A.Liles 9-2011

Instructions for Special Dietary Needs Form

Food & Nutrition Services (FNS) will make modifications and substitutions to the regular school meals for a student with a disability that restricts his/her diet.

The Special Diet Prescription Form must be completed and signed by appropriate party before the school cafeteria can provide any modifications or substitutions. The completed form must be sent back to the school cafeteria to be put on file. The school cafeteria staff or elementary production manager will then prepare the special meal along with the other meals being served daily.

FNS will try to accommodate special dietary needs for students without a disability. However, USDA regulations state that the school is not required to serve special meals to all children with diet restrictions. Such determinations are made on a case-by-case basis by the FNS Dietitian, and must be supported by this Special Diet Prescription Form signed by a

PHYSICIAN. In addition, children with religious/ethnic dietary needs must also fill out this form and it must be signed by a PARENT/GUARDIAN. Below are the 2 categories for requiring special meals and the required signatures for each category.

1.) Disabilities:

Physician Signature Required

Orthopedic, visual, Speech/Swallowing problems, Emotional illness, food anaphylaxis (severe food allergy), physical/mental impairment, cancer, heart disease, PKU, celiac disease.

2.) Non-Disabled/Special Dietary Needs:

Physician Signature Required

Food intolerances, non-anaphylaxis food allergy, diabetes, obesity, high cholesterol.

Please fill out the form completely on the back side of this paper. For further information, including definitions of disabilities, other special dietary needs, and school responsibilities, please contact the FNS Dietitian April Liles, RD at 617-559-6319. Lilesa@whitsons.com or FAX to 617-559-6328.

Newton Public Schools Food Services

MRSA -- You’ve probably heard the name before, but perhaps you have wondered just what exactly it is. MRSA is methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, a potentially dangerous type of staph bacteria that is resistant to certain antibiotics and may cause skin and other infections.

 

Staphylococcus aureus (pronounced staff-ill-oh-KOK-us AW-ree-us), or “Staph” is a very common germ that about 1 out of every 3 people have on their skin or in their nose. This germ does not cause any problems for most people who have it on their skin. But sometimes it can cause serious infections such as skin or wound infections, pneumonia, or infections of the blood.

 

Antibiotics are given to kill Staph germs when they cause infections. Some Staph are resistant, meaning they cannot be killed by some antibiotics. In this case, the bacteria are known as MRSA.

 

As with all regular staph infections, recognizing the signs and receiving treatment for MRSA skin infections in the early stages reduces the chances of the infection becoming severe.

 

Most staph skin infections, including MRSA, appear as a bump or infected area on the skin that may be red, swollen, painful, warm to the touch, full of pus or other drainage or accompanied by a fever.  If you suspect a MRSA skin infection, cover the area with a bandage and contact your healthcare provider. It is especially important to contact your healthcare provider if signs and symptoms of an MRSA skin infection are accompanied by a fever. 

 

Treatment for MRSA skin infections may include having a healthcare professional drain the infection and, in some cases, prescribe an antibiotic. Do not attempt to drain the infection yourself – doing so could worsen or spread it to others. If you are given an antibiotic, be sure to take all of the doses (even if the infection is getting better), unless your healthcare provider tells you to stop taking it.

 

MRSA is spread by:

> Having direct contact with another person’s infection

> Sharing personal items, such as towels or razors, that have touched infected skin

> Touching surfaces or items, such as used bandages, contaminated with MRSA

 

Students who have a MRSA skin infection may attend school and participate in activities as long as the wound is covered. The student should be reminded about the importance of not sharing personal items, throwing bandages away properly and keeping the wound covered.

 

For additional information, visit www.cdc.gov/mrsa or ask the School Nurse.

 

Adapted from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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For parents of students with special dietary needs:

Whitsons, the school foodservice provider, is reaching out to parents of students with dietary restrictions who want to participate in the meal program. Parents are encouraged to complete a Special Dietary Need Form so Whitsons can adapt the meal to meet the student’s needs.

The form is available here: 

http://www3.newton.k12.ma.us/sites/default/files/users/99/Allergies-Special%20Dietary%20Needs%20Form.pdf

Forms are also available from the School Nurse.

Whitsons Food & Nutrition Services will make modifications and substitutions to the regular school meals for a student for a student with a disability that restricts his/her diet.  The form must be completed and signed by appropriate party before the school cafeteria can provide any modifications or substitutions.  The completed form must be sent back to the school cafeteria to be put on file. The school cafeteria staff or elementary production manager will then prepare the special meal along with the other meals being served daily.

Whitsons recognizes the importance of its role in helping to prevent food allergy reactions in our school cafeterias. Food allergies can be life-threatening and the risk of accidental exposure to food allergens can be reduced in the school setting if we work together with students, parents and the district to minimize risk and provide a safe dining environment for students with food allergies.

If you have specific questions about dietary needs, please contact April Liles, the food service director. She can be reached at (617) 559-6319 or lilesa@whitsons.com

Thanks so much to our South families who have already made contributions for this school year (2011-2012).

If you have not already made your contribution, South needs your support.  As you know, many South clubs and programs depend on PTSO financial support, so we ask our members for a $52 (tax-deductible) contribution per family to ensure continued support for South’s amazing variety of extracurricular activities.  We understand that the current economic climate makes contributions difficult for some, so we ask that you give what you can.  We are looking for 100% participation by our families—no matter what the amount.  Every family that contributes to the PTSO will receive a school directory at Back-to-School Night on October 5th. 

We now offer online payment!  To make an online contribution, please click this link http://www.southptso.org/ptso/support and follow the on screen instructions.

South PTSO