Summer Programs
Welcome to the Rivendell Interstate School District summer day-camp.Before you read any further, please note the big change this summer:
All students entering 1st through 5th grade from Westshire Elementary School & Samuel Morey Elementary School are welcome to attend!
Our summer camp is a structured program which offers an array of daily activities which may include arts & crafts, cooking activities, science projects, gardening, team-building skills, genius hour, basketball, and more! We also work in conjunction with the schools to provide daily enrichment activities that help children improve their literacy and math skills through highly engaging, hands-on activities and project-based learning opportunities.
We’ve put together this information packet in hopes of answering your questions and letting you know what we have to offer. After you’ve looked it over, please get in touch with any questions or concerns that you may have!
Sincerely,
Leslie Berger
Director of After School and Summer Programming
Rivendell Interstate School District
What You Need to Know!
EZ Child Track: https://www.ezchildtrack.com/AfterTheBell/Parent
If you already have an account, you will simply need to enroll your child in the summer camp portion of our program. If you don’t have an account, you’ll need to create one before you can enroll your child. Due to licensing requirements, only 40 students in total will be accepted into the program per week. Online applications will be processed in the order that they are received.
Camp will be open Monday-Friday, beginning on Monday, July 3rd and ending on Friday, July 28th (although we’ll be closed on July 4th).
- Summer camp will run from 8:00 AM - 3:30 PM. Unfortunately, this year, there will be NO AFTER CARE at the end of the camp day.
- We are offering transportation for our Westshire students. A bus will transport children from Westshire Elementary School to Samuel Morey each morning, arriving at 8:00 AM.
- At the end of the camp day, a bus will return our Westshire students to Westshire Elementary School, leaving Samuel Morey School at 3:30 PM.
- The camp day will end promptly at 3:30 PM. Unless your child takes the bus to Westshire, it is the parent’s/guardian’s responsibility to pick up their child in a timely manner. Barring an emergency, there will be an additional fee of $5.00 per child for every 5 minutes that the parent is late. This additional charge will be strictly enforced and will need to be paid before your child can return to the program.
- Sunscreen & hat, sneakers
- Bathing suit & towel
- Water bottle
- Extra set of clothes
- Reading book
- Bag lunch (only if your child does not want served lunch).
- Optional: goggles, PFDs /life jackets for swim trips.
- Please leave personal toys at home.
Field trips to area attractions will be taken primarily on Fridays. The cost for field trips is included in the daily fee. Camper t-shirts must be worn on all field trips. This is for the safety of the campers and will help us keep our group together. If your child is suspended from a field trip or chooses not to attend the trip, you will have to make other arrangements for care, as the building will be closed. Inappropriate behavior on field trips could result in the loss of field trip privileges for the following field trip. Continuous bad behavior will result in the permanent loss of field trip privileges or removal from the program.
At our summer camp, we take behavior very seriously and expect the best from our students. We do everything we can to create a fun and safe place for them to learn and grow, and therefore need the cooperation of all involved!
We will be implementing a 3-strike policy for behavioral concerns. These concerns include any form of bullying or harassment, not listening to adults, and/or creating an unsafe environment for those involved, including running away. Each day, a child will be given 3 opportunities to follow the rules of the program and participate in a fun and safe way. If after those three opportunities your child continues to break the rules, the following will take place:
The First Time: There will be a phone call and email home explaining what has taken place and creating a plan to help alleviate any problems.
The Second Time: This will result in a phone call home asking you or an emergency contact to come pick up your child from the program.. Students will then be asked to miss the next day of the program and you will not be reimbursed for any payments made. We will then ask for a face-to-face meeting to discuss the behaviors and come up with a plan to help the student succeed in the program.
The Third Time: There will be a call home arranging for the child to be picked up, and asked to stay home for the remainder of the week. A face-to-face meeting will then be set up to discuss a potential return plan to camp.
We want everyone to stay safe and enjoy their time at the program. If there is violence of any kind, an investigation will take place which could lead to a child being asked to find an alternative summer program. Our staff will reinforce these rules daily, working to ensure that all students are kept happy and safe. Thank you for your continued support!
NOTES OF IMPORTANCE:
- Please understand that the Rivendell Interstate School District reserves the right to recommend that your child not attend camp if serious problems occur. We reserve the right to remove any child at any time if we feel we cannot adequately handle their behavior or other needs.
- No fee for any reason will be refunded after the program begins. This policy is strictly enforced. Also, if your child has been asked to leave this program due to poor behavior or other issues, no refunds will be issued.
All payments will need to be made by the Friday prior to each week of camp that your child is attending. A non-refundable deposit will be required when registering your child. After the deposit is made, the remainder of the payment can be made right on the EZ Child Track website. Please note the payment due dates below to assist with planning. Payments may be made on EZ Child Track using credit/debit/e-checks.
Automatic payment plans can also be set up on EZ Child Track. Additionally, you can opt for a payment schedule. You may pay with a check or cash. If opting for the pay-in-person option, please hand cash or checks directly to the site coordinator or program administrator.
2023 Payment Due Dates
July 3rd- 7th (No Camp on July 4th | Payment Due: June 30th | |
July 10th - 14th | Payment Due: July 7th | |
July 17th - 21st | Payment Due: July 14th | |
July 24th - 28th | Payment Due: July 21st |
# of Children | Rate/Week |
1 | $200 ($160 for the week of July 3-7) |
2 | $350 ($280 for the week of July 3-7) |
3 | $450 ($360 for the week of July 3-7) |
4 | $500($400 for the week of July 3-7) |
Financial Aid is Available
The cost of sending children to camp can be a financial challenge for many families. However, as our program is licensed with both the Vermont Child Development Division & the New Hampshire Bureau of Child Development, financial aid is available!
The process to apply for financial aid is different for Vermont and New Hampshire residents. Please refer to the last pages of this packet for more information on how to apply.
Additional Information
The RISD summer staff is not in a position to dispense prescription medication.
The following medication can be given with written parental consent, only at the dose recommended and only for the duration and method of administration recommended on the manufacturer’s label.
- Antihistamine
- Non-aspirin fever reducer/pain reliever
- Anti-itching ointment or lotion (specifically for itch relief only).
- Decongestant
A physician’s written authorization is required to dispense non-prescription medication not listed above.
Students must be enrolled prior to attending. Drop ins will not be allowed.
- 8:00 - 9:00 Drop Off, Breakfast, & Morning Meeting
- 9:00 - 10:00 Active Learners Centers: Reading, Writing, Math
- 10:00 - 10:15 Morning Snack
- 10:15 - 10:45 Recess
- 10:45 - 11:45 Genius Hour - Project Time
- 11:45 - 12:15 Lunch
- 12:15 - 12:45 Recess
- 12:45 - 1:00 Quiet Time - Coloring, Reading, Puzzles
- 1:00 - 2:30 Themed Activity / Swimming Outing
- 2:30 - 3:30 Free Play / Pick Up
(Please note: field trips are subject to change.)
We are working to have field trips which match our weekly themes! Some ideas include going to the Seacoast Science Center, Ben & Jerry’s Museum, McAuliffe-Shepard Planetarium, and Whales Tale. There will be a parent permission slip that needs to be signed and returned before your child can attend.
Week 1: SEA CREATURES: Taking a dive into unchartered waters, students will learn about various sea creatures and take an excursion through deep, dark oceans. We’ll explore the ocean floor and craft our own underwater marine life. Our games and activities will take your children on a deep-sea adventure. You can also bet that we’ll all get wet! The week will culminate with a trip to the Seacoast Science Center.
Week 2: MILKIN’ IT - DAIRY FARMS & VISIONS OF ICE CREAM:
Complementing last summer’s theme of locally grown food, we’ll learn about agriculture, how dairy farms operate, compare farming from the past to mega-farms of today, and learn how our dairy products get to us. We’ll cook with products made from milk - and make ice cream!- using available locally-produced ingredients. At the end of the week we’ll get on the road for a well- deserved trip to the Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream Factory and a quick stop at the Cabot Store. How sweet it is (or will be!)
Week 3: JOURNEY TO SPACE:
We’ll leave the Earth behind and travel to a place that no Rivendell student has gone before. Enjoy an out-of-this-world experience exploring the cosmos, learning about the planets, riding on comets, and blasting off to new horizons. Activities will include “space crafts”, science projects, and dramatic play. Our spaceship will return to Earth by Friday so we can travel to the McAuliffe-Shepard Planetarium.
Week 4: STEM & STEAM - WHAT’S YOUR DREAM?:
Campers will use elements of Science, Technology, Engineering, ART, and Math to solve problems in a fun and interactive way. We may build roller coasters, water walls, vehicles from recycled materials, devise crazy gadgets and other devices - all for the sake of fun and learning. We’ll work in teams and feed off each other’s ideas in this creative, exploratory camp. We’ll end our week with a trip to Whales Tales and experience the power of water!
The theme descriptions are intended to give you an idea of potential activities for each theme. We will do our best to make these activities happen, but slight changes may occur between now and July. Regardless of what specific activities are offered, our programming will be high-quality and enriching!
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