When at the National Weather Service Station, students will extend their learning of weather phenomenons by exploring emergency support vehicles, touring a weather station, and engaging in meaningful conversations with meteorologists. Dear Parent/Guardian, Our class is taking a field trip! For the past week we have been studying the different types of weather phenomenas. Your children have learned all about thunderstorms, tornadoes, and hurricanes and are ready to experience what it would be like to be a real meteorologist predicting and detecting these weather phenomenas! To celebrate the end of our study, we have the opportunity of visiting the National Weather Service of Birmingham, AL. Here are the details: National Weather Service- Birmingham, AL Office in Calera, AL, 465 Weathervane Rd. (near the Shelby County Airport) We will depart from Kelley Elementary School at approximately 9am on May 12, 2014, and plan to arrive back at Kelley Elementary at 2:30pm. Students should wear their lavender field trip shirts on the day of our trip. This helps to teachers and chaperones keep track of our students. Students should plan to eat breakfast before they come to school and bring a snack to eat during our time together. Students will have two options for lunch: They may either purchase pizza and a soda at the Weather Service station (cost of lunch will be $3) or bring their own lunch. If you have any concerns, do not hesitate to contact me: 859-327-6778. Cost Per Person: $11.00
MONEY IS DUE: Friday, May 2
Return This Portion!! I give permission for my child, ________________________ to go to the National Weather Service field trip on May 12, 2014. I have included my money with this permission slip. Yes, I would like to be a parent volunteer/chaperone. No, I am unavailable to be a parent volunteer/chaperone. Parent Signature: _______________________________Date: _________ What will your child be experiencing? Touring the weather forecast office and seeing how a weather radio works, touring various emergency support vehicles, talking with NWS meteorologists, county EMA officials, and first responders about a variety of topics, AND MORE!! Cut Here! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Field Trip Preparation! National Weather Service- Birmingham One Day Before Field Trip:
Were going to the National Weather Service!
o Go to the website and explore o Look at pictures of the center o Discuss schedule, what will happen at the site
Review what is expected of students on field trips
o Students will sign the following statement: When on a field trip, I, _______, will respect Kelley Elementary through strong character, good behavior, and a positive attitude. I will respect my authorities and the location of our field trip. o Teacher will collect contract Day of Field Trip
Review safety tips and safety plans
Review rules
Connect the trip to the weather phenomena unit:
o The students will have just finished a review of the unit and completed their final assessment. The teacher will briefly represent the information from the unit to refresh the students memories. o Review some key vocabulary and our unit concept o How does what we have been studying relate to the National Weather Service? o Mission of the National Weather Service is to inform the public on the storms we have learned about in the unit. o We will learn how the professionals detect storms ! Forecasting ! Equipment ! Technology ! Radar ! Satellites o We will also be learning safety precautions students should follow in case of these weather phenomenas
Important Information Binder
o Parent Letter/ Permission slip o Medical information form o Parent contact information ! The teachers will keep a record (binder) of permission slips, medical forms, and parent contact information to take with him/her on the field trip at all times. The secretary and principle will also have copies of this information. SAFETY PLAN Emergency, First Aid, Medicine Plan These are typical questions that are asked by parents about safety before their children goes on a field trip. It includes information on administering medications, in event of an accident, injury, designated meeting location for lost students, etc. If you have additional questions, please feel free to contact Miss Kelley or Miss Lavender.
What information does the parent/guardian need to give the teacher in regards to student health? o Student health information should be turned into the front office at the beginning of the school year. A Health Card should also be turned into Miss Kelley or Miss Lavender for their own personal records. This is the information that is required for each student: ! Medical conditions ! Medications ! Allergies ! Medical Emergency cards ! Permission for treatment o The teacher will keep this information in a binder that accompanies the group on the trip and will also have a copy kept at the school
How do I communicate in case of an emergency?
o The parents will provide a primary source of communication (phone number) to the teacher. Parents will also be required to have an alternate phone number if the primary means does not work. ! The teacher will keep a binder of all the numbers with him/her on the field trip in case of an emergency o Phone numbers for field trip staff will be provided to use to contact a school administrator on a 24-hour basis in an emergency. Parents will be provided with this information. ! Teacher or Administrator will contact parents/guardians in a serious emergency
What will be done if my child gets hurt?
o Never fail to give aid (err on the side of caution) o Call for professional medical attention if needed o Make sure an adult is always with the injured child o Contact the school administrator and parents/guardian as soon as possible o Complete an accident report
Will there be someone who is first aid trained on the field trip? o Yes, Kelley Elementary teachers and staff are firs aid trained.
What emergency equipment will be taken with the group?
o First aid kit o Extra food o Flashlight o Map/ GPS ! Other safety equipment/ tools will be provided at the National Weather Service
How will medications be distributed on the trip?
o The school nurse
Is there a designated meeting spot for if my child gets lost?
o The children know that if they get separated from the group, they are to report to the front lobby of the National Weather Service of Birmingham ! They will be shown the exact location and the receptionist to communicate with at the welcome session of our field trip. Management Plan Attire: In order to keep track of students while at the National Weather Service Station, students will be required to wear their lavender Kelley Elementary field trip shirt that they purchased at the beginning of the school year. It is also suggested that students wear tennis shoes the day of the field trip. Students may wear jeans. Before leaving for the field trip, students will be given a name tag. Students must wear name tags while on site at the National Weather Service Station. Management: There will be five adult/parent chaperones. Each adult/parent chaperone will be assigned three to four students. Students must stay with their adult chaperone at all times. Chaperone groups will be decided and predetermined by the teacher. Rules: Field Trip rules must be followed at all times. Students must stay with their assigned chaperones. Students will sign a contract prior to the field trip. Students will be reminded to treat the site and others with respect. Disciplinary Plan: Students who fail to follow directions and rules will be removed from their assigned group. Students will be required to stay with either Miss Kelley or Miss Lavender for the remaining time of the field trip. Designated Meeting Location for Lost Students: All lost students should report to the lobby after notifying staff personnel of the National Weather Service Station. Plan for Students Who Do Not Attend the Field Trip: Students who do not attend the field trip, for whatever reason, must report to Miss Combs 5th grade classroom. The students must actively participate in lessons/activities that her class will engage in for that day. National Weather Service Station Field Trip Adults: Emily Lavender Emily Kelley Adult Chaperone Adult Chaperone Adult Chaperone Adult Chaperone Adult Chaperone Students: Derek Morgan Spencer Reid Emily Printess Jennifer Jeroe Aaron Hotchner David Rossi Ross Geller Monica Geller Pheobe Buffey Chandler Bing Rachel Green Joey Tribioni Jimmy Fallon Cameron Diaz Johnny Depp Julia Roberts Brian Littrell Nick Carter Field Trip Grades: Group Thunder: Derek Morgan Spencer Reid Aaron Hotchner David Rossi Group Lightning: Emily Printess Jennifer Jeroe Cameron Diaz Julia Roberts Group T-Storms: Ross Geller Chandler Bing Joey Tribioni Group Tornadoes: Rachel Green Monica Geller Pheobe Buffey Group Hurricanes: Jimmy Fallon Johnny Depp Brian Littrell Nick Carter Lunch and Snack Plan LUNCH PLAN Students will have two options for lunch: purchase pizza and a soda ($3) or bring a sack lunch. Lunch will be at 12:00 p.m. in their multi-purpose room. Students will have 45 minutes to eat and clean up. SACK LUNCHES: When students to arrive to school, they will place their sack lunch in the blue box outside their classroom. The teachers will transport these boxes to the National Weather Service Station. When we have our lunch time, there will be two lines. One will be for purchased lunches, the other for sack lunches. Students will follow Miss Kelley to the Sack Lunch Line. PURCHASED LUNCHES: Students who are purchasing their lunches at the National Weather Service Station will bring their $3 that day. Students will be responsible for their money until lunch time. Students MUST give their money to their homeroom teacher before boarding buses for the field trip. When we have our lunch time, there will be two lines. One will be for purchased lunches, and the other for sack lunches. Students will follow Miss Lavender to the Purchased Lunch Line. SNACK PLAN Students are encouraged to bring a snack and drink. Students will be able to eat their snack during the Welcome Session. Snacks must be individually packed snacks. Students may bring a water bottle. Teachers will have large trash bags and will collect all trash. Schedule 8:00- 8:30 a.m. Review Important Information and Expectations 8:30- 8:45 a.m. Parents arrive at Kelley Elementary 8:50 a.m. Load Buses 9:00 a.m. Depart Kelley Elementary 9:45 a.m. Arrive at National Weather Service Station 9:50 a.m. Welcome and Snack 10:00 a.m. Weather Station Tour 10:45 a.m. Listen to Weather Radio and see how it operates 11:00 a.m. Meet the Meteorologists! 12:00 p.m. Lunch 12:45 p.m. Restroom Break 1:00 p.m. Safety Information Session 1:45 p.m. Closing 1:50 Load Buses and Depart for Kelley Elementary 2:30 Arrive at Kelley Elementary Communication Plan Miss Lavender and Miss Kelley will distribute a Field Trip Information Sheet with the following contact information to the principle and secretary of Kelley Elementary School and the adult chaperones attending the field trip: Contact Information: Miss Kelley 609-987-4567 Miss Emily 859-327-6778 Kelley Elementary Front Office 205-678-8900 Homeroom Parent (Lindsey Rae Geller) 205-677-4545 Principle (Dr. Victoria Bye PhD) 205-788-2312 Bus Driver (Mr. Patrick OConner) 233-245-1945 Field Trip Communication: The teacher will be in contact with the National Weather Service Station as soon as the idea is approved to plan the field trip. The teachers will confirm activities with the National Weather Service Station a week before the field trip and again the day before the field trip. Bus Driver Communication: The teacher will be in contact with the bus driver 5 days before the field trip, and again the day before the field trip to confirm he/she knows the exact meeting spot/time and location of trip. Parent Communication: The teachers will communicate to parents through the parent letter and additional information sent homeThe teacher will also be responsible for communicating to parents by parent letter and other information sent home. The teachers will have their phones available throughout the entire field trip. Assessment of Learning PreAssessment: In order to assess the students prior knowledge of weather phenomenas, the teacher will have the students complete a 3-2-1 graphic organizer. The students will be asked to write 3 things they already know about weather phenomenas, 2 things that they hope to learn at the weather station, and 1 thing that they would like to research after visiting the weather station. The teachers will collect this pre-assessment prior to the field trip. PostAssessment: In order to assess the students comprehension of what they learned while at the weather station, the teachers will have the students create a second 3-2-1 graphic organizer. The students will write 3 things that they learned while at the weather station, 2 things they found interesting at the weather station, and 1 thing that they learned about that they would like to research more. The students will compare and contrast their pre and post assessments and reflect on what they learned. The students will be graded for participation. Instagram: The 3rd grade class has a private Instagram account set up to record learning by allowing students and parents to post pictures. During our time at the National Weather Service Station, parents will be encouraged to take pictures of students actively learning. A few days after the field trip, the class will go through the pictures taken and reflect on their full day of fun and learning! Instagram Name: @3rdgraderockstars Pre Assessment Post Assessment Follow Up Plans THANK YOUs: From Teacher to Parent Example: A Starbucks Gift Card will be attached. From Students to Parents Example: The students will trace their hands on different color cardstock paper. Then students will use scissors to cut out the shape of their hands. The students will write a short thank you message on the hand. The cover hand cut-out will say, ______, Thank you for lending a helping hand! The parent volunteers will be given the packet of hand prints for as a token of appreciation from our students. Dear ______, You SWEETEN our day! You were always ALERT while handling our abundant ENERGY first thing in the MORNING. You helped fill our CUP of knowledge and PERCOLATE up to 3 rd grade as well as helping the teachers keep up with their daily GRIND. Youve BEAN a great help! The field trip could not have happened without you. Thanks a LATTE!! Miss Kelley and Miss Lavender Follow Up Plans Continued From Students to Weather Stations: The students will write the NWS a note thanking them for allowing us to come visit them! They will list 2 things that they learned and their favorite part of the trip. Students will be given weather stationary to complete this thank you card. Example: Important Information! Schedule: 8:00- 8:30 a.m. Review Important Information and Expectations 8:30- 8:45 a.m. Parents arrive at Kelley Elementary 8:50 a.m. Load Buses 9:00 a.m. Depart Kelley Elementary 9:45 a.m. Arrive at National Weather Service Station 9:50 a.m. Welcome and Snack 10:00 a.m. Weather Station Tour 10:45 a.m. Listen to Weather Radio and see how it operates 11:00 a.m. Meet the Meteorologists! 12:00 p.m. Lunch 12:45 p.m. Restroom Break 1:00 p.m. Safety Information Session 1:45 p.m. Closing 1:50 Load Buses and Depart for Kelley Elementary 2:30 Arrive at Kelley Elementary Contact Information Miss Kelley 609-987-4567 Miss Emily 859-327-6778 Kelley Elementary Front Office 205-678-8900 Homeroom Parent (Lindsey Rae Geller) 205-677-4545 Principle (Dr. Victoria Bye PhD) 205-788-2312 Bus Driver (Mr. Patrick OConner) Where Are We Going? National Weather Service Station Office in Calera, AL, 465 Weathervane Rd. (near the Shelby County Airport) Phone Number: 205-664-3010 Medical Information: If parents have not filled out and turned in the Kelley Elementary Medical Release form, they must do so before their child can attend a field trip. Also, students must complete a Health Card turned into Miss Kelley and Miss Lavender for their own records. This must be completed before attending field trips. Below is a health card that is to be completed by parents for all field trips.
