From the Nurse

Hearing and Vision Screening Information 

Each year, St. John School conducts vision and hearing screening exams for students in grades Kindergarten, 2, 4, and 6. The screening exams were paused in 2020 and 2021 due to COVID-19. This year students were screened for both vision and hearing acuity on October 24, 2023. Next week during conferences, letters will be given to families of students whose screenings indicated that the student may have hearing and/or vision concerns. Please note families will only receive a letter if a potential concern was identified. If you have questions, please reach out to our school nurse, Dora Hall, ARNP, at dhall@st-johnschool.org. 

On-Campus Vaccination Clinic for Students – NEW CLINIC DATE 

Safeway Pharmacy has confirmed receipt of the updated COVID vaccine for ages 5-11, and St. John is able to offer an additional vaccination clinic for students on campus on Thursday, November 16, during the school day. The optional student clinic will also offer flu shots and updated COVID vaccines for students who were not able to participate in the previous clinic.  

There is a new process for registration – please read important registration steps below: 

  1. Registration (including consent) will be completed through Safeway’s online registration link: https://www.safeway.com/vaccinations/group-clinic/StJohnCovid. You must register using the Safeway link if you would like your child to participate in the vaccine clinic on November 16. 
  1. Registration will require choosing a time for vaccination; however, the student clinic schedule will be created by the school so any time can be chosen in the online link. 
  1. Students receiving the updated COVID vaccine MUST bring a copy of their insurance card to the clinic. Students will not be able to receive the COVID vaccine without insurance information.  
  1.  The deadline to register is Monday, November 13. Late registrations will NOT be accepted.  

We will need volunteers again to support the students and clinic on Thursday, November 16. Look out for a sign-up shortly.  

Thank you to everyone who signed up for our last clinic on 10/6/23 and to all of the amazing parent volunteers who supported the clinic throughout the day. A total of 390 vaccines were administered to students and staff – 285 flu vaccines and 105 COVID vaccines – a fantastic turnout! 

Head Lice Information for Families

The school has been notified of five total cases of head lice over the past five weeks in preschool, Kindergarten, 1st and 2nd grades. Some of the students also attend XDC. Head lice are common in school-age children; therefore, we would like to provide information regarding head lice and the school policy: 

Head Lice Facts 

  • Direct contact with hair (head-to-head contact) is the most common way to spread head lice  
  • Lice can also be spread by sharing clothing or belongings (hats, scarves, combs, brushes, etc.) but this is much less common   
  • Head lice move by crawling; they cannot hop or fly 
  • Personal hygiene or cleanliness in the home or school has nothing to do with getting head lice 
  • Head lice are not considered a medical or public health hazard. They are a nuisance but not dangerous! 

St. John Head Lice Policy 

  • St. John does not do whole class or whole school lice/nit check. This is based on best practices from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and National Association of School Nurses (NASN):
    • Lice checks are often inaccurate and not time/cost-effective 
  • Students with head lice can return to school after receiving their first lice treatment 

Head Lice Resources 

Please let the school know if your child does have head lice. If you have questions, please reach out to our school nurse, Dora Hall (dhall@st-johnschool.org).