Field trip!!!????

[EthansMom]

I agree with PPs that the price is too steep and I'd have problems with being told that the parents (of 10 year olds) aren't allowed at all.

Our 5th grade has done a two night camping program in the past. They asked parents to chaperone and had one chaperone for every 3 or 4 students. Plus, the program was local.

In your shoes, I'd explain to my kid how much $1900 really is and what our family could do with that money instead. (Around our house, we use the phrase, "Would you rather have/do X or would you rather go to college?")

Just because a person or organization "invites" you to spend money doesn't mean that you have to buy their spiel. My guess would be that the teachers/administrator are getting the trip for free or at a vastly reduced rate (paid for out of the students' costs) and there is also likely a travel agency getting a profit from the package. I wouldn't go for it.

 

[powellrj]

My DDs 8th grade class is going this year and we opted out due to cost. I don't remember off hand how much it was, but it was over $1000 for 2 nights. I told DD that was too much money for a 2 night trip. She was disappointed and swore that everyone but her was going. When push came to shove, none of her friends are making the trip and she was happy to limit her travel this year to a couple of youth conferences.

 

[traviesojmt]

I agree that this seems overly expensive. My son went to DC this past May for a week with his 6th grade class. They did charter a bus and drive. The trip cost about $800 and that included all spending money. We didn't end up paying that much though. The 6th grade class did fundraisers all year to help offset the cost. You could choose to participate in the fundraisers or pay the entire cost. It was an awesome trip and I can't imagine what more they could have done. I can't fathom spending more than double what we did for the trip.

 

[dismom2]

OP: I would plan my own trip there; it would cost less, and we could plan our own itinerary. I think it's a great learning experience to go there, but if you can do it yourself for a lot less, why not? Why struggle to save for it if you can do it and not struggle? I say, Go! But, on your own!

 

[bumbershoot]

A trip like this is traditional in *eighth* grade. Not 5th.

I wouldn't do this trip. Especially if the school she'll go to in 8th grade does the big DC trip, the only once-in-a-lifetime part of it is that it's 5th grade.

5th grade our big trip was spending a week at a camp...

 

[mjkacmom]

We've had quite a bit of experience over the years with expensive class trips to distant states but they've always been transported by bus and participation was never limited to a select few "winners" - unless you count the 400 members of our high school show-choir's NYC trip to perform in Carnegie Hall one year as a few maybe. Looking at six packed busses and several trailers full of instruments/luggage though, we sure didn't..

Our JH/HS choirs perform there every spring - however, we're a 20 minute bus ride away!

 

[Chelley00]

My 8th grader is going to DC in May. Their entire grade is going, and they are taking 5 teachers and 5 parents for 45 kids (it's a private school) Out total cost is $700-$800 per kid. If it was $1,900 he definately wouldn't be going.

It's worked differently here as they take a portion of our tuition each month from 6th-8th grade to pay for the trip. The only people who pay out of pocket are those that haven't been at the school the entire middle school time.

 

[3boymthr]

A trip like this is traditional in *eighth* grade. Not 5th.

I wouldn't do this trip. Especially if the school she'll go to in 8th grade does the big DC trip, the only once-in-a-lifetime part of it is that it's 5th grade.

5th grade our big trip was spending a week at a camp...

Definitely more an eighth grade trip. We just got the paperwork home ourselves for oldest DS - and his cost for 5 days was $795 - we told him no way too expensive. But wow compared to the OPs trip what a bargain. The cost was for 4 kids in a room and every single item on their itinerary was at a free location so no admission fees. Our cost did include two meals (so add another $150 for food) and transportation in DC and a tour guide for all locales.

Truthfully I think the whole family could go there for not much more money. If you don't stay in downtown DC rooms are much less expensive and the kids get just as much if not more, plus taking only the "deserving" kids really bugs me. Just because a kid doesn't write a good essay doesn't mean their not interested in the subject matter. Oldest DS is fascinated with all that stuff, but can't write an essay to save his life.

 

[azecas]

Thanks to everyone! I am convince that I didn't take the wrong decision, my daughter will no participate in the field trip.

NEWS!!!!!

Only 25 students sign in for the trip.

I am very very dissapointing today I speak with a friend who works in the school, she sign her son to the field trip, the principal say to the parents that they can organize fundraiser to cover at least any amount of money.

My dissapointing is: All that fundrairser that are programming are the fundraiser that PTC and Parents Graduation Committe do for the the graduation!!!!!!

The Haunted House on Halloween
The movie night on Christmas
The spring dance
The ice cream and popsicles sale on spring.

So I am very very mad, the month is almost end, and the principal doesn't programm yet the meeting to made plans for the graduation. All her attention are and the field trip and right know all the fundraiser are taken too!!! This is not fair for all the 5th students that will no go.

I ask to my friend how they will apply the money to the field trip and said that will be divided in the amount of parents who volunteer in the activity.
I think there are aprox. 840 students, usually everyones assist to the Haunted House, so will be 840 dlls, if 10 parents go to help, so the money will split in 10, will be 84 dlls for each parent. That is ridiculus. Instead if that money go to the graduation fund, we can pay may be the music, the appetizers or other stuffs.

I think this will not have a happy end. I will let you know .

 

[laurie31]

Wow - this trip for 25 students at $1900 each is a total of $47,500!

That is a LOT of money to spend on 25 kids when there are other things that would benefit the whole school that amount of money could be used for.

I would be calling up the president of the PTA and asking some serious questions.

I'm a PTA officer and we are VERY careful that the fundraisers that we do benefit the whole school, not showing "favoritism" to any one teacher or grade. My DD's 5th grade field trip this year is $65, which I thought was a lot until recently - lol, and we talked about doing something to offset the cost for everyone, or maybe provide scholarships to kids whose families can't afford it, but we don't have the money to do that for every grade, so we opted not to do it for any grade. Our fundraiser money is going for classroom supplies and supplies for things that all grades use, such as the music and art rooms, the computer lab, etc.

I'd have a big problem giving nearly 50K to a group of 25 kids.

 

[Rora]

Very very expensive and the ratio of adults to children is wonky. I would opt out.

JMO, but I honestly don't think she'd remember that much anyways. I think a trip like this would be much more meaningful in high school or college.

 

[BriarfoxinWA]

My DS's middle school used to do a field trip to DC each year over spring break. His 7th grade year he opted not to go because we had planned a disney cruise instead. For the 8th grade trip they decided to do a "In the Footsteps of Band of Brothers" trip. So it was Great Brittain, Normandy, Paris, Austria, and Berlin. The cost was about $3,800 per person with no fundraising planned. DH and I had decided that this would be a great, once in a lifetime, trip and talked to the teacher in charge. They had a 4 to 1 ratio of students to adults planned so DH and I both volunteered to be chaperones. They had a huge waiting list in the beginning but we dropped out because we were told that they would not accept both of us as chaperones. In the end the trip got cancelled because they couldn't get enough students to go. Well with the cost and restrictions on the chaperones its no wonder. We had a at least 3 other couples with kids signed up that we know of that wanted to go as well. I don't think they have done a trip since then...

 

[JR6ooo4]

Sounds like the school may be looking to profit from this deally! Heheheheheee

I would like to believe I could trust the teachers from the school over random parent chaperons. Would I be correct in assuming the teachers are much more likely to have a background check/some personal concern to learn basic medical responses like heimlich and CPR and would also be better at handling a group of possibly wild kids.

again, I would like to think that...

Mikeeee

 

[disykat]

That's not a field trip, that's a travel opportunity! They are selling a product just like a travel agent IMO. It's very misleading if they are calling it a field trip.

 

[Donnainnj]

It's funny I am reading this today as I just got letters for both of my children today inviting them on a People to People trip for next summer. Sounds great, travel and study in the Netherlands, Belgium, France, England, Wales and Ireland, but the $5000-$7000 price tag, plus a 13 year old and 17 year old traveling outside the country with people we don't know, it's not going to happen. Maybe if we were independently wealthy (with a mansion and a yacht) and could shadow the trip, but that is not going to happen.

All these prices make me really appreciate my DD's-16 overnight to Boston. It is $150pp.
Donna