PARENT HANDBOOK
CHAMPIONS CLUBS
MIDDLE SCHOOL AFTER-SCHOOL PROGRAM
SCHOOL: PS207Q – ROCKWOOD PARK
AFTER SCHOOL
PROGRAM DIRECTOR: Michael Taylor
PHONE: (718) 848-2700, EXT 3080
eMAIL:
Sponsored by New York City Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD), New York City Department of Education, New York State Department of Education
Welcome
The Sports & Arts in Schools Foundation (SASF) welcomes you and your child/children to the Champions Club After-School Program. This program has been developed to create a safe, structured and interactive environment after school. SASF offers opportunities for your child's physical and emotional development through social, recreation and academic programming. At SASF we strive to provide a quality after school program and continually work to improve the after school experience for all participants. To best serve students, each staff leads a small group of children through a variety of activities such as homework assistance, literacy-based projects, organized games and arts and crafts. Each program maintains the Department of Health's mandated staff-to-child ratio to ensure proper supervision.
This Parent Handbook was written for your convenience. Please retain it for future reference. Reviewing this book with your child/children may help reduce initial anxiety about the program. Feel free to contact the After School Program Director at your site if you have any questions that are not addressed in this handbook.
History and Mission
SASF was established in 1992 to improve education and enrich the lives of youngsters in New York City public elementary and middle schools, through developing their skills in a wide-range of sports, arts, and educational activities. The activities are offered primarily from 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm during the school year, as well as during school breaks and the summer months. The activities include: art, fashion design, baseball, basketball, chess, dance, football, percussion, cheerleading, double dutch, judo, karate, soccer, tennis, track and more. During these critical years of a child's development, our programs lay a good foundation for academic success by building self-esteem and self-discipline and by enriching their scholastic environments.
What is the Champions Club Mission?
The Champions Club is an after school program that enriches and fosters the lives of students. The program's mission is to develop students' socialization skills in a wide-range of SASF activities, which in turn, will improve child's academic performance and increase their positive feeling towards school.
STAFFING
· All staff members must meet established educational and experience requirements for the position held and participate in development workshops. A minimum of two staff members are certified in CPR and First Aid. All staff is over the age of 18, undergoes a thorough background check, including a fingerprinting process and drug screening. Staff is required to attend regular training sessions and safety courses. Training includes: safety procedures, first aid, tutoring and education on interacting with children and behavior strategies. On the days programs are closed, alternative after school care is the responsibility of parents. The student to staff ratio is approximately 10 to 1 in elementary school and 15 to 1 in middle school. On-site staff will coordinate all daily activities.
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
The Champions Clubs offers the following daily components:
· Thirty minutes will be dedicated to homework, quiet time, and snack immediately following school each day. Assistance with homework is available. Please encourage your child to work on homework during the scheduled time. You may want to ask your child's classroom teacher to inform the SASF staff of homework assignments. An alternate activity may be provided if child has not received homework. Homework time is scheduled each day and SASF will attempt to provide printouts of homework assignments when possible. It is very difficult to determine when some children have homework. Therefore, you may wish to discuss with your child the procedure you would like to be observed concerning homework. Ultimately, it is the responsibility of the parent to check homework for completion and accuracy.
· Snacks will be provided to all students. Students may bring their own snack for personal use.
· CELL PHONE POLICY – CELL PHONES ARE NOT PERMITTED TO BE USED DURING THE AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAM.
· Supervised, age-appropriate recreational activities and games. Recreational activities may include, but are not limited to, basketball, flag football, soccer and volleyball. Trivia games, contests, board games and group activities are just a few of the recreational activities that students will enjoy.
· Visual and Performing Arts and other socializing skill based activities are incorporated into to the enrichment portion.
· The activities offered vary and change during the year. The Champions Clubs Program is divided into fall, winter, and spring seasons. We also offers special activities such as (but not inclusive or limited to) a student government, high school selection workshops, student vs. staff basketball and volleyball games, and end-of-season performances and award ceremonies.
· Field trips - Champions Clubs offer our students a number of opportunities to visit exciting parks, cultural institutions, sporting events and/or performances. In order to participate, all students must have an official Champions Club permission slip, signed by a parent or guardian, to attend the trip. SASF considers field trips to be a privilege, and students must demonstrate proper behavior in order to keep the privilege. Students must meet their group at the designated school and return to the designated school with their group at the conclusion of the trip. Trips with limited occupancy may be filled on a first come, first served basis or awarded as incentives to high performance students.
· Hours – At this time, due to ongoing construction at PS207Q, the After School Program will run from the end of the school day to 5:00PM.
Sample Schedule:
2:19-2:45 p.m. / Arrival, Homework time, and Snack2:45-3:30 p.m. / Elective Activity – Groups of no more than 30 students will create their own schedules by choosing activities from a menu of options at the start of each Season. There are 3 seasons in the school year. Each activity will last 45 minutes and different options will be available depending on the day of the week.
3:30-4:15 p.m.
4:15-5:00 p.m.
5:00-5:15 p.m. / Sign out and dismissal
· Fire Drills and Evacuations: SASF will be conducting live fire drills once a month and will conduct 2 Shelter-in drills throughout the school year. When an alarm sounds, students are to follow the SASF staff's directions in a calm and orderly manner. Falsely activating an alarm is a criminal offense and shall result in expulsion and exclusion from all SASF programs and may even result in criminal prosecution. The ASPD will explain the fire drill procedure on the first day of the program and evacuation procedures as required. Students should write the fire exit plan in their agenda.
· Lost and Found: Please see that coats, caps, jackets, lunch boxes and supplies are clearly marked with your child's name. Articles of clothing will be kept in a designated area. Smaller items will be kept in a safe place. After each grading period, unclaimed articles will be turned over to the needy.
ILLNESS/ACCIDENTS, MEDICINE AND EMERGENCY CARE
· Students may not participate in any SASF program until they have submitted an Student Enrollment form containing the Emergency Medical Care form signed by a parent or guardian.
· Only minor cuts and bruises will be given first aid treatment at the program. In the event of a serious illness or injury, attempts will be made to reach parent/guardian.
· In an accident and/or incident your child may be called upon to complete a witness statement.
· The staff CANNOT & WILL NOT administer any medication to participants (including Advil, Tylenol, Ibuprofen, EpiPen and Asthma Pump). Students who need to take medication, must have it arranged with the school's health department/ nurse's office.
· The emergency contact information on the registration form is kept on-site for each child. In cases of acute medical emergencies, staff will make every effort to contact the parent/guardian immediately. For this reason, it is important that all contact information on the registration form be up-to-date and correct with names and current phone numbers, including work, home, cellular and any alternate contact information. If the proper persons cannot be reached in the event of an emergency, the student may be taken by ambulance to the nearest hospital accompanied by a staff member. After Emergency Medical Services has been called it is up to the paramedics to decide what to do. If they decide your child needs emergency treatment, they will take the child to the nearest emergency medical facility, and you will be responsible for the medical charges. In an emergency where immediate attention is needed, the staff will call Emergency Medical Services, and then immediately contact you.
· Parents or authorized persons are expected to pick up any child who appears too ill to remain in the program. If you are called for an emergency or an ill student, please come as soon as possible.
· Please let the ASPD and staff know about any significant factors (i.e. lack of sleep or unusual excitement at home and/or school) which might affect the behavior of your child, so that we may care for them properly.
If you cannot reach the Champions Club Program in the school in case of emergency please contact our headquarters at:
Sports & Arts in Schools Foundation
58-12 Queens Blvd, Suite 1
Woodside, NY 11377
Phone: (718) 786-8116
Fax: (718) 205-1098
Website: http://www.sasfny.org/
STUDENT PARTICIPATION
The Champions Club is offered on a first-come, first-served basis to students who fit within the parameters required by the sponsors of each particular school's program – in this case any student in grades 6,7, or 8 during the 2105-16 calendar school year. Each qualified participant must have a completed and updated Master Enrollment Form and Emergency Medical Care Form on file with SASF before they may become active in the program. Each program has an established maximum capacity. If our program is full, students will be placed on a waiting list. As space becomes available, students from the waiting list will be enrolled in the order that they were registered.
Student Behavior Contract
All enrolled students will be required to sign a Student Behavior Contract regarding the expectations of the Champions Club. These rules and regulations are mirrored after the rules set forth by the Chancellor of the Department of Education.
Participant Requirements and Discipline Code
By signing the Student Behavior Contract, parents and students agree that participating students are bound by and shall adhere to the Participant Requirements & Discipline Code (which is defined in greater detail in this Parent Handbook). SASF staff has the sole authority to enforce Participant Requirements & Discipline Code.
Attendance Policy
If you anticipate your child being repeatedly absent for any reason, please call or email the Champions Club office.
SIGN-IN AND SIGN-OUT PROCEDURES
The following policies have been developed using feedback from SASF Staff, school administrative and parents to maintain the safest environment possible for our children.
School Dismissal
· Students arrive and check-in with SASF (the cafeteria) area immediately following school dismissal. Students are NOT TO LEAVE THE SCHOOL BUILDING AND REENTER. After 15 minutes, unless otherwise informed by a parent, students outside the program area will be considered absent and will not be admitted to the program.
· Students not participating in the program must arrange to leave the program/school. SASF is not responsible for the transportation or supervision of students who have not checked into the program.
· The ONLY exceptions are students receiving help from a teacher/tutor after school. These students MUST bring a written notice from the teacher/tutor to the program in order to attend. Program roll call will be taken so that staff can confirm student attendance.
End of Program Pick-up
· Children are at 5:00pm. Students may be picked up by authorized adults over the age of 18 only. Authorized adults include parents, guardians, or a person identified in writing in advance on the Master Enrollment Form.
· Students are permitted to walk home only if their paperwork indicates that they may sign themselves out and leave the school without a parent. Students who walk home are not allowed to leave the program early unless they are being signed out by an authorized adult or written notification has been delivered to SASF. Designated adults are required to sign each participant out on the daily roll call sheet. Staff may ask for a picture I.D. if they are unfamiliar with an authorized adult signing a participant out.
· Neither students nor staff are permitted to meet parents or authorized adults at their car or bring the sign-out sheet to and from the car.
· If your child needs to be picked up early, they cannot be dismissed to anyone under 18 years old or to anyone who is not listed on the Master Enrollment Form. Please feel free to update your the Master Enrollment Form at any time
· If an adult picking up a student appears impaired, SASF staff in their professional discretion may suggest someone be called to drive both adult and child home. Please be aware that in order to protect staff and the students, staff may notify authorities if such a request is refused.
· Staff is not responsible for custodial disputes. Students will be released to any adult authorized on the Master Enrollment Form. If a family situation arises, please update the Master Enrollment Form.
· Staff is not permitted to have a child in their vehicle at any time, for any reason. Staff CANNOT offer rides to any student or parent.
· Students who are not picked up will be held in front of school building until an authorized adult arrives to escort the child home.
· Students who are picked up more than 15 minutes late on a regular basis may face dismissal from the program.
Parent Involvement
We believe in a strong partnership between parents and our program. Daily contact between parents and SASF staff is an important part of the after school program. By sharing information concerning your child's activities and welfare, we can work together to better meet the child's needs. The Champions Club has the following avenues of parental involvement to encourage parental input in decision-making and planning and to facilitate communication among parents, staff and the school.