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Planning Your RVOEP Field Trip

RESERVING A FIELD TRIP DATE
If you are a new UUSD teacher (grade first through fifth), email the RVOEP Education Coordinator Erich Sommer at [email protected] to arrange a date to bring your class to the RVOEP. Teachers who have participated in RVOEP programs in the past will receive a tentative field trip date by email. Fall field trip dates will be sent to teachers in late August and early September. Spring field trip dates will be sent out during January and early February. When you receive your date, please confirm as soon as possible. Weather permitting, RVOEP attempts to schedule all interested UUSD 1st through 6th grade classes.

TRANSPORTATION
RVOEP & UUSD are able to cover bus transportation costs for UUSD students, but you must reserve the bus with a minimum 2 weeks ahead of time. Arrange transportation ASAP by calling 472-5090 and sending in your Transportation Request Form. Plan to arrive at the RVOEP as close to 9:00 AM as possible and leave at 1:00. On Wednesdays, please arrange to arrive at the RVOEP at 8:45 and leave the RVOEP at 12:45.

WHAT STUDENTS SHOULD BRING
Please encourage your students to dress appropriately in long pants, a warm jacket or layered clothing, and good hiking shoes (no sandals and no shorts). They should bring a healthy snack and lunch packed in reusable containers. This is a great opportunity to talk to students about planning a healthy lunch and reducing the amount of waste we all put into the landfill. There are lots of tips for packing a zero-waste lunch online, including this helpful website. NOTE: If you are participating in the River Program, students must bring a pair of shoes or sandals that can be worn in the water (old tennis shoes are perfect).

WHAT TEACHERS SHOULD BRING

  • Emergency release forms and First Aid Kit
  • Some teachers like to use an ice chest for school lunches and skip the paper bags.
  • Appropriate medication for students with special needs or medical alerts (i.e. bee sting kits, inhalers for asthma, etc.)
  • Mosquito repellant (April and May)
  • Two garbage bags for recycling and landfill
  • Cell phone
  • Extra jackets for late fall or early spring field trips.

PARENT/ADULT VOLUNTEERS
Please limit parent chaperones to a maximum of three. Volunteers should be aware that programs for third through fifth grades do involve hiking up and down steep hills. If you are unable to enlist parent helpers, let the RVOEP Education Coordinator know ahead of time and she will try to arrange for extra help. Please discourage parents from bringing younger siblings. Note: Cell phones must be turned off during program activities.

PROGRAM
A brief overview of RVOEP field trip programs and our focus for your trip is available to all teachers. Feel free to let the RVOEP Education Coordinator know about your special needs and interests and the staff will try to accommodate them. The more relevant your RVOEP program is to what you are doing in the classroom, the richer the experience will be for your students.

PREPARATION
As soon as you finalize your field trip reservation arrange for bus transportation, fill out the necessary field trip forms at your school, and begin to plan your curriculum connections.

Two weeks before your field trip send home the field trip permission slip and finalize parent chaperones.

A day or two before your scheduled field trip review with your students: “A Few Simple Rules”, what to wear, and what to bring.

RVOEP programs tie to state science standards and to good curriculums such as the new Education and the Environment Curriculum available for free at www.californiaeei.org/Curriculum/. Reviewing related science lessons before your trip will greatly enhance your students’ experience at the RVOEP.

HOW TO GET THE MOST OUT OF YOUR RVOEP FIELD TRIP EXPERIENCE

  • Take advantage of this unique learning opportunity! Make sure that you connect with the RVOEP Education Coordinator to arrange for your class to participate.
  • Plan your class curriculum connections to integrate common core standards across subject areas with your field trip focus.
  • Read “Planning Your RVOEP Field Trip” to make sure that you and your students are prepared.
  • During RVOEP field trips, teachers are able to observe and participate right along with their students. This will give you an opportunity to learn valuable information about your students.