We will be traveling to my house for the end of the year class picnic.  We will be playing outdoor games in the morning, have a hotdog lunch, and then a super-soaker water fight inthe afternoon.  It is a great deal of fun and parents are encouraged to participate.  If you do choose to join us, you must have completed a background check, as well as any other adult you bring with you.

• 2015 – Class Picnic – Student Permission Slip
• 2015 – Class Picnic – Chaperone Form

We have a few 6th grade activities here at the end of the year.  6th grade middle school prep courses, afternoon swimming, the middle school visit, and 6th Grade Graduation (Last Day of School – More to come on that).

Here are a few of the permission slips that will get us to the end of the elementary career.

2014-2015 6th Grade Swimming Permission Slip

Soldotna Middle School Visit (Form Coming Soon)

We are planning on traveling to Alyeska for a skiing outing on Tuesday, March 24th.
All students will need a sack lunch (which requires no microwaving), and another sack meal for the trip home.

This is a link to the 2014-2015 Alyeska Field Trip information sheet. It has Travel & Cost info as well as information about required gear.

We will be leaving the school @ 7:00 a.m. and return to the school by 7:00 p.m.

Paperwork:

• 2014-2015 Rental & Liability Waiver (Required for Students)
• 2014-2015 Alyeska Student Permission Form
• 2014-2015 Alyeska Chaperone Form

Challenger Center Trip Info (Grade 5&6)

Grade 5 & 6  from each intermediate class will be participating in the “Moon Mission” mission on Wednesday, December 17.  The 5th graders will travel to the Challenger Center as a group and the 6th grade will be traveling as a group.  5th graders will be participating in the morning mission, and 6th graders will be participating in the afternoon mission.  (All students will require a sack lunch since they will not be at school during lunch time.)   5th graders will be accompanied by Mr. DeVolld and the 6th Graders by Mrs. Carter.

2014-2015 – Challenger Center Student Permission Form

FAA/Airport Trip Info (Grade 4)

4th grade students will also be taking a field trip to the FAA & Airport to learn and extend their knowledge about weather & communication in the aerospace industry.  $th graders will be accompanied by Mr. Faris.  They will be split into two groups that will be traveling at different times by way of a bus.   (All students will require a sack lunch since they will not be at school during lunch time.)

2014-2015 – FAA Student Permission Form

The 5th graders from the intermediate classrooms will be traveling with Mr. DeVolld to Arc Lake thre times this year to monitor the water quality with Dan Pasucci from the Kenai Watershed Forum.  We will need drivers for each vist to the lake, to shuttle students to and from the lake.

Dates: 9/19/14; 12/16/14; 3/17/15 (All dates are Fridays.)

Feild Trip Time: 1:45-3:00

• 2014-2015 – Arc Lake – Student Permission Slip
• 2014-2015 – Arc Lake – Chaperone Form

Update: 8-21-2014

Kenai River Rafting

Tipr Date:  Monday, September 8th, 2014

The fee for this trip is $35.00. Please send the amount in at your first opportunity. If this creates a hardship for your family please let me know and we will work out other arrangements.

• 2014-2015 – Rafting – Student Permission Slip
• 2014-2015 – Rafting – Chaperone Form

RAFTING INFO

We will be rafting the Kenai River Monday, September 8th. We will be departing @ 9:00 AM to travel to Cooper Landing and need Parent drivers and chaperones. We will be guided by Alaska Rivers Company. They are a reputable, experienced company that we have rafted with 4 times before. We will be completing the partial-day float which will terminate at Jim’s Landing, just a short jaunt down Skilak Lake Road.

Parent drivers will have to drop off students, drive to Jim’s Landing and have a parent vehicle shuttle all drivers back to the rafting company. At the end of the rafting trip, we will need a car to bring the parent shuttle driver back to the rafting company to retrieve ther car.

This is a trip we organize for our students every other year to facilitate learning environmental concepts, assists students with descriptive writing (Experience is the key!), and of course give the students the opportunity to enjoy our great state in a way they might not have been able to before. This trip does NOT involve white water. It’s rather slow paced.

Alaska River Company will provide:

• Rain Gear if you don’t have your own
• Personal flotation devices (DO NOT BRING WITH YOU)
• Rubber boots, bring your own if you have them to assure enough of the appropriate sizes.

What do I need for the Rafting Trip?

Students should come wearing the following items:

• Rubber Boots if possible OR a good pair of hiking boots (Less recommended, you may need to walk through river water to get in the raft.)
• Jeans
• Wool socks or a layer of two socks.
• Long Sleeve Shirt (Layer 1)
• T-Shirt (Layer 2)
• Sweatshirt/Fleece Pullover (Layer 3)
• Winter Hat
• Winter Gloves or water resistant gloves w/liners
• Warm… water resistant coat (usually a winter coat).

Just-in-case, Students should pack extra:

Socks, water resistant gloves, Rain jacket or water resistant type coat for hike if raining.

Items that should be in the back pack:

• Cold lunch (No Microwavable meals)
• Water Bottle
• Just in case material in a Ziploc bag

Can I bring my own gear?

I do not recommend it. It will have to be toted around on the hike. But if you must….Okay.

Families need to provide:

• Lunch, drinks and snacks
• Additional snacks for after the hike. Students will be hungry on the trip home.
• Warm clothes appropriate for the weather, we will go rain or shine and mornings are chilly. We recommend winter gear and gloves.
• 9:00 – Leave Soldotna Montessori Charter School with Parent Drivers
• 10:30 – Arrive Alaska Rivers Company and begin safety talk and gear up.
• 11:00 – Students depart in rafts with parent drivers
• 12:30 -Stop & Lunch along the river with the rotten fish.
• 2:00 – Arrive Jim’s Landing – Diemabrk, drop gear and load cars
• 3:00 – Arrive SMCS

Schedule is subject to change so check back often!

Sign up to supply food or materials for our trip here.

**NOTE** – The parent meeting date was wrong in the first Newsletter. The correct meeting day will be Tuesday, September 2nd @ 5:30.

**Attention** – I am in need of parent chaperones and drivers.

• 2014-2015 Leave No Trace – Student Permission
• 2014-2015 Leave No Trace – Chaperone Form

We will be participating in the Leave No Trace overnight field trip on Thursday-Friday, September 11-12. We will need parent chaperones for at least 4 boy’s cabins and 3 girl’s cabins. We will also need parents willing to plan an prepare dinner and breakfast needs. In addition we will need parent drivers (Probably the same as cabin parents.)

We will have a parent planning meeting on Tuesday, September 2nd @ 5:30.

We will be participating in the KNWR educational program out at the Outdoor Education Center at the end of Swanson River Road. Students will also be shuttled by parent drivers to an area hiking trail to prepare and eat their One-Pot-Meal.

There is no cost associated with this field trip other than efforts made for food and by parent drivers.

I will be sending home additional information about this trip and posting more here soon, so check back and look for further information in Thursday Folders.

If you wish to participate as a volunteer fo any field trip this year, please fill out a Driver Form and the District required Background Check in addition to the volunteer form for this trip. Do not wait until the last minute to complete these forms, or you may not be able to participate.

• 2014-2015 Leave No Trace – Student Permission
• 2014-2015 Leave No Trace – Chaperone Form

Click the following links to find out more information:

• Schedule – Coming Soon
• Parent Chaperone Letter
• Gear List
• Gear Image
• Map of how to get to the Outdoor Education Center
• OEC Facility Map