Allergies, Sickness and Medication at School

​​​​​​​As​​thma Register

St William’s is a registered Asthma Friendly School and has an asthma management policy. As part of tha​t policy we have implemented an ‘Asthma Register’ in the school. If your child has asthma (mild, moderate or severe) or occasionally requires asthma medication for a respiratory condition, please contact the school office. All students are encouraged to use spacer attachments with their puffers as advised by the Asthma Foundation of Qld.

Nut Aware Enviro​nment

St William’s School promotes a nut aware environment in order to protect several students who suffer from a severe allergy to nuts, nut by-products and raw eggs. As a result we ask parents not to send to school anything on the list below for your child’s lunch. Nut products can be deadly for these children.

Please refrain ​from sending to school:

  • Sandwiches containing peanut or other nut butters and pastes, peanut paste, satay sauce, or Nutella
  • Nuts in containers/packages or in salads or meals
  • Nut meats, nut rissoles or pesto
  • Nut biscuits, baklava and other nut pastries
  • Crushed nuts on or in cakes, buns, desserts, eg. praline, carrot cake and muffins
  • Marzipan

Please also check th​​e labelling of muesli bars as many contain nuts or nut by-products.

Medication​​ at School

Medication Administration Request Form
The following are the guidelines set out for the administration of medication to students and must be strictly obser​ved. Children are not to have their own medication at school as this may lead to other children taking the medication or incorrect dosage and could have serious consequences.

  • Medication to be taken is to be authorised by the student’s medical practitioner.
  • The parent or person with the legal responsibility for the student completes the Student Medication Request Form (see above), which is to include the instructions for administration of the medication and any special requirements. When medication is to cease, or there are changes to dosage, time to be taken etc, the parent/carer is to notify the school in writing. A new student medication request form is to be completed at the beginning of each new calend​ar year.
  • Teachers will send students to the office at the set time for medication to be administered.
  • Where such medication is to be administered, the instructions provided should be written on the container by the pharmacist or written down by a doctor. Parents are to provide medication in the original pharmacy labelled container to the school. The written instructions should include amount of medication and time to be taken.
  • All medication will be kept in a secure place in the school office. No medication is to be kept in a school bag or lunch box. The only exception is that of inhaler therapy for asthma. With written permission from the parent and with the approval of the Principal, the student may be responsible for the inhaler.
  • Non-prescribed oral medications (such as analgesics and over-the-counter medication) WILL NOT be administered unless the parent completes appropriate documentation from the school office.

These are government guidelines and will be closely followed. Please assist us by following these guidelines.

Sickness and A​ccidents

The Principal will follow the current regulations of the Department of Health concerning exclusion and r​e-admission of pupils who have an infectious disease. These will be regularly outlined in the school newsletter. In the case of minor accidents or illnesses the School Secretary will deal with the matter. There is a suitable First Aid Kit containing adequate materials for such minor mishaps.

It is important that parent/carers give the school up to date emergency contact details.

  • In the case of serious injury parents will be notified immediately before seeking medical aid, if possible.
  • In cases of emergency, medical assistance will be sought first and parents notified as soon as possible.
  • Students are insured under the Catholic Church Insurance School Care. This is Personal Accident and Disability Policy.
  • All accidents must be reported to Administration.

Time Out​

Queensland Health recommends 'Time Out' for contagious diseases e.g. chicken pox, influenza and gastroenteritis. Queensland Health also has strict guidelines for children affected by head lice. Further advice and information on any of the relevant conditions can be obtained by contacting your nearest Public Health Unit on Brisbane’s north side on 36241111 or referring to the Timeout Poster​.​​​​​