May 12 is National School Nurse Day—a chance to say “thank you” for the integral role that our county school nurses play in bridging health and education to improve each child’s cognitive, physical, social, and emotion development, whether they are learning in person or at home.
School nurses serve as a critical health hub for students:
providing support and training for school staff on school management of acute and chronic physical and mental health condition so that students can be ready for learning;
supporting initiatives that address health disparities and promote healthy behaviors;
connecting families to healthcare providers and other healthcare resources;
training and supporting schools in handling medical emergencies; and, now,
navigating through the COVID-19 pandemic mitigation and response by coordinating with Health Response Teams at schools and supporting the district’s vaccination program with local health partners.
One of GCPS’ county school nurses is assigned to each local school to provide consultation and training on health-related issues for all students. Our school nurses frequently serve as part of Student Support Teams, Individualized Accommodations Plan teams, and Individualized Education Program teams. County School Nurses work closely with school clinic staff to support student health services. A nurse’s clinical assessment and support allows schools to meet the health needs of students with chronic and acute health conditions throughout the school day. School nurses train staff to understand emergency signs and symptoms, and when and how to get help, allowing maximum in-class time for students who require medical interventions.
Our nurses also provide additional health-related support for the district’s schools:
assistance with the development of individualized health management plans for students with chronic health conditions, such as allergies, asthma, epilepsy, and diabetes;
supervision and training of clinic workers and training of other school staff, including teachers, cafeteria staff, and bus drivers;
oversight of school AED (automated external defibrillator) programs;
support for immunization compliance; and
prevention efforts and response to communicable diseases.
On National School Nurse Day, we celebrate the contributions that school nurses, together with our school clinic workers and other school staff, are making to the health and learning of our students.
Thank you!
Check out this appreciation message for our nurses from CEO/Superintendent J. Alvin Wilbanks.
#ThankASchoolNurse
Say ‘thanks’ with an eCard or handwritten note
Now, more than ever, your thanks, encouragement, and celebration of GCPS staff members is a meaningful way to show how much our community values public education and appreciates those who have helped our students this school year. On the GCPSStrong web page, families can find two ways to send employees a special note of appreciation as we approach the end of the school year:
Say thank you with an eCard! Select one of five designs and complete the eCard submission form.
Send a handwritten note! Download printable thank you sheets.
Need help finding an email address for one of our nurses?
Most employee email addresses use this format—firstname.lastname@gcpsk12.org—although some staff members also have a middle initial.
You can confirm the nurses’ assigned schools by clicking on their names in the School Nurse staff directory.
If you don’t know the employee’s first and last name or can’t find an email address, we have another great option for you to share your appreciation… a printable Thank You sheet that you can download!