Sound to Sea 2013 A 5th Grade Educational Camp Experience

December 9 -11, 2013 Monday, Tuesday, & Wednesday

All Sound to Sea programs are held on site at Trinity Center, located on Route 58, seven miles west of Atlantic Beach on Bogue Banks. Trinity Center consists of 60 acres of salt marsh, maritime forest, freshwater pond, sand dunes, and 1/3 mile each of sound and beach front.

The Biology Program “introduces students to the five habitats (beach/ocean, maritime forest, freshwater pond, salt marsh, and sound/estuary), geological history, basic ecological concepts and general habitat study skills that are reinforced throughout the entire program.” These habitat skills include observation, measurement, data collection, and analysis and assessment of habitat conditions

● 5.L.2 Understand the interdependence of plants and animals with their ecosystem. 5.L.2.1 Compare the characteristics of several common ecosystems, including estuaries and salt marshes, oceans, lakes and ponds, forests, and grasslands. ● 5.L.2.2 Classify the organisms within an ecosystem according to the function they serve: producers, consumers, or decomposers (biotic factors). ● 5.L.2.3 Infer the effects that may result from the interconnected relationship of plants and animals to their ecosystem. NC Essential Standards for Science

Explring the habitats in the sound Exploring the habitats found in Bogue Sound

Exploring the Maritime Forest

Facilities Trinity Center also has 4 dormitories that are available for overnight lodging. The four dorms were designed with youth groups in mind. Each dorm is sub-divided into 2 large sleeping quarters with 11 single or bunked beds and a bathroom on each side. There is a screened back porch and private center room for counselors or chaperones.

On the Front Porch of the Cabin

Staff The resident Sound to Sea staff includes the Program Coordinator and a highly qualified teaching staff of 9 college graduates. The teaching staff works with groups of 12 or less students in the classes. They also lead evening activities and host mealtimes.

What will the day look like? Our days will be packed from beginning to end. We start with breakfast at 8:00 and then groups explore different biomes up until lunch. The afternoon will stay just as busy, right up until dinner at 5:00. In the evening our groups go on nighttime educational adventures. Students will recreate the Underground Railroad and gain insight into what it might have felt like to be a runaway slave. They will also go on a nighttime flashlight walk. All activities are well supervised.

Behavior ● This is a wonderful opportunity to take our classroom outside the building walls and explore science in a hands-on environment.. ● Classroom behavior and rules will apply here as they do in your child’s classroom, showing respect for adults, other students, and the surroundings. ● Furthermore teachers will look at behavior before the trip as an indicator on whether or not a student is ready for this experience. ● Office referrals for extreme behavior before the date of the trip may be a cause for a child to be uninvited on this trip. ● If you do not think your child can maintain a level of behavior, please remember that all money is non-refundable.

Payment Timeline First payment of $25.00 is due by August 9. this payment signals your firm commitment to let your child attend) Second payment of $50.00 is due on September 16 Third payment of $25.00 is due on October 18 The final payment* will be due on November 1 *Amount of final payment will be determined by how much money we can raise to defer the cost All money is non-refundable

Please note We do not want any child to be denied the opportunity to attend because of financial difficulty. We will do our best to reduce the cost through fundraising activities. If you would like to help sponsor a child who may be unable to attend otherwise, please see your child's teacher about making a donation.

Nonrefundable payments The payments are absolutely non-refundable. We have to commit to firm numbers and we must make payments to the camp in advance. Our final price is based upon the number of students who have indicated they will attend. One refund would affect the cost for all students. We will work hard to reduce the cost of camp as much as possible, but, once committed, we will not be able to refund money.

Chaperones This in an opportunity for your child to experience being independent for a few days in a safe, supervised environment. Although we will need a few chaperones, the facilities will not accommodate a multitude of extra adults. We will set the number of chaperones when we get the final commitments from parents on attendance. (We will need a few dads to chaperone in our boy dorms! ) If you volunteer you will be required to be with the students at all times. You will be attending all classes and program activities. You will not be able to leave camp. Price for chaperones is $ ( can be paid in payments or all at once)

Fundraising Fifth Grade Economic Mall: Sept. 13 Snack Cake Sales: Beginning next week and will continue every morning until fall Break We need volunteers for all of these activities. Please sign up before you leave!

Questions? We know you may still have many questions. We will answer as many as possible. Details about what to expect and more forms will be coming home within the next few months. In the meantime you can check the Sound to Sea webpage at :

If you would like to pay the first payment tonight, please stop by the payment table on the side of the gym. Thank you for coming!