Chess Club
Fellows Chess Club Fall 2024 Registration
Please fill out a Fellows Chess Club Fall 2024 Lottery Form by September 15, 2024 for each child you would like to register for chess club.
If you miss the deadline, please fill out the form and send an email to chessclubfellows@gmail.com.
What is Fellows Chess Club?
When/Where is Chess Club?
FCC meets after school at Fellows Elementary from 2:45-3:45 pm. (Dismissal time has changed from previous sessions.) Exact days will depend on student interest and availability of coaches and rooms, but we are planning for groups on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and maybe Fridays.
Please sign up for only one class per child. If interest exceeds our capacity, admission to FCC will be by lottery.
Students will meet in their assigned room after 2:45 pm dismissal, attendance will be taken, and students will be given a small, quick nut-free and gelatin-free snack (provided by FCC). The first FCC meeting will be on or soon after September 20. FCC meets for ten weeks (excluding conference and break weeks) and ends in December.
Who Should Join?
No prior chess knowledge is necessary. We will have lessons for grades 2-5 at all levels of play with targeted lessons for new/inexperienced players. Classes are limited to 20 students per level.
In a departure from past years, FCC will not be open to kindergarten or 1st grade students. Although some kindergarten children (or even younger) absolutely can learn to play chess, many kindergarten students lack the endurance for a one-hour chess meeting after a full day of school. According to experts “the consensus among chess teachers seems to be that second grade – meaning age 7 or 8 – is the ideal time to start.” (The Brainy Benefits of Chess) No exceptions will be made for kindergarten students. An exception might be made for a first grade student if that student already knows how to play chess and enthusiastically plays full games.
What are the Expectations of Parents?
Please watch for the signup genius, which will be sent to you via email. The parent volunteer is responsible for checking students into chess club after school, distributing snacks, cleaning up (sweeping/wiping down the tables), and dismissal/checking kids out.
Parent Volunteering is Required!?
We understand that not all parents may be able to volunteer, so those parents are asked to pay the volunteer “opt-out” fee of $40 per semester. Payment for the opt-out must be paid with registration.
What is the Cost?
Payment will be due (online or by check) by January 17. Your child’s registration is not complete until we have received your payment; if payment is not received by the due date, your child automatically loses their spot in the program, and their spot will be offered to a waitlisted student.
*Need-based scholarships are available; please email chessclubfellows@gmail.com to request a scholarship. Cost should not be a barrier.
How Can Children Learn Chess Outside of Chess Club?
How to Play Chess
Chess Tactics
Chess Terms
There are also lesson plans at https://chessctr.org/teach/ if you want to help your child learn at home. They were designed so no chess knowledge is necessary to teach them.
FCC Policies
Before Signing Up, Be Sure to Read the Following Policies!
No Refund Policy
There are no refunds given on FCC registration.
Late Pick-Up Policy
Chess Club is only possible through the time commitments made by our parent volunteers. We must respect each other’s time. If you are consistently late to pick up, we will sadly have to penalize your child by ceasing their participation in FCC. FCC ends promptly at 3:45 pm. (NOTE the earlier dismissal time than previous.)
If your child is picked up more than 5 minutes late two times (TWICE), your child will no longer be able to participate; and no refunds will be given on your registration.
Behavior Policy
Chess is a concentration/thinking game. While we want FCC members to have fun playing the game, part of the instruction includes building their focus on the game. Students may only talk at a low volume. Please ask your child to be respectful to the coaches, parents and fellow students.
Quiet attention is required when the coach is teaching. FCC members are expected to follow the same rules of behavior that they would in the classroom during school. Library books, art supplies, and other school equipment are off-limits during chess club.
Appropriate classroom behavior is expected, including one person talking at a time, students raising their hand with questions or answers to questions posed by the coaches, no side conversations or “poking” of other students no matter how friendly the claimed intention, no feet on the chairs or tables, no rocking in the chairs, no food or beverages in class, no outside distractions of any kind in class including toys, fidgets/poppers, Pokemon or playing cards, phones, game players, etc.
In chess club and chess generally, a person should never comment on a game that is in progress, whether the game is yours or one that you are just watching.
If a child does not cooperate with FCC rules, parents will be called for early pick-up because we will assume that he/she is ready to go home. Repeated disruption will lead to being asked not to return to the club. There will be no refund if your child is uninvited for behavior issues. Parents, please review these rules with your child.
Inclement Weather
If school is canceled, there will be no chess club. There will be no chess club if school is released early due to inclement weather. When possible, an email will be sent notifying parents of chess club cancellation; however, if you are ever in doubt, you may call the school to check on the status of after-school activities: 515-239-3765. Every attempt will be made to make up missed classes at the end of each semester.
Policy on Children Not Picked Up from Club
This protocol should be followed when a child has not been picked up from FCC, and parent(s)/caregiver(s) or the emergency contact person(s) for the child cannot be reached. These situations are time-consuming for the coaches and parent volunteers and can be very upsetting for the child. On these occasions, a protocol must be available to enable the child to be looked after in a safe environment.
Protocol:
- If a child has not been picked up by 3:50 pm, the coaches and volunteers will make every possible attempt to contact the parent(s)/caregiver(s) with all emergency numbers supplied by the family. A student will not be released into the care of another parent without the consent of the parent(s)/ caregiver(s).
- At 4:00 pm, if no contact has been made and no one has arrived to collect the child, the coach will contact the Ames Community School District/Ames Police Department School Resource Officer. Children will be placed in police custody to locate their parents.