Winter Outdoor Recess
Policy for Cascade Heights Public Charter School
It does get chilly in our
part of the country, and students and families need to be prepared
for it. Teachers will use the following guidelines and their own
best judgment in ensuring your child is safe and relatively
comfortable during the cold months of the year. You can do your part
by sending your children to school with the following: coat,
warm hat, gloves or mittens, scarf (ideal), warm
boots (ideal). If you are unable to acquire the basics, please
contact your child's teacher or Mrs. Denman, and we will happily help
you.
Students need fresh air
daily, and it helps reduce illness (being cooped up in a room with
recycled air is the best way to spread germs), a bad case of the
wiggles, and sleepy brains. As such, we will do our best to ensure
daily fresh air for students, following the policy outlined below.
Please note:
- Frostbite CANNOT happen unless the ambient temperature (actual temperature+ windchill) falls below 32°F. Fingers may hurt, be cold and numb, but they are not frostbitten.
- Hypothermia can happen under a variety of temperatures and situations. Someone submerged in water that is 70°F for an extended period of time will succumb to hypothermia. Someone ill-equipped for the weather and left outside without movement at 20°F will eventually succumb to hypothermia. Students who wear coats (and possibly hats or hoods) at 35°F or so for 15-20 minutes, and who are (hopefully) moving, have no danger of hypothermia.
This policy was drafted
taking into account average activity level, average recess time, and
average regional temperatures for Portland, OR (the fact that our
children are NOT used to the average temperatures of Fairbanks, AK
was taken into account!).
Not
accounting for windchill factor:
Children will eat outdoors
and may make the choice about coats, etc.: 41°F
and above
Teachers will require the
wearing of coats (for activity time of recess): 40°F
and below
Teachers will require the
wearing of a hat and gloves/mittens (students without will not
participate in the activity): 35°F
Eating (snack and lunch)
will occur indoors with outdoor recess following one of the below
guidelines: 40°F
and below
Normal outdoor recess: 26°F
and above
Shortened outdoor recess (5
to 10 minutes): 18°F-25°F
Indoor recess: 18°F
and below
What
you can do to ensure your child's comfort and health with the above
policy:
- Send them to school with a coat, hat, mittens/gloves, and scarf
- Tell them they must wear the coat, hat, mittens/gloves, and scarf
- Send them with plenty of quality-calorie food for snack and lunch, as well as fresh water
- Tell them about the children in Fairbanks, AK, who go out to recess like normal unless it's colder than -20°F!).
- Teach them how to zip or button their coats
