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STEM in the Smokies 2020 Pre-trip Meeting
STEM in the Smokies 2020 Pre-trip Meeting
Prior to today, you have been sent two emails:
1. A Trip Information Packet – Includes trip information, a packing list and a medication form to be completed and turned in only by those who will be bringing medication on the trip.
2. Travel Forms via DocuSign - New this year! As a convenience for families, travel forms will now be completed and signed electronically! We utilized DocuSign software for this process. An email was sent from [email protected] during the week of January 27.
If you have not received one or both of these emails, please contact [email protected] or check what email you have assigned to the account you used to register for the trip.
Forms
Chaperones*Mrs. Sinnott - McKelveyMrs. Boedeker - West MSMs. Carey - Community EdMr. Deanes - West MSMrs. Hummert - Southwest MSMrs. McCracken - Central MSMr. Ronecker - Community EdMr. Zimmer - Community Ed
Where are we going?Great Smoky Mountain Institute at Tremont
11 hour bus ride!
How to Prepare for the Trip
Weather in the SmokiesWeather for Townsend, TN
https://weather.com/weather/today/l/USTN0509:1:US
How to Pack: Tips• Make sure to check the weather before you pack.• Layers are your friend!
• You can regulate comfort and temperature by slipping layers on & off as your activity level or the weather changes.
• Each layer has a function.1. Base layer (underwear layer): wicks sweat off your skin2. Middle layer (insulating layer): retains body heat to protect you from the
cold3. Outer layer (shell layer): shields you from wind and rain
• Waterproof garments will be carried at all times.• Make sure all shoes/boots are broken-in and have a hard
sole with traction. Don’t send new shoes. • Take a backpack with padded straps (not rope).• Pack WITH your student so they know what is available
and where it is located.
How to Pack: SuitcaseStudents will only have access to their carry-on items until they arrive at
Tremont at approximately 11:00am (EST) Friday morning.They will visit other parts of the park for breakfast & activities before arrival.
• Large duffle bag or rolling suitcase• Please label all bags and belongings with your
child’s name and school.• Students will need to be able to transport their
belongings to the dorm by themselves or with the help of one friend.
• Pack the sleeping bag in the suitcase (if possible). • If separate, sleeping bag will be kept with
student’s belongings. (Make sure it is labeled!)
How to Pack: For the BusStudents will only have access to their carry-on items until they arrive at
Tremont at approximately 11:00am (EST) Friday morning.They will visit other parts of the park for breakfast & activities before arrival.
What to wear on the bus:• Comfortable pants that can also be worn for morning hike.• T-shirt and sweatshirt/fleece• Hiking boots/shoes
What to pack: Backpack/Carry-On• Pillow• FULL Water bottle • Books/Magazines• Electronics (with charger and case)• Snacks (in quart sized Ziploc bag)• Coat, gloves, hat for morning • Rain gear
Information About Student Medication If your child will require any prescription or over the counter medication during the trip, it will be administered by the trip nurse in accordance with Parkway-Rockwood Community Ed’s Medication policy.
1. Per district policy, the nurse has permission to administer the following medications WITHOUT a doctor’s note:a. acetaminophen (Tylenol), ibuprofen (Advil), antacid (Tums)and Benadryl. b. The nurse has a supply of these medications which can be administered if needed.
PLEASE DO NOT SEND THESE MEDICATIONS.2. All other medication will need a doctor’s order (OTC) or prescription label attached,
along with a parent’s signature on the Authorization to Administer Medication form. 3. Place all medication in a Ziploc bag marked with your child’s name and give to the
nurse at check-in. 4. Send only enough medication for the days your child will be gone. 5. If your child requires an asthma rescue inhaler or an Epi-Pen, please send two, if
possible. Your child will carry one with them and the nurse will keep the second as backup. If only one inhaler/Epi-Pen is supplied, it will remain with your child for the entire trip.
6. If your child has ever gotten motion sickness please consider having your doctor prescribe medication (ex. Dramamine) for the bus ride.
Electronics PolicyThe time at Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont is focused on providing students with a new and rare experience. They are encouraged to disconnect from the technological world and interact with each other and the natural world in a direct manner, face to face. This time also allows them the opportunity to build new friendships, learn about their surroundings through hands on experience and quietly reflect.
• Students will not have access to electronics while at Tremont Institute. There is no cell phone service in the National Park and there is no Wi-Fi available for student use.
• They are invited to bring electronics (phones/tablets, game consoles, kindles/e-readers etc.) on the bus for entertainment during the ride to and from the Tremont Institute. Students will leave these items on their bus which will be locked during their time at Tremont. Please send wall charges for charging on the bus. Please provide a Ziploc bag with their name on it, large enough to store all electronic devices/chargers etc.
• Digital or Disposable Cameras: Students who wish to take pictures during the trip are encouraged to bring either a digital or disposable camera. They will not be allowed to keep their phones and use them as a camera.
• Please label your camera!• Students are encouraged to bring magazines, books and as they will have quiet time
before bed to read and unwind.
Meal/Snack Information• As part of the trip fee, meals and snacks are provided for the entire journey.• If students would like to bring additional snacks, we ask that they fit in a QUART sized
bag and MUST NOT include tree nut or peanut products. Due to the serious nature of these allergies and the close quarters of the bus, we are asking that students not to bring them at all.
• Upon arrival at Tremont, we will also collect snacks as required by Tremont’s policies. These items will remain on the bus, which is locked, for the entire time we are at Tremont.
• Meals: All meals are served family style and kids take turns serving as hoppers for their table. Each meal is composed of a hot, main option and several sides. In addition, a cereal/milk option is available at breakfast and a salad bar is available at dinner. For lunch, students will make sandwiches and pack their lunch to take with them to the field.
• Please email Kevin if your child has any new dietary needs!
Departure Night
Park
ing
School Bus Lanes
Community Ed Offices
EXIT
Check-In Begins at 8:30pm
ENTE
R
BUS
Check-in
Nurse
During the Trip
8:30 p.m. Check-in 8 a.m. Breakfast9:30 p.m. Buses depart and drive overnight 9 a.m. High Country Ecursion
4:30 p.m. Supervised free time8 a.m. Breakfast on the road 5:45 p.m. Dinner10:30 a.m. Arrive and move into dorms 7:00 p.m. Group time11:15 p.m. Welcome and orientation 10 p.m. Quiet hours/sleep time12:30 p.m. Lunch1:30 p.m. Expedition Tremont 7 a.m. Breakfast4:30 p.m. Supervised free time 8 a.m. Whitewater Rafting 5:45 p.m. Dinner 3 p.m. Gatlinburg time7 p.m. Lost Mill String Band 5:45 p.m. Dinner9:30 p.m. Quiet hours 7:00 p.m. Campfire
8:30 p.m. Cleaning and packing8 a.m. Breakfast 10 p.m. Quiet hours/sleep time9 a.m. Landscape Invetigation4:30 p.m. Supervised free time 8 a.m. Breakfast 5:45 p.m. Dinner 9:30 a.m. Presentaions 7 p.m. Eco Jeopordy/Night hike 11: a.m. Depart10 p.m. Quiet hours/sleep time 9:00 p.m. Return
Friday
Thursday
Wednesday
Tuesday
Monday
Sunday
Schedule
Sheet1
SundayWednesday
8:30 p.m.Check-in 8 a.m.Breakfast
9:30 p.m.Buses depart and drive overnight9 a.m.High Country Ecursion
Monday4:30 p.m.Supervised free time
8 a.m. Breakfast on the road 5:45 p.m.Dinner
10:30 a.m.Arrive and move into dorms7:00 p.m.Group time
11:15 p.m.Welcome and orientation10 p.m. Quiet hours/sleep time
12:30 p.m.LunchThursday
1:30 p.m.Expedition Tremont 7 a.m.Breakfast
4:30 p.m.Supervised free time8 a.m.Whitewater Rafting
5:45 p.m.Dinner3 p.m.Gatlinburg time
7 p.m.Lost Mill String Band5:45 p.m.Dinner
9:30 p.m.Quiet hours7:00 p.m.Campfire
Tuesday8:30 p.m.Cleaning and packing
8 a.m.Breakfast10 p.m. Quiet hours/sleep time
9 a.m. Landscape InvetigationFriday
4:30 p.m.Supervised free time 8 a.m.Breakfast
5:45 p.m.Dinner9:30 a.m.Presentaions
7 p.m.Eco Jeopordy/Night hike 11: a.m.Depart
10 p.m.Quiet hours/sleep time9:00 p.m.Return
Communicating with ParentsWebsite: www.prcommunityed.org/outdoorTwitter: @PRTrekNTravelInstagram: @PRTrekNTravelFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/prtrekntravel or Parkway-Rockwood Trek and TravelPhone (emergencies only): • 636-458-3048 – Friday or Monday 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.• 314-548-9280 – Outside business hours or on weekends• Please do not contact Tremont directly.
http://www.prcommunityed.org/outdoorhttps://www.facebook.com/prtrekntravel
Social MediaTwitter is our main form of communication while traveling and during our time at Tremont.
• We will Tweet as often as time and phone reception allow while traveling to keep you up to date on our location. On Friday, we will use Twitter to communicate our estimated time of arrival (ETA).
• Tweeting is limited to connectivity and during available time in the Smoky Mountains National Park as there is no cell phone service. At Tremont, we rely solely on a Wi-Fi connection available at the central building. Problems with the connection can cause delays in posting of photos and updates.
• Note your child’s group name at check-in as this is how groups will be identified on Tweets.
Photo AlbumA Facebook Photo Album will be created for every trip! You can visit the album to share and save photos. Like us at Parkway-Rockwood Trek and Travel on Facebook.
A few things to remember when you wait anxiously for photos of your child…• Chaperones are responsible for taking photographs. We do not have a full time photographer. We ask chaperones
and students to document their experience AFTER the lesson has been explained and if/when time permits.• It is our goal to provide photos of the experiences your children are having WITHOUT interfering with the
experience itself.• The First Priority of teachers and staff is your child's safety.• We then ask them to co-teach and help your child to experience the lesson first hand.
The process for posting pictures: • Nightly around 9:30 p.m. (EST) cameras and photos are collected, downloaded, edited and uploaded to Facebook.
(We get a lot of photos and this can take some time!)
If you notice that there are students or groups that are missing, please contact us directly via email, text or Facebook message so we can try to solve the problem right away!
https://www.facebook.com/PRTrekNTravel/?ref=settings
Return• We expect the trip to return at approximately 8:00 p.m. We will communicate via
Twitter to give an ETA throughout the day. Due to weather, traffic, distance and unforeseen circumstances, these times may change and vary between 8:30 pm –10:00 pm.
• Sign out: Parent Pick-up at Trip Return - When you arrive to pick your child up, you will be required to sign your child out before they are released off the bus.
• Reminder - the nurse will be stationed next to the bus after arrival to give back medications.
We have a trip for anyone ranging from grade 4 through high school!
• Ozark Rocks – 4th -5th grade parent/child trip
• Smoky Mountain Adventure – Rockwood 5th grade
• Great Lakes Voyage – (A summer trip for students entering grades 6-8)
• STEM in the Smokies- Parkway 8th grade
• Atlantic Coastal Quest – (A summer trip for students entering grades 9-12)
• Presidential Inauguration Trip – for students in grades 9-12 January 2021
And several new trips are under construction!
Important InformationWebsite: www.prcommunityed.org/outdoor
Email: [email protected]: Parkway-Rockwood Trek and Travel
Twitter: @PRTrekNTravelInstagram: @PRTrekNTravel
Questions?
STEM in the Smokies 2020 �Pre-trip MeetingSlide Number 2Slide Number 3Where are we going?Slide Number 5Weather in the SmokiesHow to Pack: TipsSlide Number 8Slide Number 9Slide Number 10Slide Number 11Meal/Snack InformationSlide Number 13Slide Number 14Slide Number 15Slide Number 16Communicating with ParentsSlide Number 18ReturnSlide Number 20Slide Number 21
