Lincoln Alexander School – Halloween Celebrations/Activities on October 31st

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

On Monday, October 31st, Lincoln Alexander School will be celebrating Halloween by providing an opportunity for students and staff to wear costumes. This is also a spirit day at Lincoln where students who are not wearing costumes can choose to wear their favourite colour or favourite sports team shirt/jersey instead. Throughout this day, various classrooms may also be engaging in some special activities.

Please note that:

• Students choosing to wear a costume should come to the school already wearing the costume and keep the costume on for the duration of the day. Please do not send costumes or make-up for students to apply at school. We do not have supervision or the facilities to assist with this. Students should come to school in costume if they are choosing to dress up.
• Student Costumes must be appropriate for school and must not include any weapons, must not impede vision, and must not contain any inappropriate images/offensive language, etc. NO weapons of any kind are to be sent to school (toy knives, guns, pitchforks, etc.)
• Students in JK—6 will be participating in a Halloween parade first thing in the morning. The parade will begin at 8:40 am and will run through the gym—parents are welcome to gather in the gym to watch as well!
• Masks can be worn during the parade as long as student’s visibility is not restricted. NO masks are to be worn outside for Nutrition Breaks, due to visibility concerns.
• In addition to the parade, teachers will be communicating information around any further individual classroom celebrations during this day, with families.
• If you are sending in treats, please ensure they are NUT FREE!
• Halloween is one of our “special days” and treats do NOT need to conform to ministry guidelines. That said, nutritious treats are gladly accepted! Please let your child’s classroom teacher know if you do not want your child accepting shared treats/snacks.

Below are a list of questions to consider if choosing and wearing a costume:

• Is my costume making fun of a group of people, their culture, religion and/or belief systems?
• Does my costume reinforce jokes and stereotypes about certain groups, cultures, religions and/or belief systems?
• Am I altering my skin color, facial/body features to make it like a particular race, ethnicity, or cultural group?
• Am I dressing up as a culture or borrowing from a religion that is not my own or is not part of my background?

Thanks in advance for helping to make this special day exciting and safe for all students and staff! If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the school.

Sincerely,

Lincoln Alexander Staff