POLICY 119
Field Trip Policy
LHCS Statement of Purpose
"We believe it is our responsibility as Christians to raise children in the light of God's Word. The education of children must be Christ-centered, equipping them to become responsive disciples of Christ who seek the will of the Lord in all aspects of life."
LHCS Mission Statement
"For the children of Christian parents, Laurentian Hills Christian School provides Christ-centered quality education to the whole child in a supportive, loving, diverse, dynamic and growing parent run school."
LHCS Vision Statement
"Kitchener-Waterloo Christian School Society advances dynamic, excellent Christ-centered education through unconstrained facilities, exceptional programs, and extensive resources that cultivate responsive disciples of Christ."
Curriculum Rationale
Field trips enhance classroom learning by providing students with opportunities to experience curriculum content in a meaningful context. Generally, a teacher chooses a particular excursion because it relates to an aspect of the curriculum. Field trips are privileges that can be lost or regained as a result of individual choices about the completion of academics and correct behaviour. These decisions will be made in consultation with the administration.
Protecting Students, Staff, and The Organization
Any trip involves an element of risk, which must be minimized. The safety of the people involved in any trip is of primary importance. As stewards of all the precious lives entrusted to us, we seek to prioritize safety, without unnecessarily restricting the teachers and students. We are also stewards of the organization Laurentian Hills Christian School, and seek to limit the risk to the school.
Safe and Insured Drivers
Volunteer drivers must be responsible people whose vehicles are in good repair, who have appropriate vehicle and liability insurance, and who commit to safe driving practices. In order to ensure that students are safe, volunteer drivers must sign Form A, which outlines expectations of drivers.
Only vans with a seating capacity of 9 persons or less may be used unless the driver is appropriately licensed.
Children 12 years old and under cannot use the front passenger sear if an active airbag system is in place.
Chaperones may not provide snacks for the children.
Chaperones may not make any unplanned stops along the way (except in an emergency).
No smoking is permitted on any part of the class trip.
The number of students supervised per teacher/chaperone for field trips are:
Kindergarten 1 to 4
Gr. 1-3 1 to 5
Gr. 4-6 1 to 10
Gr. 7 & 8 1 to 15
Teachers must provide the chaperone with clear directions to the field trip destination, a trip itinerary and an explanation of their responsibilities.
Overnight trips are presently limited to a volleyball tournament, a grade seven year end trip (currently to Fair Glen) and a grade eight year end trip (currently to Ottawa). All other overnight trips must receive prior approval from the administration, on an individual basis. The ratio of adults to students will be one adult for every eight students.
Walking Trip Consent
At the beginning of the school year, parents will sign consent forms allowing their children to walk off-campus on class outings under teacher supervision. This one form acts as consent for all class walking trips.
Parental Consent
In order to respect a parent’s right to choose whether or not their child will participate in field trips, and to ensure the parents are aware of and consent to the particulars of each trip (including the method of transportation), consent forms must be signed and returned for each trip. At the discretion of the principal, consent via telephone or email may also be obtained (and noted) the day of the trip. Note: Except in the case of walking trips, parents must sign consent forms each time their children participate in field trips.
Categories of Trips and Required Forms
Parent Insurance Disclosure Form A : Procedure—parent drivers must have a signed one-time form on file in the office.
Category 1 Definition—Walking trips Form B: Procedure—approval by principal,
Form B—one-time consent form each September for all walking trips
Category 2 Definition—Trips of one day or less, in/out of town Form C: Procedure—approval by principal, signed consent from parents.
Category 3 Definition—Overnight trips Event Specific Form: Procedure—approval by principal, signed consent from parents. Form—written by teacher, delineating particulars of trip including method of transportation, address, contact information, sent to parents and returned signed.
Category 4 Definition—Swimming/Boating Form C: Procedure—approval by principal, signed consent form from parents that delineates child’s swimming level or ability.
Note: For swimming excursions, teachers are expected to ensure that students are assigned to specific supervisors, and that a qualified lifeguard is present. Supervisors must be in the water with primary non-swimmers. Supervision ratios for swimming excursions are:
Primary—1-2; Junior—1-5; Intermediate—1-10
Adopted June 2002
Amended April 2, 2007