Chaperone Guidelines
Our school greatly depends
on the involvement of our school parents for transportation and chaperoning of
field trips and other off-site events.
We appreciate your taking the time to support your child’s school and its
activities. The following are guidelines
that we ask our drivers and chaperones to follow:
- Only those parents who have signed up in advance as drivers or
chaperones may attend. (No last minute sign up or changes.)
- Chaperones should arrive in the classroom
15 minutes before the trip in order to hear the teachers “pep talk”. The
teacher will introduce the chaperone to the class. Proper behavior is
expected at all times.
- If you have your own or have access to a cellular telephone, please
bring it with you on the trip for safety reasons. In case of illness or an emergency,
please notify the school immediately.
Call: 573-0374.
- It is important for volunteers to realize that they are acting as
role models for our students.
Please be an example by demonstrating maturity in actions,
attitudes and dress. A classroom
teacher will be in charge of each field trip and will direct the
volunteers as to what is expected of them.
- Only children enrolled in the class or activity may go. Under no circumstances may guests or
siblings attend a field trip unless the trip is announced as a special
family event and other siblings are specifically invited. Many of our field trip destination
institutions, especially commercial businesses, will not allow smaller
children to accompany the field trip.
Please do not make arrangements for someone else to meet you at the
field trip or event site with siblings.
We believe that it is nearly impossible for a mother of a small child
to give that child the proper attention and also be able to give the necessary
vigilance to supervising a group of field trip students. The first responsibility of each
volunteer is to the students being supervised. Thank you for understanding our priorities.
- Chaperones should try to observe and let
the children make discoveries and refrain from pointing everything out.
Phrases such as “Did you notice…” “I wonder if…” may encourage sharing of
observations.
- Chaperones are responsible for the behavior of those students
assigned to them. In private
vehicles, the driver is responsible for children’s behavior. In school-owned or rented vehicles, the
teacher is responsible, with help from volunteers. If you are experiencing difficulties,
please report the problem immediately to the teacher or other supervising
adult. Do not allow rowdiness,
disrespect, inappropriate voices, etc.
Do not allow dangerous or potentially dangerous behavior on the
trip.
- Chaperones will remain with the students for whom they are
responsible. They will keep the
students who rode with them close to them.
They will vigorously resist the temptation to group with other
adults while allowing the students to be unsupervised.
- Smoking is
prohibited while in the company of children. Smoking is allowed only if the chaperone
or staff member is out of the view of the children and only while on an
approved break.
- The use of
alcoholic beverages by employees and chaperones while on school premises,
during work hours, on field trips and on class trips, is prohibited.
- Chaperones enjoy the students!
However, if you have a problem with any student, take him/her to
the teacher or supervising adult.
- Know exactly how many students are in your small group and count,
count, count, all day! Keep a roll
if necessary. Be sure that all are
present before moving from one place to another (especially when heading
home.)
- Chaperones should refrain from purchasing special treats for the
children they are supervising unless all the children in the class benefit
equally.
- If you have questions about any aspect of the field trip, expectations
of drivers/chaperones, or expectations for student behavior, please ask
for assistance from the teacher or other person in charge.