Did your FCPS go on a really pitiful field trip this year to the Smithsonian art museum?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This has been an interesting discussion. It is sad that FCPS has so much money but won't pay for field trips. This leaves poor schools to basically do nothing.

I’m not sure how you got to this conclusion. “Poor schools” go on field trips and get lots of financial support.

Really/ In this thread, it seems like the PTA is funding the good field trips, and some schools are only getting the shitty paid-for-by-fcps-35-minutes-at-the-museum trips.

All schools get the museum field trip, it’s organized by Central Office.

Right, everyone gets the crappy trip.

[Anonymous]

Pathetic

[Anonymous]

I feel like even in the past ten years but especially compared to when I was in school, FCPS ES have become so much less fun. We used to do so many more fun things during the day, more field trips, pool party, picnics, field days in spring and fall.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I feel like even in the past ten years but especially compared to when I was in school, FCPS ES have become so much less fun. We used to do so many more fun things during the day, more field trips, pool party, picnics, field days in spring and fall.

No Child Left Behind Happened

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I feel like even in the past ten years but especially compared to when I was in school, FCPS ES have become so much less fun. We used to do so many more fun things during the day, more field trips, pool party, picnics, field days in spring and fall.

No Child Left Behind Happened

Yes. The law had good intentions--but, school systems became obsessed with test scores. Irony: most of the schools would have scored better if they had spent more time teaching and less time practicing for the tests.

DD was in elementary school when it changed. it was a sea change.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, I grew up in Manassas Park (POOR schools) and we went to DC at least twice a year! I don't understand why FCPS sucks so much.

FCPS sucks now but it hasn’t always been this way. I attended the ‘bad (lower income)’ FCPS schools in the 80’s and 90’s and remember going to the Capitol, MANY Smithsonian museums ( National gallery, Natural History, American History, etc), the mint, and Mount Vernon in elementary school.

So many good local options. How much does it cost to rent commercial buses?

Based on previous trips, I think it's about $50 per student and families are asked to pay it.

I see. Silly to pay $50 to go to a free museum when we can drive and stay longer and eat at the restaurant, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This has been an interesting discussion. It is sad that FCPS has so much money but won't pay for field trips. This leaves poor schools to basically do nothing.

I’m not sure how you got to this conclusion. “Poor schools” go on field trips and get lots of financial support.

Really/ In this thread, it seems like the PTA is funding the good field trips, and some schools are only getting the shitty paid-for-by-fcps-35-minutes-at-the-museum trips.

All schools get the museum field trip, it’s organized by Central Office.

Right, everyone gets the crappy trip.

Our 5th grade teachers found and organized the field trip. We are not getting the crappy one.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, I grew up in Manassas Park (POOR schools) and we went to DC at least twice a year! I don't understand why FCPS sucks so much.

FCPS sucks now but it hasn’t always been this way. I attended the ‘bad (lower income)’ FCPS schools in the 80’s and 90’s and remember going to the Capitol, MANY Smithsonian museums ( National gallery, Natural History, American History, etc), the mint, and Mount Vernon in elementary school.

So many good local options. How much does it cost to rent commercial buses?

Based on previous trips, I think it's about $50 per student and families are asked to pay it.

I see. Silly to pay $50 to go to a free museum when we can drive and stay longer and eat at the restaurant, etc.

The field trip does not cost $50.

[Anonymous]

Parent of a fifth grader at OHES. No field trips for my DC since first grade, and it looks as though they’re not getting one this year, either. They’ve missed out on Richmond, Williamsburg, and other trips because of the pandemic.

Meanwhile, the fourth graders at the same school have gone on two field trips this year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I feel like even in the past ten years but especially compared to when I was in school, FCPS ES have become so much less fun. We used to do so many more fun things during the day, more field trips, pool party, picnics, field days in spring and fall.

No Child Left Behind Happened

Nope. Now we have food allergies and equity and things that makes schools different.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I feel like even in the past ten years but especially compared to when I was in school, FCPS ES have become so much less fun. We used to do so many more fun things during the day, more field trips, pool party, picnics, field days in spring and fall.

No Child Left Behind Happened

Nope. Now we have food allergies and equity and things that makes schools different.

How have food allergies affected field trips?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I feel like even in the past ten years but especially compared to when I was in school, FCPS ES have become so much less fun. We used to do so many more fun things during the day, more field trips, pool party, picnics, field days in spring and fall.

My kids school still does all of that except for the pool party.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I feel like even in the past ten years but especially compared to when I was in school, FCPS ES have become so much less fun. We used to do so many more fun things during the day, more field trips, pool party, picnics, field days in spring and fall.

No Child Left Behind Happened

Nope. Now we have food allergies and equity and things that makes schools different.

How have food allergies affected field trips?

They haven't. My kid has life-threatening nut allergies--the teacher carries her epipen in the school backpack. I usually try to chaperone so I can carry a personal one for her. It affects our lives, but it hasn't changed field trips.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Unfortunately, in FCPS, if you live farther away from DC, you get really screwed for field trips. Especially if your school is a late arrival school. You can't leave until all the buses are in, which puts you at a 10 am or later departure. Then your buses have to be back by 1:30 to get to the middle schools on time for their dismissal. So leaving at 1015---arrive in DC an hour later at 11:15 and then you need to leave DC by 12:30....it just doesn't allow for any decent field trip experiences. They should make an exception, I am sure they have some "reserve" buses they could use.

Why not take a field trip to something closer than DC?

Where do you recommend? Tysons Corner Center?

Examples of places ES and MS kids go to for FT:

Planetarium at Marshall (or is it Woodson) HS; Nature Centers, GMU; Smithsonian Air & Space museum at Dulles… these kind of stuff at the top of my head. I’m sure there are more….

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My 6th grader is going to The Edge in May from 7:30 am to 3:30 pm, hope this is better than the art museum school trip.

It's an outdoor gym/park, I think it belongs to GMU, they will be doing team building activities.