Updated.
We are about to depart basecamp. I'll be hard to reach for the next three days as we go deep into the wilds of West Virginia. I'll tweet as service and my cell phone battery allows.
This is a camping trip with my son and his 5th grade classmates.
Photos, on our return, have been uploaded.
Pittsburgh Phillips K-5 5th Grade Camping Trip - A for Athlete: "Pittsburgh Phillips K-5 5th Grade Camping Trip"
Your homework, should you choose to play along, is to log onto the new wiki, G-20, and start slugging in some content. The world's elite arrives in Pittsburgh in a few months. We've got to be ready for what that may or may not deliver. So, go here: http://g20.wikia.com/.
Original published on June 1, 2009.
Posts
5 comments:
Good luck on the camping trip. Congratulations on having the flexibility to participate in the trip and on having a child in a building where overall performance allows the freedon to deviate from the roadmap. It would be great if, when you return, you can provide a few details on how this comes about for other fifth graders. Do you all fundraise for the cost? How many chaparones? What percentage participate in the trip? How many total students? Tent or cabin?
We were in tents, pitched in the grounds very near to the cabins. But, storms were predicted and boy did they come.
So, at 3 am-ish the first night, will all snung in tents, and lightening and rain -- the kids dashed to the cabins.
I stayed in my tent, FWIW. I had only a few stray drops in the tent. Some others were very wet.
The cost was $85 per kid. Kids had to pay $75. Three days, two nights.
There were chances to fundraise: pizza sales, etc. So, if you really did it all and didn't loose your money or anything sad -- it could have been paid for. But, I don't think many did that much sales. ??
We had 32 kids go. Two teachers. Two other adults -- but we two are really teachers too in that Mrs. V is an aid in the building for languages and I'm swim coach, etc.
There is a staf at the camp as well.
Camp had all the food except for last night as the bus wasn't due to 6 pm. We had pizza from local place.
About 10 didn't go. A few by choice. One by $ reasons. A few by grades. If you get 9 "Ns" you are not eligible.
Thanks for the recap. I plan to direct a teacher I know to the site. I have heard her lament the loss of such end of year events like the Phillips camping trip. The size of the fifth grade you describe makes this doable as I am sure, the atmosphere at the school does too. You do realize how lucky the students are to have this type of opportunity, I am sure. A 2 round school is a nice size for any elementary.
Some possible twists and chatter could be food for thought.
The tents are not necessary. Could just go straight to the cabins. They are rustic. Saves time on both ends of the trip. Would have more time to teach other things.
The storms are frequent this time of year.
Another idea: Take both the 4th and 5th graders. Then the 4th graders, generally well behaved, get to have an experience to look to for next year -- helping to keep them on the straight and narrow.
Some of the kids and their parents opt out of the trip because they don't know what they are missing. And, the leverage of NOT going on the trip is less as well. In a sense the trip is a huge reward. And, it is used as such for those to do homework, behave, etc.
If others want insights, call or email. Mr. Mass, (not full name), the science teacher at Phillips, is the main organizer.
Some other schools do a similar trip. So, this isn't all that rare.
I have heard of fifth grade trips to DC too and other places. Personally, when my kids were in 4th and 5th grades I would have preferred this type of trip to Fun Day or any of the mundane end of year field trips.
Post a Comment