Tag: manage

How to Properly Organize and Manage School Field Trip

Posted on by TSB Super Admin

Planning a field trip and knowing exactly how to go about doing it is an essential skill. The idea of field trips works excellently for both the teachers and students.

While the idea is to take students out of the classroom and help them experience some real-life learning, it is also beneficial for teachers as they got to know a student’s interest.  

It is no wonder that school boards these days have become increasingly cautious about allowing field trips. If planned well then a field trip can indeed be a memorable and meaningful experience for everyone involved!

Planning and Organizing a Field Trip

Some of the below mentioned stages can be a good guide on how to organize and plan a school trip:

  1. Decide where to go and think about places that enhance and reinforce your curriculum goals.

  2. Ask your administrator and jot some notes before presenting the idea. Tell her why you want to go, where you want to go, what dates you are thinking of, and what the cost will be.
  3. Arrange for transportation and decide how you are going to get the little kids there and back.
  4. Decide on where and when you will stop for meals. Some of the common options available are either everyone including children bringing their own lunch, or stopping at a restaurant or café on or off sight.
  5. Make a plan and understand the time that each activity takes to perform keeping the interest and attention span of students in mind.
  6. Arrange for supervision depending on the number of students going for the trip and number of adults needed in order to handle the children. This also varies depending on the behaviour of age and maturity of the students.
  7. Create a permission form that includes all the necessary details about the field trip, like the date, time, venue, pick-up, drop-off, food to be carried, money to be carried, dress code if any and other such details that is necessary for parents to know before they sign and give their children the permission.
  8. Tie in the field trip with the student’s curriculum by deciding the kind of assignment and learning that can be done on the trip. This usually requires pre-learning and background reading to be done by the teachers.

Tips for Field Trip Behavior Management

While planning a field trip, teachers are usually worried about kid’s behaviour outside the school premises as they don’t how they are likely to behave outside the school setting. Some tips that teachers must remember while planning for a school field trip are:

  • If some students have significant trouble meeting the behaviour expectations on a day-to-day basis, they should hold a frank discussion regarding the same with the parents.
  • Always think of an alternative plan for students  that you think would not be able to cope with the trip circumstances.
  • Tell students they are under observation a week before the trip and reward the ones that behave appropriately as this will also give them an insight about the kind of behaviour that is expected from them.
  • Keep into consideration the medication schedule of kids from their parents
  • Hold an open discussion with students about the purpose of the trip and expectations of their roles and responsibilities on the same.
  • Consider keeping a low teacher-student  ratio to reduce chances of mishaps

Field Trip Safety Tips for Teachers

While taking children on a field trip, teachers have a huge responsibility of their safety. And as children are usually not so responsible and old enough to be at their best behaviours, teachers must keep a tab of the below tips as they are helpful in ensuring student safety:

  • Make students get their parents’ signature on a no-objection form which gives the school permission to take children on a field trip
  • Divide children into groups and assign a monitor to be able to give equal attention to all students and avoid mishaps.
  • Inform children about the place they are going to visit and prepare them about what they are going to be doing there.
  • Educate children about the safety tips for the trip and let them know who they are supposed to reach out to when they need any help.
  • Let the students know they are going to be divided into groups and also let them know who they are going to be with so that they can be comfortable around the people.
  • Choose a safe transport. Instead of hiring private vehicles, school buses that children travel are safer and more preferred during field trips.
  • Carry a first aid kit and also water and juices in case to avoid students from feeling dehydrated and low on energy

Here's a video of how teachers can able to track students while on a school field trip or an excursion

Field Trip Rules for Elementary School Students

For students of elementary school going for a field trip, certain rules are mandatory that make trip a pleasurable experience for all like:

  • Be along with your group at all times
  • Respect what the monitor says and obey her commands
  • Help keep noise and confusion at a minimum
  • Know who to talk about any problems that you are facing
  • Help others in your group
  • Take care of your belongings and do not indulge in any inappropriate behaviour while on the trip
  • Discuss if there is any problem with the teacher
  • Abstain from using any foul language or showing any disrespect

Field Trip Rules for Middle School Students

Just like students of elementary school, it is very essential for students of middle school to follow rules and regulations as the middle school usually have trips that are for more than just a day and usually are outside the city.

This makes it more important for them to abide by the rules to ensure their safety. The students must remember to:

  • Stick to the instructions given by teachers and  chaperones courteously and respectfully
  • Keep the transport vehicle, hostel or hotel room clean at all times
  • Not go beyond the mentioned boundaries of the place they are staying at
  • Strictly adhere to the time lines and report on time, as suggested by teachers.
  • Carry appropriate clothes according to the weather and the place
  • Not ride any form of public transportation during their free time
  • Make no excessive noise in hotel or the hostel through music or shouting
  • Follow the buddy system and leave no student alone in his or her hotel room

Impact of Field Trip on the School Environment

A field trip is one of the best tools that we can use to provide every student with real-world experiences.

By taking children out once in a while where they begin to see that what they learn within the classroom walls, schools promote a more efficient way of learning for the students.

It helps them solve the problems they see in the world around them and can have a direct impact on who they become as people. Field trips make learning relatable and faster for students making the school environment more lively and interactive.

Therefore, encouraging school trips is promoting a better learning program for schools and also enabling a healthy development amongst students making them more self-aware and confident.

11 Crucial Elements for Managing School Transport Effectively

Posted on by TSB Super Admin

Providing school transportation to students is an added advantage for parents these days as it takes care of the conveyance of children with a pick up and drop off point as well as time. It helps children as well as parents to get into a routine and reach school on time and safely. But on the other hand schools need to exercise caution when providing transportation for students.

Once the school starts to provide the facility of transportation to students, it thinks of responsibility for compliance with several regulations.

It takes responsibility of students’ safety in all conditions. They also become answerable for the condition of transport vehicle and must also have a system for customary inspections and for reporting defects in the vehicle.

Some of the below mentioned elements must be kept in mind and practiced by schools to manage school transport effectively.

1. Manage Bus Routes – The biggest challenge for the school transportation department is to come up with convenient, time-saving routes that cover all the students in a manner that is cost-effective, fuel efficient as well as time effective. The job is much more difficult than it sounds as preparing routes for multiple vehicles and ensuring that the routes don’t overlap or cause any confusion.

6 School Bus Auto Routing Features from TrackSchoolBus

2. Create Bus Stations – Another extremely important element of this procedure is to create convenient as well as accessible bus stations for all students. While creating bus stations, transportation department must keep in mind that they should be convenient  for all students and also located at a place where it is safe for students to wait for the vehicle.

The bus station cannot be decided at a place that has heavy traffic or no waiting place as it will become   inconvenient for students and parents who are supposed to drop them.

3. Manage Bus Timings – Managing bus timings is a vital step in managing school transportation as all the routes have to be decided keeping in mind the availability of vehicles.

The routes are supposed to be allotted to vehicles in a manner that each vehicle gets buffer time owing to technical problems or traffic delays. The buses are also supposed to be timed in a way that takes the least time during the time of its travel.

4. Create Fee slots – For schools to be able to manage the transportation it is necessary for it to be viable and feasible for them. The bus routes and timings must be decided keeping in mind the cost incurred for the same.

Fee slots must be created for different routes depending on the distance from the school and other important factors. Students must be categorized under different fee slots to ensure that the school is not incurring losses while providing transportation.

5. Allocate Routes to Students / Staff – The next step involves allocation of routes to staff members as well as students. Schools have to keep in mind that each vehicle has a similar student-teacher ratio or at least ensure that every vehicle has a minimum of two to three teachers, one of which stays in the vehicle till almost the end of the route. This is necessary to ensure the children safety and also helps make parents feel comfortable sending their children in school bus.

6. Manage Student Attendance – While talking about the student safety; it is also very essential to keep a head count of the student and also take a roll call/attendance before reaching the school and also after leaving the school.

The attendance helps cross-check the number of students boarding the bus. Schools must ensure this practice to ensure the safety of the children as they are responsible for their conveyance safety to and from school.

7. Ensure Student Safety – This point has been reiterated many times in this article as the safety of the children holds immense importance. The school takes full responsibility of children’s safety while providing them school transportation and therefore must keep a check on the condition of  vehicles and  speed of the vehicle  as well. Schools must come out with great techniques to help track down children’s safety.

8. Track Bus Location – It is extremely important for the buses to be tracked down at all times. Schools must adopt techniques to track  the vehicle and its staff at all times especially in emergency or mishaps.

9. Integration with GPS Device – One way schools can track down vehicle location is through GPS tracking device. The GPS tracking device is very efficient in tracking the location of  bus, its speed and other relevant details.

This enables the school to stay informed about  driver’s driving efficiency and  condition of the vehicle. This can help them take a timely decision during the time of concern.

10. Generate Various Reports – Integration with the GPS tracking device can enable schools to take out various reports and compare details such as  wear and tear of the vehicles,  speed at which it is driven, etc. These reports help compare the efficiency of routes, timings and driving styles, enabling schools to come up with cost and time effective services for the students while also ensuring their safety.

11. Easy Record Search – School transportation must enable video surveillance as well. By enabling this feature the staffs responsible for conveyance also becomes alert and puts forth their best behaviour. It also helps control student behaviour and ensuring no unnecessary nuisance or quarrels.

The elements mentioned above hold equal importance when it comes to managing the school transport efficiently. As we all know it is a job that requires a high level of safety for children while incurring a high cost of accomplishment for the school. 

12 Important Benefits of School Buses

Posted on by TSB Super Admin

School buses have always been a common and one of the most preferred modes of transportation for school children. Parents all across the globe are using services of school buses to pick and drop their kids for past few decades.

But still, when it comes to deciding whether or not to use services of a school bus for kids, many parents find it difficult to make a decision.

If you are also finding it hard to choose a mode of communication for your kid for their school, then here we are listing a few benefits of school buses to help you make a choice. 

Benefits of School Buses for Parents

1. Always on time

One of the most important benefits of school buses is that they arrive on time. Every morning, you know when the bus will be at the stop to pick your kid. So accordingly, you can manage your timing and ensure that your little one reaches school on time.

On the other hand, when you choose to pick and drop your kid on your own, managing time becomes a little tricky, especially if you have more than one kid and they are in different schools or have different regimes.

Also, on rainy days or when you are sick, or your vehicle is not working, your kids either get late to the school or end up taking a leave.

2. School buses now come with GPS systems

GPS system on a school bus means you can always track the location of your kid. The GPS tracker empowers parents to know their child's location and give them peace of mind.

At the same time, it is a blessing in times of emergency; parents can easily track where the bus is and can reach the location immediately. 

3. Kids make new friends

From a young age, kids get to learn a lot of new things. And when they travel in school buses, they not just make new friends, but they learn sharing, companionship and how to make new friends.

These things will help them for years to come. For school going kids’, school bus is usually the best place where they get to meet new kids and make friends.

4. Kids learn to take care of their things:

When kids use school buses, they learn to take care of their personal belongings, like a school bag, water bottle, and lunch box. This helps them in their overall development and well-being and makes them a responsible and independent individual.

5. Kids learn to manage their time

School buses daily come at the same stop on same time. As a result, kids become very conscious and careful about the timing and learn to complete their things on time.

They get ready on time to make sure that they catch their bus. Also, another motivating factor to catch the bus on time is the friend circle they have on their bus.

6. Parents have complete peace of mind

When using services of school buses, parents can rest assured about the conveyance and safety of their kids. They don’t have to worry about daily commute of their kids and to manage their to-do list according to the timing of the school.

They can easily carry on with their tasks and personal commitments with complete peace of mind that the school bus will pick and drop their kid on time, without a miss no matter what.

Benefits of School Buses from School’s Point of View

7. Classes can start on time

When you have school buses, you can be assured that kids and teachers will be on the school premises on time and classes can start on scheduled time. This makes the daily schedule as smooth as possible.

8. Keep parents updated on their kids’ location with a GPS system

With GPS system you can always keep parents updated about the location of their kids. They can check if the bus is following the given route and is on time. This creates a level of trust and parents become assured about the safety of their little ones.

9. It is an additional facility that you can offer to parents

Parents when choosing a school for their kids look for facilities that the school is offering. And by providing school bus facility, you can increase your list of offerings and attract more and more parents.

Parents also feel relaxed that they don’t have to bother about daily dropping and to pick their kids.

General Benefits

10. Lesser Vehicles on the Road

When transporting a school student to and from school, parents need not take their vehicle out during the peak traffic hours. If a school bus carries 50 students, it means there are far lesser vehicles on the road.

11. Better Environment

When there is less number of vehicles on road, the emissions from vehicles are also reduced. Vehicle emissions include dangerous gases such as carbon monoxide, which has severe negative effect on the environment.

As school buses make it unnecessary for parents to transport students to and from schools, a significantly lower number of cars are there on the road, reducing the overall carbon footprint drastically. Thus, school buses contribute to a better environment.

12. Lower Accident Rate

Many studies over the years have repeatedly stated that school buses have a significantly lower number of accidents on road compared to students travelling by cars.

So, if you have been confused about hiring services of a school bus for your kid, then now with these benefits listed above you know how you and your little one can benefit from the school bus and why you should also hire one for your kid.