The flu season is upon us, and the best way to protect your family is with the annual flu vaccine. It is recommended everyone six months of age and older get the seasonal flu vaccine every year.

The flu can spread very quickly in schools, and young children and children with medical conditions such as asthma and diabetes can have serious problems if they get the flu. This year, AE/MS will be hosting its fourth annual flu clinic, where students can get their flu vaccine at no cost on Thursday, October 9.

Parents must return a signed consent form to the school if their children are to be given the vaccine. At the clinic, children will be given the vaccine by trained medical professionals. Children will miss much less class time attending this clinic than if they came down with the flu and had to miss days of school.

It is disruptive when your children and teachers are out sick. We can all work together to keep our school healthy and reduce the number of days staff and students are out because of sickness.

Take the time to talk to your children about washing their hands often, coughing into their sleeve or tissue, not sharing their personal items (such as chapstick, drinks, and food), and keeping their hands out of their mouths, nose, and eyes.

And please remember: if your child is sick and comes down with a fever, do not send her or him to school. Keep your sick child home for at least 24 hours after the fever goes away. Your child can come back to school after her or his temperature returns to normal for 24 hours without medication.

For more information about the flu clinic, please call Christine Frost, AE/MS school nurse, at 735-5500. For general influenza information, visit Flu.gov.