Updates from The Perch 8.12

ORIENTATIONS & HOURS
  • The Perch will be open during all orientation events in August.
    • Sixth Grade at the Hickory Campus – Wednesday 8/14
      Middle and Upper School at the Hickory Campus– Thursday 8/15 
      Pre-K- Grade 5 at the Birdwood Campus Friday 8/16
  • Once the school year begins, regular hours are 8:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Monday – Friday. Please keep in mind our hours may vary at times, so please check the website for any changes to the schedule especially around the holidays.
  • When school is closed, The Perch is closed unless noted. 
NEW ITEMS
  • Many new items are arriving daily and all are available for purchase online on the website – all items will be here by Orientation. Avoid the lines at orientation by making your purchases online – all online purchases will be ready for pickup at orientation (The Perch does not ship to your home).
  • Many new items available include (see full list here)
    • Rugby shirts (Hickory Campus only)
    • New super soft crewnecks and hoodies
    • Therma Nike ¼ zips and hoodies in new colors
    • 2024-25 flower collection
    • Water bottles and accessories
    • Tri-blend House Shirts and house pinnies for Rockbridge
    • Flannel Pants, shorts, and sweatpants
NEW! ONLINE SPORTS STORES
  • As our athletic program continues to grow, we are switching our team stores to an all-online platform. The team stores are a wonderful addition and allow many more choices and options to purchase custom team gear. You must order in the window specified and stores will be open:
    • Preseason - opens August 5 - closes August 19
    • Start of season - opens August 26 - closes September 13
    • Individual stores will open again mid-season if necessary
  • Teams wanting to place a whole-team order should still order directly through The Perch as we can provide a lower price with a bulk order than the individual sales on the store.
  • All orders will be delivered to The Perch and families will be contacted when ready to pick up. You may choose to have your student pick up items or we can leave them for you to pick up from the front desk. An email will alert you when orders arrive. The typical turn-around time is 10 days – 2 weeks. There is no shipping charge if you order within the store window and the group order is delivered to The Perch. 
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
  • Student Billing Procedures – Changes for 2024-25
    • Student billing is the process where students are given a 4 digit number that connects to their Facts account and they can bill items directly. Each student will be given a billing card with their designated number.
    • Student billing is an OPT-OUT process. This means your student can bill unless you send an email to The Perch and request they have their billing restricted. If you prohibit your student to bill, it applies to all items in The Perch including school supplies. They can still make purchases with cash, credit/debit card, or a gift card. Revoking billing privileges only restricts their ability to use student billing, not to purchase. Billing privileges can be restored with the same email to theperch@covenantschool.org but must be done in writing. 
***New for 2024-25 – student billing can be used for all items in The Perch EXCEPT for the purchase of food and drinks. Food and drinks may only be purchased with cash, card, or gift card***

  • PERCH GIFT CARDS- we are making it easier than ever for students to use a gift card for food and drink purchases instead of student billing. You can purchase a Perch gift card at any time online which will allow your student to purchase drinks and food until the gift card is depleted. Many students do this already and get an allotted amount each month. There is no expiration and they carry over to the next school year.
  • The Perch billing card your student will receive this year will have a plastic sleeve that is the perfect shape for the gift card to be inserted behind and simply gets swiped or scanned to make a purchase. We will have gift cards readily available to purchase in-person at orientation or online anytime.
MIDDLE SCHOOL RULES for The Perch – Grades 6-8
  • Students must have a hall pass from a teacher giving specific permission to visit The Perch at any time during the school day outside of the middle school lunch period. In other words, students should not go to The Perch during their recess periods or during passing periods without explicit permission from a faculty or staff member. 
  •  Middle School students are only allowed to purchase food or drink items from The Perch before school (prior to 8:20 a.m.) and during the middle school lunch period. If a student has forgotten his/her lunch, they should see the Nurse or the Middle School Director’s office to make arrangements. Student billing is not permitted for food/drink sales. 
  • If students are using their student billing account, they are not allowed to purchase items for anyone other than themselves or a sibling.  
  • Using The Perch is a privilege. A student may lose this privilege if they are not honoring the instructions of The Perch staff or published/posted policies.
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The Covenant School

Birdwood Campus | Lower School | Pre-K–Grade 5 |
1000 Birdwood Road Charlottesville, VA 22903 | 434.220.7309

Hickory Campus | Middle and Upper School | Grades 6–12 | 175 Hickory Street Charlottesville, VA 22902 | 434.220.7329
Located in Charlottesville, VA, The Covenant School is a non-denominational, private, Christian day school for Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 12. Students benefit from a challenging academic program, visual and performing arts, competitive athletics, and a wide selection of extracurricular activities.
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