Welcome to Mono Cliffs Outdoor Education Centre. We really appreciate your efforts in organizing your class for this trip to the great outdoors. The following guidelines are to help you have a comfortable and enjoyable visit with us. 

ROLE OF VISITING STAFF

1. Prepare students prior to visit: expectations, responsibilities, appropriate clothing, collect medical and permission forms and money.

2. Discipline students at Mono Cliffs and on the bus to and from our centre.

3. Assist in supervision of some programs.

4. Supervise dormitories when any students are there.

5. Supervise recreation time at 4 pm.

6. Assist in dining room supervision.

7. Supervise students during evening snack in dorms and overnight after 8 pm.

Useful tips for first time visitors to Mono Cliffs.

UPON ARRIVAL 

When you arrive, you will attend a Staff Orientation meeting. The purpose of this meeting is to:

1. Meet Mono Cliff's program staff as well as the liaison staff for your visit.

2. Update trip information (final numbers, medical and dietary info, group lists, dorm lists, dining room seating plan, anticipated staff or student arrivals or departures and background student information).

3. Discuss students with special needs: medical, language, learning and social (behaviour).

 4. Finalize the programs and program schedule and review visiting staff responsibilities.

5. Complete a building orientation including location of medical and hospital run information.

5. Receive visiting staff signup list for programs where additional supervision is needed. This will be completed by visiting staff during lunch and returned to the Mono Cliffs liaison staff. Visiting staff are also welcome to join programs at other times thus having the opportunity to observe their students in a different setting.

DURING PROGRAMS

Our outdoor education staff appreciates your participation during program.Your help regarding individual learning styles, modification of content, and/or correction of inappropriate student behaviour will be of great assistance to our instructional staff. 

Open communication between visiting staff and Mono Cliffs Staff ensures the best possible learning experience for everyone.

Please help students get to their morning, afternoon and evening programs on time. These times and locations are announced at the end of each meal and posted on the white board outside the mudroom.

FIRST LUNCH 

Students and staff bring their own first lunch. It must be a ready-to-eat lunch. We encourage everyone to bring a waste free lunch.  Please do not bring any food with peanuts, nuts or nut products. Students need to check their food labels before they arrive as Mono Cliffs is a nut-sensitive facility.

DURING MEALS

Please make sure that all students are in the Fraser Lounge of Highland Hall at least ten minutes before each meal. Breakfast starts at 8 am, lunch is at noon and dinner is at 5:00 pm. Mono Cliffs staff will let you know what time you need to be in the Fraser Lounge for instructions before a meal.

Meals are run by Mono Cliffs staff. Your assistance with supervision in the dining hall will help to make meal times a more enjoyable and manageable experience for everyone. Visiting staff are needed to supervise the students during the transition time after each meal.

IN THE DORMITORIES

- Visiting staff are responsible for students whenever they are in the dormitories. 

- At least one visiting staff must be in the dorm whenever students are there.

- Please do not engage in the telling of ghost stories at night.

General Supervision 

- No running or horseplay inside.

- Outdoor footwear left in the mudroom. 

- No visiting in each other’s rooms.

- No food or drinks allowed in dorm rooms.

Keys

You will be given two master keys per dormitory when you arrive. If you wish to lock your room, please do so, but it is important that students do not lock their rooms. Please remember to return the dorm master keys, lamps and clock radios (the contents of your milk crate) to the Highland Hall office before you leave.

Supervision at Recreation Time (4:00 – 4:45 pm) 

- Visiting staff are responsible for the direct supervision of students during “Rec Time”.

- If there are students outside then at least one visiting staff must be outside.

- If students are in the dorms, then there must be at least one visiting staff in the dorm to supervise.

- Students are instructed to socialize in the dorm lounge while inside, not in their rooms.  A Mono Cliffs intern has access to the sports equipment in the small building near the Sandstone dorm. A limited number of indoor games can be found in the “Games Bin” in each dorm lounge.

Supervision of Telephone Use 

Student use of the telephone is for emergencies only. Calls must be dialed by and monitored by the visiting staff using the telephone in the Main Office or in the foyer of Highland Hall. Please try to limit telephone use as it ties up the Toronto line and impacts on student supervision in the dormitories.

Fireplace

Complete instructions for the use of the dorm fireplaces are located in the wood box beside the fireplace. Make certain that both sets of fire doors to the lounge are closed tightly before going to bed.

Evening Snack

A few students will carry the evening snack to the dorm after dinner. Visiting staff supervise snack as part of your evening routine. Please return any leftover hot chocolate powder or juice and all the rinsed mugs to the kitchen area in Highland Hall before breakfast the next morning (7:55 am). Click for a word version of this page