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Getting Ready for your field experience with KDT! (the nitty gritty) 

This page serves as a time line for forms that need to be filled out and a checklist of things to do before going on your trip. For curricular ideas connected to your site, please go to Grade Level Information page .

Ithaca specific information is in this color below.  Click here for Ithaca Forms

 

Your Discovery Trail Educator will contact you to choose a trip date then......

At least two weeks prior to your trip

  • Fill out a field trip request form and return it to your school secretary. For billing purposes, please write KDT! on the form.

  • Fill out a bus request form and send it to your school secretary. For billing purposes write KDT! on the form.  ICSD School secretaries are now ordering buses for elementary field trips. You will not receive confirmation from the Transportation Department. You will only hear from them if they cannot accommodate your request. If you would like to confirm anything with the bus garage, ask your school secretary or you may call the bus garage directly at 274-2128. We recommend putting this number in your cel phone so you can reach the bus garage while you are on a trip if needed.

  • Send home permission slips. The ICSD requires a signed permission form for each field trip a child attends. If a family does not send back the form, phone permission is acceptable. We encourage you to use this permission form pdf and as a word doc that describes KDT! to families and gives us permission to use photos taken on the trip.

  • Order lunches if necessary. Consider peanut allergies in both classes when ordering lunches.

  • Alert the nurse.

  • Alert specialists (music, art, speech etc.) if you will miss one of their classes.

 

You should be able to find all the forms you need in your main office. If you have any trouble, contact your school KDT! liaison or contact Randi Beckmann if you are in Ithaca.

Click here for Ithaca Forms

A Few Days Before your trip!

Name Tags

* Please use the name tags provided to write a child's name and the buddy's nameIt. In Ithaca, bring extra name tags with you in case you need to reconfigure partnerships due to absences. Your liaison should have extras.

  • Make groups when necessary. Some teachers color code name tags for easy group identification. | 

  • Prepare the children and generate excitement about meeting their buddies.

  • Review the names of the children's partners.

  • Tell the children they will be sitting with their buddy on the bus.

  • Teach the children how to start and maintain a conversation. Third and fourth grade have Second Steplessons about this topic.

  • Make children aware of differences they may experience when meeting their partners, ie English language learners, different clothing, children with differing abilities, etc. 

Ithaca teachers should feel free to check to make sure their buses are coming and that the timing is accurate.

274-2128

On the day of the trip, don't forget to bring…

  • A first aid kit and medicines provided by the nurse.

  • Emergency contact information for the children in your class.

  • Lunches if necessary.

  • Extra name tags

  • A list of the children in your class and their buddies |

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