Camping out on Thursday

Hello,

We will be camping out on Thursday, the night before our big Civil War day. We tried to find a nearby venue that would allow for a campfire, but it didn't work out. We will be camping right here in the HBS field. Two other classes will be joining us.

Our plan is to have a regular after school homework club, complete with snacks and reading time. Then we will set up our tents and, hopefully, get some pizza delivered. Please let me know if you can be the driver to go get the pizza. You are also welcome to chip in a couple bucks. We do not plan for an authentic 1863 camping experience. We're hoping for a 2016 version with LL Bean tents, sleeping pads and made to order food.

Parents (and families) are welcome. Make it a fun night for the whole family.

We will have round the clock night watchmen to take kids into the school to the bathroom. We are looking for volunteers for one hour shifts. Last time we had two hour shifts and my 4am person never showed, so I was up from 2am to 6am. I am hoping the faster shift makes for more volunteers. You do not need to be a camper to be a watchman. You can drive to school, play on your phone for an hour (or watch the stars), and then drive home.

In the morning, you are welcome to take your child home or just leave him or her for the big day. In either case, a change of clothes, breakfast, and some cleaning supplies should be provided. The gym restrooms have showers. Last time we had a couple campstoves making bacon and eggs, while some parents dropped off some bagels, juice and fruit.  I can run my stove for some of that, but hope we get some people chipping in as well.

The Civil War chorus show starts at 9:30 am in the gym. The outdoor stations go from 10:30 to noon. The reenactment goes from 1:00 to about 1:15. Please let me know if you have any questions or needs for the big day.

I've got to run. Exciting week ahead! And a bonus homework club tomorrow! (Tuesday)

Have a good night.

Mr. Shea

PS. I'll blog about it at a later time, but I heard that people are checking the blog to see if I have really taken a new job for next year. I have. I was offered a position at the new elementary school at Chewonki in Wiscasset. I'll be a 5th and 6th grade multi-age teacher. More on that at a later date. Thank you for your support.

Possible Gettysburg itinerary

Hello,

A rough itinerary of our upcoming, non school affiliated Gettysburg trip:

Gettysburg, Pennsylvania

June 23-26, 2016

Thursday, June 23  Rough Itinerary

            6:00 am           Depart from HBS.   I need to know who is going, who is driving, and any possible space available, so I can find out if we need to rent a van.

            4:30ish pm      Arrive at Artillery Ridge Campground in Gettysburg, PA.  Actual driving time is about 8 hours.  I’m figuring about 2 ½ hours for bathroom breaks and lunch.

            5:00 pm           Set up camp, get dinner started.

            6:00 pm           Eat dinner.

            6:30 pm           Go for a swim.  Take a quick shower.

            7:30 pm           Campfire time.

Friday, June 24  Rough itinerary

            8:00 am           Breakfast

            9:00 am           Tour the battlefield

            12:00   pm       Lunch / Swim?

            1:30 pm           National Park Visitors Center (Museum, film, and cyclorama)

            4:30 pm           Nap / Swim?

            5:30 pm           Dinner

            7:30 pm           Gettysburg National Cemetery 

            9:00 pm           Ghost tour?

Saturday, June 25  Rough itinerary

            8:00 am           Breakfast

            9:00 am           Battlefield walk (In the steps of Pickett)

            11:00 am         Battlefield walk (In the steps of Chamberlain)

            12:00 pm         Lunch

            1:30 pm           Downtown Gettysburg

            4:30 pm           Free choice: museums, battlefield, swimming, souvenir hunting?

            6:00 pm           Authentic 1863 meal at Historic Farnsworth House Inn?  (Goober peanut soup, turkey, duck, pheasant…)

            “The house sheltered Confederate sharpshooters during the three-day conflict, one of whom it is believed to have accidentally shot 20 year-old Mary Virginia "Jennie"  Wade, the only civilian who died during the battle. More than 100 bullet holes pock the walls.”

                                                             http://www.farnsworthhouseinn.com/home.html

or

Eat at the 1776 Dobbin House? (Candlelight, below ground, period dining. Oldest house in Gettysburg and a stop on the Underground Railroad)

http://www.dobbinhouse.com

8:00 pm           Final Campfire

Sunday, June 26

            6:00 am           Break down camp.  Shower.  Breakfast.  Hit the road.

            6:30ish pm      Home again, home again, jiggety jig.

I am not rich by any means, and while I am perfectly willing to pay more than my share to give the kids the experience,  I can’t afford to cover all the multiple costs associated with this.  Here is a general breakdown of the major costs as I see them.

                        $8.50 a night per person camping. (25.50 total)

                        Approximately $14.00 a day for food, that includes snacks, drinks, ice cream at the downtown Mr. G’s Ice Cream.  The period dinner is an added cost. I added another ten to that day’s food cost, but I think it is well worth it  (66.00 total)

                        $8.00 National Park Visitors Center and Museum Group Rate

That totals up to $99.50. This would be for anyone coming who wants me to take care of costs.

For the families coming, if they want to eat or do things on their own, they could pay for the things they take part in.  All drivers, including me, would pay for their own gas and tolls.  This will be substantial, so anyone not driving would surely be welcome to chip in there too. 

Overall, not too shabby.  A four day camping experience for a hundred bucks is pretty much unheard of.  I think it will be worth our time, money and effort.

Have a great night,

Mr. Shea

Gettysburg Trip 2016

Hello,

I'm attaching in the info sheet that went home last night.

2016 Gettysburg Trip

            Here are a few details on the proposed trip. Please remember that this is not a school affiliated trip, but a trip that I am putting together as a culmination of our Civil War unit and our looping experience.

            Thursday, June 23^rd

We will leave HBS at 6:00am. We will be driving to Artillery Ridge Campground in Gettysburg, PA. This is about a 9 to 9 ½ hour drive. Last year, with a lunch stop and other breaks, we got there around 4:30pm. It was very warm. We checked in, set up tents, cooked up some dinner, and some kids went swimming in the pool. We made a campfire, caught fireflies, and hit the hay. Group rates for camping is $8.50 per person, per night. Area hotels are available if you are not a camper.

            Friday and Saturday, June 24^th and 25^th

            We will tour the battlefield in multiple sessions. We did it in three sessions last time. I have toured Gettysburg several times and have read enough books to be our tour guide. I may not be perfect, but the price is right. Be sure that we will find time to explore Devil’s Den, walk in the footsteps of the men of Pickett’s Charge, and pretend to fix bayonets and perform the swinging gate maneuver of the soldiers of the 20^th Maine on Little Round Top. Last time we took afternoon siestas. The pool at our campground is nice.

The Gettysburg National Military Park Museum is also a must see. This is a good activity for hot or rainy afternoons. Group rate admission to the museum, film, and cyclorama is $8 for kids and $10 for adults.

I’d also like to get the kids to eat an authentic Civil War Era meal, either in the 1776 Dobbin House, the oldest in Gettysburg and once an underground railroad hideout, or the Historic Farnsworth House Inn, which once sheltered confederate sharpshooters and over a hundred bullet holes pock the walls.

Sunday, June 26^th

            Home. Although last time many families drove elsewhere before heading back to Maine, this will be up to you if you are a driver. One family went to Six Flags New England, another spent a day in nearby Washington D.C. We just need to make sure that kids make it home when they are expected.

            If you want to send your child on this trip without a chaperone, the fee is $100, payable on the day we leave. This covers transportation, camping, food and fees. I think it is a great deal for four days and three nights of fun. If you are going as a chaperone, you can just take care of your own family’s costs as they arise.

            Info nights – Monday, May 16^th and Tuesday, May 17^th at 6:00 (whichever is most convenient for you)

Civil War unit begins

Hello,

The class has taken sides. We have 16 Union Yankees and 8 Confederate Rebels. Both sides have chosen a general. Congrats to Luke and Chelsea on that front. As for names, each student was assigned a battlefront and a homefront persona. They will use these identities in their journals.

Contingents have been made with their own flags and mottoes. Ask your child what they stand for. We have started "marching" to and from our classes. We have had locker inspections. Points are awarded or taken away in much the same way that our classroom economy worked, but this is much more intense, with very few actions ignored.

We started the day with reveille and ended it with taps. Missing reading logs on the Union side were very costly this morning. We ended the day with the Confederates up 970 to 673. The extra members are a big advantage for the Union, except when penalties are awarded. They have a much better chance of having someone standing out in a bad way.

No homework clubs this week. Sorry about the change in plans. I take part in the teacher contract negotiation meetings, and they have been planned for Tuesday and Thursday this week.

Gettysburg Trip News: I talked to the good people at Artillery Ridge Campground in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania this weekend. I have put in a deposit for our group camping sites. It looks like the cost for the four day trip, which will leave on Thursday morning, the 23rd of June and return Sunday night, the 26th, will once again be $100 per child. The only way we can do this so cheaply is if our volunteer drivers pay for their own gas. I thank you in advance. The campground website is www.artilleryridge.com. If you'd like to reserve a cabin (and sleep indoors) those reservations will be up to you. Those go fast, so you might want to call right away if you'd rather have a bed and a stove.

More details to follow in an information sheet this week. I'm almost done with that. I just wanted to get the major details out asap. This trip is not affiliated with the Brunswick School Department.

All for now,

Mr. Shea