Sly Park Environmental Education Center
Environmental Education Center
PARENT / STUDENT HANDBOOK
We are very pleased to welcome your child
to an exciting experience at the Sly Park
Environmental Education Center. Sly Park
is an accredited outdoor school operated by
the Sacramento County Office of Education.
We are located near Pollock Pines, in the
Eldorado National Forest, 50 miles east of
Sacramento.
Sly Park Environmental Education Center
Director, Matt Smith
5600 Sly Park Road
Pollock Pines, CA 95726
(916) 228-2485
www.scoe.net/slypark
Sacramento County Office of Education
Superintendent, David W. Gordon
P.O. Box 269003
Sacramento, CA 95826
(916) 228-2500
Parent/Student Handbook
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Sly Park Environmental Education Center
Important Information About Visiting
In order to maintain the safety and security of your children, visitors are not allowed at
the Sly Park Environmental Education Center while program is in session.
Mail can be sent to students while at Sly Park, just use the address on the front page and
send “attention: student name”. Email messages will not be delivered due to cost and
waste in printing. Phone messages need to go through their regular school teachers.
If you are dropping off or picking up a student, please check in at the Main Office before
heading up the campus driveway.
Our school site is not at the campgrounds for Jenkinson Lake, we are approximately 2
miles below the lake on Sly Park Road.
The Sly Park Environmental Education Center facility is also available for weekend and
summer conferences and retreats. Contact us for reservations.
Location
From Sacramento:
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Take US 50 East. 56 mi.
Take Sly Park Rd. Exit, exit 60. 0.2 mi.
Turn Right onto Sly Park Rd. 6.2 mi.
Pass Lake Jenkinson on Left 2.0 mi.
End at 5600 Sly Park Rd., Pollock Pines, Ca.
Look for School Crossing Signs and large crosswalk area near the USFS Fire
Station.
Estimated Time: 1 hour 10 minutes Estimated Distance: 64 miles
Parent/Student Handbook
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Sly Park Environmental Education Center
Educational Program
Sly Park has provided a quality environmental education program since 1970. The
educational program is thematically presented and effectively connects science, history,
social science, math, language arts, visual and performing arts, and physical education.
California State Science Standards for grades 5 and 6 are a focus of all instruction. In
addition to curriculum, we weave the following three themes into all Sly Park instruction:
Appreciation
The natural environment is a valuable resource to be enjoyed and
protected.
Interrelationships
All living things are interrelated and dependent on the natural
environment.
Responsibility
Each student will build strategies for getting along with others,
develop personal and social responsibility, and maintain a positive
self concept. Each student will recognize that personal choice and
wise decision-making effect environmental equality now and for
future generations.
Sly Park Environmental Education Center is an accredited California residential outdoor
science school that combines outdoor activities with lessons in science and ecology.
Recent studies show that not only does outdoor environmental education build critical life
skill and teach young people about the natural world; it actually enhances performance in
ALL academic subjects, including reading, math and science.
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Sly Park Environmental Education Center
Facility
There are eight student cabins, each housing 24-28 children and 1-3 cabin leaders or adult
chaperones. The heated cabins have bathroom facilities with sinks, toilets and private
showers. The campus also has a gym, classroom buildings, cafeteria and specialized
learning centers: science lab, observatory, Native American interpretive center, wildlife
center, art center, planetarium, climbing wall, and bird blind.
Special Dietary Needs/Food Allergies:
Please contact the Sly Park Kitchen a minimum of two weeks prior to arrival date for
ALL dietary needs. (916)-228-2320 or [email protected]
Please provide the following:
 First & Last Name of Adult or Student
 School Name
 Dates Attending Sly Park
 Dietary Need(s)
Dietary needs may include, but not limited to: Vegetarian, Vegan, Lactose Intolerant,
Gluten Free, Food Allergies, No Beef, No Pork and No Peanuts/Nuts.
Note: Sly Park Kitchen is Peanut & Nut Free. However, we do have a frozen cookie
product that has a disclaimer on it that says, “May have been processed in a facility where
peanuts have been.” If a person has an Epi-Pen for severe peanut allergies, then an
alternate cookie will be served.
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Sly Park Environmental Education Center
Staff
The teachers from the participating schools, including teachers from your child’s school,
will be in residence at Sly Park. Each student cabin will have adult chaperones and
occasionally a mature high school cabin leader. All cabin leaders and adult chaperones
are under the direct supervision of the teachers and the Sly Park Director. In addition to
the Sly Park Director, Sly Park teachers, and teachers from the students’ schools, other
Sly Park staff members on campus are cooks, cafeteria assistants, secretaries,
maintenance workers, and custodians. All Sly Park staff are fingerprinted and trained in
first aid and CPR. Several of the Sly Park teachers have an additional certification in
Wilderness First Aid.
Communication
Letters to and from our visiting students is
encouraged, but we need your help in making
sure they are delivered on time. Please include the
following in your letter:
Your child’s name
Your child’s school
Sly Park Environmental
Education Center
5600 Sly Park Road
Pollock Pines, CA 95726
We suggest you address a letter to your child the
day he/she leaves school, or even the day before,
if you would like it to arrive early in the week.
Please do not call your child,
except in an emergency. Since
there are up to 230 children in
session, we don’t allow calls
home unless there is an
emergency.
In order to maintain the safety and
security of your children, visitors
are NOT allowed at the Sly Park
Environmental Education Center
while program is in session. Our
experience has shown that
homesickness comes on suddenly
during a parent visit or phone call.
We do not offer a special “parent
night.”
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Sly Park Environmental Education Center
Daily Schedule
7:00 Wake up
7:30 Breakfast
8:00 Cabin cleanup
8:45 Teaching sessions with Sly Park
11:45 Supervised cabin or activity time
12:15 Lunch
12:45 Rest time
1:30 Teaching sessions with Sly park teachers
4:30 Supervised cabin or activity time
5:00 Dinner
6:00 Class meeting
6:30 Campfire program
7:30 Gym, night hike or other activity
8:30 Bedtime snack, get ready for bed
(2 nights a week observatory if weather
permits)
9:30 Lights out!
Medication/Illness/Emergencies
All medication, non-prescriptive and prescriptive must have both parent
and physician authorization for anyone to administer. If your child is
taking any medication, send it with his/her school teacher and record this
information on the medication section of the health form with the
necessary signatures and detailed instructions. All medicine must be in
the original container. Your child’s teacher from his/her school is
responsible for dispensing this medication, so be sure that you provide
that teacher with the information needed. If your child becomes ill, he/she
will be moved to the “sick bay,” a special area in the teachers’ cabin, and
the parents will be called. If a child is mildly “under the weather” (headache, scratchy
throat) he/she can return to the program after a short time. If a child has something more
severe (flu, fever, etc.) arrangements will be made for a return home. Mild injuries are
treated in our first aid station. In case of life-threatening emergency 911 will be called.
Parents will be notified at all phases of illness or injury, and if necessary individuals on
the student’s emergency card will be contacted.
Behavior
We expect each child to act responsibly and considerately to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all students. When students arrive at Sly Park, behavior expectation and
consequences for inappropriate behaviors are clarified by the Sly Park Director or On
Site Supervisor. If a child does not behave responsibly or safely, it could become
necessary to send him/her home. If this situation occurs, the parents will be notified to
pick up their child and take him/her home from Sly Park. Please go over the behavior
contract (on the enclosed emergency card) with your child. If a student is sent home
for behavior issues or home-sickness, no refund is available.
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Sly Park Environmental Education Center
Clothing/Weather
A plastic rubberized (impermeable) raincoat is required year-round. Well-worn
clothing is appropriate for Sly Park. The students are outdoors much of the time. Rubber
boots or snow boots are good insurance for potential snow activity from October through
May. Students should not bring anything valuable, such as jewelry, digital cameras, etc.
All items should be marked with your child’s name. The weather during the spring
and fall is warm during the day with cool evenings. Summer daily temperatures average
in the 80’s with cool nights. Winter temperatures range from 20 to 55 degrees with
occasional snow. The Sly Park Campus is situated at approximately 3500’ elevation and
the climate is generally much cooler and wetter than in the Sacramento Valley.
WHAT TO BRING:
Required items
Sleeping bag and 1 sheet (or) 2 blankets & 2 sheets
2-4 pairs of long pants
4 shirts*
4 sets of underwear*
5 pairs of socks (extra in winter)*
Sleepwear
2 pairs of shoes suitable for hiking
1 jacket or coat
1-2 sweaters or sweatshirts
Rain poncho or raincoat (durable plastic or rubberized material)
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Sly Park Environmental Education Center
A t-shirt to silkscreen in arts and crafts
Bath towel, hand towel & washcloth
Toothbrush & toothpaste
Soap & shampoo
Comb or brush
Pillow / pillowcase
Book to read during quiet times
Water bottle (for hiking)
Chapstick
2 large plastic garbage bags (for dirty clothes)
Flashlight
Insect repellent (no-aerosol), during fall and spring
Backpack
Additional items to
bring in Winter:
(October-May)
1 pair of gloves
1 warm ski cap
Rainboots/ Snowboots
Watch the weather reports & pack accordingly. Rain, snow and low temperatures
can occur any month of the year.
*if your child is participating in the 3-day program, fewer of these items are needed.
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Sly Park Environmental Education Center
These items are convenient; bring if available:
Hand Lotion / Sunscreen
Laundry Bag
Disposable camera* marked with your name
Rubber flip-flops for showering
Stamps, envelopes, paper, and pencil for writing home
Things to do during quiet time: deck of cards, journal,
non-electric board games, books or magazines to read.
*If you do not bring a camera. Please note there will be a camper
slideshow on-line available for purchase at the end of the week for
$5 at the “Friends of Sly Park” web site.
DO NOT bring any of the following:
Knives or dangerous objects of any kind
Any inappropriate item of clothing/style
Any kind of item for pranks
Aerosol sprays of any kind, including hairspray &
insect repellant (pump sprays are OK0
Electronic devices / Cell phone / Digital camera
Jewelry, makeup, hair dryer, straighteners, etc.
Candy, snacks, gum (NOT allowed in cabins!!!)
Felt pens or permanent markers
Chemical hand warmers
Valuable items of any kind
PLEASE MARK YOUR CHILD’S NAME ON EACH ITEM HE/SHE BRINGS TO
SLY PARK. We are not liable for lost, misplaced or stolen personal items.
If any item should be lost at Sly Park, call us at (916) 228-2485 or (530) 644-2071
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Sly Park Environmental Education Center
Frequently Asked Questions about Sly Park
How long are the hikes?
The longest hike is about 5 miles; most are about 1 mile.
Is there a place to swim?
The children hike to the lake, but we do not allow swimming.
There is some wading and water play at the lake and streams near Sly Park,
during teaching sessions, if weather permits.
Is there any poison oak?
Yes, mostly near the creeks. We teach children to identify and avoid it. The best
way to avoid poison oak is to stay on the trails.
Can students with special needs be accommodated?
The Sly park facility is accessible for students with disabilities and we regularly
have students with many special needs. Accommodations are made when needed
throughout the program. Please call if you need more specific information.
What is the “challenge course”?
During 4 & 5 day programs, Sly Park has an activity for individual and team
challenges, consisting of a climbing wall and team problem-solving initiatives.
All instructional activities are led by qualified teachers.
Six brief reminders
1. Your child’s school will collect all payments for his/her registration.
2. Payment for any medical care in the event of an emergency while at Sly Park is
the parent’s responsibility.
3. Children may not bring snacks or gum to Sly Park. Please contact the
Cafeteria for special dietary needs.
4. Children should not bring valuable items, including money or electronic devices.
Any money for souvenirs must be given to their teacher before arrival.
5. Don’t forget to sign the health form and the behavior contract. Also sign the
medication section if your child will be taking medication at Sly Park.
6. In order to maintain the safety/security of your children, visitors are not allowed
at the Sly Park Environmental Education Center while program is in session.
We look forward to having your child at Sly Park for this memorable
educational experience.
Parent/Student Handbook
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