Parent Teacher Magazine Gaston County Schools September 2017 | Page 9

Health and Immunization Requirements A child must be five years old on or before August 31, 2017 to begin kindergarten. Each child entering a North Carolina public school for the first time must submit proof of a health assessment to the school’s principal within 30 calendar days of the child’s first day of attendance. All children entering kindergarten this fall must have a health physical completed between August 29, 2016 and August 28, 2017. The assessment must be submitted to the principal on kindergarten assessment forms provided by the N.C. Department of Human Resources and the N.C. Department of Public Instruction. Kindergarten health assessment forms are available at elementary schools, the Gaston County Health Department and all pediatrician offices. Students who do not meet the state requirements for immunizations and a health assessment will not be allowed to remain in school. North Carolina law requires the following immunizations for students: • 5 DTP/DTaP (Diphtheria, Tetanus, Whooping Cough) - If the fourth dose is on or after the fourth birthday, fifth dose is not required. • 4 Polio – IPV - 3 doses are acceptable if the last dose was given on or after the fourth birthday. • 1 HIB (Haemophilus Influenza B) - Must be given at 15 months of age and before five years of age. Not required after age five. • 2 Measles - One dose after the first birthday and before 16 months, and second dose before enrolling in school. Usually given as MMR (measles, mumps, rubella). • 2 Mumps - One does after 12 months and before 16 months, and second dose before enrolling in school. Usually given as MMR (measles, mumps, rubella). 1 Rubella - One dose on or after 12 months and before 16 months. • 3 Hepatitis B - Required for all students born on or after July 1, 1994. • 1 Varicella (Chicken Pox) - Required for all students born on or after April 1, 2001. Immunization Requirement for Seventh Grade Students should be up-to-date on all the vaccines required for kindergarten entry. In addition, students need one dose of Tdap vaccine (Tetanus, Diptheria, Pertussis-Whooping Cough) and one dose of meningoccal conjugate vaccine. Administering Medicine to Students The Board of Education recognizes that students may need to take medication during school hours. School personnel may administer medication prescribed by a doctor upon written request of the parents. To minimize disruptions to the school day, medicine should be taken at home rather than at school whenever possible. Medication taken at school should be administered in compliance with Board Policy 6130. K12 Payment Center Did you know…? K12PaymentCenter provides convenience and information to manage school meal accounts. Visit www.k12paymentcenter.com to make deposits or monitor your student’s meal account. Gaston County School Nutrition offers K12PaymentCenter, a state-of-the-art online service that provides you the convenience and information you need to manage your student’s meal account. This feature speeds up serving lines in the cafeteria, eliminates the need to send checks or cash to school, takes away your concerns about lost or forgotten lunch money, and ensures that your child will receive a nutritious meal. At no cost, K12PaymentCenter enables families to: • Create a free, secured account to manage your student’s cafeteria account • Check your student’s current account balance • Monitor the items your student has been purchasing in the cafeteria • Create settings to receive email notifications when the account reaches a low balance • For a small program fee of 3.5% per transaction K12PaymentCenter allows any family to: • Make a prepayment into your student’s meal account using a check, credit card, or debit card at www. k12paymentcenter.com • Funds deposited through K12PaymentCenter are usually available for student use within 24 hours • Create settings to automatically replenish your student’s account when it reaches a low balance To create a new account, log into www. k12paymentcenter.com. Follow the onscreen directions and register your student using his or her Student ID number. The Student ID number can be obtained by contacting your school’s Cafeteria Manager or the School Nutrition offices at [phone]. If you encounter difficulties completing the registration process, a help desk is available by email at: [email protected]. Please contact the school nurse if you have questions about student immunization records or health requirements. • Get information about Meningitis: http://epi.publichealth.nc.gov/cd/ diseases/meningitis.html • Get information about the Flu: http://epi.publichealth.nc.gov/cd/ diseases/flu.html Parent Teacher Magazine• September/October 2017• 7