5th grade class trip – Our 18th year!Yes! It is a sleepover!

• Where: Camp Chingachgook in Lake George • When: Thursday and Friday, October 6th and 7th. • Who: All 5th 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 5th 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

Thursday8:45 Leave Arongen

10:00 Arrive at Chingachgook Get settled in cabins

10:45 Supervised activity Welcome

12:00 Lunch

1:15 – 3:00 Activity #1

3:00- 3:15 Bathroom Break

3:15-5:00 Activity #2

5:30 Dinner

7:00-9:00 Evening Program With Poncho

9:00-10:00 Cabin campfires

10:00 Lights 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 chaperones6 – 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), 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

Socks Pants (2 pairs)

Long underwear Underwear

Shirts Heavy sweatshirt or sweater

Windbreaker jacket

Raincoat and rainpants or poncho

Winter hat Gloves or mittens

Towel Toiletries

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 5th 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!