Who Leads the Week?
The teacher leads the week with support from the BCK Coordinator and site experts. Teachers are responsible for class supervision, safety, and discipline at the partner site.
Each class at the different sites will have a unique week that will be developed together with the Beyond Classrooms Kingston Coordinator encompassing your Big Idea, long-term study and curriculum. How your time is spent each day and what focus you would like the week to have is determined by you!
What Should I Bring?
Advanced planning of your trip is essential to avoid problems and ensure a successful field study. Planning allows the teacher/leader to adapt to situations and be flexible while keeping objectives in mind.
Teachers will need to bring:
- School supplies
- Lesson materials not at the site
- Camera
- Student Permission Forms and Medical Information
- School Supplies
What BCK Brings:
- Beyond Classroom Journals – Beyond Classrooms Kingston supplies one journal to each student, teacher and parent volunteer. The journal will be used to record observations, journal writing, drawing, and keeping a living record of their experience. At school, research and activities should be included in this book.
What Should the Students Bring?
Student expectations:
- Be dressed appropriately
- Bring a litterless lunch: a lunch with minimal wrapping and packaging
- Be prepared to be in small groups of 5 when needed
- Be prepared to listen to a Beyond Classrooms Kingston coordinator, parent volunteer or site experts
List of Items for Students to Bring:
- pencils, pencil crayons, pencil sharpener and eraser
- lunch, snacks and a reusable water bottle
- appropriate clothing
*All items of value should be left at home.
How Many Parent Volunteers Do I Need to Bring?
You are asked to recruit parents/volunteers to help support the program and to share in the week with the students. The supervision ratio recommended for this area is 1:5 (not including the teacher or BCK staff/volunteer) for grades 3 to 8. Please supply your parent volunteers with information about your objectives and the trip activities. Parents who can participate for more than one day will help enhance the students’ comfort level and experience. Journals will be made available to the parent volunteers, and they should be encouraged to use them during the week.
Parent Expectations:
- Bring a lunch with minimal wrapping and packaging
- Be prepared to supervise small groups of 4 to 5 for activities
- Be prepared to be responsible for the management of your group
Should My Class Write Thank You Notes to Experts and Presenters?
We encourage and hope that all classes will write thank you notes to our funding sponsors (if applicable), experts, presenters or others who help to make their week a success. These letters are greatly appreciated and can be passed on to the Beyond Classrooms Kingston Coordinator or mailed directly.
What About Safety and Emergency Information?
Prevention is the key to avoiding any accidents. With the help of parent volunteers, teachers should be able to handle any situation before it becomes dangerous. Information regarding our safety and risk management plans are available.
What if There Are Health Concerns?
Teachers are responsible for notifying us of any health concerns. During your week at a Beyond Classrooms Kingston site, teachers must have emergency numbers and Ontario Health Care numbers for each child.
These do not need to be given to the Beyond Classrooms Kingston Coordinator, however, they should be brought with you in case of an emergency.
How Does Beyond Classrooms Kingston Handle Media?
Beyond Classrooms Kingston has a photo/media release to be signed by all participants, including the teacher and volunteers.
Looking for More Information?
Please do not hesitate to contact Beyond Classrooms Kingston if you require more information or have any questions.