School Policies (2024-2025)
School Hours
The drop-off window is 8:25-8:40.
The pick-up window is 2:30-5:00.
2:30-3:00: Pickup at Activate
3:00-3:45: Pickup at Park
3:45-5:00: Pickup at Activate
School Calendar
Our school calendar is at this link and on our website's ‘school’ drop-down menu.
Weekly Schedules
Our weekly schedules are available at this link and on our website's ‘school’ drop-down menu.
Contact
The staff contact information is on our contact page.
Email is the best way to contact us: greg@activateschool.pdx.com.
If you have a time-sensitive message to send during the school day, you can text Greg at 503-389-0153.
Greg receives many texts during the school day, which can be distracting. So please be mindful of how frequently you’re texting.
If you are running late in the morning, please don’t bother texting.
If your child will be absent from school, please send an email.
If you need to contact Brenna regarding aftercare on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, you can call or text her at 503-208-6083.
Homework
Activate does not assign homework. However, children should read at home daily for at least 20 minutes.
No-Shoe Policy
We have a no-shoe policy for students and campers at Activate. Some kids wear socks, and some go barefoot.
Visitors don't need to remove their shoes (unless they are wet or muddy).
Water Shoes
During the warm months, kids can wade in the creek during recess. For safety reasons, we require kids to wear closed-toe water shoes in the creek. Some kids wear Crocs or similar shoes as their regular shoes, and they can wear them in the creek by just pulling off their socks (if they're wearing them). After recess, they can walk back in wet shoes that’ll dry by the end of the day. Some kids keep a pair of water shoes at Activate, but a common problem is that kids don’t remember to wear or bring their water shoes to recess and are sad that they can’t play in the creek. That’s why we think Crocs as everyday shoes is the best option.
The following are not ideal creek footwear options.
Rain Boots: They often fill with water, creating a drowning hazard.
Flip Flops or Slides: They don’t protect toes, and they can fall off easily and float downstream.
Sneakers: When kids wear their sneakers in the creek, they are reluctant to put them back on at the end of the day. Also, sneakers frequently worn in water tend to smell bad.
Boots
During the wet and cold months most kids keep rain boots at school.
Extra Clothes
All students keep a spare set of clothes at Activate: socks, underpants, a shirt, and shorts/pants. Because we have long outdoor recesses in all weather conditions at a park with a creek, these extra clothes get used frequently. If a child's clothes become wet or muddy, they’ll change and take the whole bag home to be replenished.
The clothes are kept in a labeled dry bag. Children’s empty bags will be in their cubbies on the August 29 event. Parents are welcome to bring extra clothes and fill the bags on that day. They can also take the bag home on that day and bring it back on the first day of school. Parents not attending on the 29th can bring clothes in a labeled paper bag on the first day of school.
Activate Shirts
Activate short-sleeve tees, long-sleeve tees, and hoodies are available for sale at this link or on the ‘merchandise’ link on our website. Unlike summer camps, we generally don’t require kids to wear their Activate shirts during school field trips unless we go to a very crowded place.
Dress Code
Children can dress however they want, as long as their clothes don’t have inappropriate language or images. We prefer that they wear shoes they can put on quickly because this makes our transition to recess easier.
What to Bring Daily
lunch and snacks
water bottle
backpack
What Not to Bring
toys/stuffies
Magic cards and other similar cards
games
money
food that needs to be heated up
excessive junk food
sugary drinks
coffee shop drinks
Swim Days
We swim twice a month at North Clackamas Aquatic Park, but they will be closed in September for annual maintenance. We swim on alternating weeks on Wednesdays or Thursdays.
What to Bring on Swim Days
It’s preferred that children arrive at school wearing their swim clothes because it makes our transition much easier.
change of clothes
towel
plastic bag for wet items
large bag that can fit all of their items, including their lunchbox
goggles (optional)
Pool Safety
The pool is staffed with lifeguards.
If children want to go into the deep part of the wave pool, they must pass the Activate swim test. The test requires swimming 25 meters without touching the bottom and without goggles. Doggy paddles and backstrokes are not permitted on the test.
Johnson Creek Safety
In the early fall and late spring, we allow children to wade in Johnson Creek under direct supervision. We use a stretch of the creek without drop-offs, deep water, or swift currents.
For safety reasons, kids must wear water shoes, preferably closed-toe quick-drying shoes like Crocs.
Children are allowed to go as deep as their knees.
Children are required to wash their hands when they return.
Library Days
We visit the Sellwood Library once a month. On these days, we have recess at Sellwood Park and then visit the library. We keep student library cards in a binder. If your child is new to Activate, please provide us with their library card. If you don’t have an extra, please visit the library and have them issue you one to give to us. When you receive library cards, they provide you with a regular-size card and a keychain-size card. We prefer the regular-size cards.
Indoor/Outdoor Recess
We virtually always have outdoor recess. We have indoor recess in the event of lightning or unhealthy air quality from wildfire smoke.
Transportation
We use a passenger van and a minivan for transportation. Parents are welcome to provide us with a booster seat to keep inside one of the vans.
Medication Administration
Please let us know if your child requires medication during school or has an inhaler or EpiPen.
Snow Day and Other Cancellations
We typically cancel school on the days that PPS cancels. We’ll send out an email to notify parents. On the first snow day, we encourage kids to take the day off and play outside. On subsequent snow days, there will be one-hour-long literacy lessons on Zoom from 9:00-10:00. If there are more than three snow days, we’ll use Presidents’ Day as a makeup day.
Birthday Parties
Parents can provide store-bought treats for their child’s birthday. Please notify staff.
If your child is having a birthday party outside of school or is attending a classmate’s birthday party, please remind them to be sensitive about how they talk about it at school.
Cell Phones and Smart Watches
If a child brings a cell phone to school, it must be silenced and kept in their cubby for the entire day. If a student is distracted by their smartwatch, they will be asked to take it off and store it in their cubby. Parents and students should not exchange texts during the school day. If a child has an important message to relay to their parents, they can ask staff to relay it.
Blog
We have a password-protected blog for Activate families. The blog features photos and videos of campers and students and reflections on teaching, art, special events, word studies, and other thoughts.
If you are an Activate parent or grandparent or have another connection to the Activate community and want access, please email us, and we’ll share the password.
Social Media
We have an Instagram and a Facebook page, but we’re phasing out the Facebook page. Be sure to follow us on Instagram, and we’ll likely follow you back!
We don’t publish photos of student faces on social media.
Weekly Newsletter
We email a weekly newsletter for parents. It’s typically sent out on Friday afternoon.
Behavior
Children are expected to be respectful to their classmates, staff, and volunteers and compliant with adults. Minor issues are addressed privately with a staff member and the child or children involved. If problems are severe or chronic, parents will be notified.
Staff will formally record serious behavior incidents, including hitting, destroying property, bullying, leaving school grounds without permission, and extreme defiance. These types of behaviors are infrequent at Activate. One or more of these incidents could lead to suspension or expulsion but would more likely lead to a behavior plan.
Authorized Pickup Persons
Please list all the adults authorized to pick up your child on your Jumbula account under the ‘profile’ tab.
Payments and Tuition
Tuition for the 2024-2025 school year is $13400. It is to be paid in 10 installments of $1340.
Each payment after that is due on the following dates: September 22, October 22, November 22, December 22, January 22, February 22, March 22, April 22, and May 22
All payments are non-refundable.
Parents are set up on autopay on their Jumbula accounts.
Unenrolling
If a family unenrolls their child(ren) from Activate School during the school year, a 30-day emailed notice is required. Any tuition payments due within those 30 days are owed.
Volunteering
We’ll provide a Google Forms volunteer sign-up.
Conferences
We have fall conferences after school on the weeks of December 2nd and 9th.
Reporting Absences
Please send us an email (not a text) if your child will be absent.
Reporting Tardies
Please don’t bother texting or emailing us if you are running late.
Please email us if you know in advance that your child will be late due to an appointment or another obligation.
Sickness Guidance
Fever: Keep your child home if their temperature is 100 or higher. They can return to school when the fever is below 100 for 24 hours without using fever-reducing medication.
Diarrhea: Keep your child home if they have had three or more watery or loose stools in 24 hours or sudden onset of loose stools, or if the student is unable to control bowel function. Students may return after 48 hours after the diarrhea resolves or after being seen and cleared by a healthcare provider.
Vomiting: Keep your child home if they have vomited, and it can’t be explained. They may return after 48 hours after the last episode of vomiting or after being seen and cleared by a healthcare provider.
Coughing: Keep your child home if they have a persistent cough that has not yet been diagnosed and cleared by a healthcare provider OR any acute (non-chronic) cough illness that is frequent or severe enough to interfere with participation in usual school activities. They may return after their symptoms have improved for 24 hours.
COVID: Keep your child home if they test positive for COVID for 5 days. If the symptoms and fever subside, they can return to school masked through day 10.
Head Lice: If a child has head lice, they can be in school provided that they have had an initial lice treatment. Staff should be notified.
Conjunctivitis (Pink Eye): Keep your child home for unexplained redness of one or both eyes and colored drainage from the eyes or eye irritation accompanied by vision changes or symptoms such as eye irritation, pain, redness, swelling, or excessive tear production that prevent active participation in usual school activities. Students may return after symptoms resolve or after being seen and cleared by a healthcare provider.