FRIENDS ACADEMY
Duck Pond Road
Locust Valley, New York 11560
Founded 1876
May 7, 2013
Dear Ninth Grade Students and Parents,
As you know, all ninth graders are expected to attend the "Outdoor
Education Trip" to Great Hollow Wilderness Sept. 11-13. We have reserved
these dates with the camp and the buses are ready to go!
The Ninth Grade Outdoor Education program is an integral part of the
curriculum at Friends Academy because it offers an experience in living and
learning that cannot be duplicated in the classroom. This trip seeks to help
students to develop independent problem solving skills and cooperative
group learning, encourage engagement in activities that take kids out of their
"comfort zone", and allow for new and veteran students to transition into a
new school and begin developing friendships. Through the shared activities
and experiences, such as rock climbing, hiking, pitching and sleeping on
tarps, cooking over a fire, and not bathing for three days (!), students and
faculty develop a closer relationship and forge new friendships. The
students learn to live without all the physical comforts and amenities to
which they are accustomed. Students come away from this trip not only
with some new friendships and deeper appreciation of a warm shower and a
soft bed, but also with improved self-confidence, self-awareness, and
problem solving abilities. Because it’s the perfect time of year to be in the
woods of Connecticut, the students also can’t help but enjoy the beauty and
hospitality of the natural environment.
The Great Hollow Wilderness School of New Fairfield (CT), which is a
branch of the Regional YMCA of Western Connecticut, sponsors this
program. We have enjoyed a long relationship with this school (more thatn
20 years!) and look forward to working with their skilled teachers once
again. Several of our own ninth grade advisors will also serve as
chaperones.
The students and faculty will leave by bus at 7 a.m. on Wednesday,
September 11th and return on Friday, September 13th at 5:00 p.m. The cost
of the trip is approximately $400 and will automatically be billed to your
account. Please note- all students are expected to attend this trip. Buses
and camp have been reserved and non-refundable deposits paid. Any
student unable to attend will be charged a percentage of the cost of the
trip.
Friends Academy rules apply throughout the trip, as detailed in the
Handbook and Directory.
All forms should be dropped off or mailed back to Friends AcademyAttention: Cathy Philipakos by August 15th.
Dick Abbene (Richard_abbene@fa.org) the 9th grade Biology teacher,
oversees this trip. If you have questions, feel free to e mail him. There will
be an opportunity to learn more about this program from Dick and the camp
director at the Fall Orientation prior to the opening of school on Thursday,
August 29th.
Forms attached:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Friends Academy Permission Form
YMCA Waiver
**YMCA Medical Info Form
Friends Academy Self Medication Release Form
Friends Academy Authorization to Consent to Health Care for Minor
(OPTIONAL- not required)
** PLEASE NOTE: THE MEDICAL INFORMATION FORM MUST
BE COMPLETED AND SIGNED BY A PHYSICIAN.
Sincerely,
Deborah L. Schoman
Upper School Principal