Enrichment Classes

Enrichment classes are offered to all after school attendees at a minimal additional cost to ensure regular attendance, self-commitment and personal growth in the respective enrichment course. Registration is based on a first-come, first-serve basis with a minimum registration requirement needed for programming to come to fruition. Waitlists will be created for each class, but acceptance into the enrichment class is not guaranteed if you are placed on the waitlist. 

Car Pool Pick-Up:

When you arrive at the Jr. School via South Braddock Avenue, please join the carpool line around the front of the main building via the traffic circle. Feel free to text us a few minutes prior with your child’s first and last name, location “carpool line” as well as an estimated time of arrival at 412-254-4772.  It will take a few minutes to dismiss your child from activities and gather their belongings. If you do not text, no worries, simply tell any outside staff member overseeing dismissal, including our Campus Safety Officer and pull all the way forward in the line. Your child’s counselor and/or our dismissal staff will then walk your child directly to your vehicle. We ask that you please remain in your car (see Buckle-Up Spot below) so that we can safely and efficiently dismiss.

Buckle Up Spot: Staff are not permitted to buckle children into cars or car seats. Once our staff has delivered your child to the car, please simply pull-up to the front by the main office and buckle up from there. This will assist our carpool line to be safely located directly on the sidewalk by the gym dismissal doors and keep it efficient.

Inside Pick-Up:

Park your vehicle in the spots along the chain link fence or the back parking lot and walk to the side gym doors, these are the doors closet to the field/fence. We ask that you do not park in the carpool line itself.  To enter the building please make sure to check-in with our Campus Safety Officer or an ASE Staff Member. If we do not recognize you, we will ask that you do not enter until we receive confirmation that you are authorized to pick up the child in question.  If anyone that is not authorized to pick up, i.e. that is not listed on your Camp Brain account as an emergency contact or in the household file, please inform us at  explorers@shadysideacademy.org or give us a call or text at 412-254-4772.

Gate on Ben Hur St. for Pick-up: 

To ensure continued safety, the Ben Hur Street gate will always remain locked during After School and our staff will unlock to dismiss and re-lock immediately after.  Please text 412-254-477 with your child’s first and last name as well as an estimated time of arrival and the location “back gate.”  All authorized pick-up guardians will remain outside the gate until your child is brought to you and our staff unlock.  Please note that the Ben Hur Street gate should only be used by local families in the surrounding neighborhood.  In hopes of also maintaining a fantastic relationship with our neighbors, we ask that no cars park on Ben Hur St. directly during pick-up.  The Ben Hur Street gate will only be utilized as weather permits.  If there is inclement weather, we move the program inside entirely and the gate will not be utilized for dismissal.

Late Pick-Up Policy:

After 6 p.m., a late pick-up fee of $10/child will be added for the first 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, the late fee increases to $10/child per minute. Families who are late more than three times in one term will be charged $10/minute/child on subsequent late pick-ups. Charges will be added to the end of term bill.

Additional Pick-up Notes

-Please don't forget to drive slowly around campus, especially when you are pulling out of the pick-up line.

-We ask that all children enter the vehicle on the passenger side, closest to the building for ease of access and safety.

-If you are waiting for more than 5 minutes, please feel free to text twice! At busy times of dismissal, we will have a long list of communications from parents and gathering multiple children having loads of fun across the school.

Absences:

To maintain proper records and ensure the safety of our students and staff, there will be no refunds or pro-rated fees for missed days/time at SSA After School programs. This includes, but is not limited to, due to illness/injury (including COVID-19), vacation time, or early dismissals. 

Enrollment & Payment:

After school requires a per child application deposit of $25, via credit card, to complete enrollment. The remaining balance will be billed on a term basis via your VC Pay student account. Charges sent to VC Pay will be added after the end of the each term in November, February and June. All enrichment programs are in addition to the Daily Care fees. Enrichment classes are only eligible to those enrolled in Daily Care. Each enrichment class requires a minimum number of students enrolled to conduct the class, and cancellations can not be made after enrichment classes begin. All Drop-in Daily care attendees must enroll formally via the Camp Brain system at least one time per term. If attending Cross Country or any non-After School clubs and needing After Care, families must enroll in the Drop-In Daily Care or the appropriate Daily Care day of the week. Please note, there will be no billing adjustments for any cancellations following the first week of After School per term start.  

Waiting List:

If a program and/or day is sold out online, please make sure to formally enroll in the specific waiting list. If space becomes available we will be in contact immediately for a seamless transition into the program. Being waitlisted does not guarantee a spot. 

Drop-Ins:

We are currently ONLY accepting day-of emergency drop-ins. If you are in need, please contact explorers@shadysideacademy.org immediately so we can assist! Each new enrollment, per term, requires a one-time online registration.

Rules: 

SSA After School subscribes to the Guiding Principles of Shady Side Academy: Honesty, Kindness, Responsibility, Respect and Safety. It’s paramount that children act accordingly and participate as good citizens in the community.

Things that are never okay to do at After School:

• Hitting, shoving, pushing or physical violence
• Verbal abuse, offensive language or bullying
• Lying or manipulating the truth
• Stealing or taking things without asking
• Destroying property
• Possessing, using or distributing drugs or alcohol
• Bringing weapons of any kind to school
• Ignoring staff or staff directions

Consequences at After School:

We expect all children to follow the "Shady Side Way" and demonstrate care, respect and responsibility at all times; children must also exhibit self-control, kindness and follow instructions. Children who do not follow the rules will be asked to take responsibility for their actions. 

If a student breaks a rule, they will receive a verbal warning from a counselor and will talk through their choices and come up with a plan to rejoin the group after they have taken some time to calm down and reflect on their actions. 

If the child ignores the verbal warning and continues with poor behavior, both the child and a parent/guardian may be asked to meet with the Director or Site-Coordinator to help the child make a constructive plan for improved behavior.

If, after the meeting, the child still does not follow the after school rules, they may be suspended and/or asked to leave the program. In this case, a refund will not be issued.

In extreme cases, to ensure the safety of the after school community, the Director or Site-Coordinator(s) reserve the right to expel a child at their own discretion. In this situation, refunds will not be provided.

How do I register?

Registration is on a first-come, first-served basis. At the beginning of each term, you will receive an email to let you know that registration is open. Visit the Register Now! tab above to find the link to our online registration site when registration is open.

Do I need to send payment with my registration?  

There will be a non-refundable application deposit fee of $25, paid via credit card. The remainder of your after-school balance will be billed by the school at the end of each term via your Student Account in November, February and June . 

How do I pick my child up from After School Explorers?

For the safety of your child, all doors to the Junior School are locked and children will be picked up from After School using SSA's car pool process. Guardians will not be permitted to enter the building. When you arrive to pick up your child, please send a text with the child's name to 412-254-4772, and an ASE staff member will bring your child to your vehicle.

Can I use the gate on Ben Hur St. for Pick-up?

To ensure continued safety and security, the gate will remain locked at all times during the After School Program. If you plan on using the locked gate on Ben Hur St., please text 412-254-4772 that you have arrived at the back gate and include your child's name in the text. We kindly ask that you remain outside the locked gate until your child is brought to you. Pick-up from the Ben Hur gate should ONLY be used by families who live within the surrounding neighborhood, it is not an alternative pick-up spot to avoid traffic on Braddock Ave. In hopes of also maintaining a fantastic relationship with our neighbors, we ask that no cars park on Ben Hur St. during pick-up.

Who are the instructors for the program? Are students properly supervised?

Along with the After School Director Sarah Chedwick, a consistent group of qualified and experienced staff supervise students during activities, homework help and playtime.