SciTech Summer Camp: Adventures in STEAM

Parent Guide Book 2018 SciTech Hands On Museum 18 W. Benton St Aurora, IL 60506 (630)859-3434

Specialty Programs Manager (630)859-3434 x230 [email protected]

Camp Administration (630)859-3434 x236 [email protected]

Camp Rules and Expectations ● ● ● ●

Respect all museum staff, teachers, and other students at all times Follow directions from museum staff and teachers at all times Respect all museum exhibits and classroom equipment Stay with your group when walking to and from the classrooms and while exploring the museum ● NO running in the museum or classrooms ● HAVE FUN!

What to Bring/Not to Bring to Camp All campers are asked to bring these items on a daily basis: ● Refillable water bottle ● Camp backpack ● Lunch (if staying for the afternoon session) Non-Emergency Medication Policy ● Parents/guardians whose child is required to take prescription medication during the camp day must list that medication in the appropriate fields in the camp registration forms. ● Parents/guardians whose child is required to take prescription medication must also complete a medical log sheet detailing the name of the medication the child is taking, dosage information, and description of the pill. This will be done on the first day of camp during check-in prior to the student entering day one of class. ● Parents/guardians must store the medication in its original bottle and bring the medication to SciTech Summer Adventure Camps on the first day. ● All non-emergency medication will be secured in the education office, and medical logs will be kept by SciTech camp administrative staff. ● Students will be escorted by educational camp staff to the education office to take their medication as prescribed on the medication label. Emergency medication, such as Epipen, Rescue Inhaler, and Insulin ● SciTech should be notified through the registration if a student carries an emergency medication including Epipen, rescue inhaler, insulin, or others. ● Emergency medication will be labeled clearly with the child’s name and will be kept in the First Aid kit controlled by the supervising Teacher/TA during the camp day. ● Parents will be required to fill out a medical log sheet on the first day of camps for each prescription medication.

Prohibited Items ● Students may not bring any illegal substances, drugs, alcohol, e-cigarettes, tobacco products, guns, knives, any kind weapon, or dangerous item(s) to the museum. ● Students may also not bring any toys, food, candy, clothing, or any other paraphernalia that mimics or represents any illegal substances, drugs, alcohol, e-cigarettes, tobacco products, guns, knives, any kind of weapon, or dangerous item(s). ● In the event that a student is found with any of these items listed, the student’s parent/ guardian(s) will be notified, the student will immediately be dismissed from the program, and legal authorities will be notified of any dangerous or illegal activity. ● Refunds will not be issued if a student is dismissed from SciTech Summer Camps.

Supplies and Snacks ● All necessary camp supplies are provided by SciTech. ● A snack will be provided by SciTech during class each day, and students are welcome to bring their own snack in a sealed container, with their name clearly labeled on the food container. ● Students with any special dietary needs ​must​ bring their own snack. ● Food and drink will not be permitted in the classrooms or STEAM LAB. ● One SciTech backpack and one camp tee-shirt will be provided. Students who are registered for multiple sessions will receive ​ONLY 1 backpack and tee shirt​. ● Students are asked to bring a refillable water bottle, with their name clearly labeled on it, to camp every day. ● Students are encouraged to bring a clean change of seasonally appropriate clothes to camp each day. ● Students are required to keep a backpack with them each day of camp.

What to Wear to Camp ● Camper are required to wear their SciTech shirt everyday. Additional shirts can be purchased in the STEAMart for $10 each. ● Campers are expected to wear closed toed and closed heel shoes to camp every day, c​rocks and jellies are ​NOT ​acceptable footwear. ● All shorts must be knee length or longer. ● No tight or revealing clothing. ● Attire may not mimic or represent any illegal substances, profanity, drugs, alcohol, tobacco products or any kind of weapon.

Camp students who do not wear the appropriate attire to camp may not be permitted to participate in some class activities, and may be sent home. ● SciTech will not be held liable for any injury that results in failure to wear ●

appropriate attire to camps.

Drop Off and Pick Up Policy When arriving at SciTech Hands On Museum, Please use the ​FIELD TRIP​ entrance located on the east side of the building (closest to the parking lot). Campers are allowed to arrive ​no earlier than 8:45: am​. Once inside, we ask that all children are signed in by a designated adult. Onced signed in, campers will be escorted to an area of the museum to explore supervised by camp staff. At 8:50 am a camp/museum staff member will walk all children down to the classrooms. When picking up your children, please come in using the Field Trip entrance and ,arrive no earlier than 11:45 am​. At 12:00 pm a camp/museum staff member will walk all parents down to the classrooms to sign their children out. Sign-out/pick-up: ● Students will be signed out by an adult listed on a child’s approved pick up list with camp staff at the end of the child’s camp day. ● Anyone picking up a student from camp will be required to present government issued identification such as State ID or driver’s license. ● Anyone picking up a student from camp must have their name and phone number listed on the registration. ● Camp staff must be notified prior to pick-up of any approved and/or listed adults who will be picking up their student either through the camp registration process or other written communication. ● Parent/guardian may add anyone to this list at any time by contacting the camp administration prior to pick-up and providing a note with the parent/guardian signature. ● Camp students will not be allowed to leave the supervision of camp staff without being signed out by an adult listed on the approved pick up list. Additional Fees ● Late pickup fee: $5 for every 5 minutes that a parent/guardian is late to pick up a student from camp or After Care.

Before and After Care Hours ● Before Care: 8:00 am - 8:50 am ● After Care: 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm Enrollment ● Parents/guardians may enroll their student in Before Care or After Care at the time of registration. If a parent/guardian would like to add Before Care or After Care after registration, they may do so by contacting the camp coordinator by phone prior to the start of camp. ● Payment for Before Care and/or After Care must be received​ f​ our (4) days prior to the first day of camp in which the student is enrolled. Before Care/After Care: ● Children are supervised by SciTech staff on SciTech grounds during designated time that the student is enrolled, Monday through Friday. Activities will be provided.

Attendance Policies Sending students home due to illness: ​If a student is deemed too ill to participate in camp, the parent/guardian will be notified and asked to take their student home for the remainder of the camp day or until symptom-free for 24 hours. Arriving on time: ​If the student is going to be more than 10 minutes late, the parent/guardian must call to inform SciTech ahead of time. Students arriving 30 minutes late or more WILL NOT be permitted to attend class that day unless prior arrangements are made. Weather and Safety Emergency and Cancellation: ​In the event that weather and/or safety conditions are too hazardous, SciTech reserves the right to cancel any and all camp activities. SciTech will notify parents/guardians of any weather and/or safety emergencies via phone and/or email. SciTech will not issue refunds due to weather cancellations

Daily Schedule This is a sample daily schedule meant to give parents, guardians, and campers an idea of what a typical day will look like at camp. Once in the classroom, the activity schedule is subject to change at the teacher’s discretion. Morning Camp Session Schedule 8:45 am Doors open, campers and parents are allowed in to the museum to check in. 8:55 am - 9:00 am Students will be escorted to their classrooms by a Staff member. 9:00 am - 12:00 pm Classroom Activities 11:45 am Parents are allowed to arrive to begin morning session pick up 11:55 am - 12:00 pm Parents walk to their child’s classroom to sign their child out if they are only staying for the morning session ALL MORNING SESSION CAMPERS MUST BE PICKED UP AT 12:00 pm 12:00 pm - 1:50 pm Campers staying for the afternoon session will have a supervised lunch and free time. Afternoon Camp Session Schedule 12:45 pm Afternoon session families are allowed to arrive and sign in their camper. 12:55 pm - 1:00 pm Students will be escorted to their classrooms by a Staff member 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm Classroom activities start

3:45 pm Parents are allowed to arrive to begin afternoon session pick up 3:50 pm - 4:00 pm Parents walk to their child’s classroom to sign their child out if they are only staying for the morning session ALL STUDENTS MUST BE PICKED UP NO LATER THAN 4:00 pm

Friday Parent Open House On every Friday of camp, unless otherwise notified, parents are allowed to come in for the ​last 30 minutes​ of the day for an camp open house. During this time, teachers and campers will show, display, and demonstrate what they have been learning about during the week of camp. Parents are allowed to arrive at 11:30 am for the morning session camps and at 3:30 pm for the afternoon camp sessions.

Lunch Time ● ● ●

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Meals WILL NOT be provided, except for scholarship students. Students enrolled in both morning and afternoon camp classes are automatically enrolled FREE of charge. Supervised by SciTech staff from 12:00 pm to 12:55 pm. Students will eat for the first half and will have supervised activity time for the second half. Activity time may include exhibit exploration and/or other indoor activities. Students enrolled in Lunch Period must bring their own lunch, labeled clearly with their name, and may not leave the SciTech grounds. SciTech camp staff and students will NOT be permitted to share or trade food with other students at any time. Scholarship students will get their provided lunch at the lunch period. Any parent/guardian whose student arrives to Lunch Period without a lunch will be asked to drop off their student’s lunch to SciTech by 11:45 am. There will be a reserved peanut/nut free table in the lunchroom. Please alert the camp administration if there are severe allergies that require additional accommodations.

Camp Emergencies Camper and staff safety is SciTech Hands On Museum number one concern at all times. Below are how emergencies will be handled during SciTech Summer Camp. Weather: Camp will run rain or shine. Some activities may have to be modified or changed altogether if the weather plays a factor. In the case of severe weather during camp, all campers and camp staff will take shelter in the designated area. When the all clear is given by camp administration then all campers and staff will go back to their regularly scheduled activities. If camp is not able to continue, campers parents will be notified by camp administration. Health/Medical: If a camper or staff member experiences a medical/health emergency a trained museum staff member will be called and they will handle the situation. Parents will be notified if the situation is severe and the camper needs professional medical assistance. Lost Camper: In the case of a lost camper all museum and camp staff will be notified via the museum walkie talkie system or PA system . Once notified, all camp teachers will do a headcount of their campers and report back to camp administration. At the same time, all available camp and museum staff will spread out throughout the museum to search for the camper until the lost camper is found. Fire: If there is a fire during camp all camp staff will stop all activities and escort their class to the designated meeting place. Once at the meeting place all teachers will do a headcount of their students and report back to the camp administration if they have all their students or if anyone is missing. Once given the all clear by the camp administration, all campers and teachers will return back to their regularly scheduled activities. If camp is not able to continue, parents will be notified by camp administration.