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followtheloop

About followtheloop

https://schoolhouseofwonder.org

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May 1 Interim Update

May 1, 2020, 10:15 AM

As promised, we will reach out to registered summer camp families later today with next steps following the cancellation of our summer camps. We understand that this is an anxious time for so many of us, and appreciate your patience for a few more hours as we continue to work diligently.
 

4/28/2020 Update: Summer Camps Canceled

Dear Schoolhouse Summer Camp families, 
 

Since last week when we announced our decision to cancel this summer camp season because of the COVID-19 pandemic, many of you have asked about refunds or credits. 

 
At the time of registration, each person agrees to terms and conditions  regarding cancellations and non-attendance that read, in part: “There will be no reduction or refund of fees for the discontinuation of a scheduled event or camp season due to illness, injury, acts of God, natural disasters, acts of war, terrorism, fire, pandemics or epidemics.” 
 
Because we employ a professional year-round staff, our annual budget requires cash flow to be interdependent between camp seasons. Meaning, our revenue and expenses are not contained to one camp season or another, rather a mix of programming throughout the year. 
 
We know that it’s a scary and stressful time for so many people and additional uncertainty isn’t what any of us want or need right now.  Yet we’ve asked for your patience to allow our nonprofit Board of Directors to consider a range of possible next steps and make the best decision they can for everyone involved — our families, staff, partners, communities, and our nonprofit organization itself. 
 
We’re so grateful for the faith and trust that you, and families before you for the past 30 years, have put in us to nurture and mentor your children and to keep them safe. Please know that same level of care, compassion, curiosity, and commitment are being poured into this complex series of decisions. 
 
I’m sorry that so many of us are hurting and promise that we’ll be in touch as soon as we know more. We’ll definitely share an update by May 1.
 
Thank you so much for your patience and support.
 
Stay safe and well,
 
 

Summer Camps Canceled

April 21, 2020
 
Dear Schoolhouse Families,
 

We hope you and your loved ones have been able to stay physically and emotionally healthy. 

By this time every year, we’re fully immersed in all things summer camp. And from that perspective, this year is no different. But in every other respect, this will be a summer unlike any during our 30 years of service.

It’s with great sadness that I share our board of directors’ excruciating decision to cancel all programs for the entire summer season (through August 21, 2020) due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

This decision is anchored, first and foremost, in the health and safety of our camp staff, families, and communities. That doesn’t make it any easier, nor does it lessen the tremendous impact that this will have on our small nonprofit and on you, the families we serve. Our board and staff were hopeful and worked really hard for a different outcome, but given all that we know and can’t yet know, this is sadly the right decision. 

We thank you so much for the thoughtful messages and donations that we’ve received. Your kindness is a bright light during this painful time and means more than you’ll ever know.

If you are registered for a summer program, we’ll be in touch with you no later than May 1, 2020 about next steps.

In the meantime, please continue to stay safe and be well.

April 20, 2020

Nothing is more important to us than the health and safety of our camp family and community. Due to uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic we have made the very difficult decision to cancel summer camp through August 21, 2020. We will be in touch with families regarding next steps.

COVID-19: The Next Right Thing

A few days ago we made the difficult decision to cancel all programs, at all locations, through at least March 27, 2020.

Understanding that we needed to close wasn’t the difficult part of that decision. There’s no excuse for continuing to put our staff, camp families, and communities at risk.  Our responsibility was, and is, to help “flatten the curve” and we’re so grateful that more people and institutions are also following this path to help contain the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
One difficult part of this decision was knowing that some folks still need childcare — and we love nothing more than spending time outdoors with young people. The other difficult part was facing the financial ramifications of ceasing revenue-generating programs.
 
Policies can protect organizations during times of crisis just like this. For example, every person agrees during the registration process that Schoolhouse will not provide refunds or any reduction of fees for the discontinuation of camp due to illness, injury, acts of God, natural disasters, acts of war, terrorism, fire, pandemics or epidemics.
 
But regardless of policy, our core values challenge us to do the next right thing. Shifting the entire financial burden of this crisis to our families, many of whom are also struggling, was not the right thing to do, even if our policy dictates it to protect our organization.
 
We simply can’t offer refunds or even full credits to everyone and continue to employ our staff. So after tremendous consideration, we decided to share the burden evenly with our camp families by providing a half-credit to be used toward a future camp. For us, that was the next right thing to do.
 
In response, we’ve received both outpourings of love and support, and outpourings of disbelief, frustration, and a few adjectives that we don’t often hear when people describe Schoolhouse. For some of you, our decision to offer a half-credit feels inadequate and out of alignment with who we are. I can understand your frustration and anger.
 
And I’m asking you to please reconsider.
 
If we were able to offer a full refund to every family, we absolutely would. But the reality is that, like many families, we’re facing unprecedented and scary times as a small nonprofit. Offering partial credits merely affords us a little time to try and figure out how to absorb this loss while continuing to employ our staff and figure out new normal.
 
My hope is that you will come to understand that by making this decision, we’re not sacrificing who we are; we’re desperately trying to ensure that when this crisis is over, we will still create kind, curious, and confident kids through nature-based outdoor adventures. And we’ll do so by employing the extraordinarily creative, compassionate, and competent staff that have mentored young people in the Triangle for 30 years and counting.
 
Eventually, this will be behind us. As Dr. Maya Angelou said a few years ago, “What I know is that it’s going to be better. If it’s bad, it might get worse, but I know that it’s going to be better. And you have to know that… There’s a country song out, which I wish I’d written, that says, ‘Every storm runs out of rain.’  It’s going to be better. But you have to keep working.”
 
We’re still working to be able to hug, high-five, and care for your children again as soon as possible. And we’re also letting our creative juices flow to figure out how we can bring Schoolhouse to you since you and your kiddos can’t come to us for a bit. Kind, curious, and quarantined anyone?
 
In the meantime, let’s do everything we can to take care of each other as best we know how.
 
If you have questions or concerns and you want to talk, please reach out – we’re still here and we’re still listening, because everyone deserves to be heard, witnessed, and respected.
 
With love and gratitude,

Wendy Tonker, MPA

Executive Director

COVID-19 Preparedness and Response

Dear Schoolhouse Families,

On March 10, 2020, Governor Cooper declared a State of Emergency for North Carolina as more cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) continue to be uncovered. We, like many of you, continue to actively monitor this rapidly-changing situation.

We’re following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as well as Durham, Orange, and Wake Counties’ guidelines on responding to the spread of the virus.

We are using a data-informed decision-making model to assess risk. At this time, we do not have plans to cancel any programs due to COVID-19. We will continue to update you as the situation evolves. 

As a precaution, we have implemented standard CDC-recommended safety protocols, including enhanced hand hygiene and routine disinfection of shared surfaces. If you have registered for spring camps, please carefully review the email we will send you the week before each spring camp for details related to the upcoming camp week.

Our staff are vigilantly self-monitoring and if they feel sick at all, whether related to COVID-19 or not, they will stay home. We are asking each of you to also monitor closely for symptoms and not send your child to camp if they have any symptoms of COVID-19 (fever of 100.4 F or greater, cough, or shortness of breath) or if anyone at home is exhibiting these symptoms.

We understand that the uncertainty of this situation creates a strain on families who need to plan for childcare. As such, we are relaxing our cancellation policy. For the spring camp season, cancellations resulting from illness that occur within 14 days prior to the start of camp will be converted to a dollar-for-dollar credit. We hope that this eases some of the difficulty that this virus is creating. 

Thank you for your patience and understanding as we navigate this dynamic public health situation. With your help, we will continue doing all we can to send every child home dirty, tired, happy, and healthy.

You can reach me directly by email (wendy@schoolhouseofwonder.org) or by phone (919) 477-2116. I welcome your questions, comments, and concerns. 

Let’s keep taking care of each other. 

Wendy Tonker, MPA 

Executive Director 
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Feeding the Flame Photo Gallery

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In this wild week of winter camp, we celebrated the transition into 2020 with campfire treats and much more! Some of the excitement that went along with our treats were activities like learning different methods of building fires, playing some rousing rounds of Schoolhouse games like six feathers and werewolf, as well as lots of time spent in the woods imagining and fort building. Take a look at some of the memories that were captured throughout the week!

2020 Camp Registration is Open!

Registration for spring and summer 2020 programming is now open on our website! You can peruse our brand-new Registration Help page for guidance on the most common registration questions. If you still have questions, feel free to give us a call during our regular business hours at 919-477-2116, or email us at schoolhouse@schoolhouseofwonder.org. We look forward to having your child in camp! 

Wild Huts Photo Gallery

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What an epic week of hut-building! We used branches, sticks, pine straw, leaves, and pine cones to construct an amazing two-room hut. We found other ways to enjoy the woods too, including adventures around the pond and defeating the Windigo. On Friday, the charcoal from our fire-building earlier in the week became a popular face paint. Check out the photos below to see all the fun we had!

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