Medication Administration

• Parents/guardians of any child requiring prescription medication during the camp day are required to submit an Authorization to Administer Medication form that has been completed by parents/guardians and the child’s physician.  This form is available in the Summer Camp Forms section of the website. Pinecrest accepts only the Pinecrest School Authorization to Administer Medication form.  A separate form must be provided for each medication being used.  Form(s) must be on file by the due date, or within 7 days of registering if registering after this date.  A guideline sheet for how to ensure this form is filled out correctly will be provided to parents/guardians in advance by the Pinecrest office.

• Medication should be brought to Pinecrest at the beginning of the week by a parent/guardian and must be picked up at the end of the week by a parent/guardian.  Children may not transport their own medication. All medication must be in the original container, with the child’s name, the name of the medication and the dose of the medication indicated on the prescription label.  All medications are placed in a locked location and may be dispensed only by the Camp Director, Assistant Camp Director, Head of School or Administrative Assistant.

• Pinecrest School does not dispense non-prescription medication unless it is part of an allergy management protocol, and we have a Pinecrest School Authorization to Administer Medication form on file.  Please arrange dispensing times, so that medication is not required during the hours your child will attend camp.  

**Campers may not self-administer any medication.

Children with Allergies and Chronic Conditions

Pinecrest staff members are very willing to work with parents/guardians to learn more about their child’s allergies and/or medical conditions and to address any concerns.  Parents/guardians of incoming students must complete a Medical/Emergency Care Form listing their child’s allergies and other chronic conditions. It is in a child’s best interest to provide as much information as possible; for example, please specify if an allergy or medication condition will affect school performance and what activities or food(s) must be avoided during school hours.  Parents/guardians should describe all possible reactions their child may exhibit if exposed to an allergen and delineate the specific procedural instructions the school must follow if the child is exposed to an allergen. Parents/guardians are responsible for keeping Pinecrest informed as quickly as possible of any changes in their child’s health or restrictions.

**Please note; however, that Pinecrest is not a nut-free environment.

Special Procedures for Medicating Students with Life-Threatening Allergies or Medical Conditions

If a child has a life-threatening allergy or condition, parents must meet with the Camp Director prior to camp to discuss it and its implications.  The Camp Director and at least one other member of the staff will be trained to administer necessary medication or to use medical equipment correctly and to follow any required emergency procedures.  The parents are responsible for keeping Pinecrest updated on changes in the child’s condition. Parents of children who need to be or may need to be medicated at camp must complete a Pinecrest School Authorization to Administer Medication Form.  A separate form is required for each medication. Form(s) must be signed by both the child’s doctor and the child’s parent(s) and must be on file by the due date, or within 7 days of registering if registering after this date. A guideline sheet for how to ensure this form is filled out correctly will be provided to parents in advance by the Pinecrest office.

Campers are expected to exhibit safe, positive and appropriate behavior at all times.  Campers not complying with the standards of behavior outlined in the Pinecrest School Behavior Accountability Plan (available upon request) will be dismissed from camp without a refund.

Photos and videos are taken regularly at school and camp.  It should be understood that with the completion and submission of the summer camp registration form, parents/guardians give express permission to Pinecrest School that their child’s photo and/or video may be shared with the school or camp community and could be used in school or camp brochures, ads, media coverage, on the school website, on the school’s social media sites, et cetera.  Campers names are never used with photos or videos. Concerns about this should be addressed directly with the Head of School.

As mandated reporters, Pinecrest staff members are legally obligated to report instances of suspected child abuse and neglect to Child Protective Services (CPS).  Parental permission is not needed for the child to be interviewed by Child Protective Services staff. Parental permission is not needed to release information that relates to or documents concerns about abuse and neglect.

Pinecrest School admits students of any gender, race, color, sexual orientation, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs and activities generally accorded or made available to students in the school or camp.

If it is raining hard, camp staff may escort campers to and from the cars with umbrellas to keep campers as dry as possible.  This may take longer than usual and patience is appreciated.  Please be prepared to be flexible in bad weather situations.  Safety is our number one concern.

Camp closings and delayed openings, and any information that needs to be shared in the case of a crisis/emergency is announced to the camp community through our Google Groups e-mail list-serv.  Parents who choose to sign up for the opt-in text alert system (highly encouraged) will also receive a text message on their mobile phone.  The text alert system will only be used in cases of emergency or when it is time sensitive (such as minutes before dismissal is to begin) or when email is not available.  Parents can subscribe to the camp text alert system with instructions provided prior to the start of camp.  When text messages come to you from this service, they will not come from any staff member’s phone number and parents cannot reply to the number.  This is a safe channel of communication with no spam or reply-all messages.

Pinecrest School has a comprehensive Emergency Preparedness plan, including how to communicate with parents as well as evacuation and shelter-in-place procedures.  A copy of this plan is available upon request and in the school handbook.

You may communicate with the Camp Director via e-mail (camp@pinecrestschool.org) at any time.  Pinecrest also uses a Google Groups list-serv to communicate with its constituency. Email addresses of members of the camp community are automatically subscribed to the list.  Then, when an e-mail message is sent to the list, it reaches everyone. This list is used to communicate news, updates, reminders and other valuable information. Additionally, the list is used in any emergency situations when parents need to be reached quickly.  The only people with access to the list are those who are subscribed to the list; it is a safe channel of communication with no spam or reply-all messages.

Parents may also subscribe (highly encouraged) to our text alert system to receive important emergency or time sensitive information in the form of a text message on their mobile phone; see above.  The text alert system is only be used in cases of emergency or when it is time sensitive (such as minutes before dismissal is to begin) or when email is not available.

**Pinecrest School does not share families’ contact information with third parties.

Pinecrest School’s preschool, kindergarten, before-care, after-care, and camp programs are licensed and inspected semi-annually by the Commonwealth of Virginia (Department of Social Services).  Pinecrest School is fully accredited by AdvancED/Southern Association of Colleges & Schools Council on School Improvement (SACS CASI).