Kristal Mathews, RN

  • Hello Kyle Panthers!

     

    My name is Nurse Kristal and I am super excited about being your school nurse again this year! I am starting my 10th year as a school nurse. I have been an RN for 23 years with a background in PICU and pediatrics. I live here in Kyle with my family. I have 3 children ; Jaxon , Victoria , and Miranda. We also have 3 dogs ;Max, Betty,Aries  and a cat named Maus (Mouse). I love spending time outdoors hiking, fishing, and watching baseball. I love being able to work in the community in which I live. I am looking forward to many years at KES. Please do not hesitate to reach out to me if you need anything. I am here to help you and your child have a safe and successful school year!

     

     

     

     

    School nursing is a professional registered nursing specialty that involves identification, assessment, prevention, and intervention to remedy or modify students' health needs. The nurse's goal is to promote the optimum health of students and the students' abilities to achieve their individual educational goals.

    Nurses monitor required immunizations, perform mandated health screenings, track communicable diseases, plan for emergencies and provide direct care to students. Please use the links to the left to learn more about the Hays CISD District Health Services.

    We would like to assure you that medical information about your child is treated as confidential by the nurses and all school staff.  We do not share information about your child with outside parties nor can we discuss health concerns of any other student with you. 
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News from the Nurse

  • Dear KES Parent or Guardian: 

    Things to know heading into the 2022-23school year...

     What do I need to do EVERYDAY when sending my student to school? 

    • Ensure your child has a CLEAN water bottle every day. We have water bottle filling stations for them to refill the water bottle when needed.
    • Please send a HEALTHY snack (try not to send peanut butter products due to allergies)EVERYDAY!
    • Parents/guardians are expected to screen their students  each day prior to sending their students to school . Please make sure that when sending your child to school they are well enough to participate in the school day.  
    •  
      • Temperature of 100 degrees Fahrenheit or higher when taken by mouth
      • Sore throat
      • New uncontrolled cough that causes difficulty breathing or for students with a chronic allergic/asthmatic cough, a change in their cough from baseline.
      • Diarrhea, vomiting, or abdominal pain
      • New onset of severe headache, especially with a fever

    If your child has any of the above symptoms, is lab-confirmed with  Flu or COVID-19 ;OR has been tested for COVID-19 /Flu and is awaiting results, do not send him/her to campus and contact me. 

    What happens if my student has any of these symptoms at school?  If a student presents to the school clinic with any of these symptoms, the student will be assessed by the campus nurse.  Simple interventions will be done to see if the symptoms improve.  If no improvement is noted with intervention, the parent will be called to discuss further action. 

     

     How you can help?

    • Keep your students home if they are sick. Please do not send your student to school after giving students fever-reducing, anti-nausea, or anti-diarrheal medication. 
    • Talk to your student about appropriate times to go to the school nurse.
    • Send an extra change of clothing in a Ziploc bag, labelled. This may be kept in the classroom.
    • If your child is seriously ill or injured, we must have a way of contacting you. It is critical that you report changes in phone numbers to the school.
    • Encourage healthy habits to prevent illness:
    • Frequent and correct hand washing, when to wash hands
    • Send a re-fillable water bottle to school and encourage your student to be well hydrated.
    • Make sure your student eats breakfast or that he/she arrives on time to have breakfast in school.
    • Ensure your student gets 8-10 hours of sleep
    • Encourage students to exercise
    • Keep the teacher/nurse informed of any situations that may be going on at home as anxiety is often seen as a stomachache in school-aged children.

    Questions about COVID-19? Please visit the CDC website, the Texas Health Department website, or the Hays CISD website for more information. Please reach out if you have any questions.

    Thank you in advance for your help to make your school as healthy as possible. 

    Medication reminder:

    Students at the elementary level must keep medication in the nurses clinic unless otherwise approved by a physician. We must have the appropriate authorizations on file for your student to be able to receive medications while at school. Medication Authorizations and Action Plans can be found here:

    If you have any questions, please contact your school nurse.