Field Trips & Volunteers

Pine Hollow Field Trip Checklist 

Step One:  Field Trip Approval 

Submit all forms to Dr. Longo for review and subsequently to be approved by the Field Trip Committee (Leadership Team).  

• 1. School Trip Request (form 1713c). 

  2. Please specify whether the trip requires the Pine Hollow activity bus, yellow buses, or charter bus rental. School Buses seat 54 students. The small school activity bus holds 14 students max and the teacher does not need a CDL.  The larger activity bus holds about 48 students. (The driver of this bus will need a current CDL.)  Specify whether a bus driver will be needed or if a PHMS staff member will drive. Only in the case where PHMS has CDL licensed drivers that can attend -AND- where it does not impact the coverage of these staff in building, will this option be approved. 

  3. Write the total estimated cost per student, which includes the transportation cost.  Also, indicate if staff admission will be free or if it should be calculated into the cost of the trip. Unless you specify differently, we will assume all parent chaperones are paying their own way. Communicate with Ms. Gendron, Bookkeeper regarding setting up the cost of the trip so she can set up our online payment system.  Info. found here: School Cash Online Payments.

  4. When planning a date for the trip, be sure to check all calendars. Review the Pine Hollow master calendar with the lead secretary, testing calendar, etc. 

  5. Itinerary including all stops, departure and return times, and meal plans. (The itinerary is necessary to input data and plan medications for students.)

  6. Cover Letter from the lead teacher to the parent explaining the details of the trip and relation to curriculum. All trip letters should use this template here --->  Field Trip Parent Letter Template 

  7. School Trip Safety and Medical Plan (Form 1713f). 

  8. Double check that the trip/activity is not on the WCPSS Prohibited Activities list found on page 3.

  9. IF using charter buses, be sure that the company is on the WCPSS approved charter bus list. 

Step Two: Preparing Students and Chaperones--6 weeks before the trip

Send home the following forms:

• 1. Cover Letter

  2. Consent Form/Permission Form (1713a) ENGLISH       (Spanish 1713a)      (Arabic 1713a)    

  3. Potential volunteers: ALL volunteers new and old need to register HERE --> WCPSS Volunteer Registration Form. 

Send home if applicable:

• 1. Request for Chaperones with an explanation of duties and expenses (may be included in Cover Letter). More about chaperones below. 

  2. Share the School Cash Online Payments Site/info. 

  3. Lunch Form

  4. Volunteer Driver (Form 1713b)

Step Three: Getting Organized--5 weeks before the trip

• 1. Collect and record receipt of all Consent/Permission Forms- 1713a)  Keep in a safe place as you will need to bring these consent forms for all students with you on the trip and keep with you at all times.

  2. Submit a list of ALL students attending to Ms. Owokoniran, our Student Services secretary at least 35 days prior to the trip. Ms. O will review the full list of students and will prepare for those students requiring medications and/or in need of medical assistance.  Also provide Ms. O a copy of consent forms that have the medical portion completed by the parent on page 2 so she can cross check with office records.  (Ms. Rivera is no longer involved in the process, so please communicate with Ms. Owokoniran regarding this piece.)  

  3. Teachers on the trip should review the care plans of students prior to the trip.  Pay special attention to those who carry inhalers, epipens, glucagon injection devices, etc.  Review procedures from the beginning of the year training by our nurse if needed. 

  4. Check all volunteers are approved by WCPSS.  Submit to Dr. Longo a complete list of volunteers and he will check the list and let you know who is approved. Only those approved can attend the trip.  New chaperone/volunteers can register HERE at the new WCPSS Volunteer Registration Form. For those not approved, you can send along these links below to parents if desired:   

WCPSS Volunteer Information/Instructions 

Direct link to login /sign up/ renew -Volunteers 

• 5. Complete a list of all staff and volunteer chaperones in attendance with cell phone numbers if possible. 

  6. Submit to the cafeteria manager a completed lunch form roster (if applicable) at least two weeks prior to trip. If you are eating lunch off-site but not packing school lunches, let the cafeteria manager know so they can adjust how much they prepare that day.

  7. If charter buses are used, request tip money from our PTSA. Provide Dr. Longo with a breakdown of the tip needed for each way for each driver.  PTSA will cut a check to the bus company who will coordinate dividing tip money up for their drivers. 

Step Four: Preparing for Departure--1 week before the trip

   Make sure you have each of the following finalized and ready to go: 

• 1. Copies of rosters for all classes in attendance (mark through any students not attending).

  2. For each bus, a list of students and chaperone(s) who will be riding.  Chaperones are not to ride yellow buses. (#1 and #2 can be combined).

  3. Staff and Volunteer Chaperone List with cell numbers.

  4. Copies of all Consent/Permission Forms (1713a) only if requested for large trips, out-of-state trips, and overnight trips.

  5. Request a cooler (if needed) from Dr. Longo 1 week before the trip which will be used for packing the student lunches. 

Step Five: Departure--Day of the Trip

• 1. Take attendance and submit a list of absences to the office prior to departure. Please CC Ms. Thomas on any emails regarding attendance.

    Take with you the following:

• 1. All Consent/Permission Forms (1713a).

  2. A roster of students, staff, and volunteer chaperones who will be riding each bus.

  3. Chaperone lists with cell numbers (a digital or hardcopy for each chaperone).

  4. Any medications or medical accessories necessary; lead teachers signs out meds in health office.

  5. Two red emergency bags (see Ms. Owokoniran in student services; do not take your classroom bag).

  6. Lunch bags from the cafeteria in cooler. See our cafeteria manager for assistance. 

Step Six:  Return

• 1. Submit Bus Driver Mileage Reports and invoices from vendors and/or charter buses to bookkeeper Ms. Gendron.

  2. Return red emergency bags to Ms. Owokoniran. 

  3. Return all medication and/or medical accessories to the health/student services office. Be sure to sign medication back in. For trips arriving after school hours, be sure that meds are locked up until the morning, preferably locked in the health room. 

  4. If meds are locked overnight, then come to health office first thing the next morning to sign the meds back in. 

Payments: 

Online payment- visit the PHMS webpage. Click on the Families tab and then School Cash Online Payments.

Financial Assistance Inquiries: 

Financial assistance may be available upon request for those with financial hardships.  For more information, please contact your child’s school counselor.  If you would like to donate for a student who may not be able to attend without financial assistance, you may also do so online. 

Field Trip Refunds: 

Our school-wide policy regarding field trip refunds is that we will refund the full amount unless the school has already paid the company/vendor. After that point, refunds are issued after the trip has been taken and we know exactly how much, if any, money remains. Many trips require the school to pay a certain amount even if a student does not go; therefore, the full amount may not be able to be refunded once the school has submitted payment.

A Note About Chaperones & Travel: 

Parent volunteers who are attending the trip as chaperones cannot ride the yellow school bus and cannot ride the activity bus.  They should plan to meet at trip site or carpool with other parents. Students going on a field trip have to take school transportation on way to trip and need to report to school prior to departure (yellow bus, activity bus, charter bus, whatever.) Students can be dismissed from the trip with a parent serving as a chaperone -OR- if a non-chaperone parent drives to the site to pick up the student.  Parent volunteers/chaperones CAN RIDE a charter bus for a field trip. 

IF the parent wants to bring their child home at the conclusion of the trip, they can do so as long as they sign a form that they are taking them home from the site at end.

• • • You have a form signed by a parent prior to the trip. Please share draft with admin for final approval prior to sharing with parents. An email from the parent will suffice as long as this form is shared with the parent beforehand and acknowledged. 

    • The form is on the school letterhead. 

    • The form clearly has the student's full name and includes a space for parent to print their name, sign their name, and include their mobile phone number. 

    • The language in the letter clearly states that when the child is released to the parent, the school no longer is responsible for anything/liability/etc. 

    • The parent takes their child at the conclusion of the trip prior to boarding the buses, i.e. student does not leave during the trip unless there is some extenuating circumstance such as medical reason. 

    • The parent taking the child should not leave if they are serving as a chaperone/volunteer on a trip that uses a charter bus since one of the roles of a chaperone is to supervise students on the ride back.