Illness
In order to maintain a safe and healthy environment for everyone, we monitor children closely for signs of illness. Please keep your child at home or make other care arrangements if she/he is ill. We also ask that you telephone or e-mail the school by 9 am to let us know of your child’s illness or absence.

We have provided some example signs of illness that would prevent your child from attending school or would lead us to call you to pick up your child from school:

• A fever exceeding 38°C or 100°F
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea (twice)
• Untreated rashes or discharge from eyes / ears
• Head lice or nits
• Any suspected infectious virus

When a child returns to school from an illness, they must be free of symptoms and ready to participate fully in the program, including outdoor activities. A doctor’s note may be requested prior to their return, depending on the nature of the illness.

Immunization
Under the Day Nurseries Act, children enrolled in our school must be immunized before admission and thereafter as required by the Ministry of Health. Alternatively, we require a signed letter from a parent or medical doctor explaining why your child should not be immunized. Kindly complete the enclosed Health Department form and provide a photocopy of your child’s immunization record. Please let us know when your child has received any vaccinations so we may keep this record up-to-date.

Medication
Please note that the Brooklin Mill Montessori School staff are not permitted to administer non-prescription medication to your child (eg. Tylenol, cough syrup).

In order to administer prescription medication to your child, we will require signed authorization from a parent or guardian, detailing the time and dosage required. The medication must be in its original container with the child’s name, the name of the drug, the dosage, date of purchase, as well as instructions for administration and storage on the label. Please ensure that the medication is handed directly to a staff member for safe-keeping.

Allergies
If your child has asthma or other severe allergies, please complete the Emergency Allergy Alert form detailing the signs of an allergic reaction and appropriate response. To ensure the prompt administration of asthma and other emergency allergy medication (such as the EpiPen), we will require that emergency allergy medication be provided for safe-keeping at the school in a clearly labeled pouch that we may take on all outings.

Nutrition, Snacks & Lunch
Brooklin Mill Montessori is a nut-free school. There are a number of children enrolled at the school with severe nut allergies. Because these allergies can be life-threatening with very minimal contact, we need your vigilance to ensure that foods brought into the school are free of nuts or traces of nuts. Also, please be diligent in washing hands, face and brushing teeth if your child consumed peanut butter or other nut products prior to coming to school.

For those children in our lunch program, Brooklin Mill Montessori School is pleased to offer nutritious and child-friendly lunch and snacks. Meals are planned and prepared on-site by our Certified Food Handler. Snacks are presented at mid-morning and mid-afternoon, and consist primarily of fresh fruit and vegetables. Children are encouraged to drink water with snack. Water is always available from the fountains located inside the classroom. Snacks will no longer be provided during the before and after school Campus Club program. Children are welcome to bring a before or after school snack, with the provision that foods be nut free choices that promote good nutrition and dental health.

Our lunch period extends from 11:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. We post 2 weeks of menus on our school bulletin board for your convenience when meal-planning. Children with specific allergies or dietary restrictions may receive substitutions. Our lunch program is optional for children above the age of 3.8 years. (As a requirement of Ministry licensing, we must provide lunch for children younger than ‘Junior Kindergarten’age.) We promote healthy eating habits by offering foods from each of the food groups in Canada’s Food Guide and limiting the children’s intake of salts, sugars, and fats. We are confident that a lunch from home will also nurture these healthy habits and with dental health in mind, we ask that you eliminate sweet treats from the lunch bag.

As our kitchen is dedicated to our lunch service, refrigeration and/or reheating facilities are not readily available to children bringing lunch. If your child is bringing lunch, kindly provide an insulated lunch bag with an ice pack or thermos to keep foods at the appropriate temperature until consumed.