JUNIPER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Make a Positive Impact 9400 I Avenue, Hesperia, California 92345

Theresa Kallenberger, Principal Lisa Bloom, Asst. Principal

(760) 244-6161 Fax (760) 244-1931 ________________________________________________________________________ Re: No Birthday Treats Policy Dear Parents or Guardians, This letter is to inform you of a change in practices that address the health and wellness of our students here at Juniper Elementary School. Our school has implemented a “no birthday treats” policy, starting this school year 2016-2017. This decision was made after much thought and discussion. There are a variety of reasons why we made this change, the main one being to coordinate with our district’s wellness policy on making healthy choices, in alignment with federal regulations. Other rationale for restricting treats at school include the following concerns: Allergies/Promoting Healthy Lifestyles: Due to increasing number of students with food allergies, we need to be extremely careful with any food items entering the school campus. It is a safety issue that we need to take very seriously. We also want to encourage a healthy lifestyle early on with our students. The federal Centers for Disease Control has projected that one in three children born in 2000 will eventually develop a form of diabetes linked to being overweight. We would like to help to prevent contributing to this statistic. Equity: Some parents are not able to provide treats for their child on birthday or special days because of financial hardships. Loss of instructional time: Although staff will continue to find creative ways of celebrating birthdays/special events with our students, it is important to protect the instructional day so that it is not interrupted or shortened for these reasons. The purpose of this change is to assure a school environment that promotes and protects students’ health, well-being, and ability to learn by supporting healthy eating, physical activity and healthy choices. This change brings together current research to create guidelines that help us with healthy choices for all of our students. 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 including a visit to the office to pick out of the birthday box. Thank you for your flexibility and understanding. Sincerely, Theresa Kallenberger, Principal Juniper Elementary School

JUNIPER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Make a Positive Impact 9400 I Avenue, Hesperia, California 92345

Theresa Kallenberger, Principal Lisa Bloom, Asst. Principal

(760) 244-6161 Fax (760) 244-1931