Sunday, March 12, 2017

4th Grade Carolina Ocean Studies Field Trip - Your Support is Needed!

Gofundme.com/p/nbnn
Help give our Northside students the opportunity to experience firsthand the Science wonders of our NC coastal region.
As a culmination of our Ocean Life and Animal Habitat unit, our Northside Elementary 4th grade students are headed to explore the coastal region of North Carolina. 
Our Students will have the opportunity to bring to life our study of the NC coastal region via island and sound exploration. Imagine a hands-on experience to study this area's ecology! There is nothing like running your hands through the water as you study the fascinating inhabitants of the estuary.

Our students are very curious. Regardless of a student's academic strength in the classroom, hands-on activities in science lead to greater student learning. During this field trip to the coast, they will become ecologists of our Coastal Region. They LOVE science! They LOVE experimenting and using the scientific method. There are children from impoverished home environments and children who are not. We represent a diverse ethnic and racial group of children and collectively enrich the lives of our school and greater community. Our goal is to increase student achievement through access to hand-on science activities, decreasing the gap in student achievement.
Our 4th grade field trip will begin at Carolina Beach marina. We will cruise to Myrtle Grove Sound, Snow's Cut and the Intracoastal Waterway and Carolina Beach Inlet. During this trip, we will learn about the ecology of our estuary. We will study the life cycle of live blue crabs, discuss their diet, and learn about their adaptations. On Masonboro Island, we will have a scavenger hunt at the marsh which will include clamming. Students will catch blue crabs on baited lines and study their behavior as they scavenge upon a chunk of fish. We will study the predator/prey relationships and food chains. At the beach, students will learn about fascinating adaptations found in the animals and plants that live in this harsh desert-like environment. Afterword, we will travel through the estuary and examine the feeding behaviors of egrets, herons, cormorants, and osprey. Finally, we will visit the NC Aquarium at Fort Fisher where our students will dive into a world of wonder and water, studying a wide array of educational exhibits.
Some students cannot afford an experience like this. Without this field trip, they might never hold a blue crab or go clamming or travel through our estuary. Can you imagine anything more wonderful than studying animal habitats and ocean life through books and videos and then traveling to immerse yourself, first-hand, in the ecology of a coastal habitat? Making a donation means all of our students will be able to join in on a fabulous learning experience and do so with a great sense of dignity.
Our Appreciation. Due to the nature of the field trip with bus reservation and Carolina Ocean Studies timeline, all funds need to be available to us by April 24th 2017. Your help with this project is priceless. If you could see the faces of these children having the field trip of a life time, you would know how grateful we are for your assistance.

Help spread the word! Donate today!  Gofundme.com/p/nbnn