Wednesday, February 15, 2017

Field Trips - Experiential Learning

Dear colleagues,

As we are busy with the field trips again. Please, remember let everyone know about your field trips so that particularly specialists teacher don't plan and wait for your students in vain. Below you can find the Field Trips Protocol.

Also, please add your experiences on the field trip information sheet you can find here.

Canadian Academy encourages experiential learning. Enriching units of inquiry and building strong learning community are effectively achieved through field trips. Please ensure that planning including scheduling, communication, and approval of transportation is done early so as to avoid conflict in the calendar of events, other teachers' plans and reserving transportation. The ES Office will help you arranging the field trips. Please follow the checklist below in support of designing successful experiential learning experiences.
  • Introduce new initiatives or plans regarding field trips to the ES Principal for pre-approval.
  • Check the field trip calendar in the ES office for any conflicts.
  • Check with the Business Office whether buses will be available.
  • Place request forms like RAM, transportation, and packed lunch (if needed) from Cezar's Kitchen (For curricular, safety and emergency reasons RAM form must be approved before the field trips can take place.)
  • List your field trip on the field trip calendar in the ES office after the RAM has been approved
  • Communicate to all other teachers teaching the class, counselor, coordinators and ES office about the field trip as early as possible and check the Duty Schedule to swap duties or find substitutes if necessary.
  • Request the ES secretary's help in making reservations with the field trip destinations if needed.
  • Organize the pre-order sack lunches from Cezar’s Kitchen by reserving a lunch on their field trip permission slip you send home. (Please, note that Cezar’s kitchen must receive the request one week before the field trip using the Food Request Form.)
  • Inform parents about the details of the trip in an email and on the class website, and request volunteers for supervision if necessary.
  • Collect all necessary fees. 
  • Pay all fees to the accounting office.  
  • Include road toll and parking and admission fees for teachers and assistants. 
  • Plan clear, structured and detailed information packets for parents joining the trip
  • Pick up First Aid kit from the Health Office and any medications for students
  • Set and communicate learning, working and behavioral expectations for students and parents
Note that all grade levels usually go ice skating in winter months. These trips are often coordinated with Buddy Classes. Due to scheduling issues, these have to be booked many weeks in advance. The ES Secretary coordinates these trips.