Field Trips 2024-2025

Building Administrators,

Thank you for promptly providing the names of staff members responsible for supporting the review and processing of field trips in your buildings. Your quick action is greatly appreciated and will help ensure a smooth and organized approach to field trip planning for the 2024-2025 school year.

📈 Historical Impact on Allocations:

• Based on our review last year, we lost approximately 30% of eligible transportation aid due to field trips and sports runs combined. Field trips play a significant role in this reduction.
• Last year, we allocated 123 paid trips but ended up expensing 189 trips, highlighting the need for careful planning and resource management this year.

This academic year, we, in collaboration with Dr. Janese, have streamlined the field trip process to ensure ease of organization for our schools. Based on the enrollment of each building, a specific number of buses have been allocated for the purpose of field trips during the 2024-2025 school year.

Your designated staff members now can access the MS Excel Workbook for field trip entries, to be entered on the MS Excel Spreadsheet before they're sent to the administration building. Review your school’s bus allocation carefully. CLICK HERE TO ENTER YOUR FIELD TRIPS ON YOUR MS EXCEL TAB OF YOUR BUILDING 2024-2025

• PLEASE ONLY USE THE ONLINE VERSION OF EXCEL TO ENTER YOUR INFORMATION

• DO NOT modify any other tabs other than your own.

• You must be logged into your Office365 account to be able to edit the tab associated with your school/department.
  

• Administrators I have included the following names you have submitted to support your building. These staff members have access to the MS Excel Field Trip Allotment Tracker as well as read-only rights to the MS Outlook Group Field Trip Calendar.
  

As we move forward, I want to stress a few important points to support the process, expectations, and timelines:

Key Updates:

1. In-District Trips Not Counting Against Allocations: Please note that trips within the district, such as those from NTCSD School Building to NTCSD School Building (e.g., orientations, musical sneak peeks), will not count against your building’s field trip allocation.

2. Reminder In District Trips that Count Against Your Allocation: However, experiences such as CTE BOCES trips for 8th and 10th grades, public library, trips to Platter's etc. are not free and need to be expensed.

3. Field Trip Calendar Access: The updated 2024-25 Field Trip Calendar is now live. (Educational Services will enter the information once your paperwork is received).

*View the screen capture from my Microsoft Outlook Calendar.

**Names submitted by your building principal have access.

⏰ Considering driver shortages and regular district transport schedules, the window for field trips requiring transportation is between 9:45 AM and 2 PM.

🗓️ All field trip requests for 2024-2025 should be submitted by Friday, November 1, 2024. We are aware that some trips arise spontaneously. For these instances, ensure paperwork reaches the Admin Building at least 15 days in advance. I strongly suggest that you request your teachers submit paperwork to you by the November 1, deadline, even if they do not know the exact date of their trip later in the school year. This will allow you to properly make the most efficient use of your allocations and you can reserve a spot for a trip later in the year if their paperwork is submitted by the November 1, 2024 deadline.

Steps for Field Trip Approval:

1. ✅ Consult the pre-approved trip list.

2. If the trip is pre-approved, the admin/staff checks the Microsoft Outlook Group Field Trip Calendar. If there are 5 busses supporting field trips already scheduled on this date alternate dates should be identified to support your trip. Overbookings require rescheduling and or direct conversation if there is a special circumstance.

3. Ensure forms sent to the Admin Building bear the necessary signatures (principal, nurse, teacher) and include chaperone forms.

4. The student-chaperone ratio is 1:15. All chaperones, staff included, must complete the relevant form.

5. Trips not on the pre-approved list necessitate a request letter to me, accompanied by all relevant forms. For recurring trips, request their addition to the pre-approved list. Submit these at least 60 days in advance.

6. The Field Trip Instructional Plan form (8460F.1) is essential for out-of-area/overnight trips or trips not on the pre-approved list. Adherence to the advance notice is crucial.

7. Walking field trips need only mention the mode of transport on the Field Trip request form (8460F) and do not need a transportation form.

Special Categories (Not Counting Against Allocations - Now Have Their Own Allocation):

Trips for Fine Arts/Music, Alternative, Special Classes, and District DEI will not count against building allocations. This is a new provision for this year. There is a specific allocation for each of these areas this year.

Additionally, please note that if your field trip qualifies under the Connect Kids (NYS Parks) Grant, guidelines are provided. These trips are indicated in the MS Excel Field Trip Transportation Allotment Tracker and do not affect your allocation (Unfortunately these trips are not currently being supported)..

Click here to view a nice example of a field trip forecast form that Dr. Janese successfully used the past number of years. CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE FIELD TRIP FORECAST FORM