Head Lice
Dear Parent,
There has been a case of infestation recently, the first for a long time, and I would like to thank the parents concerned for their prompt action. There should be no shame about this as lice prefer clean heads. I would ask parents who find lice or eggs (nits) to take prompt action so this can be eliminated as rapidly as possible. Leaflets and confidential advice may be obtained from the school. The school nurse asks if parents could check their child’s head each Friday, and if any eggs or adults are found, to use the approved lotion. The lice have developed resistance to other lotions which have become ineffective. With the hair wet, a fine toothed comb may be used and then wiped on a tissue to expose lice and eggs. The approved lotion kills the eggs as well as live adult lice. The whole family should be treated, the lotion remaining on overnight and shampooed off in the morning. Dead eggs and lice may be combed out. The currently approved lotion is #.
With the co-operation of everybody, I hope we can effectively control this. The head louse moves from head to head by physical contact, and children should be discouraged from handling each other’s hair, as some girls in particular like to do. Remember, the louse is no respecter of persons and even those with the highest standards of personal hygiene can pick them up. Untreated, lice can become a serious problem and affect the health of those on whom they live. This is where the expressions “feeling lousy”, “nitwit” and “dickhead” originally come from.
The school health service also recommends that hair can be treated to keep clean heads free of infection with a product called Rappell.
If parents would like further confidential information and advice, please contact the school.
Yours sincerely,

Head Teacher