The Children's Garden welcomes you!
A big and very warm hello to all our new families! We're looking forward to another jam packed school year with 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 in the Nurse's room. In the case of more severe illness, you will be informed and required to pick up your sick child.
ILLNESS
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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 s unable to participate in classes in an effective and meaningful way. |
Children must be kept at home for the following reasons:
- Vomiting and/or diarrhea - A chlld 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 (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 3 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 shoudl return to school only after the 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 doubt, please take your child to see the school nurse before she/he 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 immuen systems and therefore often suffer from colds, coughs etc... Sometimes it can seem as if 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), Headlice (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 headlice, please administer treatment immediately and inform th school nurse), Chickenpox and Rotavirus, for example, are typical childhood diseases.
If my child is sick, who should I inform?
If your child is unwell and unable to attend school, please telephone our front desk (04 885 3484). Please also inform the school about any contagious illnesses diagnosed by the doctor.
Change in contact details
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The school must be infomed immediately of any changes 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 parent/guardian. We will contact you 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 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 school 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 on the premises. This includes peanut butter, Nutella and breakfast/muesli bars that contain nuts. Nut allergies can be fatal, so please be vigilant about this.
Doctor's Visit and Medical Examinations
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Our school doctor visits TCG every Wednesday from 9 - 10am (day and time may change). PS1 and PS2 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 hand 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
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Please apply sunscreen to your child prior to school each day, especially on swimming 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 include; 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 going to 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 will become really excited to open their lunch kit each day, so let's give them a reason to continue looking forward to lunch time!
| Savouries | Rolls (preferably brown bread) | Dried Fruit | Mini Sandwiches |
| small crackers | chicken | mango | cheese spread |
| pretzels | sausage | raisins | hard cheese (gouda) |
| small arabic pizzas | zaatar | apple | marmite |
| rice cakes | cheese | pineapple | butter and jam |
| banana | chicken | ||
| papaya | turley | ||
| sultanas | salami | ||
| dates | goat cheese for those intolerant to cow's milk | ||
| Fruits (peeled and cut) | Home made sweets | Veggies (raw) | Salads |
| apples | munchies | cherry tomatoes | pasta |
| bananas | muffins | carrots | tomato |
| grapes | waffles | cucumber | cheese |
| pears | pancakes | celery | |
| oranges | plain cake | capsicum | |
| mandarins | carrot cake | ||
| pomelo | banana loaf/cake | ||
| fresh lychees | |||
| papaya |
Please feel free to contact TCG staff if you have further queries. We look forward to a wonderful school year and thank you in advance for your support and co operation.
Kind Regards,
Your Children's Garden Team
