The Student Retreats are planned by the Activities Committee.
Retreats are only open to mentors and registered ASA students. Younger children and non-ASA youth should not attend retreats. (See Section 2.1.2.)
Parents provide transportation to and from activities. If transportation is needed during an ASA retreat or activity, it should be arranged for and provided by the Activities Committee. Students may not drive other students (except siblings) during an activity.
The Vision Retreat is an all-day event and is the first official student activity for the ASA school year. The retreat creates a chance for all students at ASA to get to know one another and feel a part of the ASA community prior to the first day of class. Most students, especially students just starting ASA, feel much more comfortable coming the first day of class if they’ve attended the Vision Retreat.
At the retreat, students learn about the vision and mission of ASA, are introduced to the Yearly Theme, and participate in fun and inspiring activities. The bulk of the event is handled by the Activities Committee, but the Board of Directors, because they oversee the Vision of ASA, may take time to introduce the Yearly Theme. The Activities Committee can choose to include students in Student Council in the planning and running of the retreat. A motivational speaker can be invited to speak to the students.
The Vision Retreat can take place locally or outside Utah Valley. When selecting the location, the Activities Committee considers the balance between travel time and the goal of “getting away.” Parent Members provide transportation for students. Usually snacks, lunch and dinner are provided. Sometimes students have been asked to bring their own sack lunch.
Because not all students are able to attend the Vision Retreat and because the cost varies from year to year, the fee for the Vision Retreat is in addition to the Student Fee. Registration and payment for the Vision Retreat takes place at the same time as registration for classes.
The January Monthly Activity can be a Winter Mini-Retreat. It is held the Thursday before Winter Semester begins. It is recommended that it only be held in the afternoon or evening, as the weather is often unpredictable this time of year. This activity helps students reconnect with their ASA friends and refocus them on school after the long winter break. This activity can be slightly more involved and can be a more expensive activity than the regular monthly activities, depending on the budget and what is decided for that year. (For example, in 2023, ASA rented the ice skating rink for an hour, then went to the PAC to eat pizza and play Hungry Hippo and board games). The Winter Retreat can include a service project and other inspiring activities. The Yearly Theme can also be reintroduced.
The Winter Mini-Retreat can be at a local location or can take place outside Utah Valley. When selecting the location, the Activities Committee considers the balance between travel time and the goal of “getting away.” Parent Members provide transportation for students.
The cost of the Winter Retreat is covered by the Student Fee paid at the beginning of the year and does not have a separate registration cost. The Activities Committee determines the amount of money from their budget that goes toward the Winter Retreat.
Student Activities are supervised by the Activities Committee and Student Council mentors (who are often the same Parent Members).
Whenever possible, the Student Council mentors oversee and attend all Student Activities. If Student Council mentors are not able to attend an activity, they should arrange a substitute. If Student Council mentors need to bring their younger children to Student Activities, they are sensitive to the purpose and nature of the activity and ensure their children wait to participate until invited. Younger children should wait until after all ASA students have had a chance to participate before participating.
Youth who are not enrolled in ASA may not attend ASA-sponsored student activities. (See Section 2.1.2.)
The bulk of the work, including planning, announcements, and facilitating the activity is done by students on Student Council.
Planning Student Activities is one of the major responsibilities of Student Council. These activities are a major leadership training opportunity for students, and the mentors should strive to support rather than lead these activities even if it means activities are a little “messier.” Activities should be announced at the beginning of each Thursday, during the beginning of the day when all students are gathered together. Student Council members can also create a poster for each Monthly Activity and Spirit Day. These posters can be displayed on a trifold near the kitchen. The trifold is taken down each week and stored by the ASA closet until the next week when it is again put out for everyone to see.
Dates and times for Student Activities are usually determined by the Student Council mentors. These dates are communicated to the ASA secretary board member so that they can be added to the ASA calendar. Parent Members provide transportation to and from activities. If transportation is needed during an ASA activity, it should be arranged for and provided by the Activities Committee. Students may not drive other students (except siblings) during an activity.
The total activities budget for a given year is determined by the Board as part of the operating budget for the year. The yearly student fee goes towards the activities budget, but the actual amount of the activities budget for a given year is under the discretion of the Board. The budget for each activity is set by the Activities Committee.
Activities are paid for by the Student Fee, and every ASA student can participate without additional costs. Food for the activities should also be provided and paid for with the ASA budget. If students in Student Council purchase food for the activities, they should turn in receipts for reimbursement.
Homemade goods may also be reimbursed. The student or parent member should estimate the cost of the homemade good. An estimated cost should be approved by a member of the Activities Committee before it is submitted. A homemade receipt is required for reimbursement. (See XYC - link to homemade receipt.)
Monthly Activities provide ASA students with additional opportunities to socialize outside of the school day. Most monthly activities are created just for ASA students, but occasionally an activity can focus on families.
Monthly activities take place approximately once a month from September to April. A December activity is optional, in order to support family time during ASA Winterim. Activities usually take place on Friday afternoons or evenings and last around 2-3 hours. Activities are planned for locations throughout Utah Valley, keeping in mind where families live. Students coordinate their own transportation to Monthly Activities.
Summer is also reserved for families, and ASA does not sponsor activities during the summer.
Students should be supervised at all times during Monthly Activities. The Student Council mentor in charge establishes the boundaries of the activities. These boundaries are announced to students prior to the activity and when the activity starts. If a student needs to leave the boundaries of the activity, they must get permission from the mentor in charge.
Activities must always have at least two adults, but ideally there would be three to four adults at each activity. All Student Council mentors should attend to help supervise students. If they can’t attend, Student Council mentors are responsible to get a sub similar to how mentors get subs for their classes. Additional adult supervision can be other members of the Activities Committee or other Parent Mentors. (See Section 9.2.8.3)
A Board member is required to attend each activity. (See the policy at the beginning of this section.) If a non-Member will be presenting at an activity (such as a motivational speaker), two Board members must be present. (See Section 7.2)
Because activities are designed for ASA youth, younger siblings should not attend ASA activities. If a mentor who is helping with the activity needs to bring younger children with them, the mentor should make every effort to keep their younger children separate from the activity and food.
Previous Monthly Activities have included sledding, pumpkin carving, campfire, park games, pumpkin carving, board games, dodgeball, bowling, ice skating, canoeing, indoor/outdoor movie nights, service projects, and a variety of other activities.
Suggested Annual Monthly Activity Schedule
Park Days: Most Thursday mornings during August (these are run by the Family Support Committee)
Fall Retreat: Held on the Thursday before the first day of classes, which is usually the Thursday before Labor Day
Monthly Activities: September, October, November, January, February, March, April (December is optional)
Winterim: Usually there are no Student Activities during Winterim
Annual Cleaning Day and Yearbook Signing: Held on the Thursday after the last day of class. (The Facilities Committee is in charge of the cleaning portion for this activity.) A field day with outdoor activities may also be held after the cleaning day/yearbook activity.
Spirit Activities are a chance for students to socialize during the ASA school day in fun and inspiring ways.
Spirit Activities take place during the ASA lunch break. Spirit Activities should not start before nor end after the time allotted for lunch. Student Council members and students participating should not be late to classes after lunch because of the Spirit Activity. Leave time at the end of the activity for cleanup and for students to do their lunch clean up job. Mentors can help with cleanup if necessary.
Previous Spirit Activities have included a Halloween costume contest, compliment wall, silly human trick contest, yearbook pictures, a Hawaiian luau, ASA T-shirt Day, Mad Hatters Day, Pajama & Blanket Day, Happy Birthday to Everyone, Anything But a Backpack Day, Teacher Appreciation Day, and a variety of other things.
ASA hopes students and families will create strong connections and friendships throughout the ASA community. In addition to official ASA-sponsored activities, individuals are encouraged to create and advertise their own gatherings. (See the ASA Vision Statement.)
These activities and gatherings can be advertised in official ASA communication channels as long as the information does not say that the activity is ASA sponsored.
As they plan and promote activities, students and families are encouraged to look for ways to include others and help increase the unity at ASA.
The Yearbook mentors are in charge of Student Picture Day. It is held during lunch time, usually early in the Fall Semester, with a make-up day early in Winter Semester. Student Picture Days should be announced to the students a few weeks in advance.
Class Picture Day may be taken on the same day as student pictures or on another day. Class Picture Day should be announced to mentors in advance so that they can be aware that they need to leave time for this at the beginning or end of that class day. The person taking the class picture should be sensitive to when would be a good time for each class to do the picture and can talk to the mentor of each class to determine what is best for that class. If not all classes can be done in one day, class pictures can be taken on multiple days.
The Annual Cleanup Day, Yearbook Signing, and optional Field Day gives students a chance to practice good stewardship over the building, help do a deep clean of the building, sign yearbooks, and be able to have another opportunity to spend time together before the summer break. This party takes place the Thursday following the last week of class. All students are encouraged to attend.
The event is usually held in the morning for two to two and half hours (usually 10:00–12:00 or 10:00–12:30). Cleaning takes about 30–60 minutes, and yearbook signing is done for the remainder of the time. If a Field Day is planned, then the Field Day would usually go until about 2:00, at which time parents would pick up their kids. Kids could be asked to bring a sack lunch, or lunch (ie. pizza) may be provided if there are enough funds left in the Activities budget.
The Activities Committee coordinates with the Facilities Committee to plan the event. The Facilities Committee oversees the cleaning assignments and makes sure cleaning supplies are available.
After cleaning is finished, Yearbook mentors distribute the ASA yearbooks outside of the building, in order to keep the building clean. ASA students and mentors are given time to sign each other’s yearbooks. Often the Yearbook mentors provide colored pens for the students to sign yearbooks (ball point pens work best instead of gel pens). It is best to purchase enough pens that the kids can take them home if they want to.
A Field Day activity may also be planned for after the yearbook signing activity. Field Day activities should take place at a location other than the school building, in order to keep the building clean after the cleaning day. Field Day activities may be held at a park near the school building.
The End-of-Year Celebration and Graduation is the final event of the ASA school year. This event provides a chance for students, mentors, and families (including extended families) to celebrate everything that has been accomplished throughout the school year. Usually the End-of-Year Celebration and Graduation is held on the Thursday evening of the last day of school.
This activity is planned and facilitated by the Activities Committee. The Activities Committee can get input from the Student Council and can have them help with the planning or carrying out of the event.
The budget for the End-of-Year Celebration and Graduation is approved by the Board and is separate from other activity budget categories.
When planning the date for the End-of-Year Celebration and Graduation, the Activities Committee should consider community events that might conflict with ASA families, including college graduations or other outside activities or classes that many ASA students participate in. The date for this event is approved by the Board.
This event accomplishes the following goals:
Acknowledge and celebrate both graduates & other students
Highlight graduating seniors and help them feel the importance of their accomplishments. Seniors may choose a mentor to highlight them. The mentor highllight should be kept to 2 minutes per student.
Award diploma to graduating seniors. Diplomas are traditionally signed by a member of the board (usually the chair), the presenting mentor, and both parents.
Provide a time for Mentors to present awards to students in their classes that have earned them. To help save time, mentors should call up all students who have earned an award at the same time, quickly explain the purpose of the award, and then distribute all awards at once.
Help inspire younger students, so they have a graduation to look forward to, and something to strive for
Advocate for homeschooling and demonstrate successful homeschooling to allow our extended family and friends see what homeschool is like
Allow friends, family, and the ASA Community to see the fruits of the class and the students’ labors
To have a family social experience where they all can mingle, including family members that aren't usually involved with ASA on a weekly basis
Allow students to have a dance or party-like experience if they want to.
Student Council plans the after-graduation activity and decides who is invited.
Suggested Structure/Format
Graduation Ceremony/Awards (sometimes we have done the class awards first, followed by the Graduation Ceremony)
Refreshments similar to a reception
(Optional) Indoor/outdoor activity that may or may not include extra guests
Extended family and friends should be invited to the event about a month or so before the date. A survey can be sent out with the time and date, asking for RSVPs to get a count of how many total people from each family will be coming. This helps the Activities Committee know how many people to plan for.
Details from previous celebrations can be found in the Activities Committee folder in the Google Drive.