Greetings from the Hill Nurse!!

Hello Hill Families,

I’m excited to be back as your school nurse for a second year. Please also welcome Nurse Cynthia Holcomb who will be with us on Mondays and Tuesdays.  I am looking forward to another great school year.  I wanted to share some information with you, hoping to get ahead of the hecticness the first days will surely bring. 

• If your student received any immunizations since the spring/ summer, please turn in a copy of their record to the front office and ask that it be handed to the nurse.
• If your student has a health condition that may require my attention during the school day, including significant food allergies or medications to be kept on campus, please reach out directly to me by phone ((512) 414-2369 Ext 53710) or email (Alexis.pickard@austinisd.org) so I can assist you through the process of turning in provider orders, parent authorization and medication.
•  Throughout the school year we have several state-mandated screenings to complete for our students.  In all cases, if there is a significant finding during the screening, I will contact you to recommend follow up with your child’s healthcare provider.  The following screenings are required to be conducted during the school year:
  • Hearing and vision for all students in pre-K, KG, 1st, 3rd, and 5th grades.
  • Acanthosis Nigricans skin marker on back of neck for students in 1st, 3rd, and 5th grades. 
  • Spinal check for 5th grade girls. 
• I recognize parents are very busy people, but I must ask that you make every effort to pick up the phone if I call during the school day or return my call as soon as possible.   I will only call if I need to reach a parent/guardian immediately, in most cases because your child is sick and needs to be picked up, or because I need your immediate input about your child’s health concern.  Otherwise I will send an email for less urgent or less time-sensitive matters.  

If you have concerns about the screenings or anything else related to your child’s health at school, please do not hesitate to contact me.  Thank you for taking the time to read through this message. 

Warm regards.

Alexis Pickard, RN, BSN