True North Homeschool™
Community Handbook
Hello, True North Homeschool™ families!
Welcome to this community! We are excited to get to know you and your family while learning together. In this handbook, you will find relevant information. These guidelines are put in place to protect you and your children, to honor our community, and to allow us the freedom to have a great time and learn. Let’s get started …
General Guidelines
Students must be supervised by a parent or designated guardian at ALL times – while on onsite with True North Homeschool™ – for “parent participation” classes, including all areas inside AND outside of the building; during, before and after class; and during recess and snack / lunch break times. Your child is ultimately YOUR responsibility. That being said, if you need help, ask.
If being dropped off for a class, students must go straight to their class to minimize getting lost or being late.
Students should never leave the building without the supervision of a parent or designated guardian.
Students / parents must come onsite with True North Homeschool™ to stay. The teacher / facilitator needs to be notified if a student has to leave early from class.
Bring water and a non-messy snack for your child, if you desire. Due to allergies and dietary preferences, please do not bring food in for your class without consulting your teacher / facilitator.
In “parent participation” classes, parents should be engaged with the class. Therefore, there should be minimal to no cell phone usage during class. Class time moves quickly and the teacher / facilitator needs parents to be attentive and helpful to achieve the most successful day.
Please do not share or post photos of families other than your own without direct permission from the other families.
Technology Free Zone: Children should not bring electronic devices (tablets, phones, etc) onsite with True North Homeschool™. For the protection of all our children and respect of all families, at no time are children allowed to look at someone else’s phone / device other than their own parent’s.
Per the rules of our insurance policy, there can be no live animals/pets at our facility and no tackle football or other rough contact sports.
ONSITE Location Guidelines
True North Homeschool’s motto: “Leave no trace. Always leave the room cleaner than you found it.”
No rough-housing at the facility at any time. While inside the facility, running and throwing will not be permitted. When in the facility, no playing or lingering in the hallways. Please make sure to clean up after yourself in the classroom, restrooms, and all other communal areas. ALL rooms other than those designated for True North Homeschool use are “off limits”. A parent should always either accompany children to the restroom or stand in the hallway (age depending) until the child returns to class (unless the class is a drop off).
Weather Policy
We typically follow the guidelines set forth by Jefferson County Schools. If they cancel school due to weather conditions, we will also cancel classes that day.
Weapons Policy
Weapons are strictly prohibited (firearms, knives, tasers, pepper spray, etc.) without a valid Concealed Handgun Permit. Multitools without the prohibited weapon items mentioned are acceptable.
Allergy Policy
We are not an allergy-free community. We try to strike a balance between meeting the needs of families with and without allergies, honoring and respecting both situations and needs. When a classroom is aware of a food allergy, parents and students will try their best to minimize exposure where reasonable. Families that have allergies (mild to severe) are responsible for managing any anaphylaxis episodes promptly if they should arise.
General Illness Policy
As a community, we will be creating a trusting environment where we trust each parent is making their best decision whether or not to bring their child to class. Colds, flu and other contagious diseases are important issues to mitigate – in a group learning environment – because they can spread rapidly. Thank you for adhering to these policy guidelines below. It is so important that we have diligence in keeping a strong and healthy community. In this way, we are also showing love and respect for one another by keeping our ill children home.
Our community aspires to follow tight policies for illness – with or without COVID – so that we can keep our community functioning well. We have extra measures to minimize overall germ exposure throughout the school year, especially during cold and flu season.
The following tips are to help you decide if your child should be kept home. In general, variations from normal behavior are the best indicators of illness. You know your child best; trust your instincts.
Questions to Consider:
How does your child feel?
Does my child feel too lethargic or whiny to comfortably participate?
Will my child’s teacher / facilitator possibly have to neglect the other children to care for my sick child?
Does my child have any of the following symptoms?
Fever. If your child has a fever at night, he/she must not attend True North Homeschool™ activities the next morning. Temperatures are lower in the morning and a fever may occur again in the afternoon. Please wait 24 hours after the fever breaks before bringing your child to True North Homeschool™ activities.
Cold. If your child has a cold (including but not limited to: runny nose, stuffy nose, sneezing, sore throat, fever, headache, fatigue, etc.), please keep your child at home so he/she may rest and recover.
Upset stomach. If your child vomits during the night, please do not bring him/her to True North Homeschool™ activities the next day. Please wait 48 hours after a child vomits before bringing your child to any True North Homeschool™ activities.
Diarrhea. Loose and frequent stools have many causes. Please do not bring your child to any True North Homeschool™ activities until bowel movements are normal and 48 hours have passed.
Earache. Never ignore an earache. Seek medical support and keep your child at home.
Strep Throat. A strep infection requires a doctor’s visit and medication. Strep can lead to a more serious illness if not properly treated. The child needs to be on medication at least 24 hours before returning to any True North Homeschool™ activities.
Contagious Condition. Head lice, scabies, impetigo, chicken pox, strep throat, measles, rubella, mumps, whooping cough, meningitis and some forms of conjunctivitis (pink eye) are contagious and must be properly treated and no longer contagious before your child may attend any True North Homeschool™ activities. Please notify your teacher / facilitator if your child has a contagious condition so that other parents in the community can be alerted.
If the answer to any of the above questions is YES, please keep your child home and notify your teacher / facilitator.
While having a child, who is ill, is a hardship for most families, it is important that parents follow the Golden Rule, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Bringing an ill child to True North Homeschool™ activities can spiral into weeks of rotating illness among our families in the True North community. We aspire to cut this down by keep our policy tight to keep us all healthy!
COVID Specific Protocol & Contingency Plans
Due to the ever-changing COVID situation, True North Homeschool™ is prepared to adapt in order to be able to meet safely and in-person. In making the decision to stay home or attend True North Homeschool™ activities, I would encourage us all to consider the Golden Rule, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”
When to Stay Home:
If you, your child or someone in your family has had a positive COVID test in the last 10 days
If you, your child or someone in your family has had a dry cough or fever of 100.4 or higher in the last 48 hours (without medication, e.g., ibuprofen, tylenol, etc.)
If you, your child or someone in your family has been exposed to someone with COVID in the last 10 days
If you or your child don’t feel well (see general illness policy)
Waiver
As part of this this community, you will be required to complete waivers for anyone participating in any of our True North Homeschool™ activities. Participation in any activity involving people outside your own home comes with some risk, and this waiver addresses that risk in order to protect our True North Homeschool™ community. Participation in in-person activity requires acknowledgement of that risk (though everyone’s intent is to make that risk very, very small) and signing of the waivers for your family.
Contact Info
It’s an honor to serve you and your family. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to with any questions or concerns. You can reach us by email at hello@truenorthhomeschoolcolorado.com.
Updated: August 2024