Food: Lunches, Snacks and Food Allergies
Lunches
Lunch is a relaxing and informal time, a chance to practice grace and courtesy, and to socialize with classmates. Finding appropriate lunch foods for children who do not enjoy sandwiches can be challenging. Cheese and crackers, cold cuts, even cold pizza are good options. Fresh vegetables and fresh fruits are great “side dishes.” Our licensing organization requires that we NOT tell the children in which order they must eat their food. We will also return the uneaten portion of lunch to you so that you know what an appropriate size lunch is for your child. (Sometimes eating a sandwich cut into quarters instead of halves is easier for your child, or perhaps half a sandwich is enough.) When including a drink, please choose 100% juice, milk, or water.
Lunches should not include items that need to be microwaved or refrigerated. Please include a cloth napkin and the utensils your child will need in order to eat their lunch and, in the spirit of supporting their independence, practice with your child how to open and close containers. In an effort to be a responsible community, we ask that parents try to employ reusable containers, washable utensils, and cloth napkins rather than disposables. We recommend that you allow your child to be a part of the lunch-packing process as a complement to their Montessori school experience, which encourages independence and responsibility.
Snack: Toddler, Primary & ASP Students
Each Toddler and Primary family is asked to contribute food for their child’s class; usually you will be asked once in the fall and once in the spring. Toddler families are usually asked to provide food three times a year. If your child is enrolled in ASP, you will be asked to provide snack foods for the group, usually twice a year.
You can leave your box/bag of snacks with a staff member at drop-off or bring it into the classroom. Please label the box/bag with your teacher’s name. If you are unable to participate or have any last-minute difficulties, please contact the person designated for your class.
Please use the following guidelines in conjunction with the Snack Schedule provided for your child’s class. This information can be found on your child’s online class portal. You may also receive separate guidelines directly from the teacher when it is your turn.
Quantity
Enough food should be provided to feed all the children in your child’s class for the week. Please ask your child’s teacher for approximate amounts. Fresh fruit and vegetables (apples, melon, carrot sticks, etc.), cheese, crackers, muffins, bagels, breads, cream cheese, or other spreads are some suggestions. Please do not send cookies, cupcakes, individual snack cups, juice boxes, nuts, grapes, hot dogs, popcorn, soda, or candy of any kind. Each class has a small refrigerator with only enough storage for 2-3 days’ worth at a time. You may also be asked to send in specific baking ingredients and some fresh flowers.
Elementary Students
Elementary families are to pack an extra food item in their child’s lunch to be used as a snack each day. We ask that families be mindful of not packing snacks with sugar as a main ingredient. The best foods for snack often contain high levels of protein - which will sustain your child’s energy throughout the day. Fresh fruit, meat, cheeses, yogurts, and vegetables with dips like hummus are some of the best snack options for your child. Drinks are not necessary, as we encourage students to drink lots of water throughout the day. Please visit your class portal for specific details.
Food Allergies
Aidan School requires that families not send in food/snacks containing peanuts or peanut by-products for the safety of children who are severely allergic. These children may experience life-threatening anaphylactic reactions to peanuts or peanut by-products. Please be sure to check labels and ingredients.
Celebration Food Guidelines
Birthdays
At Aidan Montessori School, we acknowledge the gift of the life of each person in our community. Along with classmates and parents, we celebrate the child’s journey around the sun (i.e., years old) in a special ceremony. Please note that food and treats are not part of the festivities. Please check with your child’s teacher and/or on your online class portal for specific information.
Celebrating Cultural Holidays
Aidan is a non-sectarian and non-denominational school and with all due respect recognizes that, though many holidays cross cultural boundaries, some of our families either do not observe or do not observe in the same way as others. We acknowledge that understanding these differences and appreciating the richness within our community is paramount to our children’s education; therefore we welcome the chance to have you share your heritage. Though we realize that food is integral to the heart of so many celebrations, no food or treats can be shared. We appreciate your adherence to our food/snack policies and guidelines and our commitment to keeping all children healthy.
Party Invitations
Please do not send invitations to school to be distributed. In a small school, being inclusive is so important. Being left out can be devastating to a child. Here are some suggested guidelines:
While you may be inclined to invite the whole class, doing so may be impractical, and most children do better with a smaller group. A good rule of thumb is to invite the number of children which corresponds to the age of your child - 3 guests for a three year old; 8, for an eight year old, in addition to family, of course. Allowing the child to choose his or her guests, while Montessori in principle, requires parental guidance and has the potential of hurting a child who is not invited.
It is best if children do not discuss a party that is coming up or a party that they have been to because other children may feel excluded. Please ask your child to refrain from discussing social events during the school day.
Note: Toddlers are different. For them a small party with one or two children is preferable, and they do not share information with each other in the same way as the older children.
Clothing & Shoes
Please label all outer garments your child wears to school. This includes coats, sweaters, hats, gloves, boots, etc. Should an item be misplaced, please check the Lost & Found on the first floor. All Toddler and Primary students need a change of (labeled) clothing to be kept in their classroom. If your Primary student is enrolled in the After School Program (ASP), please provide an additional change of labeled clothes to be kept downstairs.
The school has a limited supply of “extra clothes.” If your child comes home wearing something unfamiliar, please wash these and return them to school promptly.
Children should wear clothes they can manage themselves when going to the bathroom. Suspenders, sweaters outside of overalls, tights or small buttons are difficult for children to manage themselves. Pants with elastic at the waist are often easier than pants with snaps or belts. We are willing to assist your child, but they are very pleased when they can say, “I did it myself!”
All clothing should be weather appropriate for being comfortable when outside.
Aidan strongly recommends sending children to school in athletic shoes (sneakers). Full-day Primary and Elementary children can participate in Outdoor/Physical Education only if they are wearing athletic shoes with laces or Velcro fasteners. Some classrooms insist that the children supply “indoor” shoes. See your class portal for specifics.
Toys
Toys are a distraction from classroom work and should not be brought to school. Also, please check pockets for unfamiliar items. These may be important parts of Montessori materials and need to be returned to school.
Lost and Found
The Lost & Found Basket is a tall, wicker hamper that is kept on the first floor of the school to the left of the lobby between the Mulberry and Dogwood rooms. Feel free to check it as is convenient for you.
Four (4) times a year (November, December, March, & May) Aidan will publish a picture of unclaimed items and will ask that parents come in to retrieve them. Anything not picked up by the designated closing date will be donated to a local shelter or charity. Look for the information in This Week At Aidan.
Help us reduce the number of items in our Lost & Found by ensuring that all coats, jackets, sweaters, hoodies, sweatshirts, hats, gloves/mittens, scarves, socks, shoes, water bottles and bags are clearly labeled in some way. Be sure to do this at the change of seasons and when new articles are purchased.