Tips For Packing a School Lunch (2021-2022)

In preparation for the 2021-2022 school year, school lunches continue to be an important way to provide adequate nutrition to support the development and health of children and youth. Here are a couple of items to consider. The guidelines are the same as in previous school years. 1. For a guide on what to pack, Canada’s Food Guide is a … Read More

Need to Report Your Child’s Shots? — ICON

Picture of Vaccine Sticky Note

Check out our new secure online system for reporting your child’s immunizations to Chatham-Kent Public Health called ICON (Immunization Connect Ontario). You can also view your child’s current, overdue and upcoming immunizations.  It’s like a yellow card, only better. Why should I use this site? It’s an online alternative to paper immunization records. It allows you to securely keep track of … Read More

Have you reported your child’s shots to the health unit?

Picture of young children huddled

We work to reduce the risk of infectious diseases within our schools and we are currently doing our annual review of student immunization records. You may have received a notice from the health unit requesting missing information be reported to us. If we have not received the requested information — your child may be withheld from school. It is your responsibility, as … Read More

High School Students: Are You Up to Date?

Picture of young girl in class

Caution: This video contains science 🙂 Often when we think of vaccines, we think of our baby and childhood shots. We forget that in order to keep that same level of protection that we enjoyed as children, we occasionally need booster doses. Tetanus booster shots are required every ten years for all teens and adults. The Tdap (Adacel) shot provided to adolescents … Read More

Require shots for school? Contact us — We can help.

Picture of family building a snowman

  The Chatham-Kent Public Health Unit has mailed suspension letters for elementary and high students whose immunization records remain incomplete. The letters contain what information is missing and how to update the health unit to ensure your child can remain in school. April 2, 2019 is suspension day and only the health unit can rescind the suspension not the school … Read More

Upcoming Immunization Clinic Dates for Students

2 boys smiling at a school desk

  In order to protect children against vaccine preventable disease, the Chatham-Kent Public Health Unit is mandated by the Ontario Immunization of School Pupils Act to collect vaccine information from each student enrolled in school. If the Health Unit does not have the required immunization information or a valid exemption, then you have been issued an Order for Suspension from … Read More

Need to Report Your Child’s Shots? — ICON

Picture of Vaccine Sticky Note

Check out our new secure online system for reporting your child’s immunizations to Chatham-Kent Public Health called ICON (Immunization Connect Ontario). You can also view your child’s current, overdue and upcoming immunizations.  It’s like a yellow card, only better. Why should I use this site? It’s an online alternative to paper immunization records. It allows you to securely keep track of … Read More

School Immunization Clinic Dates — Fall 2018

Picture of teens smiling

Public Health vaccination clinics for Grade 7 students are set to begin at local Chatham-Kent elementary schools again this fall to protect against: Hepatitis B Meningococcal Disease Human Papillomavirus (HPV). These vaccines are only available free of charge from Chatham-Kent Public Health; they are not available from your doctor. Only those students with signed and completed consent forms can receive these … Read More

Is your child home-schooled?

Vaccine Letters

  They may qualify for free Hepatitis B, Meningococcal and Human Papillomavirus vaccines that are offered FREE to grade 7 students in Chatham-Kent. Nurses from the Public Health Unit visit each school and provide these vaccinations. They are not free from a Health Care Provider. Hepatitis B is an infection of the liver caused by a virus. There is no cure. The … Read More

Is Your Child Ready for School?

February is kindergarten registration time.  It is the next step in your child’s learning journey. A child’s journey to school starts at the moment of birth.  Children learn by: Touching Hearing Tasting Seeing Smelling Moving Doing (one example is playing) Here are some important tips for parents to help children learn: Lots of love Talking and listening Play, play and … Read More