Parent Innovations & Discovery 2024-25 Orientation

Welcome to Canyon Grove Academy! I am Jana Stout and I am the Innovations and Discovery Manager. These programs are awesome and I love creating and executing these educational adventures and experiences for our students.  

This orientation was created for parents to help make your student’s participation in these programs this year easy to navigate.You are accountable for learning, understanding and putting this information into action, keeping track of registration dates, registering on time, following the rules of the programs and communicating with me if you have any questions. If by the end of this orientation you still have questions that were not addressed then please contact me. I am happy to help.  

What is the difference between Innovations and Discovery?

Innovations is always on campus and uses our resources we have at the school such as our Farm, Space Center, Smart Lab, pottery, music, etc. One session of Innovations lasts for 8 weeks. Discovery is all about trying a wide variety of things and can be both on or off campus. One session of Discovery lasts for 4 weeks. Activities vary every year. Some of our past classes have been snowshoeing, ice skating, paddle boarding, fishing, bowling, juggling, martial arts, art, etc. During Innovations your students will be divided into groups by age range and will rotate through three classes with their group. Discovery is often similar but sometimes the groups are divided differently according to the activity we are doing for that session. The day your location will have Innovations and Discovery is assigned by location and will remain the same throughout the school year but the times of day rotate. 

• Innovations: 8 weeks, on campus
• Discovery: 4 weeks, on or off campus

Sign ups for both of these programs happen for every 8 weeks of activities. You will either sign up for one 8 week session of Innovations or two 4 week sessions of Discovery. Registration dates for the whole year are posted on the website.

When will my student have Innovations and Discovery?

We have morning and afternoon sessions for both Innovations and Discovery. Students will rotate through all of them throughout the year. Students will participate in one program at a time, Innovations or Discovery, morning or afternoon as assigned. The day of the week your location will attend Innovations and Discovery is assigned and will remain the same throughout the school year. These programs are optional and you are not automatically enrolled. You must request registration four times a year on Ally. 

2024-25 Location Assignments

What is Track A and B?

As seen above, many of our Pleasant Grove locations (PG Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday) we will have an Innovations and Discovery Track A and Track B. These tracks will be separated by family so all family members will be on the same track. Once you are assigned to a track you will stay in that track for the entire school year.  

1. PG Tues, PG Wed, PG Thurs Families Only: If you would like specific families, who all are enrolled in the same Epic day location as your family, to stay together, fill out this form by June 18th. Requests are on a first come, first serve basis. We will try our best to accommodate your requests.
   1. If no request is made by June 18th, families will be randomly assigned to a specific track for the year. 
2. PG Friday Families Only: All PG Friday students that have requested to ride the bus from Springville for Epic day will be assigned to Track B on Mondays and will have a bus to and from Springville for Innovations and Discovery each week. All other students will be assigned to Track A (on Wednesdays, no bus provided).

How many activities are there each year?

Each CGA location will have 32 weeks of activities offered this school year with two 8 week sessions of Innovations and four 4 week sessions of Discovery. You choose what your students will participate in according to which sessions you register for on Ally during registration windows. (See all registration dates for the whole year at the top of this page.)

Who can attend Innovations and Discovery?

Both programs are for enrolled students only. We do not allow parents or siblings to stay onsite with us during these activities. 

Rules

What are the rules of the Innovations & Discovery programs?

• Behavior: Students are expected to be respectful, responsible and ready while they are participating in Innovations or Discovery. We have a three strikes protocol with behavior issues.  If a student gets three strikes in one day then parents will be contacted to pick up their student and a parent will need to work with the Innovations & Discovery Manager to come up with an improved behavior plan before your student can return to participating in classes.
• No backpacks, bags or purses: Students do not need to bring anything for these activities so leave bags at home. If a student needs to bring feminine hygiene products they may bring that in a bag but leave everything else at home.
• No electronic devices: Please have your students leave their electronic devices at home.   If we see them in use students will be asked to put them away and if this is not followed then staff will hold the device until the end of the program.
• No money or purchases: There is no need for students to have money at these activities. Please make sure they do not bring any. When we are off campus at various locations we do not allow students to make any purchases.
• Dress Code: Students are required to wear their CGA shirt/sweatshirt as the top layer and closed toed shoes. No hats are allowed. If your students are repeatedly not following dress code then they will not be allowed to participate and we will call you to come and pick them up.
• Food: No food or eating is allowed on the bus or at Innovations or Discovery. Water is allowed. If your student brings a water bottle please have their name on the bottle.
• Transportation: You must stick with your transportation selection for both directions for the entire session. Transportation selections can not be changed after the registration deadline.
• CGA Students Only: These programs are for enrolled Canyon Grove Academy students only.

What if my student has special needs? 

On the sign up there is space titled “Comments/Special Needs,” please use this area if you have a comment or question about the session (I will not see these until registration closes so if you need an answer sooner then email me directly.) or to list any special needs for the student which is basically any information that you feel our staff needs to know. Sometimes that is allergies, mental health issues, behavior tendencies, things diagnosed and not diagnosed but would be helpful for mentors to know, etc. You will need to submit these with each registration. As I mentioned before, parents and unenrolled siblings are not allowed to stay on location with us. If you have a very unique need you can contact me to see if we can find a solution. 

Is there any fee to participate? 

No, all these activities are provided free of charge but they do cost money. Please only register if your student plans to attend all of the program. Not attending when you have registered as explained below in our attendance and tardy rules will affect your ability to participate in these programs.

ATTENDANCE RULES

Why is attendance important?

Attendance is tracked for Innovations and Discovery and can affect your student’s participation in the programs if students miss too many days. We have limited space in each of these programs so we ask that you only sign up if you can commit to attend the whole session. We are happy that we can offer these opportunities to our students free of charge but these activities are not free so sign up responsibly. When you do sign up we are planning on having your student there. We know that things come up and students will miss occasionally which is why we created our attendance rules the way we did but if you know you will not be able to attend consistently then please do not sign up. Withdrawing from a session after registration has closed will count as unexcused absences and affect your student ability to attend in the future.

What are the consequences of missing too many days of Innovations or Discovery?

If a student goes over the limit of absences that student will not be able to participate in the next session, even if you are registered. For example, if you have too many absences during Discovery 1 then the student will miss out on Discovery 2 (even if the student is registered to attend). If a student has two many absences in Discovery 2 then they will miss out on the next session which would be 8 weeks of Innovations. After sitting out a session then you can participate again.  Beware of planning vacations during a session because you never know when sickness or emergencies are going to come up that may put you over the limit of absences. 

What if we decide to withdraw from the session?

If you withdraw before the registration deadline there is no consequence. If you withdraw AFTER the registration deadline or during the session whatever is left in the session will count as absences and we will follow the attendance rules rubric to determine if your student will be able to participate in the next session or need to sit out. Please sign up responsibly. The dates and times of the session are clearly posted. Check your calendars before you sign up.

How many absences are allowed?

If you have any of the amount of absences listed in the table below you are not in compliance and will be asked to sit out of the following session. Excused absences are counted differently than unexcused absences.

How do I excuse an absence?

To excuse an absence email jana.stout@canyongrove.com before the absence or the day of letting me know the reason for the absence. Emails without explanations may be counted as an unexcused absence.

TARDY RULES

Why is being on time important?

We pack a lot into each of our classes. We want to promote our philosophy of respecting time and being on time when attending Innovations or Discovery. Check in starts 10 minutes before classes start. Please have your students arrive and check in during this time. When students arrive late they miss out on the instruction portion of class. We don’t have time to go back and repeat instructions. Being on time will allow students and whole classes to get through the material planned for that day. If there is a bus for that session it will leave when scheduled. Students who arrive late will miss the bus and the activity for that day.

What are the consequences of being tardy?

To promote students getting in the habit of being on time, we will keep track of students who arrive late and how late they are. We understand that sometimes things happen and travel is delayed. Late minutes will accumulate each week. Below is listed how being tardy will affect your student. 

1. Students that are 15+ minutes late will still be able to participate that day but will earn one “unexcused absence.”
2. For students that arrive under 15 minutes late we will track the amount of time students arrive after our class start time each week. That time will accumulate each week. When that amount accumulates to 20 minutes they will earn an “unexcused absence.” 
3. Parents that contact me about being late and have a valid reason for being late will be considered on a case by case basis and either be excused or the time may become an “excused absence” rather than an unexcused absence. 

See the absence rubric above to see how tardiness will affect your student’s ability to participate in future sessions of Innovations or Discovery. 

Check in/out

On-campus Check In: 

When we are on campus you can use the carpool lane to let your kids out by the front doors of the school. Depending on what program your student is enrolled in is where they will enter the school. This location will be posted in Ally in the class description. Each program will also be assigned a color. Students will go to the staff member in the colored vest of their program for check in.  If they are late, students must still check in with a staff member, usually that is me, by going into the front office and letting them know you need to check in for Innovations or Discovery before joining their group. We will start classes and activities on time and do track tardies so please check in your students at the time listed in the sign up details. That is usually about 10 minutes before classes start. If there is not a staff member ready to check in students please stay with your student until we are able to get them checked in. If you are tardy there are consequences that were listed above in the “TARDY RULES” section.

On-campus Check Out: 

At the end of the day, all students must be checked out with a staff member before you take them. Simply drive through the carpool lane with your student’s name sign visible to staff and we will check out students to the first three cars. You can also park and walk up to the staff member with the roll and check out your students before you take them with you. If you are sending someone other than yourself to check out please let me know. We have 10 minutes to get everyone checked out so please arrive on time. If you are late, other groups will be checking out at that time. Your students will be taken to the front office and you will need to park and come in and get them. 

Distant Location’s Bus Check In:

If your student is riding the bus they will be checked in and out of the bus. Arrive at the bus location at the time indicated on the sign up. When the bus arrives, students will line up by the door to be checked in. Once checked in they take the first seat available on the bus as directed by the bus mentor. The bus will leave as soon as all students in line are checked in. If the bus is moving when you arrive then you are late and will be responsible for transporting your student to wherever we are going that day. 

Distant Location’s Bus Check Out:

At the end of the day when the bus arrives back on location students will remain on the bus until they are checked out. Parents picking up will line up by the door with a sign with their family last name or student’s name on it to show the bus driver. He will announce the name over the loudspeaker on the bus, we will check those students out and excuse them from the bus to go with you. We have 10 minutes to get students checked out so please arrive on time. If you are not there to pick them up within that 10 minutes then your students will have to ride the bus back to the school and you can pick them up at the school. The front office closes at 4:00 pm. 

Can I check out my student early?

Yes, you may check your students out early. To do so you must show your ID. Anyone other than you checking students out early also must show their ID and be on the release list in Aspire for the student.