St. Ignatius Chicago Rowing aims to offer high quality rowing programs. We are committed to creating a safe and positive environment for athletes, coaches and all members of the club community. For this reason, chaperones are required to follow SICP's chaperone approval process.  Please complete the requirements outlined below in their entirety and submit them to Tess Martin at St. Ignatius (see below). If you have questions about the chaperone approval process, contact Tess Martin in the Office of the Prefects (tess.martin@ignatius.org) or Tara Smith of the SICR Safety Committee (tara.smith@saintignatiuschicagorowing.org).

Spring Break! You may have heard the team goes to Oak Ridge, TN for training during spring break. If your rower can, they are highly encouraged to go. We have a chaperoned charter bus which takes the kids there and back, about an 8 hr bus ride. The kids stay at a hotel and train all day. This is excellent conditioning for the kids and brings the team together; also, the coaches are making their lineups for spring races. In the evenings the rowers hang out and have fun together.  We need parent chaperones and helpers for this week. You can help for part or all of the week. We need chaperones for the hotels and help at the site with food and logistics. And you’ll get to see the kids practice all day (along with soaking up some sunshine) which is very gratifying. You might even get to ride in a launch or have an erg lesson from Coach Len! More info to come about Spring Break, but put those dates into your calendar.  

See the Safe Environments Compliance Guidelines Chart (webpage) for an overview of Archdiocesan chaperone requirements.

To get started with the school's chaperone approval process,  please follow this link and fill out a form  https://forms.gle/EnGTRX5RBD72hF1c6.  The form will ask who the school should inform when the process is complete - that would be  Tara Smith, tara.smith@saintignatiuschicagorowing.org.  After you have submitted the form, Tess Martin in the Office of the Prefects will contact you about next steps.

You will complete some forms and online training programs and submit the signed forms and certificates of completion to Tess Martin (tess.martin@ignatius.org) in the SICP Office of the Prefects. The following will be required:

1. Background Check
2.  Signed Acknowledgement of Mandated Reporter Status
3. Signed Ignatius Code of Conduct
4. Signed Archdiocesan Standards of Behavior
5. Completed "Protecting God's Children (VIRTUS) Training" within the last 3 years
6. Completed State of IL Mandated Reporter Training within the last 3 years
7. (Overnight chaperones only) Signed Overnight Chaperone Policy 

• More information on the required paperwork, code of conduct and standards of behavior can be found here. 
• You may not begin working with students until all Patty Rojek or Tess Martin confirms that all steps were completed fully and correctly.

After completing the initial certification process, in subsequent years parent chaperones follow an abbreviated re-certification process: 

• VIRTUS - One-time only full training and re-certified every three years.  Chaperones must also complete monthly training bulletins that are sent to the email address on file. This takes less than 5 minutes per month and is much easier than re-doing the training every year.
• Mandated Reporter Training: Re-certified every three years.

Questions? Contact Tess Martin (tess.martin@ignatius.org) or Tara Smith (tara.smith@saintignatiuschicagorowing.org)