5 th grade class trip – Our 18 th year! Yes! It is a sleepover! Where: Camp Chingachgook in Lake George When: Thursday and Friday, October 6 th and 7 th. Who: All 5 th grade students Cost: $120 Why: To bring the students together to build trust, cooperation, build leadership skills, develop communication processes, all while studying nature and ecology in the outdoors. The trip is a springboard for the whole 5 th grade year, and helps them develop skills and friendships for the remainder of the year.

Preparation Fundraiser – 40% of sales goes toward the cost of their trip. Chaperones – Dads w/boys, Moms w/girls, can’t take everyone! Health and behavior concerns are addressed first and then we pick out of a hat for the rest. Cabin groups – students pick 3 friends – guaranteed at least one, most will get all three if they do it correctly Learning groups - mix it up so they make new friends Health/permission slips – ahead of time Meet w/nurse re: medications Night meeting with parent chaperones to go over all details of the trip and their responsibilities as a chaperone

Thursday 8:45Leave Arongen 10:00Arrive at Chingachgook Get settled in cabins 10:45Supervised activity Welcome 12:00Lunch 1:15 – 3:00 Activity #1 3:00- 3:15 Bathroom Break 3:15-5:00 Activity #2 5:30Dinner 7:00-9:00 Evening Program With Poncho 9:00-10:00 Cabin campfires 10:00Lights Out! Teachers will check each cabin at approximately 10:30 and again at 12:30 Friday 7:30- Pack up your cabin 8:00 Breakfast and Clean out cabins 9:15-11:00 Activity #3 11:00-11:30 Closing Ceremony 11:30-12:15 Cook Out Lunch 12:30 Depart Chingachgook 1:30 Arrive at Arongen

Chaperones car pool and bring up all of the equipment in their car. The STUDENTS bring it to their cabin.

3-4 chaperones 6 – 12 students Eat and Sleep together! Most are heated but not all.

Brand new two years ago – not heated – set up in a circular format

Gather to meet the camp counselors, play some games, and go over rules

While the students are gathering to meet the counselors, the parents and teachers are taken to a separate location to go over chaperone expectations.

An engaging class to bring people together, using problem solving and resiliency, build trust and cooperation, discuss leadership issues, and develop communication processes. Teambuilding introduces a spirit of playfulness and creativity into working together. It's immediate, involving, and enjoyable. Using a series of physical obstacles and non-physical challenges, the counselors focus on developing trust, mutual respect, group support, responsibility, organization, effective communication and cooperation.

While hiking up Buck Mountain, students will have an active investigation combining games, inquiry, study aides and discussion in the discovery of ecological principles. Emphasis will be on plants, habitats, succession, identification, predators, and adaptations.

Students begin with spring-fed Butternut Brook, exploring an Adirondack stream as it changes character from rushing brook to slow stream and how it effects its surrounding community.

The students do EVERYTHING! They are assigned shifts to set the table and pick up the table. The parents just observe and make sure students are behaving.

Roy Hurd (Poncho)Roy Hurd (Poncho), works with the students the week before we go to camp - brainstorming, drafting, revising, and making a final recording of a song for each class. Each class performs their song at the evening program.

Our wonderful nurse, Mrs. Schoenthaler is ALWAYS available to administer medicine, cure homesickness, or provide a resting spot for the students.

Hiking or work boots Sneakers SocksPants (2 pairs) Long underwearUnderwear ShirtsHeavy sweatshirt or sweater Windbreaker jacketRaincoat and rainpants or poncho Winter hatGloves or mittens TowelToiletries Warm sleeping bag/ several blankets Flashlight

DO NOT BRING: any food, candy, or gum cell phones electronic games and devices knives or other weapons hair dryer makeup any "best" clothing (including jackets) unnecessary gear that complicates you and the luggage handlers

Comments from Previous Students: I loved the teambuilding activity! We had to cross a river of spaghetti on magic meatballs! I liked going on the hike! It was my first time hiking and the view of the lake from the mountain was amazing! It was realllly tiring!! I loved writing our class song with Poncho and performing it for the other 5 th grade classes. It was so much fun to hear how different every class’s song was. I made two new friends! I enjoyed the stream study. I liked catching things. I didn’t like getting my shoes wet. I learned that when you work as a team, the work gets done faster! I liked the counselors! They were funny! I loved watching the parents and teachers sing! They were funny!

Parent Comments:  Wonderful hike! Beautiful view!  Fun watching the kids touch and explore the trails.  The kids loved exploring the stream. Many caught 3 frogs! Does it get any better?  By Day 2, kids were working well with kids they usually didn’t hang out with.  It was wonderful to see the teachers and Mr. Roberts genuinely enjoying themselves. It makes them more real and approachable to the kids.  The songs were wonderful! You can tell the classes put a lot of work into them.  The kids look forward to this trip all through Arongen. My daughter said it was much better than she had expected!  Great price for the experience!  Thank you for the opportunity to participate in such a great event with ALL 3 OF MY CHILDREN!