Grapeland Elementary School has a new policy regarding the celebration of birthdays at school. Food treats will no longer be a part of student birthday celebrations.

Children’s birthdays will be celebrated in class with each teacher acknowledging birthdays in a special way such as a birthday crown, singing happy birthday, allowing a child to share a special book with the class, or in another manner appropriate for their age and grade. 

The reasons for this change in policy include health concerns and the loss of instructional time. It does not sound like much instructional time is lost for recognizing a birthday, but when you multiply the time by 20 or more students, and that not all birthday treats sent have been modest or easy to serve, it adds up to the equivalent of one or more days of lost instruction.

In addition, several of our students have health concerns related to food, including allergies, obesity, diabetes, and sensitivities to dyes. It is not uncommon for more than one birthday treat to be delivered on the same day, resulting in two sweet treats within one day.

Thank you for supporting us in our efforts to keep students healthy and maximize their learning time at school

Sincerely,

Mr. Beitler and Mrs. Styles