Dear 7th Grade Parents/Guardians,

The 7th grade will be going on an overnight trip on May 15 - 17, 2023. We will be staying at Camp Hayden-Marks, 436 Van Wyck Lake Road, Fishkill, NY. We will be working with instructors from Earth Living Skills, an outdoor skills education group whom we have worked with on several previous 7th grade overnight trips. These instructors each have their own areas of expertise, such as animal tracking, nature awareness, wilderness survival, basket-making, plant medicine, and jewelry making, much of which they have learned by studying Native American cultures, which they will share with our students.

At this program, your child will learn about the sacred order of survival: shelter, water, fire, and food. Knowing wilderness living skills enables a person to live in nature without any special equipment; your own knowledge and skills are all you need. The program will also tap into our potential to connect with nature deeply. We will hone our awareness through games that use all of our senses. We will explore how gratitude to the Earth is essential to understanding nature. We will also discuss how we can take care of the Earth, which will be an underlying theme.

Daily flow:

Each day starts with a sit spot; we will guide each student to a special place to sit and be still and use all of their senses to experience the forest around them. Later we will dive into more wilderness living skills such as:

• Shelter: We will build shelters out of materials we find in the forest.

• Water: Kids will learn how to find water and about different ways to purify it using mostly natural materials.

• Fire: Bow drill kits will be either provided or the kids will learn how to make their own, and other methods of fire-making will be explored.

• Food: Every patch of ground has some kind of wild edible or medicinal plant. Kids will learn basic hunting principals such as stalking, tracking and some hunting tools that can be made using natural materials. Stories and games accompany each wilderness living skill to bring them to life. At the end of the day we will circle up again and discuss the highs and lows we experienced in our time together, and something we learned.

The Logistics

Who...is going on the trip? All 7th grade students along with 7th grade teachers and Earth Skills Living staff.

We need parent chaperones! If you think you might be available, please let your child’s advisor know.

When...is the trip? May 15-17, 2023. We will be leaving from NYICE at around 7:30 am on Monday, May 15 and returning to NYICE at around 3:00 pm on Wednesday, May 17 .

Where...will the group be staying? Camp Hayden-Marks, 436 Van Wyck Lake Road, Fishkill, NY. Students, teachers, and chaperones will be sleeping in cabins (they are fully furnished with bunk beds and have electricity). There will be approximately 10-12 students to a cabin. Each cabin will also have one teacher or chaperone. Students will give roommate preferences closer to the trip date which teachers will use to organize rooms.

Where...will the group be eating? Food will be provided on site. All dietary restrictions will be addressed.

How...are you going to make sure I get all of the information closer to the trip? We will be holding a parent meetings to discuss all of the details of the trip. Details to come.

How...can I contact my child in the case of emergency? In the event of an emergency, our emergency contact mobile numbers are:

(917) 674-6480, (347) 661-4204, and (917) 324-3313, which will get you in touch directly with an ICE teacher or staff member. The phone number for the main office at Camp Hayden-Marks / Sharpe Reservation is 845-897-4320.

Students are not allowed to use their cell phones during the trip except in very limited circumstances. This policy will be reviewed with students along with other rules in preparation before the trip.

Cost

● The cost of the trip is $250 per child. This includes coach bus transportation, Earth Living Skills instructors, lodging, and food.

● Full payment is due by Monday, May 1, 2023. Early payments are encouraged.

  • To pay by Zelle: Send your contribution to: icetreasurers@gmail.com(Please be sure to include student’s name and grade.)

  • Checks should be made out to “ICE Foundation,” with the child’s name/crew and “7th grade trip” on the memo line.

  • To pay by Credit Card, Debit Card or PayPal:

● If you are able to pay more than the required amount, your generosity will go towards covering the total cost of the trip for all children.

● Payment will not be a barrier to any child going on this trip. All 7th grade students are expected to attend this once-a-year trip. If you need help with arranging payment, please email Lisa Bleyer at lisableyer@iceeducate.org and we will find a way to help you manage the payment or provide assistance as needed.

Who...should I contact with questions? To get the quickest response, please email your child’s crew leader:

7A Jared Friedland jared@iceeducate.org

7B Josh Torpey josh@iceeducate.org

7C Gaby Stultz gabriela@iceeducate.org

7D Jaleel Williamson jaleelw@iceeducate.org

Thank you!

–The 7th Grade team