Birthdays and Gifts

At Ogden Valley Montessori School we recognize a child’s birthday in what we call the child’s "celebration of life". This takes place as a group activity on the line where the children gather together with the teacher and the birthday child’s parents, if they are able to attend. As the story is told of this child's life, he or she walks slowly around a candle representing the sun, making one circuit for each year of life as a song is sung. The parents are asked beforehand to send one photo to illustrate each year of the child's life, as well as a note outlining some of the important events or accomplishment that took place each year (the photographs are later returned). The Celebration of Life is a simple but beautiful recognition of the child’s life to date. If you would like to bring some special food item that is low in sugar for your child to share with his or her classmates, please let your child’s teacher know your plans ahead of time.

We politely request that you please do not hand out invitations to your child’s birthday party at school as those children who are not invited tend to feel hurt and sad. Please do not use the school mail boxes for this purpose either as the same thing may happen. It is more appropriate to mail the invitations or talk directly to the parents of your child’s friends who are being invited.

For the same reasons, we also ask that no birthday gifts be given out at school.