WHEN EVENTS TAKE PLACE

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The Valley Co-Op usually meets the first and third Tuesday of each month during the school year-August through May, and meetings typically take place at The Gathering Center at the Orchard , Carbondale unless otherwise specified in the event details.  Occasionally special classes and programs are offered at different times, but all offerings are posted on our website (www.homeschoolinthevalley.com). 

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As part of our students’ social development, we HIGHLY recommend that Co-Op members arrive an hour prior to our activities (12pm) to share a picnic- style lunch with their peers.  The Valley Co-Op encourages all students to engage with each other and adults are encouraged to allow older students to mentor, engage, and encourage younger students during lunches and events.  Co-Op meetings and lunches are always monitored by a CHE-certified CIS, but all students are required to have a supervising parent on site during all events as well.  Events begin at 1 and are over between 2:30-4 unless otherwise noted on the online event page.  The typical event schedule is below:

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12:00pm – Picnic-Style Lunch Together – Each student packs a lunch to eat with the other Co-Op members.  This is optional, but highly encouraged.
1:00pm – Activity Begins – Activities may be held at other places than the Orchard—the online event details page has address, directions, and other pertinent details for every event.  Please plan to check the event details page prior to the event start.  Reminders are sent out via email that events are taking place, but notifications are only sent to the emails on file if the original event details have changed, NOT if the event location or time differs from the normal procedures.
2:30-3:30pm – Activity Ends – The ending time varies based on the activity.
3:30-4:00pm – Clean Up – Students are expected to assist the leaders with clean-up after the activity, and to respectfully thank the teacher and assistants.

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ATTENDING EVENTS

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Co-Op parents, once they have fully registered their students, gain access to the members-only section of our website.  From this section parents can view the Valley Co-Op Calendar and RSVP their kids for Valley Co-Op events.  You must RSVP your kids for EACH event that you would like them to attend (all regularly scheduled events are free to members, but we need a headcount for attendance).  Event reminders and event changes are emailed to the parent’s email address they use for their member profile.  If a member is planning to bring additional party members to the Glenwood Canyons, Ice Skating, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, or the Harvey Gap Lake Day, PLEASE RSVP for everyone attending.  Payments for additional party members or parents participating in events are accepted via Venmo or cash and must be paid prior to the event and are subject to the group coordinator's approval.

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If an event on the attached schedule does NOT have an RSVP and event detail page, that is because the event is still tentatively scheduled.  Once an event is confirmed, it will be added to the website.

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Registration includes student information and medical alerts and parent contact information.  All students and parents MUST sign a hard copy of the Valley Co-Op’s Code of Conduct.  Student information is NOT shared and is only used for emergency situations or to contact guardians.

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The Valley Co-Op is a non-profit organization and is able to provide events and activities due to the generous donations from sponsors and awarded grants.  All money (including registration fees) is used to fund the administration and facilitation of the events scheduled during the school year.  We currently do not have scholarships for students through the Valley Co-Op.  Our largest sponsors and supporters are the Orchard Church, Carbondale, Colorado Homeschool Enrichment, and the Christian Home Educators of Colorado. 

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CO-OP POLICIES

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All students and at least one parent/guardian per family MUST be registered with the Co-Op and have paid registration fees for each student.  Note that occasionally individual events have specific waivers and forms that are required by contractors hired for an event.  Participants must ALSO sign these individual event waivers to participate in that specific event.

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Each individual event requires an RSVP for each student--the site member (parent) will RSVP online and then add the names of the students attending in their RSVP form.  If you have younger family members (brothers and sisters) that are attending and wish to take part in the event, but are not actually part of the Co-Op, please add them to the RSVP as well (younger siblings or visiting cousins).  The RSVP feature serves as a headcount for the total number of students and parents participating in the event.  Co-Op events are limited by space—if it is possible for non-co-op members to participate in an event that they are registered for, the event coordinator will contact the registered parent/guardian to notify them of space available and any associated cost.  Please note that only students actively enrolled in the Co-Op (ages 5-18) are included in the registration fee and sponsored by donors.

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Most events' RSVP windows close 1 week prior to the event date, though there are exceptions to this rule and the RSVP close date is noted on each individual event's information.  If your student has RSVP’d for an event but does not arrive or cancels after the RSVP close date 3 times in one school year (August through May), their membership will be under review and membership may be revoked.  Reviews of and requests for exceptions to this rule will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

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CODE OF CONDUCT

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All students and parents are expected to know and follow the rules in our Code of Conduct while at any event facilitated by the Valley Co-Op.  Students and parents are expected to utilize this code during interactions with any other student, parent, teacher, facilitator, volunteer, and/or contractor.  Failure to adhere to the policies that follow may result in immediate termination of students' or parents' memberships in the Valley Co-Op with NO refund of registration fees.

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• Be Polite to All

• Act as Positive Role Models

• Respect Our Differences

• Work Together Kindly

• Listen When Others Speak

• Choose to Be Encouraging

• Be Helpful

• Strive to Be Excellent

 

Our Co-Op strives to create a Big/Little relationship between the older and younger students in the Co-Op.  Older students (Bigs) are expected to encourage and help younger students (Littles) and lead by example in the above code of conduct as well as helping to guide others in set up, tear-down, and clean up from Co-Op Events.

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COLORADO HOMESCHOOL ENRICHMENT HOURS

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All the events that the Valley Co-Op facilitates are eligible to qualify as extra-curricular hours for Colorado Homeschool Enrichment (CHE).  There will always be a CIS leader present at Valley Co-Op events to satisfy state requirements.  If you want to count the Valley Co-Op’s events for your student’s extracurricular hours (see the chart below for hours available), please note that attendance is taken at all events and your student will be marked absent from events they are not present at.  The chart below shows available CHE hours that DO include our picnic lunch social time.  CHE hours do NOT include transportation time to and from Co-Op Events. 

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To satisfy CHE reporting requirements and CIS payment practices, CHE students participating in the Valley Co-Op are given a lower subsidy by the Valley Co-Op donors to allow more students to participate.  The expectation is that an individual CHE student or campus can fund the higher fee by utilizing their CHE funds.  Please provide your CHE micro-campus leader’s name and contact info when registering your children so that the Valley Co-Op can ensure your hours are correctly credited to your student.  If you have questions, please contact info@homeschoolinthevalley.com