Grand Canyon Field Trip Parent Meeting

Arrival at School Friday, May 12 5:30 am – 5:45am – Arrive at School. Please check in with your child’s teacher. EVERYONE must check in with their teacher! 5:45-6:00 – Load Buses We will travel on 3 buses. We will leave promptly at 6:00 with or without you. PLEASE BE ON TIME!

Bus Ride to Williams 6:00 – 9:00 – Bus Ride When we are settled onto the bus, we will start a movie on the bus’s DVD system. Snacks can be eaten. If you’re a chaperone, it is not your responsibility to bring your group a snack. We will be giving a list of necessities for the trip to our students on Thursday, May 4th. ALL snacks must be from the approved snack list. I pods, mini game players, etc. can be used with headphones. If you take them you are responsible for your property. All music, games, etc. must be school appropriate. Please keep the same seats to and from Williams. It is easier for us to do a head count. We will use the same bus going home. Bus rules apply. Chaperones and students will remain on bus when we arrive at Williams. Teachers will get train tickets and pass them out to chaperones as they exit the bus.

Load Train We will ONLY give you the tickets for the train ride TO the Grand Canyon. Don’t forget your sack lunch! We will eat on the train ride. You will receive your return tickets just before we board the train on the way home. You must find your teacher at the platform where you boarded the train. This allows us to keep track of everyone and to do a head count before we board the train. We will walk as a group to the train and board together. Our group will take up about 2 train cars. Students and chaperones must stay in their designated car the entire trip (NO SNACK CAR). Once you board the correct train and are seated, please have your group take out their Grand Canyon workbooks.

Train Ride to the Grand Canyon The kids should fill out as much of the workbook as they can during the train rides. Any questions they are unsure of they can leave blank, and we will allow some time in class to complete. But, we would like to see some effort put into these workbooks on the trip. Bus rules should also be followed on the train! Sack lunches should be eaten on the train, or whenever the kids are hungry. NO peanut butter will be allowed! There may be other school groups on the train. You may see these groups walking back and forth through the aisles with candy and chips. We ask that you do not take your group to this snack car.

Grand Canyon When we arrive at the Grand Canyon follow the crowd up a windy path to the front of the lodge at the top of the hill. It gets pretty hectic, so make sure you have your students accounted for! We will meet here and get organized. Some groups may need to use the restroom. We will leave time after we explore the Grand Canyon to shop or a few groups may choose to shop first. The chaperones will take their group for independent exploration of the Grand Canyon along the rim path.

Rules at the Grand Canyon We will have from 11:45-3:00 to explore and shop. Budget your time wisely! Stay on the path provided. Do not take any plants, animals, or rocks from the Grand Canyon. It is considered a federal offense (Yes, a FELONY). When at the gift shop please monitor students and what they’re buying. No pocket knives! Please report any emergency. Stay away from the edge! No channel 5 News reports for us! Stay with your group! Please stay with the fourth grade. Do not venture out on your own!

Grand Canyon Please do not let the kids take anything from the Grand Canyon that they did not buy in the Gift Shop. The teachers will keep track of time as they lead the group. They will then turn around at the appropriate time and direct all groups to do the same as they meet up with them. All groups should then head back to the train platform and check in with your group’s teacher to get your train ticket back. Chaperones should head toward the train station by 3:15. The teachers will be located at the top of the stairs that lead down to the train station. They will hand you your return tickets there.

Reload the Train 3:00 – 3:15 – Start loading onto the trains. The train leaves promptly at 3:30, so please make sure you head down to the train station on time. You will need to report to your child’s teacher so they can give you the tickets for the train ride back. Each group will probably not have the same seats as they did on the way to the Grand Canyon. So, load onto your correct train car, and find a seat. WE WILL DO A QUICK HEAD COUNT BEFORE THE TRAIN LEAVES! The train leaves promptly at 3:30 and will not wait for you! It is the last train for the day! So be sure to head back early enough to not be left behind!

Train Ride Back to Williams At 3:00 please meet your teacher at the train platform at the bottom of the hill! Please have your group take out their Grand Canyon Workbooks again. They should try and finish their workbooks if they can. Appropriate behavior is still important!

Bus Ride Home 6:00 – Reload Bus Please sit in the same seats that you rode up in. McDonald’s – We stop at McDonald’s in Flagstaff (about 45 min. from Williams). We will have preordered our meals. The students and the rest of the chaperones will remain on the bus, and designated chaperones will be helping with this portion of the trip. We will bring the food to you! Chaperones who stay behind will assist with passing out the meals and clean up detail. During this time students are NOT allowed off the bus! That’s why we have bathrooms on board!

Last Leg of the Trip Hopefully , the remainder of the trip will be a relaxing one. A movie will play in the background and some of the kids sleep. Around the Anthem area, we will allow the kids to use their cell phones to call home (make sure your child knows his phone number). 10:00 – 10:30 P.M. Arrive safe and tired back at Legend Springs.

Please feel free to ask questions at this time! Question/Answer Time Please feel free to ask questions at this time!