Monday, February 16, 2015

Trip to Waiouru Army Museum Information

Amesbury School is providing all students with the opportunity to participate in an exciting overnight field trip to Waiouru Army Museum. 

Our Term 1 inquiry is Living Together. This inquiry moves through a number of smaller modules: exploring ourselves as learners, our hubs as learning spaces, our local community and the wider community. The final module in this inquiry explores Gallipoli. 2015 is the start of the centenary of World War 1 and we are keen for our students to be aware of this global event and its meaning for us today.

Our overnight field trip will consist of two visits to the Army Museum. The trip will run over two days: travelling up by bus in the morning and spending the afternoon at the museum completing the first part of our programme. We will stay overnight at Venture Lodge (a lovely lodge in Ohakune owned by Auckland Grammar School) and return to the museum the next day for the second part of our programme. We will then travel back to Wellington after lunch.
 
The journey to and from Waiouru will have stops for bathroom breaks and snacks, including a time to play and explore the wonderful park at Levin. 

The programme at the museum will include the following experiences:
  • A complete guided tour of the museum
  • Dressing up in army gear, including camouflage paint!
  • Experiencing what it's like to be an army medic: administer 'in the field'  first aide to friends, carry them on stretchers etc
  • Understand more about Gallipoli and necessity of remembrance
  • Cook and eat army rations, using a 24 hour soldier ration pack and field equipment
  • Ride through the mud in an army humvee (high mobility vehicle)
This field trip is open to all students; content will be adjusted to meet the needs and ages of each group. It is not a compulsory trip - students can opt to go on the field trip or stay at school with other students and teachers. 

We believe this will be a fantastic trip and a great opportunity for our students. Many of these experiences are only part of school museum programmes - they are not offered to the general public. For your information -  not surprisingly, students will be exposed to some graphic war content at the army museum. For example, there is a a triage tent with a fairly realistic model of a soldier lying on a bed who has had a limb blown off. 

The cost of the trip will be $90 per student. We are very happy for people to spread the cost of this trip over multiple payments, if required. 

We ask that you complete this Field trip consent form, even if you do not want your child/ren to go on the trip. The first two questions are compulsory questions for everyone, and the rest of the form is only for students who will be going on the trip. This will allow us to confirm exact numbers easily and make plans accordingly. 

We need people to complete this form by Wednesday 18th February. Parents and caregivers are most welcome to come along on the trip; it promises to be great fun! There is a section on the consent form where you can express interest in coming along as parent help on the trip. There will be some costs for parents - such as the accommodation for the night and travel - unless parents take their own vehicle. But we will try to keep the cost down. We will be able to be clearer about this once we know what the demand is.

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