NYS Requires Physicals for ALL 9th and 11th Graders!  For more specific details, click HERE. 

In addition, all SENIORS (Class of 2026) are required to have two (2) meningitis vaccines before the start of the 2025-2026 school year. This is a mandatory requirement to attend school. For more information, click HERE.

When a student is absent, late or has an early dismissal, a parent/guardian must contact the school office by 8 a.m. at 716-270-4300.  

• This practice should be repeated for each day that a student is absent.   
• Emails reporting student absences (sent to attendance@sjci.com) will only be accepted through verified parent/guardian email addresses.

When a student returns to school after an absence, he must bring a dated note signed by a parent/guardian stating both the date(s) and reason(s) for the absence.

• Parents must send an email from one of the parent/guardian email accounts on record with the main office to attendance@sjci.com, stating both the date(s) and reason(s) for the absence.
• Notes should be presented at the office of the Vice Principal for Students before the homeroom period begins.  

For full absence procedures,  including making up work, parent notes and sports participation, see the Student-Parent Handbook.

Please keep your son home if:

• He has had a temperature above 100°F. Wait at least 24 hours after the fever is over (without fever-reducing medications) to send your son back to school. A whole 24 hours of rest after a fever is gone is key to healing. Many students return to school too early from an illness and get sent home shortly after getting to school. The students realized they were not better and still needed recovery time
• He is vomiting. Any vomiting constitutes a day home with rest and recovery. Do not return to school until 24 hours have passed since the last vomiting episode. If a fever accompanies vomiting, contact your pediatrician for further care
• He has diarrhea. Wait at least 24 hours after the last episode and be sure your son is drinking plenty of fluids and can eat normally before sending him back to school.

If your son is sick with noticeable weakness, is in pain, is not eating normally, is not able to stay awake, or has a persistent headache, please wait about 24 hours after he is feeling better to send him to school.

Please call the Nurse and let her know if your son is sick with any illness that is contagious. This includes Strep Throat, Conjunctivitis (Pink-eye), Pneumonia, COVID-19, Mononucleosis, Impetigo, Flu, or Ringworm.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention recommends getting the shot by the end of October to ensure protection through flu season.

Flu shots help protect you and others around you from getting the flu.  They reduce the risk of serious illness, including hospitalization. Flu shots are free or covered by insurance at most pharmacies.

Flu Notice from the Department of Health, September 2025

Students should not have medications from home during the school day unless there is documentation for it in the Nurse's Office. See below:

• If a student needs to take medication during the school day, the prescribing physician must provide a signed medication permissions form. Click HERE for the Medication Permissions Request Form
• Parents/guardians may use the school form or get a doctor's note, which must include the medication, dosage, and the time interval at which the medication needs to be given. A doctor's signature, as well as a parent's signature, is required for all medicines to be permitted in school.
• Students are responsible for coming to the health office for medications without being reminded.
• All medication needs to be in the original container. Small bottles of over-the-counter meds are encouraged. (Less than 50 per bottle)
• PARENTS ARE REQUIRED TO BRING ALL MEDICATIONS INTO SCHOOL. Request to see the Nurse upon arrival. 
• Parents are also required to pick up any unused medications at the end of the year.
• If a student can carry and self-administer his medication, a permission slip must be provided to the Nurse from your son's physician. Parents are required to sign medication permission forms as well, attesting that their son is responsible for his own medication. All self-carry medications are not stored in the Health Office. Your son will carry them or put them in his locker for when he needs them.
  • Click HERE for the Self-Carry Medication Form.
  • Click HERE for the Medication Permissions Request Form.

The treating physician should provide an ACTION PLAN for serious diagnoses requiring an EpiPen, diabetes, asthma, seizures, or other serious health conditions. If you need a specific action plan, call the Nurse and she will provide one specific to your son's needs.

State law requires every student to have a current physical completed by your physician, on file in the Nurse's office, BEFORE your son can be eligible to try out, practice, or play a sport at St. Joe's. If a physical exam is not received, your son will not be permitted to start. The physical exam HAS to be completed on the required form. Most doctors' offices use this format, but there are still many who do not.

We can only accept the Required NYS School Health Examination Form.

Be sure to check for this before you hand it in. No "Visit Summary" will be accepted from the pediatrician or the patient portal. Please watch out for this and be sure the required form is used.

IMPORTANT PHYSICAL DATES

Your son's physical has to be dated WITHIN one year from the start date of the sports season - See below:

• Fall Season - Physical MUST be dated on or after August 1 (within 12 months of the beginning of the sports season) to be valid
• Winter Season - Physical MUST be dated on or after November 1 (within 12 months of the beginning of the sports season) to be valid
• Spring Season - Physical MUST be dated on or after March 1 (within 12 months of the beginning of the sports season) to be valid

Please fill out the athletic registration form at the beginning of each sports season as soon as possible. Please include any health conditions, especially if your son requires a rescue medication in the event of an emergency. We want your son to have a healthy sports season and we need to be aware of any health conditions that may come up. The nurse needs to know if your son takes medication for asthma, has an EpiPen for food allergies/bee stings, seizures, or another condition that requires rescue medication.

See "Self-Carry Medication Forms" in the medication area of this page. Return completed forms to the Nurse as soon as possible.

If your son is physically injured during a sport, accident, or during gym class, it is required to bring in a doctor's note that explains what he can/cannot do while in school. The note needs to address what he can or cannot do in gym class and if he needs crutches, an elevator, a wheelchair, or any other accommodations the doctor feels will benefit him.

After the injury is healed, we will need one last note from the doctor explaining his condition and if he is all healed and ready to return to gym and sports.

The Nurse collects all of the gym/sports injury and clearance notes. The Nurse communicates with the gym teachers and the athletic trainer daily.

The gym teacher and coach WILL NOT allow your son to play without being cleared by the doctor after an injury. We will need a doctor's note. You can fax, email, or bring it into the Nurse's Office.

Screenings are conducted on a NYS schedule as follows:

• All students new to the district, all 11th graders, and by appointment, if your son is having any problems and you would like the Nurse to evaluate him
• Please call the nurse if you have any concerns
• Screenings are typically done in the early spring. You will be notified by phone and a letter if your son has failed a screening for hearing or vision.