Wellness Policy & Celebrations

We are committed to providing a healthy, safe atmosphere for your child. There are many occasions to celebrate throughout the year and the sweets can really add up! 

In an effort to keep our students safe and healthy, our policy does not allow students to bring in any food items for birthday treats. Any food treats sent/brought in will not be distributed and the parent will be called to pick them up.

Some of the considerations that went into making this decision include:

Safety: With 1 in 13 children having at least one food allergy, anyone serving food to children needs to be aware of food allergies and the potential for a life-threatening allergic reaction. More than 15% of school-aged children with food allergies have had an allergic reaction at school. These reactions range from mild to severe and even fatal. The safety of all students is one of Avon Grove Charter School’s top priorities.

Inclusion: Sending a food treat into the classroom to celebrate can exclude those children who have food allergies, diabetes, or other dietary restrictions. It also can exclude children who come from families facing financial hardships who are unable to afford to send in items for a special celebration.

Promoting Healthy Lifestyles: This procedure coordinates with our district’s wellness policy on making healthy choices. Please know that we are not trying to take the fun out of birthdays; classroom teachers will continue to recognize children on their special day in special ways.

We have provided the list below of other choices for honoring your children on their special day:

• Donate a book to the school library or classroom in honor of your child’s birthday with his/her name inside.
• Have your child bring their favorite book to share and the teacher or child will read it to the class.
• Donate a ball or jump rope (new or used) to the classroom for recess.
• Provide each student in class with a colored pencil, stickers, or eraser.

Thank you in advance for your flexibility and for caring about the health of our students.

Please read our Wellness Policy to help us achieve this goal in school. For some great ideas on making fun, healthy celebrations at home, download tips for Creating Healthy, Active Celebrations. 

Public notifications of the next policy committee meeting will be posted to this site. 

Our Wellness Committee met on May 15th, 2024 at 2:30 PM and completed the AGCS Wellness Policy Assessment. If you are interested in participating in our Wellness Committee, please contact Nikki Coin at ncoin@agcharter.org.  The size of the committee may be limited in order to provide efficient and effective operations. Future Wellness Committee meeting dates and times will be posted on this webpage.