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WOW!  A big "thank you" to everyone who responded to my questions!  I got a lot of great advice!  I really appreciate all of the helpful suggestions from everyone.  It took me a little while to get through everything, but here's my attempt at a summary.  Sorry, it's a little long!

1.  Give a copy of "Your Student Has Celiac Disease" (a free publication, found at http://www.csaceliacs.org/order.html) to the school nurse and her teacher. 

2.  Talk to her teacher and the school nurse and give them a list of gf foods that are acceptable (and tell them that brand names are important) Also stress to them that everything she eats that isn't on the list MUST be approved first. Have a cell phone on at all times in case they need to contact me about anything questionable.

3.  Most agree that it is much easier to pack a lunch, rather than rely on the school.  Cross-contamination is a real possibility, even if school staff is aware of the problem.  They just might not think about sharing serving utensils if they're in a hurry.

4.  Provide the school with gf art materials.  Play-Doh is not gf, neither are paper-mache, some glues nor the Cheerios and other cereals that are often used for art projects or as counters.  Some say these can be used as long as she washes her hands well after using them.

5.  Get a list from the teacher of birthdays and other special occasions that may be celebrated during the year.  Have some cupcakes kept in a freezer at the school for her, or send one to school with her the day of the party.

6.  Provide the teacher with a container, clearly labeled with her name and "Gluten-Free Snacks" for snack times or for when a parent decides to bring in treats for the class without prior notice.  Include popcorn, pretzels, crackers and cookies.  Have the teacher send a note home when the supply gets low.  Also give the teacher a bag of candy for the times those are used as rewards in class.

7.  The answers about telling her class or not really varied.  Everyone seemed to have a different experience.  I really liked the idea (thanks Shelli!) about the teacher holding up a piece of bread during a discussion about poisons and asking the class if it was poison.  When the children said "no!" the teacher told them that it can be.  The teacher explained how some foods are poison to some people.  That really helped the children understand why some people have to eat special foods.  Other people suggested just giving my daughter something to tell her friends when they asked why she couldn't eat some of the things they could.  

Thanks again!

Corinne 

* Cel-Kids Web Page:  http://www.enabling.org/ia/cel-kids *