Southern Reynolds County R-II School
One School Street
Ellington, MO 63638
Board of Education:
Administration:
Todd Brewer, President
Benji Harper, Vice Pres.
Rick Parker, Member
Beth Buford, Treasurer
Mildred Morrison, Member
Phillip Roberts, Member
Wade Prince, Member
Mike Redlich, Superintendent
(573)663-3591 (573)663-2412 fax
Armand Spurgin, HS Principal
(573)663-2291 (573)663-2155 fax
Carolyn Bouma, Elem. Principal
(573)663-2293
fax
June 20,(573)663-2144
2003
“Creator of Dreams and Lifelong Learners”
Dear Parent,
As you may know, flu can be easily spread from person to person and school-age children are among the
groups most affected.
If you would like to obtain the H1N1 flu vaccine for your child, please contact the Reynolds County
Health Center (RCHC) at 573-648-2498. At this time, they do not plan to offer another H1N1 vaccine
clinic at our school. According to their website, www.reynoldscopublichealth.org, the RCHC is following
the CDC Priority List for immunizing for the H1N1. That list includes:

Pregnant women

Household and caregiver contacts of children younger than 6 months of age (e.g. parents, silings,
and daycare providers)

Health care and emergency medical services personnel

Persons from 6 months through 24 years of age

Persons aged 25 through 64 years who have medical conditions associated with a higher risk of
influenza complications (Diabetes, Heart Disease, COPD, Lupus)
When the priority list has been immunized, they will then open H1N1 vaccination up to the General Public.
If you are interested in obtaining the seasonal flu vaccine for you or any member of your family, please
contact your private health care provider.
Seasonal flu vaccine does not protect from H1N1 flu.
H1N1 flu vaccine does not protect from seasonal flu.
If you obtain either the H1N1 vaccine, or the seasonal flu vaccine, for your child, please notify me so we can
update your child’s health record. Our number at school is 663-2291.
Thank you.
Carol Massie, R.N.
School Nurse
Once again, a few reminders of how to keep your family healthy.

Know the signs and symptoms of the flu. Symptoms of the flu include fever (100 degrees
Fahrenheit, 37.8 degrees Celsius or greater), cough, sore throat, a runny or stuffy nose, body aches,
headache, and feeling very tired. Some people may also vomit or have diarrhea.

Keep sick children at home for at least 24 hours after they no longer have fever or do not have
signs of fever, without using fever-reducing drugs. Keeping children with a fever at home will
reduce the number of people who may get infected and help your child to recover from their
illness.

Contact your doctor if your child is ill. Antiviral medications are prescription medicines
that fight against the flu and may make the illness more mild. Do not give aspirin to children
and teenagers; it can cause a rare but serious illness called Reye’s syndrome. Some non-flu
conditions are treated with an antibiotic that your health care provider can prescribe.

Don’t send children to school if they are sick. Any children who are sick at school will be
sent home. Staying home when sick will allow your child to rest and allows you to monitor their
health closely. When ill, your child is more likely to contract another contagious disease, delaying
their full recovery. Keeping your sick child home is the responsible thing to do. It protects others
in your community, including fellow students and school staff, especially those who are at higher
risk of severe illness from the flu.

Teach your children to wash their hands often with soap and water and supplement it with
the use of an alcohol-based hand rub. You can set a good example by doing this yourself.

Teach your children not to share personal items like drinks, food or unwashed utensils,
and to cover their coughs and sneezes with tissues, or to cover up their coughs or sneezes using the
elbow, arm or sleeve instead of the hand when a tissue is unavailable. Wash hands promptly after
coughing or sneezing. Tissues are readily available at school.
For more information, visit www.flu.gov. Sincerely,
Carol Massie, R.N.
School Nurse
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