Town of Riverview Children’s Programming

Parent/Legal Guardian/Caregiver Handbook

Summer 2015

connect Real People: Camps Coordinator Andrew Johnston 506-387-2070 camps@townofriverview.ca Play Coordinator Becky Canning 506-387-2070 play@townofriverview.ca Community Recreation Worker Ashley Arrowsmith 506-387-2028 aarrowsmith@townofriverview.ca Community & Recreation Coordinator Karen Thompson 506-387-2051 kthompson@townofriverview.ca Parks and Recreation Office 506-387-2024 Web + Social Media + Electronic: Stay tuned to our official social media channels and your email account for updates on programming, events and activities. www.townofriverview.ca @activeriverview @townofriverview

register Friday, May 29, 2015 Online registration Opens at 7 p.m. townofriverview.ca In Person registration Available from 7-9 p.m. 55 Biggs Drive Following this date, space permitting, you may register online or during business hours up until 3 p.m. on the Friday before the program start date. Please note, you must have a Family Account setup to register for any Town of Riverview program. This is new as of September 2014. You can request a Family Account online from our website or drop into the Parks and Recreation office at 55 Biggs Drive. We are open Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. A Family Account request can take up to 5 business days to process. Your Family Account should also be tested a week in advance of registration day, to ensure it is working and all of your family members’ information was inputted correctly. This is important to note, as there are many age restrictions with our children’s programming.

philosophy Our programs focus on facilitating an environment which embraces discovery, teamwork, friendship, being active and outdoors, diversity and most importantly, PLAY! Wellness The recommended amount of physical activity for children ages 6-12 is at least 90 minutes per day. Our staff are dedicated to being in motion, and encouraging healthy habits such as nutrition and mental fitness beginning at a young age. Exploring, Nature & Dirt Our staff are focused on reconnecting your children to nature. In a world which is becoming increasingly technology-centered, we would like to bring back the sense of adventure and creativity that comes with exploring the great outdoors. For this reason, your children may often come home with dirty sneakers, marker-covered fingers, and grass stained clothes. Please keep this in mind when dressing your children in the mornings! Discipline Our steps outlined below are designed to ensure a suitable and consistent response to inappropriate/unacceptable behaviour(s).

Step 1: The leaders will talk to your child about their inappropriate behaviour & explain the consequences.

Step 2: Loss of privileges and /or participation in certain activities/ outings.

Step 3: The Leaders, child and parent/legal guardian/caregiver will attempt to resolve the problem. If the problem is not resolved the supervisors will intervene.

Step 4: If the behaviour does not improve, and the matter is not remedied, the child will be dismissed from the program.

philosophy HIGH FIVE® The Town of Riverview is a HIGH FIVE® registered organization. This means we are committed to assisting children along the path of healthy child development by abiding to 5 principles:

1. Caring Adult: The establishment of caring, positive, and supportive relationships with adults can help children 6 to 12 develop positive social skills, self-esteem, and self confidence.

2. Friends: Friends expand the child’s world beyond one’s family; share in humour; test loyalty; form their first audience; and offer support and criticism. Positive environments foster inclusion, acceptance, the opportunity for fun in constructive play, and the opportunity to develop and practice pro-social skills.

3. Participation: Children need to make choices, have a voice, and do things by and for themselves, which supports positive self-expression, physical activity, and interaction with others

4. Play: Stressing fun, creativity, and co-operation, play lets children shape their environment using their imaginations. In addition, play is integral to the acquisition and development of motor and social skills, cognitive function, and creativity.

5. Mastery: Leaders provide children with activities and tasks that enable them to feel special, important, and successful both in structured and unstructured activities.

safety 1 Your child will be safe with us. Caring Adults The Town of Riverview invests a large amount of time carefully selecting students for the summer staff positions . We require that all staff are certified in First Aid , CPR, AED, Bullying Prevention and High Five. They also receive one week of high intensity training before they begin working with your child. You can expect these leaders to have your child's safety as their number one priority. Health Concerns Please ensure the information we have on record regarding your child’s health is correct when you drop them off on the first day. Medication Notify the leaders of any medication your child may have to take while at camp to their leaders on the FIRST day. While our staff may supervise your child while taking their medication, they are not certified to administer ANY medication. Who Can Pick Up Your Child If someone other than your child's parent/legal guardian/caregiver will be picking them up from the program, please see one of our leaders in advance to complete an authorization form. We must know which days and who will be picking up your child. The safe release of children to authorized individuals requires strict vigilance. Please let the person picking up your child know that we may ask for photo identification.

safety 2 Absent If your child is going to be absent from the program, please let the leaders know in advance (if possible) or contact the Program Supervisors, so we won't be looking for your child. Swimming Upon dropping off your child, please inform the leaders of your child's swimming ability. As the children will be swimming, it is helpful for the leaders to know generally what your child is capable of, and which children will require extra supervision in the pool. Bullying Our staff is dedicated to providing a bully-free environment. There will be a zero tolerance policy for any and all forms of bullying. This extends to any cyber-bullying that is brought to the attention of our staff. We want your child to have the best possible experience at our program. If your child is having a bad experience at our program, please contact the program supervisor, so we may deal with the problem early on. Spectators/Visitors The concepts of respect, positive reinforcement, valuing diversity, inclusion and good sportsmanship all contribute to healthy child development. Children's program environments must be welcoming and supportive of the learning and growth of participants. Behaviours on the part of visitors, parents/legal guardians/caregivers that are deemed to be aggressive, bullying, disrespectful, inappropriate, disruptive or threatening will not be tolerated.

safety 3 Nut-Free Zone Do not send your child to their program with any meals or snacks which contain nuts or products which may contain nuts. Transportation We rely on active transportation to move children and leaders between programming locations within our walkable town. This means that children are expected to walk to and from playgrounds, Caseley Park, Lion’s Pool and other points of interest located within a 2 km radius of each program’s “home base.” Program participants are encouraged to arrive and depart on their own steam. Walk, bike, roll or pogo stick! There are bicycle racks located in many of our playgrounds and at each facility for safe lock-up. For more information about active transportation, trails and bicycle lanes, please visit our website.

Stock Transportation’s chartered bus system (the same buses used by the local school districts) will safely transport camp participants to our trip destinations.

discovery leaders The Town of Riverview believes that inclusion is an essential quality to have as a program. For this reason, we have modified the structure of the Camp Discovery program this summer. Four carefully selected leaders will be available to work closely with children and youth with exceptionalities, who would like to participate in any of our playground or camp programs. This will allow children to increase their socialization, physical literacy, emotional well-being and self-esteem. A meeting with the Discovery leaders prior to participation is required. Leaders are available to meet with parents/guardians beginning Tuesday, June 9th. For more information, or to set up a meeting, please contact Becky Canning, the Play Supervisor, at 387-2070, or send her an email to play@townofriverview.ca. This program is offered on a first come, first serve basis.

evaluate

We are constantly working to improve our programs and service delivery. Parents/Legal Guardians/Caregivers Feedback from parents/legal guardians/caregiversis encouraged and valued. Leaders will be available at drop-off and pick-up times for verbal communication. Children We encourage you to sit down with your child to complete our new “Reviewing Programs Together” evaluation form. These evaluations will be available for parents/legal guardians/caregivers both online and at the program facility. These evaluations are modeled after the HIGH FIVE® principles and are child-focused. To complete the evaluation online, visit www.townofriverview.ca/children. Quest 2 HIGH FIVE® provides a formal evaluation process for program supervisors to routinely conduct in each of their programs. Staff will be evaluated by their supervisors to ensure programming is following the HIGH FIVE principles as outlined in the philosophy section. If there is additional information or feedback you would like to provide outside of the scope of the evaluation opportunities provided above, please feel free to communicate with a leader or program supervisor. We truly appreciate and value your feedback!

other Late Fees Please respect the designated pick up and drop off times of your child’s program. Please keep in mind the leaders need time at the beginning and end of the program to prepare for upcoming activities, clean the program space, paperwork and other important tasks. If you are running late, our leaders will ask you for a $2 fee for every 5 minutes you are late picking up your child. All late fees collected are donated to Riverview P.R.O. Kids. If a parent/legal guardian/caregiver is continuously disregarding the pick up and drop off times, the leaders/supervisors will attempt to resolve the problem. If the situation does not improve, and the matter is not remedied, the child may be dismissed from the program without a refund. Lost and Found Each program space has a designated Lost and Found box where the Leaders will keep found items for up to 10 business days. After this designated period, if no participant or parent/legal guardian/caregiver claims the item, it will be donated to good will.

daily checklist Please bring all of the following items each day. Please note your child may not be able to participate in an activity if they do not bring the following items. Clothing: [ ] Indoor shoes [ ] Outdoor shoes [ ] Change of clothes [ ] Trip Day Shirt Rain Gear: [ ] Umbrella [ ] Rain Coat [ ] Rubber Boots Food: [ ] Lunch [ ] Snacks [ ] Water Bottle (Lunch is not applicable for Playschool & Playgrounds in motion) Sun & Bug Sense: [ ] Bug Spray [ ] Sunscreen SPF 60 [ ] Hat covering ears [ ] Sunglasses Swim Gear [ ] Towel [ ] Bathing Suit [ ] Bathing Cap Miscellaneous: [ ] Positive Attitude TIP: We recommend that you put this sheet on your fridge and have a “PLAY BAG” pre-packed at your door ready to go with the above items .