Thank you Gillis Family for sharing this adorable and healthy treat!
 
Many children like to celebrate their birthdays with their classmates. Sending in a food treat to the classroom can exclude those children who have food allergies or other dietary restrictions. It could create an unsafe environment even with the best of intentions. Additionally, excess sugar from treats can contribute to unstable blood sugars and hyperactivity.
 
Per our wellness policy, we are recommending choosing non- food or healthy food alternatives for birthdays and classroom parties. The list below is a guide to healthy food suggestions. 
 
-Come into the classroom and read your child's favorite book to the class
-Buy something for the classroom (books, games, music)
-Decorate a box and send it to the classroom (have the teacher ask each child to write one sentence about something nice about the birthday student)
-Bring in something that all of the classmates can sign (shirt, tote bag, autograph stuffed animal, pillowcase, etc.)
-Ask the teacher if the birthday student can have a show and tell and bring in a favorite thing or something that tells about their life 

Note: please make sure to talk to your child’s teacher at least 24 hours prior to bringing in any food

A few healthy food ideas:
 Fruit Kabobs
 Veggie Sticks and Hummus
 Popcorn cups
 Many fun celebratory healthy food choices can be found online as well!
 
 

Head lice is a common occurrence in schools.

 The spread of head lice can be controlled with prompt diagnosis and effective preventative treatment.
 
Children found to have head lice may attend school once treatment has been initiated and the lice is no longer active (live bugs). 

The first thing you can do to prevent the spread of lice is to discuss the subject openly with your family. Lice can affect anyone, regardless of hair length or hygiene. Lice cannot fly or jump, they can only crawl and therefore are usually only spread through head to head contact. Please help by reminding your children not to share hats, hair brushes, helmet, etc. Head lice are tiny insects that live only on peoples scalp and hair. They hatch from small eggs (nits) that are firmly attached to the individual hairs near the scalp and they cannot be easily moved up or down the hair (as can specks of dry scalp/ dandruff). They look like grains of sand and small sesame seeds and can be found anywhere on the head, but most often are located near the ears and back of the head. Lice can survive one to two days away from the scalp and hair. 

If you notice your child has an itchy head, check their hair for evidence of lice. If you suspect your child has lice, please notify the school nurse, Lana Schaefer at (508) 693- 0951, ext 281. 

For information on how to diagnose or treat head lice, consult your family physician, pharmacist or school nurse for recommendations. There are resources available in the nurse’s office.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.