Birthday Policies

Elementary Birthday Celebrations

• Teachers are expected to maintain control of all activities concerning their classes.
• No party should be elaborate or disturbing to others. It should not take more than 30 minutes of class time and can be at the end of the school day or during lunch. More than one birthday can be celebrated at the same time, and the teacher may decide to celebrate all of one month’s birthdays at the same time. Information concerning class parties should be communicated to parents.
• Students of both sections of a grade level (e.g. Grade 2A and Grade 2B) will be included in all birthday parties for that grade

• Parents and/or students are not allowed to hand out party invitations in class, the parking lot, the buses, etc. This will be always done by the teacher and only if all students in both classes are invited.

For Birthday Recognition During School Hours:

In the spirit of recognizing each child’s special day and giving them an opportunity to share the event with the school friends, we request that you follow these guidelines, which focus on the child and not on gifts.

1. No invitations of any kind allowed to be handed out if the celebration is to be held in school.
2. No gifts will be brought to school..
3. No goodies/candy bags will be allowed to be handed out at school.
4. Parents should notify the teacher at least one week in advance of a classroom birthday party.
5. Birthday celebrations will be announced by the teacher in the weekly blog posts so the parents know not to send lunch on a specific day.
6. If the parents choose to bring cake/lunch it is their responsibility to be at school on time to serve the lunch/cake. The teachers will assist the parent if needed, but will not be in charge of the event. If a parent cannot be present for the event, it must be discussed and cleared with the teacher the day prior to the event so the teacher can take charge and make the necessary arrangements (i.e. duties, personal day, etc).
7. For beverages, parents can provide fruit juice or water.
8. If a class birthday party or other celebration occurs at lunchtime, teachers are asked to inform the Cafeteria at least one day in advance so they will be able to plan their quantities of food effectively.

For Birthday Parties Outside of School Hours:

• Only if every student is invited in both classes, the invitations can be given to the teacher to hand out at an appropriate time.
• If all children in both classes are not going to be invited to a party, the parent must use an alternate way to distribute the invitations—e.g. by email or phone) – The invitations cannot be given on the school’s bus, in the parking lot, or on the school campus.