Final Cave Notes

Final NY Trip Updates

Hi everyone,

  Just a few final reminders for this week's NY Geology Trips on Thursday and Friday.


1. Drop off is at 5:45 AM at WMS: When you drop off your child in the morning please park in the teacher parking lot. DO NOT drive up the bus driveway. Students will be loading their bags onto the bays under the bus on both sides of the bus and we do not want any traffic coming up the driveway at this time

2. Snacks and Food: Please remember as you are packing your child's food for the day to not pack any foods with peanuts or any kind of nuts as well as any shellfish. We have children on the bus with food allergies and would like to avoid any emergencies due to food allergies. Thank you for your cooperation with this. Please also remember that your child must bring with them their food for breakfast, snacks, and lunch. Students must also bring their own drinks and a water bottle. No Caffeinated beverages allowed.

3. Cave clothing: Please remember that if your child is going into the cave they must be wearing long pants, a long sleeve shirt, and a helmet with a light attached. There are no exceptions to this rule - safety is of the utmost importance. Please also remember that they must wear gym shorts and a t-shirt underneath their clothes so they can change outside the bus after exiting the cave.

4. Dinner: Dinner is at the Lee rest area on the Mass. Pike. Students may bring their own dinner or no more than $10.00 for fast food at the rest area.

5. Phone chain: Your child has brought home a copy of the phone chain for you. It is in their science class folder. I will activate the phone chain upon leaving dinner - we will be approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes away at this point.

6. Pick up at the end of the trip at WMS: When you pick up your child please again park your car in the teacher lot and do not drive up the bus driveway. Same as the morning kids will be going around to both sides of the bus to get their bags from underneath the bus when they return.

Thanks for your support from home, trips like this cannot happen without parent support.

Cave Trip Info...

Phone Chains -   Ms. Nichols sent home a copy of the cave trip phone chain list today with all students (except black block students who will receive the list on Tuesday).  Please check in with your child about the list so that everyone will be contacted when we are on our way home from NY.  If you have any questions, please contact Ms. Nichols.  Thanks.

Cave Trip Information

Hi All,

Your child has an extra copy of the packing list for the NY geology trip which is next Thursday or Friday.  Please check over the packing list and make sure you have all the materials necessary.  When planning food for your child, please DO NOT pack anything with NUTS or PEANUTS.  We have children with life threatening allergies on the bus.  Thank you for your help.

Your child will need breakfast, morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack and either money for dinner at the Lee Rest Area or a brown bag dinner.

Also your child must have a helmet with two small flashlights or headlamp attached for the trip.  No helmet, No cave.  Safety matters.  We have extra helmets if you need one.

Your child must dress for the trip in shorts and t-shirt under sweats because when we leave the cave we strip off our outer clothing and put it in a trash bag under the bus and take out clean clothing to wear on the bus ride home.  We change in an open parking lot and so no privacy is available.

Updates

Hello everyone,

   Just a few brief updates for you this week:

• Progress Report slips: Please review your child's progress reports and sign the slip stating you have done so. This slip should be returned through your child to their homeroom teacher as soon as possible. Thank you.

• DC Registration: If you have not yet done so please review the DC Trip Information Folder you either received at Back to School Night or through your child the following day. We would like to get all students registered for the DC trip by the end of the month. You can view the DC registration instructions in the post below this one. We have also added a link at the top of this page called "DC Information - Worldstrides" which has registration information and a link to their website for online registration and account access.

DC Trip Information and Registration

DC Trip Information and Registration

Hello everyone,
  This post contains important information regarding the registration process for your child and the Washington D.C. trip. Thank you in advance for reading this as well as your DC information packet and getting your child registered by October 29th.

DC Trip Information Folders - For those of you who attended or Washington D.C. trip presentation at Back to School Night you brought home with you the trip information folder. If you were not able to attend please note that your child was given your trip information folder during a second homeroom this past Friday. Please ask your child for this folder (Orange) as it contains important information presented  during the DC presentation.

DC Trip Registration Process (Please Read) - As explained at the DC Night Presentation we would like to get all the 8th graders registered with our travel agency Worldstrides by October 29th. 

Every student participating in the trip must be registered with Worldstrides in order for us to reserve a hotel room, meals, evening activities, and transportation accommodations for your child. Please note that you will include a $99.00 deposit towards your child's trip when completing the registration process. In your DC Information Folder you have an envelope inside from Worldstrides with a registration sheet that contains all the important information regarding our DC trip. Registration can be done one of three ways:

1. Online registration: Registration can be done quickly online by going to the Worldstrides website. At the site you will see a link in the right hand corner saying "Ready to Register? Visit Online registration now!" Clicking on this link will take you to the process to get your child registered for the trip and with Wayland Middle School. You can pay the $99.00 deposit by credit card when completing the registration online. Online registration allows you to access your child's account over the course of the year up to the trip to manage payments and view balances.

• For online registration our TRIP ID# is 81279

1. Registration by mail: Use the registration form included in your DC Information folder to register by mail. Simply fill out the form and include a check or money order for $99.00 payable to Worldstrides. This can be sent by mail using the enclosed envelope in your trip folder.
2. Registration by phone: You can also register directly over the phone by calling the Worldstrides customer service department at 800-468-5899

Trip Payments: As explained at DC Night these are the trip payment dates and amounts for this year's trip

1. Registration fee of $99 due by October 29th
2. Payment #1 of $267 due by November 30th
3. Payment #2 of $267 due by January 15th
4. Payment #3 of $266 due by February 11th

  We have also added a link to the Worldstrides website at the top of this blog for easy access over the course of the year for you.

If you have any questions about the registration process please feel free to email me us with any questions.  We are looking forward to a great trip!

 Rob Reddington and Kevin Farley

Cave Trip

New York Geology Trip and Forms 

Hello everyone,

This will be a longer post as it pertains to our science geology trip coming up at the end of October - thanks for reading.

  Our 8th grade science trip (New York Geology Trip) is scheduled for October 25th OR October 26th, depending on your child's science class color. For the past 20 years we have taken the science classroom into the field to learn about the geologic history of western Massachusetts and eastern New York (Albany area). We are excited to bring this year's class into the field to see the geologic features they are currently learning about in our current science unit.

  For those of you who are unfamiliar with the trip please note that this is an extended day trip due to the driving distances involved. Students arrive at WMS at 5:45 AM on the day of their trip for a 6:00 AM departure on coach buses. We return to the middle school between 8:00 and 9:00 PM (exact arrival time is confirmed using a phone tree).

  Your child recently came home with the trip information/permission slip packet for this trip. The forms should be filled out completely and returned through your child directly to Ms. Nichols during science class by Friday October 5th.

  Your child's packet will either be blue or yellow. A blue packet means your child will be going with his/her science class on Thursday October 25. A yellow packet means your child will be going with his/her science class on Friday October 26.

   Your child's safety is of the utmost importance to the staff on this trip. For that reason we ask that you complete each form carefully and completely so we have the most up to date contact information/medical history as possible. Thank you in advance for filling these forms out.

    The cost of the trip is $45.00. Please make the check payable to Wayland Middle School and return along with the forms through your child to me during science class.

Included in the packet are the following forms:

Cover Sheet - The cover sheet has an overview of the trip and summarizes all of the forms in the packet. Please read and detach and leave at home this cover sheet.

2nd Page "Permission Slip for NY Geology Trip" - Please fill out the permission slip completely and sign on the line giving permission for your child to attend. Please also include your name and a phone number to be included in the phone chain so that we may notify you the exact time of our arrival back to WMS in the evening. If your are willing to be a Phone Tree Captain we would greatly appreciate this - you will be asked to call 5-8 other parents on the evening of the trip and let them know when the bus will be returning to the middle school.

Back of 2nd Page "Emergency Contact Information" - Please fill this form out completely, including up to date health insurance information at the bottom of this sheet. In the event of an emergency and we need to reach you we will use the numbers/people on this form to contact you.

3rd page "Medical Information Form" - This is a 2-sided form that asks you to fill out the most recent health information about your child. Please fill this form completely so that we can deal with any medical issues that may arise with your child in a timely manner and with the most information possible. The back of this page also includes information about the administration of tylenol and ibuprofen by WMS staff. Please note you should also sign this sheet at the bottom of the back of the page.

4th Page "Field Trip Medication Order/Consent Form" - This is a 2-sided form. If your child takes any prescription medication that must be administered during the hours of our geology trip then this form must be filled out by your child's pediatrician and returned to school. This form also applies to inhalers and epipens as well. Please note that if any prescription medication can be administered prior to drop off and upon return to Wayland that would be preferable. If needed however WMS staff will be able to administer prescription medication in a discreet manner during the trip itself.

• Please note that this form only is necessary if your child has an inhaler or epipen, or if WMS staff must administer prescription medication during the trip.
• This form can be faxed directly to WMS from your child's pediatrician office. WMS Fax # 508-655-2548 ATTN: Jennifer Nichols    

5th Page "Electronics Policy" - Please read over and sign the electronics policy that we have for this trip. Students and parents must sign the policy at the bottom of this sheet.

6th Page "Clarksville Cave Waiver Form" - We have visited and entered the Clarksville Cave in upstate New York for the past 20 years. Along with the geologic history and teaching we can do while inside the cave it also offers a valuable bonding/team building opportunity for our 8th graders. The cave itself has large passageways where we can walk standing straight up. There are a few sections where we crouch down but never any passageways that involve crawling on hands and knees or lying down. Students go into the cave in groups of 10-12 with 3 WMS staff and are in the cave for approximately 30 minutes.

• The cave was recently purchased and is now overseen by the Northeastern Cave Conservacy who are in charge of the preservation of this rich geologic resource. Because of this any person entering the cave (including students) must complete the cave waiver form if they choose to participate in this part of the trip
• More information about Clarksville Cave can be found here (including Cave Photos): CLARKSVILLE CAVE
• Entrance into the cave is optional for all students. Students can decide up to the moment of entering the cave whether or not they would like to go in.

7th Page "Trip packing form and Trip Itinerary" - The last page is the packing list and itinerary for the trip. You can remove this sheet and keep at home along with the cover sheet of the trip packet.

Wow - that was a lot! Thanks for taking the time to read it and fill in the forms. We will continue to update you about our trip through posts on this blog.

Thanks