Allergies and healthy life styles warrant serious attention by families and schools.  You sense the magnitude of the issue when reading nurse Mrs. Capista's allergy letter.  For the consideration and protection of our students and staff, I am asking you to please consider alternative arrangements for rituals and celebrations that include our Chestnutwold students and Chestnutwold staff and that occur on school grounds.  Ponder the following scenario:

In 2007, my [then] sixteen-month-old son was given a fragment of a cashew.  He had eaten peanuts in the past, but never a cashew.  The instant it hit his lips, he swelled and suffered breathing difficulty.  Like watching a scene from ER, I experienced something that I do not wish on any parent.  The flashing red lights in addition to the firm, but frantic, doctor pages that usually serve as white noise during well visits, rooted new meaning in me.  In the end his health is fine, it is my Pesto that has suffered most, and thank you CHOP. 

This true story serves as a reminder why we should consider alternative ideas for our rituals in this public setting.  You read in our allergy letter how volatile and serious allergies are in our building and you are aware of the growing concerns regarding our children's health (again, see Mrs. Capista's allergy letter).  More and more children suffer from acute symptoms ranging from air-borne toxins to the once ubiquitous bread, cereal and cookies we eat daily.  Our school team has established both pre-emptive and response procedures to help our students - we need your help too. 

Ideas as substitutes for celebrations, instead of consumable items consider the following:

-       Donate a book to our library that includes a note from the student.  The child can read the book to the class and be made the focus of various activities. 

-       Initiate a classroom picnic in the cafeteria where innocuous and healthy treats are the menu.

-       Choose and play a game during a time when baked goods or purchased items would be served and eaten.

-       Engage the class in an activity that centers on reading and/or drawing and/or other exceptional abilities your child may have.

-       Show a talent!  Perform for your class or for the school using our multi-media equipment  thank you PTO.

A Google search for Healthy Life Styles draws over 2-million sites, the research is inexorable and compelling.  Clearly there are benefits correlated to this thinking and practice: preventing allergic reactions, advantageous and long-term eating habits, improved academic achievement and time savings not having to gather and prepare consumable goods: I know this because I have three primary age children too.

Thank you for your consideration.  I look forward to seeing your child at a celebration where he/she is the center of attention no matter your preference.