Field Trips

At Grant School, all educational experiences are thoughtfully planned and organized by our dedicated school staff and teachers. Common field trips include local watersheds, historical sites, museums, immersive walk-through experiences (on-site), and an overnight 6th-grade camp experience.

PTA Commitment to Accessibility

The Grant School PTA firmly believes in the enrichment that onsite and offsite field trips provide to our students and that every experience should be accessible to every student, every year. We strive to create an inclusive environment where all students can benefit from these valuable experiences and we financially supplement these programs in multiple ways.

Why Are Families Still Responsible for Field Trip costs? 

• Budget Limitations: While we wish we could fully fund every single trip, our available resources are limited. We focus on fundraising together to make all trips more affordable (never exceeding $250) and to provide scholarships whenever needed.  By prioritizing scholarship availability, the PTA ensures that these trips are accessible to all students which allows these experiences to exist for the whole Grant community. 

• Fund-A-Need (2024) Maximum: In the 2024-2025 school year, the PTA is also contributing an extra $560 to each class (approximately $21 per student) based on the Fund-a-Need raised at the 2024 Grant Gala for onsite and/or offsite experiences (how this is used is at the discretion of the teacher/school- whether it funds an existing program that families are no longer asked to pay for or used to implement a new experience).  This provides additional financial support for ALL families, but field trip participation fees will be needed once a class has surpassed that $560 PTA contribution.

• Scholarship Availability: If you require any financial assistance, please don’t hesitate to reach out to your teacher or the school office. The Grant PTA strongly believes that financial barriers should never prevent any child from participating in these enriching experiences and we budget scholarships with this in mind.  We know monthly expenses can add up and we are here to help!

Why Do We Fundraise as a Cohesive Group?

You may wonder why certain grades* don’t fundraise individually for field trips. Here are two key reasons:

• Unified Efforts: By fundraising together, we can focus on a few major events (ie: Jog-a-thon) each year.  This approach helps us avoid overwhelming families with multiple and competing fundraising requests.  

• Consistent Support: We aim to subsidize expensive trips annually, regardless of any group's fundraising success. While we welcome every single individual's fundraising effort to secure donations (Jog-a-thon!!!), our goal is to minimize costs (e.g., lowering the cost for 6th grade camp from $500 to $250) and provide scholarships for every program every single year. We fundraise as a team to ensure that field trips consistently remain within reach for all families.

*You may see our wonderful 6th grade students and families providing baked goods to sell at some of our school events.  This gives them leadership opportunities and the fundraising they bring in helps support graduation activities.

Is the PTA involved in field trip transportation?

Nope! 

The Grant PTA is thrilled to learn that Petaluma City School District is contributing transportation funding to provide buses for field trips outside of 22 miles.  The success of the big field trips will no longer have to rely on parental driver availability and be cancelled if something falls through (yes- this was happening). 

Please know that while the PTA is encouraged to hear that PCS will be providing bus resources for the school, the Grant PTA is not involved in any type of field trip transportation whatsoever.  All transportation logistics and bus funding is solely handled by the district and the school.  

Scholarships and subsidizing the more expensive trips results in about a $15,000 annual PTA contribution.  Additionally, in the 2024-2025 year, the PTA is also contributing an extra $560 to each class (approximately $21/student) based on the 2024 Fund-a-Need for onsite and/or offsite experiences (how this is used is at the discretion of the teacher/school- whether it funds an existing program that families no longer are asked to pay for or used for a new program.)