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Claud E. Kitchens Outdoor School at Fairview

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5th Grade Orientation Video-Published Spring 2016 with help from
Washington County Technical High School

5th Grade Program Overview

5th graders within Washington County Public Schools attend the trip to Claud E. Kitchens Outdoor School at Fairview as part of their regular school year.  Prior to your child arriving to Fairview, your child's home school teacher will distribute paperwork explaining more about the program.  They will ask that forms be completed at home and then returned to school by stated deadlines.  Though the amount of paperwork may seem overbearing, it is necessary given the level of support required to make your child's stay at Fairview a safe and secure experience. If at any time you require assistance, you may contact your child's homeroom teacher for additional guidance.  Parent chaperones are a vital component to our program.  Parents may chose to chaperone for the entire week, or may be able to give partial commitment toward supporting this program. All parents are required to attend a parent training session at Fairview prior to their child's participation in this program.  While attendance at this training session is required, it is your child's homeroom teacher's decision as to whether or not you are selected to chaperone.  There are minimal numbers of parent chaperones necessary to support this program on a weekly basis, and those parents who can commit toward the week in its entirety will be given first preference.  In some cases, due to the limited number of parents expressing interest in serving as chaperone, it is necessary to draw names out of a hat of decide on a first- come - first- serve basis.  The dates for the parent trainings are distributed by your child's teacher, but they may also be found on this Weebly page.  During the week, parent chaperones work in pairs to support the needs of all students. Below, is a copy of the parent covenant which outlines beliefs that we believe are essential to a successful week.

As a volunteer working with the Fairview Staff, I commit to working as a team member to:

·         Keep students first

·         Support WCPS educational goals

·         Support innovative outdoor educational experiences

·         Support authentic experiences that integrate 21st Century Skills of critical thinking,            collaboration, communication, and problem  solving  

·         Support a safe, fun, engaging and meaningful learning experience

·         Be consistently positive, energetic, engaged, and patient

·         Serve as role models for environmental stewardship

·         Support promoting environmental literacy by connecting students to nature

·         Support fostering relationships that connect individuals to one another and to nature

·         Celebrate the unique nature of each individual

·         Treat all students, staff, and volunteers with dignity and respect

Prior to your child's visit, the Head Teacher will also conduct a student orientation at your child's elementary school.  The purpose of this presentation is to present your child with an overview of the program.  It also helps to eliminate fears associated with the unknown for many students.  Please complete the forms within your parent packets accurately and return them to your child's teacher according to stated deadlines. You may contact Fairview for a tour with or without your child to assist in learning more about the 5th grade program.  Students participate in science and environmental-based lessons during their stay to include the following titles:

• Energy In Motion
• Nature's Invaders
• Ecosystem Explorers
• Earth's Processes
• Stream Study
• Predatory Prey

All lessons are inquiry-based and aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards. They offer students the opportunity to acquire a developed understanding of the scientific process as well as content.  Though the lessons above occur during the 8:00 am - 4:00 pm time frame, the learning extends well into the evenings with presentations and or lessons on Black Bears, a magic show, and campfire with skits. Your child receives three meals a day generated by the Food & Nutrition Services for WCPS.   There is also a snack served about halfway through the activities each evening.  A copy of the menu may accessed in the menu tab in the left margin.  If your child requires a menu that is different from the menu specified below because of religious or health reasons,  we ask that you contact the Food and Nutrition Services Department at 301-766-2896 and they will make proper arrangements.  The week is action-packed, and we ask that your child be well-rested heading into this program.  In addition to the parent covenant, I share the following with you to aid in your understanding of how serious we are in supporting your child.

The Fairview Team is committed to:

·         Keep students first  

·         Provide quality customer service to all stakeholders

·         Support WCPS educational goals

·         Serve as a resource for WCPS staff and the community

·         Ensure meaningful outdoor learning experiences

·         Provide a safe, fun, engaging environment

·         Provide differentiated, authentic, innovative educational experiences

·         Incorporate literacy, STEM and 21st Century Skills

·         Serve as role models for environmental stewardship

·         Promote environmental literacy

·         Connect individuals to nature

·         Be consistently positive, energetic, engaged, and patient

·         Celebrate!


To make for a more comfortable stay for your child and to provide you with a means of communicating with your child while they are on campus during our 5th grade residential program, we make available the following communication options:

1.  Parents are encouraged to access the daily blog and student picture page on our school webpage at the following address:
http://claudekitchensoutdoorschoolatfai.weebly.com/daily-blog-pictures-parent-page.html

2.. In addition to the parent page within our school webpage, parents may also email their children while they are on site at Fairview.  This address too is included in the paperwork that your child's teacher distributed prior to the Fairview trip.

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