Islands of Brilliance Policies

Workshop Attendance

At Islands of Brilliance (IOB), our workshops rely on the dedication of volunteer mentors who generously give their time to support our students. Because of this, we cannot offer make-up sessions for absences due to personal scheduling conflicts.

Make-Up Sessions

We understand that life happens, and students may occasionally need to miss a workshop due to illness or a family emergency. In these cases, we will do our best – at the discretion of our educator staff and based on mentor availability – to offer a make-up opportunity. However, please note:

• Make-up sessions are not guaranteed and may not be 1:1.

• If offered, they may take the form of a group make-up session or drop-in office hours at a scheduled time. This time may not align with the original workshop schedule and/or format (e.g., a Saturday workshop may have a Thursday make-up option, or an in-person workshop may have an online make-up session).

• If a make-up session is available, the student may be paired with a different mentor than their original workshop mentor.

• Students are always welcome to complete their project at home and send it to IOB for printing.

Weather & Unforeseen Cancellations by IOB

In the rare event that IOB needs to cancel a workshop due to weather or an extreme, unforeseen circumstance, we will notify families as soon as possible and offer:

• The choice to attend one scheduled online or in-person make-up session for the canceled workshop. Unfortunately, we are unable to provide individually scheduled make-up sessions. 

• If neither option works, families may request a prorated refund for the canceled session(s).

If IOB workshops remain open but a family chooses not to attend due to personal travel/weather concerns, make-up sessions or refunds will not be provided.

Families will be notified of any cancellations via email and/or text no later than 3 hours before the start time on the day of the workshop.

• On weekdays, we follow Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) closures for weather-related cancellations.

• On weekends, when school closure decisions are not available, we will base our decision on:

  • Winter Weather Advisories, Warnings, or Travel Alerts issued by the National Weather Service.

  • Road condition reports from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation.

Workshop Registration Cancellation Policy

If you need to cancel your workshop registration, we ask for as much advance notice as possible so we can offer the seat to another student and adjust mentor assignments accordingly.

• Islands of Brilliance allows full refunds within 24 hours of registration.

• Cancellations made at least one week before the workshop start date are eligible for a full refund, minus a $25 processing fee..

• Cancellations made less than one week before the workshop start date are not eligible for a refund, as we will have already assigned mentors and held space for your student.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation—we appreciate your commitment to making our workshops a success!

Updated Summer of 2022

The safety and well-being of our students, mentors, faculty, and staff is our top priority and we follow recommendations from the CDC and local health departments. We reserve the right to change our safety policy at any time.

Islands of Brilliance is committed to serving all students who want to participate in our workshops. To meet our students' needs, we offer both in-person and on-line classes. Students should choose workshops that meet both their programming needs and match their comfort level.

For in-person programming, masks are recommended but not required. IoB expects members of its community to fully support any individuals who make the decision to continue to use of face masks.

Students are expected to stay home if they are feeling ill or are experiencing cold or flu symptoms including:

• Fever

• Cough

• Trouble breathing

• Symptoms of a cold, such as sore throat, congestion, and/or runny nose

• Chills

• Muscle pain

• Headache

• Loss of taste or smell

• Nausea or vomiting

• Diarrhea

• Unusual Tiredness

Islands of Brilliance staff will contact parents/guardians and request any student exhibiting any symptoms of illness to be picked up immediately.

Alternative arrangements such as attending the workshop via Zoom may be offered by Islands of Brilliance at its sole discretion, but such alternatives are not guaranteed.

Any student who tests positive for COVID-19, whether they are symptomatic or not, must isolate for five days, which follows updated CDC, Wisconsin DHS, and local health departments' guidance:

• Stay home for five full days following the date of the positive test result. (The day of the test is day zero; the next day is day one.)

• If you have no symptoms, or your symptoms are resolved after five days, you may attend in-person programming. but you need to wear a mask days 6-10.

• If you have symptoms after 5 days, continue to stay home until your symptoms have resolved for at least 24 hours.

As a condition to my child’s participation in the Islands of Brilliance program, I hereby release and hold harmless Islands of Brilliance, volunteer staff and mentors, and all of their respective owners, employees, agents and representatives, from and against all claims, damages and other liabilities whatsoever, including but not limited to personal injury, illness or property damage, which relate in any way to my child’s participation in the Islands of Brilliance program.

Every person in the Islands of Brilliance community has the right to feel safe and be safe. We will provide a safe, inclusive, and supportive learning environment free from bullying, violence and harassment. It is our goal to ensure that participants are happy, confident, and successful learners. We expect all members of our community to treat each other with respect and dignity. Bullying, violence, and harassment will not be tolerated; such instances will be dealt with in a swift, serious, and appropriate manner. By virtue of your registration, you agree to adhere to the following as a participant in this workshop experience.

• I will be a willing and supportive participant of the safe environment created by IOB.

• I will not interfere with or be a disruption to other participants.

• I will not distribute inappropriate material including spam or malicious, offensive or harassing material that defames or would offend other people.

• I will not use inappropriate, profane, obscene or aggressive language/drawings.