Field Tripping with RHSA
It's exciting to see so many new families joining RHSA, and enjoying field trips is definitely one of the many perks membership offers! Once your membership application is processed, you will be sent the confidential username and password information so that you will be able to access the most current Field Trip Newsletter.

1. Deadlines. These are important dates to note in the field trip newsletter, for they are the "point of no return" for each trip listed. The deadline is the date at which no more new sign ups will be accepted and also the date at which you will forfeit your payment (or deposit) if you decide not to attend a field trip. They are in red on the field trip newsletters because they are important to notice, so please verify the deadline for a field trip before signing up to make sure you haven't missed it.

2. Signing Up. There is one procedure for signing up for field trips and that is solely through the "Clip & Mail" forms (readily available at the end of each field trip newsletter for you to print and fill out) *WITH* correct payment. No coordinator will be able to sign up a family through email or without receiving BOTH the Clip & Mail form AND correct payment (checks made out to "RHSA"). For your convenience, snail mail addresses are listed on page 3 of the Field Trip Newsletter, following the procedures for signing up.

3. Attendees. Only current RHSA families may attend RHSA Field Trips. No exceptions.

4. Conflicts. Since RHSA is an organization that exists to provide support and encouragement to its home school member families, it offers many avenues by which to do this. RHSA meetings, RHSA Scouting, RHSA Field Trips, RHSA Teaching Co-op...all of these are avenues which families may choose to travel with their kids on their home school journey with RHSA. They are not requirements, but opportunities. Since there are meetings, co-ops, classes and clubs that meet on literally every day of the week in our large, metropolitan city, the Field Trip Team purposefully distributes field trip opportunities throughout the weekdays so that no matter which days any given family has commitments, there will be at least several choices for field trips on days which they can attend. For this reason, we stress the importance of checking your schedule before signing up for a field trip to make sure that you do not have a scheduling conflict.

5. Behavior. When we attend field trips, each of us represents not only our families but also RHSA as a Christian homeschooling organization to the public. To avoid potentially awkward situations in which your child/you may be asked to step away from the focus of the field trip in order that the other attendees may receive the benefit intended for the trip, please discuss with your children in advance about appropriate behavior (quiet listening skills, raising hands for questions, attentiveness, focusing on the speaker, to name a few). Children need to remain under your direct influence in learning these skills so that the field trip is beneficial and enjoyable for all who attend. Field Trip Coordinators may also send special requirements given them by the host of the field trip. These special requirements will be forwarded to you by email along with other pertinent information for that specific trip. 

6.  Sick Child Policy.  In order to help all of our children maintain good health, we ask all of our member families to observe the following guidelines when it comes to attending field trips: 

• No fever within the previous 24 hours
• No vomiting and/or diarrhea within the previous 24 hours
• No symptoms of childhood diseases (scarlet fever, measles, mumps, chicken pox, whooping cough, etc.)
• No runny nose with any colored discharge
• No excessive coughing
• No sore throat
• No unexplained rash
• No pink eye
• No head lice (child should be free of all nits)

If your child is being treated with an antibiotic, he or she should have received treatment for at least 24 hours before accompanying you on a field trip.

For more details, please see the latest field trip newsletter and the RHSA Code of Conduct. 

If you have any questions or comments, please send them to Ericka Smith, our Field Trip Director. 

We look forward to learning alongside you and your young scholars this year!

The RHSA Field Trip Team