of his/her original vaccination records at TCG, it remains your responsibility to ensure all immunizations are kept up-to-date.

 

SUN PROTECTION Please apply sunscreen to your child prior to school each day, especially on water play days. Wearing a high factor sunscreen and covering your head/neck when out in the sun will reduce your chances of skin damage.  Good quality sunglasses are essential to protect eyes from long-term damage.

At school we follow a “heat policy” regarding play in the playground.  Please ask your class teacher for further information.  Please educate your children about the dangers of the sun and dehydration.  We will encourage them to drink a lot of water, so please make sure they know how important it is to do so

 

HEALTHY SNACKS AND LUNCHES  As The Children’s Garden promotes healthy nutrition we would like to encourage you to give your child only healthy food for all school snacks/lunches. Our list of ‘banned substances’ at TCG includes: nuts and nut products; pork; fizzy drinks, sweets and chocolate.

Some simple tips on school snacks and lunches:

•  Pack a variety of small items and finger foods. Children enjoy these fun lunches and they love to make choices.  If the only options available are healthy, your child will have a great lunch!
•  Have your child help to pack his/her lunch before bed.  Giving children choices and allowing them to feel in control of their lunch will encourage better eating.
• Try new foods or mix things up every day.  Children become really excited to open their lunch kit each day, so let’s give them a reason to continue looking forward to lunch time!

Please feel free to contact TCG staff if you have any queries.  We look forward to a wonderful school year and thank you in advance for your support and co-operation.

Kind regards,
The Children’s Garden Team