Welcome back to School Year 09! My name is Joette Hayashigawa. I’m the school nurse and will be in the Health Office now Monday through Friday. I’m very excited about being at TES full time and working with you and your children. A certain percentage of my time is dedicated to traditional school health matters such as keeping health files up to date, tracking immunizations, screening for vision and hearing and providing for the needs of students with special health problems. But much of the work of the Health Office involves working with students and staff to build a positive, non-preachy culture of health that is seamlessly integrated into the school environment.

Whether the subject is nutrition, physical safety, illness, or good hygiene habits, I see health as a way for students to connect to self, the well-being of others in the school, their families, the community and the wider world. Please know that I am always interested in the concerns and ideas of students and their families and welcome your input.

Currently, the health topic of greatest interest in education is the anticipated return of the H1N1 infections with the start of school and the upcoming cold season. If you have not read the hard copy I recently sent home, you may read or download the document below. For those interested in more details about the flu and school preparations, please go to the Flu Info link on this page.