Mission

St. Jude Catholic School will provide an After School Program for the 2008-2009 school year. Our mission is to provide a safe and enjoyable experience while nurturing the spiritual, academic, and social growth of our students.

Admission

The program is open to K-8 students of St. Jude Catholic School, including those with disabilities who may be supported by reasonable accommodations. Each enrolling family must fill out a registration form prior to the first time they attend the program. Registration will be accompanied by a one time non-refundable fee of $10 per family.

Hours

The program will begin at 3 PM and continue to 5:30 PM. The program may commence at the given release time for early dismissal days. STUENTS MUST PACK THEIR OWN LUNCH on early dismissal days, as St. Jude does not provide hot lunch.

Cost

Fees for the program will follow the chart below. All students pay $5 for the first hour, regardless of how long they stay. This offsets the cost of providing snacks and other materials for the children.

The “pay in advance” option allows families to purchase 10 units for the cost of $50. Students who prepay will only need to spend one $5 unit per child per day, regardless of the length of their stay (prior to 6 PM). These units may be used at any time and may also be applied for multiple children. For instance, two siblings may each spend 5 days prepaid at $5/day or one child may use 10 days prepaid at $5/day.

General Schedule

3:00-3:15 Attendance check
3:15-3:30 Snack Time
3:30-4:00 Homework and Quiet Activities
4:00-6:00 Playtime, Crafts, and occasional movie.

Snack

A snack will be provided daily, and will be prepared in accordance with school Wellness Guidelines.

Physical Activities

During warmer month students will have the opportunity to play outside under the supervision of the afterschool staff. The program will follow the school’s policy for when to stay indoors, mainly due to inclement weather. Students may be required to wear appropriate winter clothing—i.e. hats, gloves, boots scarves
and winter coat. Normal playground/recess rules apply to physical recreation.

Toys and Games

Toys and Games are provided by the aftercare program and should be treated with respect. No electronics will be permitted as noted in the school handbook, unless specifically arranged and supervised with an educational or recreational purpose, as defined by after school program staff.

Homework

It is the responsibility of the parent to inform the aftercare program if their child is to use time to complete homework during the program. The staff will provide a reasonably quiet place to do work, but the student must willingly cooperate. The aftercare staff will provide supervision, but should not be expected to act as a tutor or to accurately judge the quality or quantity of completed work. Students are not entitled to access to classroom areas (to retrieve forgotten materials) once they enter the program.

Field Trip and Visitor Policy

As a rule, the aftercare program will not take or sponsor field trips. Nor will it allow visitors who are not students of the school or individuals who are not allowed to pick up a particular student. The program may invite guests, volunteers, or members of the St. Jude Staff who would assist in developing special programming or activities for the program.

Behavior Policy

The aftercare accepts all new students on the same probationary period as the school (see “Admissions Policy”). All school rules apply while in aftercare. Inappropriate and problematic behaviors will be documented. Aftercare staff will work in accordance with the principal in handling serious disciplinary concerns. Students may be removed from the program for any offense deemed contradictory to its mission or compromising the safety of its participants as well as any infraction of Policy P4520.

Emergency Procedures

The aftercare program will follow the St. Jude Catholic School Crisis Plan and procedures. The aftercare program has its own emergency evacuation kit for such events. Communication during emergencies will be conducted by the phone numbers provided on the emergency information from student files. The afterschool care staff will provide an emergency phone number for contacting aftercare staff after the school office has closed.