New Parent Orientation
Communication
Chance School seeks to have a partnership with parents, and open communication between school and parent is desired. Throughout the year you are encouraged to use these contacts methods and tools:
Direct Communication: E-News (bi-monthly) from the office and Weekly Newsletters from your child's classroom.
Dr. Betsy Fitch's door is always open. She welcomes emails, phone calls and meetings as needed.
Your Child’s Weekly Classroom Newsletter: Posted in your child's Google Classroom.
The Website for Chance Parents: Use Campus Life button to access must-know information and also school records/ directories through the BigSIS portal.
The School Calendar: Download the school calendar to your phone's calendar in a snap! Click the “Subscribe” button on the website calendar page, then click “add” when you see the listing of events. This will autoload items on your phone calendar. Setting alerts will have to be done on an event by event selection that you do by going into the calendar event that you would like a pre-notification.
Directories: On the Healthy at School site use the Student Information System link to login to navigate to the Children Tab you will see your child's name and class placement. You may then navigate to the School Directory Tab, filter by Program (finding the Class) then filter by Role (to find Guardian), and you will see your child's classmate's family information to connect and form friendships (Parents too!).
Facebook: facebook.com/VirginiaChanceSchool Insights from our experts on best practices in childhood education and development.
Instagram: instagram.com/VirginiaChanceSchool School News and visual insights into daily VCS happenings.
Special Packets: Time-sensitive material sent home with your child requiring your prompt attention.
SMS Text for School Closings or Announcements: Your phone numbers from the Back to School Forms are added to the texting system so you will be notified when school closes, in an emergency, etc.
Carpool Signs: Located at the top and bottom of the hill, the signs contain pertinent dates and reminders
Kaymbu Moments: From time to time you will receive an images of your child engaging in school activities from your child’s teachers the email will say “Kaymbu” in the from field.
Parent Education: Learn more about early childhood development, positive discipline, progressive education. Engage in Walk & Talks with the Head of School & other Parent Education Sessions, see the school’s calendar for the schedule.
Emails and biographies for all Teachers and Staff can be found and emailed directly through www.ChanceSchool.org/apps/staff
Health and Sickness
- Brief Health Questionnaire
- Have you / Has your child exhibited any of the following symptoms in the past three days?
- temperature of ≥100.4°F
- new, uncontrolled cough, which causes trouble breathing
- vomiting
- diarrhea
- new loss of sense of taste or smell
- Has anyone in your household been advised or directed to self-quarantine (because of contact tracing or travel) in the last two weeks?
- If yes, is that person strictly quarantined away from the rest of the household?
- Have you / Has your child exhibited any of the following symptoms in the past three days?
- a newly onset cold or sore throat;
- any discharge from or crustiness, redness, itchiness, or puffiness of the eyes;
- headaches, body aches, or earaches;
- uncharacteristically lethargic behavior; or
- continued evidence of communicable diseases.
- when they are symptom-free for 72 hours without the use of over-the-counter medication, or
- their symptoms improve with prescription medication, and the child is not contagious (e.g., an ear infection being treated with antibiotics).
Injury
In the event that your child is injured during school activities and requires basic care:
- Minor scratches or injuries are attended to by the teacher or office.
- The parent is notified.
- The teacher fills out an accident report, signed by the school personnel present and by the Head of School.
In the event that your child is injured during school activities & requires emergency medical care:
School personnel will take steps including but not limited to:
- Attempt to contact a parent or guardian.
- Attempt to contact a parent or guardian through any of the persons listed on the emergency information provided to the school by the parent or guardian. You must list at least two adults, (other than parent/guardians) who can be contacted in case of an emergency. Please add these contacts to your child's BigSIS profile.
Allergic Reaction
In the event that your child has an allergic reaction and requires medication:
School personnel follows this process:
- Staff will immediately administer the epi-pen
- 911 will be called
- Attempt to contact a parent
Medicine and allergy treatment procedures:
It is the responsibility of the parent(s) to:
- Notify the school of a child’s allergies, diet restrictions & required medication. Keep this information current with the office.
- Fill out Permission to Give Medication Form (in the resource section of parent website) if your child must take medicine at school, with complete and explicit instructions. The form is also available in the school office.
- Bring medication to the office in original containers to be administered at school. This is passed adult hand to adult hand; children may not drop the medication off at the office. Please do not send any medication to your child’s classroom via lunchbox, school bag, or backpack.
- Provide current prescribed epi-pens/auvi-qs to the school office. Enough epi-pens must be on hand to have one in the office, one in the child’s classroom, & one with Extended Program, if your child attends.
Safety
- During school hours, the front door only allows entry to the main building for signing in and getting a name tag from the office.
- All doors open freely from the inside for easy exit at playtime or in an emergency. Teachers have keys/fobs for re-entry. All doors are locked from the outside.
- All adults in Virginia Chance School, including faculty, staff, parents, grandparents, visitors, and outside contractors, are required to sign in and out and wear a name tag while on campus. Exceptions to this procedure will be for school-wide events.
- The gate will be closed after carpools to prevent cars from completing the loop in the upper carpool line. This limits access to the building and allows students to walk safely from the main building to the Cottage and playground.
- The gate will be opened by Virginia Chance School personnel for regular dismissals at 11:30 p.m., 1:00 p.m., and 3:00 p.m.
- The Virginia Chance School Field for all parent parking due to increased outdoor classroom space and directional change at carpool at top of hill.
- Parents notify the office of their child’s absence from school.
- Parents sign their child in/out with the Office Manager for late arrivals (tardies) or early departures. Late arrival is after 8:50 a.m., and early departure is when a child is picked up before his/her regular dismissal time.
- Students, faculty, and staff participate in regular safety drills including fire, tornado, earthquake, and code-in.
- The School has silent emergency notification buttons at every level that, when pushed, immediately notify the police to come to the School.
- Walkie-talkie systems are provided for all faculty and group leaders who go or meet outside of the school buildings (e.g., P.E. classes on the field, science classes at the pond, cross-country practice on the field, or art classes photographing our surroundings).
- A Crisis Management Plan and an Emergency Evacuation Plan are in place for use in case of a disaster.
- An alert service is provided to all families, faculty, and staff to receive emails, texts, or phone calls in the case of an emergency or weather-related school closures.
- Virginia Chance School has a partnership and relationship with the Anchorage Middletown Fire and EMS and with the 8th Division of LMPD.
Car Seats:
The Kentucky Child Restraint Law states that any driver of a motor vehicle when transporting a child of forty (40) inches in height or less in a motor vehicle operated on the roadways, streets, and highways of this state, shall have the child properly secured in a child car seat/restraint system of a type meeting federal motor vehicle safety standards. Children who are under seven years of age and between 40 and 50 inches tall must be in booster seats. We are not allowed to let a child under these height levels leave our property without a proper car seat or booster.
Eco Lunches and Snacks
As a Green and Healthy School, we strive to inspire environmental sustainability and stewardship. One way we practice this is through our waste management program.
Did you know that recycling plastic is not the first step to environmental sustainability? In efforts to help our planet, we are finding new ways to reduce and reuse.
Water Bottles
Your child will bring their own reusable water bottle to school each day. During the day they will use it during snack, lunch, and outdoor learning and playtime. It will be sent home each day to be washed. Check out these companies below for environmentally friendly options.
Lunches
The school will not have extra plastic utensils, paper plates, and paper bowls available in the classrooms, so please check out these environmentally friendly lunch containers and utensil options to reduce plastic usage.
Did you know? Plastic baggies, forks, and spoons may not be recycled in a normal recycling plant.
Snack
Please pack your child a healthy and nutritious snack each day in their lunchbox. Below you may find ideas from our Green Team on how to pack in a way to reduce plastic waste.
- Gogurt is considered more of a dessert than a healthy snack choice and creates a lot of plastic waste. Try Chobani
- Sending in the appropriate portions helps to reduce food waste.
- Buy cheeses as one large block that may be cut instead of individually wrapped.
- Applesauce is not a fresh fruit and uses packaging.
Other things to remember when packing lunch and snack
- Nutritious
- Ready to eat (cut block of cheese into cubes, fresh apples into slices, carrots cut into strips)
- Fruit (at least 2 days) and vegetables (at least 3 days)
- No nuts or nut products (please read labels carefully)
- Since all food will be kept individually, students may bring nut products unless a severe allergy in the class makes airborne particles a risk. Any such restrictions should be communicated to families prior to the start of school
Snack supports a healthy diet and follows state licensing regulations. Snack shall include two of the following:
- Dairy (cheese, yogurt, or cream cheese)
- Bread/Grains (whole grain breads, cereals, crackers, pretzels)
- Fresh fruit/vegetables (apples, bananas, oranges, melon, cucumber, carrots, celery)
- Protein (hummus, deli meat slices, yogurt)
-
- The school has faucets so reusable water bottles may be refilled. Preschool and Elementary are offered organic milk to drink with snacks and lunch.
Click the links below to learn more:
National Geographic, Planet or Plastic?
NPR, Where Will Your Plastic Trash Go Now That China Doesn't Want It?
Clothing and Loveys/Treasures
Parent Involvement and Development
All Chance parents are automatically members of the Parent Association, which has many functions, from fundraising to family outreach. Volunteer activities may range from serving as chair of a committee to assisting with environmental and outside projects. The Parent Association is a great way to meet new friends and feel a part of the Chance community while supporting the school’s mission, programs, and activities. There are many fun ways to get involved.
Consider your talents and interests and volunteer and sign up here: https://www.chanceschool.org/apps/form/Volunteer
- Get involved by joining a committee or being a room parent.
- Learn about and support your child’s learning in the classroom.
- Engage in the Chance community through leadership opportunities.
- Volunteer for activities and events.
Fundraising:
Virginia Chance School holds two major fundraising events each year: Our Challenge for Chance Annual Fund and the Virginia Chance School Auction. The additional revenue provides for the balance of operating expenses, enhances current programs, contributes to the socioeconomic diversity of the school and strengthens the organization for the future.
- Challenge for Chance: October - December 31st
- Virginia Chance School Auction – TBD
Other Opportunities:
- Buy Virginia Chance School Spirit Wear through our online store: See E-News
- Virginia Chance School and your Kroger card – link us!
- Sign up for Amazon Smile!
- Download our School Calendar for all School Events and Activities.
Did you know you can donate to Virginia Chance School just by doing your normal purchasing from Amazon? Go to smile.amazon.com or follow this app guide below to turn on donations. Every little bit helps our school- Thank You!


