Raleigh Field Trip
The Fourth Grade classes will be attending a field trip to Raleigh on Wednesday, March 18th. We will be
visiting the Capitol, Museum of History, Museum of Natural Sciences, and the Legislative Building.
Transportation
We sent out a survey before the Winter break to get an idea of the preferred method of travel. The
vote was for charter buses. We will be renting 2 buses. Chaperones will be chosen by lottery to ride the
bus. Parents not chosen in the lottery to ride may still attend, but will need to drive separately. Parents
chosen for the lottery will NOT need to pay for their seat on the bus. If you wish to chaperone but do
NOT want to be in the lottery, please indicate this on your child’s permission form. Also, if younger
siblings will be attending the trip, you will need to drive them separately, as we will not have room on
the bus or accommodations for car seats and strollers.
Please notify your child’s teacher if your child has a tendency to get car sick when riding on buses so that
we can assign a seat close to the front.
The cost will be $20.00 per student. Chaperones will NOT need to pay. We will have approximately 20
seats to fill in the lottery. The cost covers the bus. The museums, Capitol, and Legislative Building are
free to the public.
Lunch
We will be eating lunch while on this trip. Students and chaperones will need to pack a bag lunch. We
will get boxes and coolers to keep the lunches in. Please make sure lunch boxes and bags have names
on them. When Miss Bowyer checks in for the trip, we will be able to store lunches at the Visitor’s
Center. We will be allowed to eat at the picnic tables. If it is raining, we will need to store and eat
lunches on the buses/in cars.
What to Wear
Students will need to wear their field trip uniforms (tie-dye shirts and jeans). They will want to wear
comfortable walking shoes and outerwear that is appropriate for the weather. Teachers and
chaperones will not be responsible for carrying coats during the trip.
Chaperones will need to be dressed appropriately because we are visiting government buildings. The
Legislative and Capitol Buildings have stated that they reserve the right to refuse entry to people who
are not modestly dressed. Teachers will be wearing jeans and CCA t-shirts, so this is also appropriate for
chaperones.
Electronics/Cell Phones
Electronic devices should be used with caution. Students may bring them on the bus for entertainment,
but will not be able to use them for anything other than taking pictures while on the field trip. Teachers
reserve the right to take electronic devices away from students if they are abusing this privilege.
Teachers and chaperones are not responsible for lost electronics.
Cell phones will need to be turned OFF while in the Capitol and Legislative Buildings. Security will escort
you out of the building if you are on your phone during the trip, because government sessions will be
taking place. Chaperones are encouraged to bring phones in order to keep in touch with the teachers if
they have any questions.
Supervision of Students
Students will be told to stay close to their chaperones. On the self-guided tours through the History and
Science Museums, chaperones will be given maps with highlighted areas to focus on, so that we can link
these areas to our curriculum. Chaperones will be permitted to take their students freely through these
highlighted areas and will be asked to report back to the main entrance of the museum 5 minutes
before the scheduled tour time is up. An itinerary is at the end of this packet. The tours through the
Capitol and Legislative Buildings are guided, so you must stay with your assigned tour guide at all times.
Chaperones will need to make sure that they know where their assigned students are at all times.
Chaperones are responsible for making sure that the students are following the rules and paying
attention to what they are viewing as they go through the museums. Students will be excited and may
need gentle reminders to remain quiet, not touch things, etc. Chaperones reserve the right to hand any
student over to the teacher if that student becomes difficult to manage.
Before entering any building, chaperones and students are asked to stand outside while the teacher
checks in. The chaperones will need to keep the students in straight, quiet lines while waiting. The
teacher will come back out with a representative, who will explain the rules and procedures. This will
happen at EVERY stop on the field trip, so please anticipate this.
Souvenirs/Gift Shop
The purpose of this field trip is to make visual and hands-on connections to concepts we are learning in
school. The primary focus will be on these things. IF there is extra time, AFTER all of the highlighted
areas are visited, chaperones may take their groups to the gift shop. It is EXTREMELY imperative that we
stick to our schedule. If you would like to send souvenir money with your child, it will be your child’s
responsibility to keep track of this money and their purchases.
Purses/Bookbags
We are asking that students not carry purses or bookbags with them, unless it is necessary for
health/medical reasons. Money can be kept in pockets. The reason for this is because all bags are
subject to be searched in all of these buildings, and it will be very time consuming to check bags for
students. Parents, please keep in mind that your bags may be checked, so you will want to look for
items that are typically not admitted into a government building and remove these items before the
field trip
Rules
All CCA-CFA rules, guidelines, and the Student Creed will need to be followed at all times. We are
ambassadors of our school when we attend field trips, and we want to be allowed to return. Additional
rules and expectations may be given by the tour guides and museum staff.
PARKING:
Cars: Four public parking decks are located within two blocks of the State Capitol. A small lot is
also available behind the Museum of History; enter on Jones or Edenton Street ($2/hr., $16/lost
ticket).
Map:http://www.doa.nc.gov/Parking/documents/VisitorParking.pdf(Downtown Raleigh map).
Chaperones who are driving will be responsible for finding their own parking, paying, and
meeting up with their group.
Itinerary
This is subject to change if the Visitor’s Center needs to make arrangements.
Ms. Anderson’s Class
9:00 AM – Legislative Building (guided tour)
9:45 AM – Capitol (guided tour)
10:30 AM – Museum of History (self-guided)
11:45 AM – Lunch (picnic tables near Museum of History; on bus if it rains)
12:30 PM – Natural Science Museum (self-guided)
1:30 PM – Be on bus ready to leave
Miss Bowyer’s Class
9:15 AM– Capitol (guided tour)
10:00 AM – Natural Science Museum (self-guided)
11:15 AM – Lunch (picnic tables near Museum of History; on bus if it rains)
12:00 PM – Legislative Building (guided tour)
12:45 PM – Museum of History (self-guided)
1:30 PM – Be on bus ready to leave
Mrs. Coley’s Class
9:00 AM – Legislative Building (guided tour)
9:45 AM – Natural Science Museum (self-guided)
11:15 AM – Lunch (picnic tables near Museum of History; on bus if it rains)
12:00 PM – Museum of History (self-guided)
1:00 PM – Capitol (guided tour)
1:30 PM – Be on bus ready to leave
*Should be back to Cornerstone Charter Academy no later than 5:00pm!