20th
Fantastic Field Trips: Part 4
PAPER WORK (everyone’s favorite)
Now you know where you are going, what you are going to do there, and why you are going. Here is the nitty gritty paper work part. Start this process as soon as you know where you are going.
You will need to fill out specific forms before you leave. You may need:
*permission slips
*bus checkouts
*notification to administrators/specialist/paraprofessionals/lunch people/building maintenance (It may sound odd to tell building maintenance people, but often they are glad to not have to clean the room again unless they need to.)
NOTE: Unless you are at a new school these procedures should be in place and they are typically specific to your school and/or district. Look at your staff handbook. If you can’t find what you are looking for ask your administrators.
Papers you should have with you before you leave the building:
*the signed permission slips
*directions and phone number of your destinations
*school phone number in case of emergency
*receipt, name of contact, or reservation number
*payment (be sure to ask the proper person for a check or petty cash or credit card information as soon as the trip is planned)
*alphabetized emergency forms (it can be dangerous if you have to spend 5 minutes flipping through forms looking for allergies or permission to treat.
NOTE: The school should have emergency forms on file. Ask the office manager to copy these as soon as you know that you are going on a trip. Some school policies restrict you from doing this in which case I compile an Excel document that has the students Name, Parents Names, Phone Numbers (highlighting the easiest to reach), Student’s Birthday and Allergies. This is helpful even when you are not on a trip.
ANOTHER NOTE: Before you leave review student allergies, you may remember that they have a peanut allergy, but you may have forgotten they are allergic to horses, because that is less of a problem in the classroom
Organization:
I have had the same manilla file folder labeled “FIELD TRIPS” since I started teaching. In it is information from past field trips that I have enjoyed and any related information like directions, schedules, worksheets that I have created, supply lists, and contact people. It also has a folder that has the emergency forms, receipts and information for upcoming trip, and it is where I collect permission slips. This makes it easy to grab it and go the morning of the trip.
*Do what works and keep it consistent once you figure out what that is for you.**
You will have so much more energy to instruct and keep the trip interesting and meaningful if you have these pieces taken care of before hand.
