 Organize a school field tripMinimum version: FirstClass 5.5
Audience: Teachers
Experience:
 Features we use:
 SummaryLooking for an easy way to handle the details of your field trip? Use FirstClass to create a field trip conference for parents and students. From one location, parents can access important information such as the permission form, map, volunteer information, payment information, and any other important details. You can use a calendar to post important dates, such as the trip date or the deadline to return the permission form, and you can follow up with digital pictures of the trip.
This chart shows how you can manage all of the details of a field trip in FirstClass, just as you would in a traditional setting.
 ExampleJohn Smith schedules an annual field trip to the local Shakespearean theater for his grade 7 English class. He uses a Field Trip conference to organize the field trip. He put the conference in the Parents conference so parents can access it, and in the Grade 7 conference so students can access the information.
STEP 1: Make field trip information available
Initially, John puts the following in the conference:
� five documents:
- an outline of the details of the field trip
- a permission form for parents
- a payment sheet indicating who has paid the field trip fee
- a sign up sheet for volunteers
- a map to the theater for volunteers
� a Field Trip calendar to schedule the date of the trip and the deadline to submit permission forms
� a Permission forms stationery document
� a Permission Forms conference for parents to post completed permission forms
� a Pictures conference to store digital pictures that were taken on the trip.
This is what the field trip conference looks like after John has set it up.
 STEP 2: Reminders
Although the information is posted for all to see, John wants to make sure parents haven't forgotten to check the conference. He has a mailing list called Parents where he has all of the parents' home and work email addresses. A couple days before permission forms are due, he sends out an email reminder to this mailing list.
This is the email he sent.
  NoteSo John doesn't forget to send out the reminder, he created a new calendar task to "Remind parents about permission forms", and set a reminder for three days before the event.
STEP 3: Permission forms
Avalon Academy policy requires John to obtain permission from parents before students can attend a field trip.
Privacy
John only wants parents to be able to fill out and send in the permission form, so he has set permissions so only he and the parents have access to that conference. Here are the permissions for the Permissions Forms conference.
 Creating the form
Next, he creates the permission form as stationery in his Mailbox. To do this, he does the following:
1 He creates a message in his Mailbox.
His form contains the text of the school's standard disclaimer as well as information required from parents.
2 He enters Permission Forms in the To field and Permission Form in the Subject field.
3 He closes the message and chooses File > Properties (Windows) or File > Get Info (Mac OS or Mac OS X).
4 He selects "Stationery".
5 He drags the message to the Permission Forms conference.
The advantage of having parents post the completed permission forms to the Permission Forms conference, rather than to a folder inside John's Mailbox, is that he doesn't need to do any extra work to sort the forms, they are all in one location, and he can see whenever new permission forms have been returned.
STEP 4: Collect payments
Next, John creates a document in the Parents conference listing all the students. As they pay their entry fee, he prints PAID beside each name. This way he avoids a paper trail, and he can send a quick email if a parent is late paying.
This is the PAID list John created.
 STEP 5: Volunteer sign ups
John requires three volunteers for the field trip. He creates a document inside the Field Trip conference where parents can sign their names. The first three parents to sign up get to go on the trip.
This is the Volunteer sign up document he created.
 STEP 6: Organize students into groups
John needs to create groups for the field trip, so he creates another document in the Field Trip conference. In it, he lists the parent volunteers and the students assigned to each. This way, volunteers and students are aware ahead of time who is in their group.
This is the student Groups document he created.
 STEP 7: Post pictures
John Smith likes to take pictures while on field trips. After the trip, he uploads the digital pictures to the Pictures conference within the Field Trip conference.
VariationIf John wanted to, he could create a subconference within his Mailbox for parents to send their completed permission forms.
If permission forms require a signature, John can have parents fax the forms back.
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