Teaching with LEAP

LEAP camps are designed and taught by certified teachers and/or experts who are passionate about learning. If you are interested in teaching with LEAP, you can submit a proposal for a camp you are interested in leading. Previous camp themes include: robotics, diseases, optical illusions and art, electricity, chocolate, under the sea, computers, photography, archaeology, the oceans, and more.

Sessions

• LEAP Summer Enrichment Programs: Half- and full-day sessions during the first and second full weeks in July.
• Sensational Saturdays: Runs for six Saturday mornings from the end of January until the beginning of March.

Hiring

Our hiring for summer 2019 is now finished. In September we will begin accepting applications to teach for us in winter 2020. Contact us to be notified of future teaching opportunities.

To teach for LEAP you must have a Bachelor of Education (BEd) degree. In some circumstances we do hire teachers without their BEd as experts (e.g., we have one teacher who has a PhD in Computer Science and experience teaching children).

LEAP camps are held at our Waterloo campus, typically in classrooms in Bricker Academic Building. The 2019 summer camps will run July 8–12 and July 15–19. We offer a variety of morning, afternoon and full-day camps. Camp times are as follows:

• Morning camp: 8:30 a.m. to noon
• Afternoon camp: 1 to 4:30 p.m.
• Full-day camp: 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with a one-hour lunch break

Teachers are paid $775 for the planning and teaching of a one-week, half-day camp, and $1,150 for the planning and teaching of a one-week, full-day camp. If you choose to team teach, you will need to split the pay. There will be a teacher training/orientation session in June 2019 (details to be determined). We will also ask instructors new to LEAP to meet with us individually prior to the beginning of the camp. Part of your planning should include challenging activities for campers who finish assigned projects ahead of the other campers.

All new leaders will be required to provide LEAP with a copy of a recent (dated July 19, 2018 or later) Police Records Check for the Vulnerable Sector even if you have one on file at your workplace. If you require a record check, LEAP will cover the fee to a maximum of $40. It can take a number of weeks for this request to be processed at a local police station so you will be expected to order your police check by a certain date (in May). You will also receive training on the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, as well as Laurier Health and Safety.

Topics that have worked well in the past or that have been suggested by parents include: space, mythology, natural disasters, technology, computers, coding, aviation, inventions, STEM/STEAM, art, math/logic, debate, architecture, the science of sports, robotics, business and the environment/sustainability. This is definitely not an exhaustive list; we welcome any topic(s) as long as the activities are engaging, hands-on, challenging and utilize higher order thinking skills.

If you are interested in proposing a camp, please contact us to receive our curriculum template at leap@wlu.ca or 519.884.0710 x3173. You must submit a full curriculum proposal for each camp you are interested in teaching.

Proposals are due by Jan. 25, 2019. We will determine which camps will be offered by early February and thereafter send out promotional materials to schools and parents.

Camp registration closes in late May and decisions regarding the final camp offerings will be made at that time (camps run with a minimum of 10 registered children). Please feel free to share this invitation with interested colleagues. If there are any questions regarding the process or your proposal, contact LEAP at leap@wlu.ca.

Volunteering with LEAP

Would you like to get volunteer experience working with children? Are you considering a career in education? LEAP welcomes volunteers to assist program teachers with leading innovative, theme-based camps for youth in grades 1-9 who are gifted/highly able.

LEAP volunteers include high school students looking to complete their community service, university or college students, as well as educators and other community members. Volunteers who are 13 and 14 are welcome to help out as junior volunteers. Junior volunteers are not required to complete a police check as they are never left alone with campers.

Applications

We are currently accepting applications to volunteer with our summer 2019 program!

Dates

• July 8-12, 2019
• July 15-19, 2019

Times

Volunteer hours will run at the following times:

• Morning volunteers (8 a.m. – 1 p.m.)
• Afternoon volunteers (11:30 a.m. – 4:45 p.m.)
• Full day volunteers (8 a.m. – 4:45 p.m. with a lunch break)

If your schedule cannot be confirmed until closer to camp, we will work around that as long as you can commit to at least three days. We work around your schedule and welcome volunteers who can help out half days, full days, or even a few days here and there. High school students can use these hours towards their community service requirements and Laurier students can add this experience to their co-curricular record.

If you are interested in applying, please fill out the LEAP Volunteer Application Form. If you are under the age of 18 you will need to have a parent/guardian fill out the LEAP Volunteer Permission Form. The deadline to apply is June 11, 2019.

Donating to LEAP

As a result of generous donations, we have been able to offer bursaries for campers for past Sensational Saturday and summer day camp programs. We wish to thank the Optimist Club of Westvale-Waterloo, the Rotary Club of Kitchener-Grand River, the Elmira Kiwanis Club, the Kiwanis Club of North Waterloo, and others whose contributions have made LEAP's bursary program possible to date.

LEAP hopes to continue the bursary program for our future camps. This will be dependent on receiving more donations in the future.

LEAP welcomes donations from anyone interested in assisting campers in financial need who would benefit from our enrichment programming. We accept donations in any amount. $145 will send one child to a half-day summer camp or a six-week Sensational Saturdays winter session, and $290 will send a child to a full-day summer camp. If you or your organization are able to donate funds to help send children to camp, please contact our Development Officer Dean Sherk at 519.884.0710 x2094 or at dsherk@wlu.ca.

Wilfrid Laurier University is a registered Charitable Organization and will provide Income Tax Receipts for all contributions.