Nurse's News 

Lauren Ward, BSN, RN, CPN

Welcome to the Nurse’s page at Van Buren Elementary! My name is Lauren Ward and I am looking forward to meeting and taking care of your children during their time at Van Buren! I am a Registered Nurse with a Bachelor’s degree in the Science of Nursing, as well as a Certified Pediatric Nurse. I have been blessed to be able to work with children my entire nursing career. Prior to working at Van Buren, I was a charge nurse at Baptist Hospital in Beaumont on the pediatric unit. In addition to treating sick and injured students, throughout the year I will be doing height and weight measurements, head lice screenings and vision/hearing screenings on every student. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me at 409-962-6511 or lward@pngisd.org.
 

I will be out of my office every day from 11:15-11:45 for lunch. If you have any concerns, please feel free to email me or leave a voicemail and I will get back with you as soon as possible. Thank you! 

Ronald McDonald Pull Tab Collections
Throughout the school year, I will be collecting pull tabs (from soda cans, soups, or other pop tab containers) to bring to the Ronald McDonald House in Houston. This organization helps to provide housing for parents who have sick children that are staying in the local hospitals. With this collection effort, I like to teach children how every small effort can lead to great things! To help your student with this project, you can save the pull tabs at home (preferably in a gallon size baggie) throughout the school year and have them bring them to me. This helps our little Indians raise money for a great charity helping those in a time of need. Please call me if you have any questions.

Medication Information
If your child will be taking medication during the school day, please bring the prescribed and/or over the counter medications in the original container with the student’s name on it to my office. Medication should ALWAYS be brought in by the parents, NEVER A STUDENT. Please help me in this matter of keeping our children safe. If your child has any health conditions, please list them on the emergency form and/or notify the nurse.

Lice Screenings
I perform a lice screening on every student at the beginning of the year. This is a tedious process and time consuming process, and as a result, I am only able to check the entire student body once a year. If you find that your student has lice, please let me know so that I can check the entire classroom. Also, please help me by checking your students at home regularly. The best way to combat lice is to be proactive! Thank you so much for your help in keeping our students safe, healthy, and happy. 

Flu season has arrived!

Flu season is here. Here is what you can do.

1. STAY INFORMED

TexasFlu.org is the DSHS site for flu information in Texas. Bookmark it. Sign up to receive Twitter and e-mail notices when information is posted. Dial 2-1-1 for flu information and vaccination locations.

2. GET vaccinated

Get a flu vaccination now. It’s the best way to protect yourself and others.

3. STOP THE SPREAD

Wash your hands frequently. Cover your coughs and sneezes. Stay home if you’re sick. Have a plan to care for sick family members at home.