OUTDOOR SCHOOL PROGRAM

Walter Murray Collegiate  1905 Preston Avenue South  Saskatoon, SK  S7J 2E7
Telephone (306) 683-7850

December, 2018
Dear Students and Parents,

We know that the excitement and anticipation is building for the Outdoor School [ODS] and we
hope this information will help you in preparing for your semester outdoors. Hopefully, you still
have the letter and information we sent last June and are making use of your Outdoor School
student card when shopping at the stores who support our program.

Once again, we emphasize that you try to obtain the required equipment without spending large
sums of money. Please resist the urge to hurry out and buy expensive or trendy pieces of gear.
Instead of panic purchasing - just call us for advice! What follows is a list of suggestions you
may consider as you begin to collect your gear.

• Look for SALES - Just after Christmas is an excellent time to find good deals on seasonal
camping equipment and purchase good quality gear at a reasonable price.
• Arrange to borrow equipment from friends or relatives. At the very least, arrange for a
tentative source of equipment from which to borrow.
• Students do not need all of their equipment on the first day of school! After the first
research assignment on equipment, students will have a better idea of what is required and
wiser purchases will be possible – before the first trip.
• Arrange to share equipment with students who are attending from your home high school.
Talk to students who have just completed the fall semester.
• Use your ODS student card at the stores who provide a discount for our students:
- Eb's Sail & Sport - Doug's Spoke & Sport - Outter Limits
- Traxx Footwear - Outta Bounds - Bike Doctor
- Escape Sports - Prairie Summit Shop

In the June letter we asked that you pay particular attention to the following:

Sleeping Bag
• A good quality 3-season sleeping bag [rated -5 to -10 degrees C] that is small enough to be
stuffed easily in a backpack is very important. Because sleeping bags are doubled up for
winter camping, please do not buy an expensive winter sleeping bag. Down filled sleeping
bags provide superior warmth for their weight - but are expensive. Synthetic filled sleeping
bags are more economical - although bulky and heavier.

Long Underwear
• We insist that all students have a complete set of long underwear made of 100% polyester,
polypropylene or merino wool. [i.e. Helly Hanson, Patagonia, MEC, Icebreaker etc.] You
will bring these on every trip!

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Boots
• A good pair of hiking boots is very important, although a solid pair of running shoes will
suffice. A high or mid cut boot is recommended, however, the light weight running
shoe/hiking boot hybrid provides best value and performance. For winter camping students
must have Sorel-type boots with heavy felt liners.

Back Packs
• Students need a small daypack [30 - 40 litres] to hold “essentials” like books, extra clothes,
rope, miscellaneous supplies, lunch, and water. A larger backpack [60 - 80 litres] will be
required for the week-long backpacking and wilderness expeditions.

Rain Gear
• All students must have rain gear that is 100% waterproof. This means a suit which consists
of both pants and jacket. Beware of impostors like nylon wind suits.

Mountain Bike
• Beginning in March / April students will travel around Saskatoon by bicycle on a daily basis.
Both hybrid road bikes and "off-road" bikes are acceptable - but they must be in good
working condition.

***The Outdoor School Program does have a good inventory of camping gear to lend such as;
Tents, backpacks, thermarests, PFD’s, paddles, skis, snowshoes, and sleeping bags.

FITNESS LEVEL

Hopefully you have kept yourself physically active. All students should be active - running,
stretching, skiing, playing team sports, wall climbing, push-ups & sit-ups, and/or lifting weights.
There will be no formal fitness testing as such and the program does not resemble a boot camp!
However, each day will be a fitness test in a sense as all students are expected to participate
fully. Remember, you will be a liability to the others if you can't keep up. If a student did not
complete and/or pass the swim test back in June 2018, they will be given an opportunity to retest
and demonstrate an ability to swim before our canoe trip.

TRANSPORTATION

When traveling in and around the city students are usually expected to cycle. They are also
encouraged to walk, run, or roller blade. However, during the winter months these self-
propelled modes of transportation are difficult and often unsafe. When this is the case, students,
are expected to use public transit as ecological conservation is a major theme of the program.
We know there will be exceptions made from time to time, however it is an expectation that
students be physically challenged and that they respect the ideals of the program. Students will
occasionally travel by private vehicle but always travel by bus when they leave Saskatoon on
their major adventure-based excursions. Providing safe transportation is the greatest source of
expense incurred by the Outdoor School Program.

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FEES

The $495.00 program fee [payable to Walter Murray Collegiate] can be paid when school fees
are collected during the first week in February. Monthly installments and post dated cheques are
acceptable and please contact us if other arrangements are required. These fees cover only the
basic [bare bones] expenditures of operating the program safely, and fundraising efforts will be
an additional responsibility of the students.

IMPORTANT NOTE FOR ALL PARENTS:

On Thursday evening, January 31st, at 7:00 PM, parents are expected to attend an important
meeting in the room 145 at Walter Murray Collegiate. Parents play a significant role in the
development of student independence and responsibility; the primary goals of the program.
Therefore, it is crucial that at least one parent of each student understand the role they play
within the educational process that unfolds each semester. Jana and Mitch will outline and
explain the program philosophy, rules [non-negotiables], academic expectations, evaluation,
assumption of risk, and the adventure/challenge format. Fees can be paid at this time and the
meeting is intended to be an open forum for the important questions you may have.

SCHEDULE OF MAJOR EXCURSIONS

The following are the dates of major excursions we have planned during the upcoming spring
semester. This schedule is tentative and could change.

Thursday, January 31st

• Spring semester students register at 9:00 am – Walter Murray Collegiate

February 12th-14th
• Shakedown Winter camp - Brightwater - Biology & Geography

March 3rd to March 8th

• Banff winter trip – Mountain Ecology & Geography

April 1st to April 5th

• Urban Trek – Urban Geography & Ecology

April 15th to April 18th

• Sustainable Living in the Forest Fringe - Shell Lake - Biology & Geography

May 6th to May 10th

• Grasslands National Park – Hiking, Grassland Ecosystems, Soil

May 29th to June 5th

• Churchill River Canoe trip – Boreal Geography & Ecology

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STUDENT ASSIGNMENT #1

On the first day of class [Thursday, January 31] students are expected to travel by public transit
to Walter Murray and arrive in room 145 by 9:00 AM. Taking the bus to school is the student's
first independent research assignment and students should not be driven to school. Please plan
the details of your bus route and connections ahead of time. The class will meet for the morning
in the classroom and then spend the rest of the day outdoors. Therefore, students must consider
the wind chill and bring warm clothing and footwear. Use your day pack to bring extra clothing,
a lunch, and water to drink. Remember to bring a pen/pencil and something to sit on in the
snow.

A FINAL WORD OF ADVICE

Our experience indicates that students who make the greatest commitment are the ones who reap
the greatest rewards. Remember, the Outdoor School program is an immersion outdoor
education program and it excels at improving student self-esteem. However, your outdoor
semester will not be a holiday and you must be mentally prepared for the academic, physical,
and emotional challenges that you will be faced with – this is what creates the growth in
confidence for young adults. Your personal degree of success will depend on how hard you are
willing to work and the level of fun, enthusiasm, and dedication you bring to the program. You
will have many exciting adventures and will develop tremendous friendships with the other
students and your teachers. It will be an experience that you will value the rest of your life.

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We hope that the fall semester has gone well and we wish you luck in your final exams. If you
require any further information or assistance please do not hesitate to call. A
permission/medical form has also been included in this package and students must bring the
form completed and signed [both sides] on the first day of the program. See you on January 31st
- we look forward to getting to know all of you!

Jana & Mitch