Outdoor Education
One of the many wonderful programs which distinguishes Claire Lilienthal (CL) from other SFUSD public schools is the Outdoor Education (OE) program. In 1981, CL was established as an alternative, “parent participation” school with a new and exciting OE program. The unique OE program at CL is one of the factors that lead many parents to choose CL for their children. The goal of OE is to give children who live in the City the opportunity to experience different environments and participate in hands-on outdoor education. Many classes of CL students have taken amazing journeys and created lifetime memories through the OE program.
The OE Program exists across all grade levels. As a general overview of the current OE trips, here is a description of trips and costs per grade level. In Kindergarten, the students participate in on-campus nature experiences planned by the teachers. In the past, this has included visits from the Zoomobile, the Whale bus and nature activities. Kindergarten students are not charged for their participation in OE and their programs are paid for by the CLPTA. In First Grade, OE has usually been an all-day long ferry ride and hiking trip to Angel Island. First Graders are not charged for their participation in OE and their programs are paid for by the CLPTA.
In 2nd Grade, students have attended an all-day program at Slide Ranch. It is estimated in the future that the charge to students for this program will be about $50-$60 per student. In 3rd grade, students get to experience their first overnight OE trip, with a 3-day, 2-night trip to the Marin Headlands. The future cost of this trip is approximately $150-$200 per student. The 4th grade students go for 4 nights to Foothill Horizons, at a cost of approximately $320-$350 per student. The 5th graders go for 4 nights to Walker Creek at a cost $325-$350 per student.
In middle school the trips get a bit longer and more elaborate. The 6th graders go to Camp Jones Gulch for 4 nights at a cost of $260-$300 per student. The 7th graders go on a week-long winter trip to Yosemite at a cost of $550-$600 per student. The graduating 8th graders go to Catalina Island Environmental Leadership Program for a week in October at a cost of $550-$600 per student.
For all grades except for K and 1, the financial goal of the OE program is to break-even by grade level. The only way to keep the OE Program in existence is for families to pay their student’s share of the trip costs. Scholarships are available from the CLPTA for students with financial hardships. All children are encouraged to participate in the OE program. The purpose of this letter is to educate families about the upcoming expenses of OE for your child so that you can plan and budget accordingly. You will receive specific costs and educational information regarding your child’s OE trips from your child’s teachers.
We are excited for your child to participate in the unique OE program at Claire Lilienthal. We hope that the program will be able to sustain itself for decades so that all CL children will have a chance to participate.
Please use the links below to download documents related to Outdoor Education: