MARIN ACADEMY
OUTINGS
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Welcome from the MA Outings Director!
Welcome from the MA Outings Director!
When people think about Outings, often they think of epic beauty, the view from the summit of a lofty peak in the Sierras surrounded by old growth trees and golden eagles and bears and, I don’t know, orcas improbably leaping out of the lakes. There’s a lot to be said for this kind of accomplishment, the grit and skill and strength it takes to get to a point not many can access– but it’s only one of many kinds of glory you can find in the Outings catalog.
In his recent book The Way Around, ultrarunner Nick Triolo describes a shift from an achievement-oriented peak-bagging mindset to a more observant and contemplative mode, the circumambulation. While still covering impressive distances, he finds a different depth of connection to place, to practice, to history, and to his fellow walkers in pursuit of an answer to the question, “How are the shapes we follow in life also shaping us?” For him, this looks like taking the time to walk around instead of up.
In another of my summer reading books, public land advocate Josh Jackson brings to life the lesser known wild places precariously protected by the Bureau of Land Management. Without the name recognition of places like Yosemite or Sequoia National Park, these places are much likelier to fall prey to extraction and other high-impact human activities. His book The Enduring Wild builds the case that we protect what we care about, so the more time and attention we spend in wild places near and far, humble and renowned, the likelier we are to speak up for them.
These related ideas run through the heart of this fall outing catalog in many ways. Whether you’re getting to know the local watershed by circumambulating a reservoir or putting your time and attention into the vibrant Bay Area theater scene, trying out a new skill like surfing and sticking with it even if you aren’t immediately the best, laughing at inside jokes with new friends in the van on the way back from a backpacking trip, or learning how to safely cook on a camp stove while car camping in a state park, you have so many opportunities to drop in to a deep, slow, joyful way of being– that may also yield some beautiful views, with or without golden eagles.
– Leslie Beach '04
MARIN ACADEMY OUTINGS POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
SIGN UPS AND PERMISSION FORMS
MA outings are open to everyone and each outing has a maximum number of students it can safely accommodate. Our sign up system is designed to be smooth, to increase communication with students, and to maximize trip participation. The process is outlined below:
Outings sign ups have three steps. You are not signed up for an outing until all three stages are complete.
Students receive an email with a link to an online sign up form on the day that sign ups open. Students should fill out a separate form for each outing they hope to participate in.
Step 1: Sign Up Online
Step 2: Receive “Trip Status” Email
Students will receive an email from Leslie letting them know if they are ON an outing, or on the WAITLIST for an outing.
Step 3: Turn In Permission Form To Confirm Spot On Outing or Waitlist
Once they have received email confirmation of their outing’s status, students must turn in permission forms through DocuSign to confirm their spot both on an outing and on an outing’s waitlist. If students do NOT wish to be on a trip or waitlist, they must email outings@ma.org.
Turning in a permission form signifies that students and families have CHECKED THEIR CALENDARS and have confirmed that the student will be participating in the outing. It also signifies that all parties understand that a trip cancellation fee will be applied to the family if the student cancels within two weeks of the outing.
PERMISSION FORMS
Permission forms will be processed through DocuSign, available through the links above.
SIGN-UP DATES FOR THE SPRING 2024 OUTINGS SEASON
Monday, January 22nd
Catalog Released to Campus and Online
Tuesday, January 23rd
Sign-ups open! Sign up by midnight on Wednesday for equal weight in the lottery to get on a trip. Sign ups open for trips through Spring Break.
Tuesday, March 19th
April-May trips announced; trip sign-ups begin!
Tuesday-Wednesday, March 19th-20th
Sign up by midnight on Wednesday for equal weight in the lottery to get on a trip! Sign ups open for trips through the end of the School Year.
TRIP PARTICIPANT SELECTION PROCESS
Trips are filled on a first come, first serve basis EXCEPT for signups that are received on the first two days of a sign up period. Sign ups received during this time will be considered with equal weight, and trip participants will be selected with a lottery system. Important Note: You can continue to sign up for trips that have space up to 2 weeks before the trip runs, and sometimes even after that. Contact leaders directly if you’d like to sign up close to the trip’s run date.
WAITLIST
Students are OFTEN selected from a waitlist. If you are still interested in an outing and you are on the waitlist, turn in your permission form to confirm your spot and keep the weekend free for as long as you can!
GEAR FOR LEND
The MA Outings Program maintains a collection of clean and quality gear available to students to borrow through the gear check out system. Please do not let not owning gear keep you from going on an outing. Talk to Leslie or Liz about what gear you need and we will try to supply you with the necessary equipment. Borrowed gear should be returned clean and promptly. Students may be charged for lost, broken, or non-returned gear.
ELECTRONICS AND CELL PHONES
Use of cell phones and other electronics is not permitted on MA Outings without permission from the outings leaders. As a standing rule, students may not text or make calls or receive calls from the vans or while on an outing. If communication with home or elsewhere is necessary, check with your MA Outings leader first.
MISSING CLASSES AND PRACTICES
Students are responsible for pre-arranging their absences with their teachers and coaches. No pre-arranged absence form is required but clear communication prior to going on the outing is. Going on an outing is not an excuse for not completing one’s homework or missing tests, and extensions are not guaranteed. However, in the spirit of supporting MA’s co-curricular programs, teachers and coaches are asked to be as flexible as possible in allowing students to participate in outings.
Check with your teachers and coaches at least a week in advance of your trip and make every effort to complete required work ahead of time. You are still accountable for class assignments, assessments, and homework.
LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
We acknowledge that MA Outings take place on the ancestral lands of indigenous people past and present. We honor with gratitude the land itself and the people who have stewarded it throughout the generations. We commit to strengthening our understanding of the past and present colonization of this land, and how we can be better stewards. This semester, outings will take place on the traditional lands of Coast Miwok, Pomo, Ohlone, Amah Mutsun, and Kashayah people.
TRIP FEES
MA Outings leaders make every attempt to be frugal in running outings and to price them as affordably as possible. Student trip fees are calculated to cover only the necessary expenses. These include food, fuel, equipment rental, and permitting. We publish an anticipated cost, with the expectation that trips may go slightly under or slightly over budget. We will charge families what the trip costs, while pledging not to go more than $15 over anticipated cost for overnight trips, or $10 over anticipated cost for day trips.
Financial aid is available for those students who qualify through the Admissions Office.
PE CREDIT
PE credit is automatically granted for MA Outings carrying the “PE credit available” notation. Credit is awarded for outings with a strong skills basis and a clear athletic component. Credit is given at a rate of 0.125 credits a day (with multiday trips aggregating credits as they go).
CANCELLATIONS
Once you turn in your permission form you have committed to going on your chosen outing. If you cancel your commitment to an outing within two weeks of your trip’s departure date your family will be charged a cancellation fee: $25 for day trips and $50 for overnight trips. Additionally, if we are unable to fill your spot your family may still be charged whatever cost of the outing the program cannot recover in order to maintain the affordability of the outing for all students.
Cancellations are permissible in the event of illness or family crisis. Such cancellations should be made with the Director of Outings directly as soon as the student and family are aware of them.
These policies are intended to assure that the value of our Outings Department is realized, and experienced by as many people as possible.
Spring 2024 (January/February/March)
Spring 2023 (January/February/March)
Fall 2021 Catalog (September/October)
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