outdoor education

OUTDOOR EDUCATIONProviding your child

with a unique on-site and hands-on

environmental education

experience.

What is Outdoor Education?

-Two and a half day overnight educational experience centered around science curriculum.

Why does your child go?• Enhances the sixth grade

curriculum• Instructional activities that

cannot be done in a school building

• Develops relationships• Provides supervised

opportunity to develop independence

Who goes to OE? Adults

• Sixth grade staff• Parent volunteers

StudentsAll sixth grade students

in MCPS

When does your child go?- BearsWednesday, November 7-

Friday, November 9

OR

- TigersWednesday, November 14-

Friday, November 16

Which Outdoor Ed site will your child be attending?

Students at TPMS will attend the Skycroft Conference and Retreat Center located on South Mountain near Middletown, Maryland.

What do we do at Outdoor Ed?Classes:

Predator Prey

Confidence Course

Stream Study

Survivor EarthHistory Hike

What do we do at Outdoor Ed?Evening activities:* senses activity* a nature hike and star gazing* a campfire with s’mores * reptile show

Cabin Life• Children sleep in cabins• Cabins at Skycroft vary in size• Cabins are monitored by parents • Cabins are only entered with adult

permission and supervision• Students are not permitted to visit other

cabins

Meals• Students are served

breakfast, lunch, and dinner daily.

• All meals are served family style.

• Be sure to include any special dietary needs on the parent permission form (page 6).

What does your child need to pack for OE?

• Old clothes• Sweatshirt or

jacket• for layering• Warm jacket for

night time• Rain poncho• Lots of socks

•Sleeping bag OR blanket and sheets and pillow•Soap, toothbrush/paste, deodorant, etc.•Long pants (NO SHORTS)•Old sneakers (wear a pair & pack a pair)Sunscreen

What about special needs and medications?

• Does your child have allergies?• Does your child get a lot of headaches?• Does your child take medicine everyday?• Does your child use an inhaler?

Step 1: Get a medicine formStep 2: Give it to your doctorStep 3: Bring it back to school with the medicine

Student Name

& Directions

Medicine is Due no later than October 29! The nurse will not be here after that date

Forms, forms, forms• Complete your child’s

forms and send them back to school right away even if the money is not available yet.

• Turn the forms in to Ms. Epling – she’ll be out

in the hall before school to collect forms.

Forms include:• The permission slip

– Need Tetanus shot date• Behavior Contract• Emergency Contact

Information• Request for Financial

Assistance• Volunteers• Medical form (only if your

child has special medical needs / takes medication daily)

ALL FORMS ARE DUE BY

OCTOBER 22!

Payment• $85

– $76 to MCPS program• Staff• Facility• Materials• Meals• Transportation

– $9 to TPMS• Evening acvtivities• Coveted TPMS OE Souvenir

Financial Assistance

• Financial assistance is available upon request and provided by MCPS.

• Complete the financial assistance form in your child’s packet and one of the school counselor’s will contact you.

• Please do not let money be the reason your child does not attend OE.

Parent Volunteers• WE NEED YOU TO VOLUNTEER!• WE NEED YOU TO VOLUNTEER!• WE NEED YOU TO VOLUNTEER!• WE NEED YOU TO VOLUNTEER!• WE NEED YOU TO VOLUNTEER!• WE NEED YOU TO VOLUNTEER!• WE NEED YOU TO VOLUNTEER!

VolunteersWhat we need your help with…•Chaperone all cabin time•Supervise recreation activity•Model behavior and problem solve at meals•Help load/unload luggage busses•Attend (if you’d like) all classes and evening activities

***Your are most helpful when you can attend the full session***

Why on earth would I volunteer?

• Free lodging• Free meals• Free evening entertainment• Meet your child’s teachers and see them in rare

form (sweatpants, T-shirts, messy hair, etc.)• Most importantly, share memorable moments

with your child in the outdoors.

We need, 24 female parents and 24 male parents each night!

As of now, we have the following volunteers:

• Tigers Cabins • Bears Cabins

QUESTIONS?

The Reptile Presentation