Kids Are Starting School This Year Gluten Casein Free

[Sarah8793]

Tomorrow night is "Meet the Teacher," night. Somehow it doesn't seem like the right time to talk about me sending substitutions in for treats. How have you handled this? I'm thinking that I will somehow need to know in advance when other kids birthday's are and when their parents are going to bring in cupcakes etc. I haven't had this situation in the past and am a little nervous about how to present this without sounding demanding. Thanks to all of you, I now know what to bring in for my son. I plan on packing his lunch each day, so lunch is not a problem. Any ideas on the classroom situation?

Sarah

[gf4life]

Would it be possible to keep some cupcakes in a freezer there at the school? No matter how hard you try there will always be surprise birthday parties at school. A lot of times the parents just shopw up that morning with the treats and don't tell the teachers ahead of time. My daughter's teacher was a good friend of mine last year and she was on-the-ball as far as the gluten free stuff went, but invariably I would get a call to bring in a cupcake ASAP. In my son's class the teacher often was so busy she would forget to call me. (36+ students is too many for 1 teacher!) Fortunately I was able to take cupcakes in on short notice, but not everyone is able to do that.

As far as talking to the teacher at the "Meet the Teacher" night, could you write out a letter that you could give to the teacher requesting a private meeting at the teachers convenience to discuss the issue before school starts? I usually am able to meet with the teachers the week before school starts to take in a gluten free snack box for the classroom (small rubbermaid container with shelf stable food options), and some lists of gluten-free art supplies, off limit lists for their referrence, etc. It works out really well.

At the Jr. High, where my older son goes to school, they keep the snack box in the nurses office, since he changes classes all day long. He mostly just carries his daily snacks in his backpack, but the box is there for emergency use. You never know if there might be some emergency that will keep the kids at school for an extended period of time and they need to have enough food in the box to at least last for a day or two.

You don't have to be demanding. You need to phrase it in a way that lets them know that you are in partnership together to keep you son healthy and happy, so that everyone has a good experience. If he is sick he will miss school and they don't want that anymore than you do. If you would like me to post an example of the letter I leave with my children's teacher each year, just let me know and I will post it. I also give one to the office to keep in their file.

[Sarah8793]

Would it be possible to keep some cupcakes in a freezer there at the school? No matter how hard you try there will always be surprise birthday parties at school. A lot of times the parents just shopw up that morning with the treats and don't tell the teachers ahead of time. My daughter's teacher was a good friend of mine last year and she was on-the-ball as far as the gluten free stuff went, but invariably I would get a call to bring in a cupcake ASAP. In my son's class the teacher often was so busy she would forget to call me. (36+ students is too many for 1 teacher!) Fortunately I was able to take cupcakes in on short notice, but not everyone is able to do that.

As far as talking to the teacher at the "Meet the Teacher" night, could you write out a letter that you could give to the teacher requesting a private meeting at the teachers convenience to discuss the issue before school starts? I usually am able to meet with the teachers the week before school starts to take in a gluten free snack box for the classroom (small rubbermaid container with shelf stable food options), and some lists of gluten-free art supplies, off limit lists for their referrence, etc. It works out really well.

At the Jr. High, where my older son goes to school, they keep the snack box in the nurses office, since he changes classes all day long. He mostly just carries his daily snacks in his backpack, but the box is there for emergency use. You never know if there might be some emergency that will keep the kids at school for an extended period of time and they need to have enough food in the box to at least last for a day or two.

You don't have to be demanding. You need to phrase it in a way that lets them know that you are in partnership together to keep you son healthy and happy, so that everyone has a good experience. If he is sick he will miss school and they don't want that anymore than you do. If you would like me to post an example of the letter I leave with my children's teacher each year, just let me know and I will post it. I also give one to the office to keep in their file.

Thank you, yes if you could post what you write in your letter or the basic ideas, that would be wonderful! Because honestly this is stressing me out. I was friends with my ds's teacher last year also, and I know she would have been very helpful. Hoping it goes well this year.

[gf4life]

This is a copy of what I gave to my son's teacher last year. She had also had my oldest boy the year he was diagnosed, but he was only gluten free in her class for the last 2 months, so I felt I needed to act as if she knew nothing about the diet, since almost 2 years had gone by and I couldn't expect her to remember.

"Dear Mrs. ********,

I was very pleased to find out that my son Jacob is in your class this year. I wanted to inform you of his special dietary needs.

Jacob is gluten intolerant (the same as Ben was). This means he cannot eat ANY foods that have the gluten grains wheat, rye, barley or oats in them. Even trace amounts of gluten from crumbs or contact with gluten foods can make him ill. He will not become immediately ill, such as in a severe allergy, and will not need immediate medical treatment, but any gluten will cause him to have a reaction and over time will damage his intestines and cause more health problems.

His typical reaction will be digestive problems (stomachache and diarrhea), he may be very grumpy, and sometimes he will get a severe headache. He may also have to go to the restroom suddenly. Please allow him this privilege if he suddenly needs to go. He has never abused this privilege in the past, and I will be happy to meet with you if you feel he is abusing it. We are able to keep his gluten accidents to a minimum, so he shouldn't have too many times of illness. If it is a bad reaction I will keep him home from school.

Since many of the foods children typically eat are full of gluten I have a box full of gluten free foods for him to use when there is a special snack time or class party. I have enclosed a list of foods that he can not eat in the box. Please contact me if there is to be any parties or special in-class meals (ie: pizza party, etc) and I will send a gluten free alternative for him to eat. He is very aware of his dietary needs, but I feel it is important that you are aware of those needs.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions. I look forward to sharing this year of my child's education with you.

Sincerely, "

[gf4life]

Here is a copy of the letter I gave to the school office last year and they put into her file:

"Dear ******* Elementary School,

My daughter, Hannah was found to be gluten intolerant in March of 2004. She has been on a strict gluten-free diet in order to not get sick from these foods. If she ingests any gluten, she will get very sick. She cannot have any wheat, rye, barley, oats or anything that is made from them. I would appreciate your help in assisting me in keeping her on this special diet.

Some common classroom items that are problematic for my child are:

play dough, some paints, glue, crayons, and many snack foods. I would be happy to go over these products with her teacher to make sure they are safe for her to use.

Hannah will bring a sack lunch daily and she knows not to trade food with her friends. I am providing appropriate snacks for her to use in the classroom, for times when the class is having a snack or party and the foods are not gluten free. These snacks are in a plastic container clearly labeled with her name and phone number. Alternate snacks that everyone can enjoy are popcorn, fresh fruits, raisins, fresh carrots or celery or plain Lay's potato chips, regular Frito's corn chips, and Cheeto's. The teacher will be provided with a copy of the list of foods that are off limits to her. And a request to notify me before any parties, if possible, so that I can provide her with an appropriate alternate party treat, such as a gluten free cupcake.

I will not hold the school responsible for any food accidents that Hannah may have. She will not have an immediate reaction (as in a food allergy) that would require immediate medical attention, but over time if she gets too much gluten in her diet she will get intestinal damage enough to cause malnutrition and a wealth of health problems associated with the malabsorbtion of the intestines. She may experience a stomachache, diarrhea, vomiting or headache during an accident, or over the next few days, so please feel free to call me and I will pick her up if she is ill. I would also appreciate being notified when she might have gotten some gluten, so I know to watch for symptoms.

I appreciate your understanding and sensitivity on this very important health issue. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions. I look forward to our school year together.

Sincerely, "

I found it very helpful to put in there that I would not hold them responsible if there was a gluten accident. This eliminated them getting nervous about making mistakes and worrying I would sue them. They were very willing to help me and allow me the freedom to bring whatever I needed to class.

[Sarah8793]

Thank you, Thank you!

These are very well written and expressed! This really helps me.

[KimG]

Hi,

I'm very new to this also as my 10 year old daughter has only two weeks been gluten-free with all of her symptoms evaporating with the introduction of gluten-free food! I wondered the same thing as you about what to say and how to say it, etc. I bought "Raising Our Celiac Kids" by Danna Korn and she has alot of suggestions on this very subject. In fact, i was planning on copying the food list (mostly what applies to school stuff like candy and chips, etc) and also buying a copy for the teacher to have on hand. I think it would be very helpful. I love the letter that the last poster provided and will definately use that to take to my school also for her file. Our registration is on this Monday and i called to make an appointment with the principal and her teacher BEFORE that time so that i can educate them about celiac disease. I'll keep watching this thread to see if there are any other suggestions available.

Best,

Kim

[sarahjo]

Hi I haven't been on here for quite awhile....I have a daughter that is gluten-free, (and one with celiac and cf) Our school system isn't much help. You have to have a doctors note to provide certain snacks. We just send a container with fruit snacks in them, on holidays we supply our own treats for her. She takes her own lunch daily. We bought a good thermos to keep some food warm. Our school won't let you use the kitchen at all. It really sucks, it is hard. This is how it is for now, hopefully with enough voices things will change before my youngest gets there. good luck.

[Sarah8793]

Hi I haven't been on here for quite awhile....I have a daughter that is gluten-free, (and one with celiac and cf) Our school system isn't much help. You have to have a doctors note to provide certain snacks. We just send a container with fruit snacks in them, on holidays we supply our own treats for her. She takes her own lunch daily. We bought a good thermos to keep some food warm. Our school won't let you use the kitchen at all. It really sucks, it is hard. This is how it is for now, hopefully with enough voices things will change before my youngest gets there. good luck.

Hi,

Do you mean you are required to have a doctor's note even to send in a container with substitutions? I don't have a doctor's note as of yet. I had my kids tested through enterolab. Thannks,

Sarah

[Guest nini]

I met with my daughter's new teacher yesterday and found out that she has a grown son with multiple food allergies, so she assured me that she is very "food aware" in her classroom. They very rarely do any projects with food and if she wants to do one she promised to let me know, and also the kids are responsible for bringing in their own snacks everyday. So I'll be sending her lunch, sending her snacks (with an extra tupperware container with her name with shelf stable treats) and she's going to try to do a calendar with birthdays and let me know ahead of time if there will be parties.

I'm printing out some info off of the cel-kids networks website for her, there are some great letters there.