Birthdays are special days for students, and families celebrate in a multitude of ways. All students will have their birthday recognized in their classroom, however, we kindly request that students do not bring birthday treats to share with their classmates. (If a family prefers to not celebrate their child’s birthday, we will honor that request.)
Even though we have a Focus on Fitness initiative, as a school we believe that it is okay to enjoy treats, including birthday treats. The reality with birthday treats in a classroom is the schedule, and adjusting the teaching/intervention schedule to adequately honor a student who has brought the treats for their birthday.
Prior to COVID students brought treats and we knew that it was a struggle to find a time when all of the students are in the classroom to enjoy treats. At Park Brook, we are fortunate to have a number of teachers to support classrooms, but on the flip side it does limit the time that the entire class is in the classroom. COVID gave us the ability to reflect upon this practice and realize that this is a good time to stop birthday treats in classrooms.
While bringing birthday treats is important to some families, it was fewer than half of the students in a classroom who brought treats.
At Park Brook we do believe in having fun and creating a school that is engaging for students. There are a number of events on weekends and after school for students to have additional opportunities. All students participate in woodworking during the school day at some point throughout the year. The C-Lab is open to all students and moves to the courtyard in January to create with ice. We will continue to create fun and engaging opportunities for students.
We appreciate your support regarding this change and not having birthday treats in classrooms.
If you have questions, please feel welcome to call Mr. Taylor.