Swigert Aerospace Academy
Field Trip Protocol
2012-2013
Please use the following checklist when planning any field trip at Swigert:
_______ At least 1 month in advance: Schedule the date and times with your team and work with your grade level
administrator to ensure the trip meets district standards and expectations and to avoid scheduling conflicts. Have back
up dates in mind in case buses are not available for the original dates.
_______ At least 1 month in advance: Ensure the financial burden can be met. Check with the book keeper (Marlene)
to see what grade level funds are available. Plan for student fees, if any, based on transportation needs and admissions
costs. If Title I funding for the field trip is being considered, see the section on Title I funding.
_______ At least 1 month in advance: Put in request for transportation with the district. Use the online transportation
request form. Contact transportation by phone to let them know the request is coming. They can give you an idea if
buses are available for the needed date/s. Once buses are confirmed, field trip will go on the master calendar.
_______At least 1 month in advance: Submit the Field Trip Request Form to the Administrator in charge of the FM
Calendar
_______At least 4-6 weeks in advance: Notify ELL staff, Interventionists, Sped teachers, and Kitchen Manager that the
trip planning is in progress so they can plan for their curriculum needs; or be a part of the field trip. (If the field trip might
be considered a “high risk” activity (i.e. skiing, high ropes course, canoeing/kayaking, etc., notify Risk Management and
follow their instructions.)
_______At least 2 weeks in advance: Send home a letter to parents explaining the field trip and purpose, along with a
permission forms with the students. Give the students an absolute deadline (at least 5 days prior to the trip date) for
bringing the form back signed. If part of the field trip will be graded, let parents know this on the letter home explaining
the purpose. No student will be excluded from going on an educational field trip due to behavior. However, students
that have many discipline referrals must have their parent or guardians accompany them on the filed trip.
_______At least 2 weeks in advance: Solicit volunteers (parents and staff) so that there is a 10 to 1 student to adult
ratio for the field trip.
_______At least 1 week in advance: Once volunteers have been confirmed, give each volunteer a Guidelines to
Chaperoning a Field Trip sheet to read and become familiar with so the trip goes smoother for the volunteer.
_______At least 1 week in advance: Create a plan for students who will not be able to attend. (i.e. teacher remains
behind, leave with another grade level or team, etc.)
_______At least 1 week in advance: To support tying in the field trip with the curriculum, finalize the use of a
worksheet/form or notebook with note taking guidelines for students to ensure that the objectives of the field trip are
met. Share this with the students in advance.
_______At least 5 days in advance: Notify the kitchen manager (Mary) with how many lunches will be needed for the
field trip. Email entire Swigert staff about the field trip.
Three Days in Advance:
_______ Ensure that the needed volunteers are procured (10 to 1 ratio)
_______Assign students to adults making sure there is a good mix of students in each group. Consider giving the
volunteers the more motivated students. (Team lead or designated person)
_______Create a plan and schedule for students who have not turned in their permission slips and will be staying at
school. Provide a list of students not going on the field trip and a schedule for where they are going each period.
_______ Give a roster of attending and non-attending (go and no go list) students to the front office and attendance
office. (Team Lead or designated person)
_______Get a list of students from front office staff who need medications or other special needs for the field trip.
Office staff will notify the school nurse.
_______Meet with the book keeper to ensure that all finances are in order and a plan is in place for the field trip
payment. (Team lead or designated person)
_______Create a field trip packet for each adult to include the following items:





List of students in each group with adult chaperone
Level 1 infraction sheets
Additional paperwork needed for curriculum needs
List of cell phone numbers for all chaperones
Other
_______Check in with the lunch room to ensure lunches will be ready.
The Day of the Field Trip
_______Have volunteers check in with the team lead by 8:15 a.m. and give the chaperones a final list of students to
supervise for the day. Instruct volunteer chaperones to check in with the team lead periodically during the day. Go over
the chaperone guidelines and procedures with all chaperones.
_______Have students check in with a designated “homeroom” teacher who will take roll and let the team lead know
(or designated teacher) who is absent.
_______Notify the attendance office of students who are absent, along with a final list of students who will remain in
the building and with whom. (Team lead or designated person)
_______Leave teacher cell phone numbers with the front office staff in case school needs to contact you. (Team lead or
designated person)
_______Get the first aid kits located in the infirmary from the school nurse or front office staff. (One per bus)
_______Once attendance is taken and students assigned to chaperones, pick up lunches in the lunch room prior to
loading buses.
_______Once on the bus, have each adult chaperone take roll call for their group.
_______Ensure all students have the curriculum materials prior to loading the buses.
_______On the return trip, once buses are loaded, have chaperones take roll call of their small groups.
_______Turn in attendance sheet from field trip, to Fabiola.
_______HAVE FUN!!
Title I Funded Field Trips
If you are considering using Title I funds for funding the field trip, certain criteria must be met ahead of time.



Is the field trip curriculum based with a specific purpose for student learning and engagement?
Is the field trip being used as a preliminary activity to engage and activate student learning for an upcoming unit
of study? (Must NOT be a culminating activity.)
Is there enough time to contact the Title I office and get the field trip approved through them?
If you answer yes to the above questions, then follow through by meeting with your grade level administrator and work
with the administration from the Title I office to enlist the funding. Follow all other field trip steps except that the
funding stream will come out of a different budget account. Work with the book keeper to ensure this when meeting
with her.