- Family Letter and Forms – Please be certain to use this form / information on school day as it informs parents about the potential risks, conditions, and what kids should bring with them.
In order to facilitate communication with parents and caregivers, feel free to make a copy of this OEE family letter template OEE Field Trip Family Letter . You will have to manually update your copy of the letter with information specific to your class and trip date.
Complete IS-04-F-1 FIELD TRIP INFORMATION FORM and send it to parents. Your Principal will also need a copy of this form.
Complete the Parent permission form IS-10-F-2 Field Trip CONSENT form. You can send printed permission forms home, use school day and/or use a google form to collect parent permissions, per your school’s direction.
- Transportation Procedures
School staff are responsible for booking buses.
There is no cost to schools for OEE Centre visits. Busing costs for WRDSB Outdoor Education programs are covered by Learning Support Services.
Teachers are required to complete the Off Campus Category 1 form (IS-11-FA) with Principal permission, including the bus confirmation number, and submit to finance-off-campus@wrdsb.ca. School staff are responsible for booking their own buses and recording the appropriate information on the Off-Campus Excursion Category I form (IS-11-FA). On the budget code line of the off campus form school staff should indicate “Paid for by LSS”.
It is advisable to book school buses as early as possible given that bus availability can be limited. The phone numbers for bus companies operating in Waterloo Region are listed below. More information can be found at https://www.stswr.ca/operators/
- Elliott Coach Lines (Breslau Division) 519-648-9548
- Voyago Transportation Services 519-593-1008
- Sharp Bus Lines 519-896-2822
Trip Times:
- Full day trips typically fall between 9:30AM and 1:30PM but these times will vary depending on school start and stop times, bell times, teacher availability, bus availability and so on.
- Maple Syrup programs are half day activities but they overlap in the middle of the day, suggested times are:
- AM:9:30 depart school, 12:00 depart nature centre,
- PM: 11:00 depart school, 1:30 depart nature centre.
- Location
Please visit our ‘About Us’ page for more information about each site and their ammenities.
- Volunteers
You may bring as many parent volunteers as you wish (on the bus). Extra adults can help out in many ways. Please give volunteers as much information about the trip as possible, and outline specific responsibilities you may have for them. The WRDSB guidelines for field trips require a minimum supervisor ratio of:
- 1:8 for primary
- 1:10 for junior
- 1:15 for intermediate
- 1:20 for senior
The expectations for the use of volunteers are outlined in AP 1415:
Principals shall ensure that there is sufficient supervision and all volunteers are screened, as appropriate (“Volunteer Interview Form”)
Principals shall request appropriate references and ensure verification (“Volunteer Reference Check”)
Volunteers who are in direct contact with students in a setting that is supervised by a staff member are not required to submit a police record check.
- Preparing for the Excursion
Nutrition Break
Please instruct students to bring their reusable water bottle and lunch. For Elementary classes, time will be allotted for nutrition break at the Outdoor Education Centre. Please encourage students to keep their waste to a minimum. There are waste facilities at our centres but we recommend practising a boomerang lunch.
Is there a cost for the program?
No. Costs for the program and busing will be covered centrally.
Is this program led by the WRDSB staff?
Yes, a WRDSB Outdoor and Environmental Education Specialist will be leading this program.
Are there washrooms?
There are washrooms at all of our sites. Students should be encouraged to use the washroom before getting on the bus.
Setting the stage for a positive experience
Student safety is a priority. Classroom norms that exist in the school are also in effect during outdoor learning opportunities. A positive way to begin a great learning experience is to review class norms, acceptable student choices and respectful behaviour agreements.
Materials and Equipment
Any program equipment required for the activity will be provided by the centre.
Name Tags
Teachers are encouraged to ensure that students wear name tags. This will help facilitators and volunteers engage with students.
What should students wear?
Students (also teachers and volunteers!!) must be dressed appropriately for the weather. Please ensure that this is communicated to families prior to the visit. PLEASE ensure that the students are properly dressed prior to loading on the bus. This might include warmer clothing in layers, warm hat, mitts/gloves, rain wear, rain or winter boots… or some combination of all of those. Long pants and socks/closed toed shoes are recommended for added protection from ticks during warmer weather (see below). Appropriate footwear for walking distances on uneven terrain is recommended to reduce the likelihood of slipping.
Ticks and Lyme Disease
Ticks are present in Waterloo Region and have been identified at some of our nature centre locations. Only Black-legged Ticks transmit Lyme disease. Waterloo Region is a low risk area for Lyme Disease. If students or parents are concerned, please advise them to wear light, long-sleeved shirts and pants that can be tucked into socks or boots. For more information please check the Waterloo Region Public Health Website.
- Cancellation Due to Bad Weather
Trips are cancelled if schools are closed and/or buses are not running. In cases of extreme weather (heavy rain, extreme cold, high winds) we will communicate possible cancelation and/or rescheduling opportunities to you and the school administration approximately 24 hours in advance of the scheduled trip date. Due to high demand, there may be limited opportunity for rescheduling.
- Accessibility
Wheelchair Accessible Transportation
Voyago Transportation Services typically has wheelchair-accessible buses.
All-Terrain Wheelchair
If an all-terrain wheelchair is required for a student in your class, please connect with your school’s centralized Special Education contact person to make the arrangements.
Facility Use
Please see the information below that has been provided by LSS, Special Education
Typically students who require all terrain wheelchair access to an Outdoor Education centre would be connected with an orthopaedic itinerant teacher through an ortho referral through MDST. We do have some all terrain wheelchairs centrally available that can be accessed through the ortho itinerant team.
However, the AT wheelchairs vary in size and style – not all students are able to sit safely in the AT wheelchairs as they are typically less supportive than a student’s home-based wheelchair.
The school arranging the trip should be connecting with the ortho itinerant well ahead of time to… [determine if suitable accessibility equipment can be transferred] out to a site for the class trip… If an ortho itinerant referral has not been made for the student, the school would need to contact their School Liaison Consultant to get next steps.
Another consideration would be the equipment /support /space required for personal hygiene for use of facilities differs at each site. It would be important to also connect with the itinerant for your individual student’s needs.