Every year our students go on wonderful field trips, including trips to museums, theaters, zoos, and more, including an overnight trip to the mountains for fourth graders and a weeklong stay at Walden West for sixth graders. These trips are often considered some of the highlights of students' time at Santa Rita, but we need your help to continue to offer them. The suggested donation amounts are our cost, and generate no extra money for the PTA; please let your teacher know if you have any questions about the programs offered for your children.

Transitional Kindergarten Field Trips

This year the Transitional Kindergarten class will have the opportunity to attend two plays at the California Theater Center in Sunnyvale. These theatre excursions are a wonderful learning and cultural experience for the children, and give them a chance to be in a theatre, to use their imaginations, and to pretend that they are a part of the story on stage.

Kindergarten Field Trips

This year the Kindergarten classes will have the opportunity to attend two plays at the California Theater Center in Sunnyvale. These theatre excursions are a wonderful learning and cultural experience for the children, and give them a chance to be in a theatre, to use their imaginations, and to pretend that they are a part of the story on stage.

First Grade Field Trips

This year the first grade classes will have the opportunity to attend two plays at the California Theater Center in Sunnyvale. These theatre excursions are a wonderful learning and cultural experience for the children, and give them a chance to be in a theatre, to use their imaginations, and to pretend that they are a part of the story on stage.

In addition, every year the first grade takes a trip to the San Francisco Zoo, as a culmination of the project-based science curriculum. Each student will have studied a particular animal and will have the chance to present that information during the zoo visit. 

Second Grade Field Trips

The second grade classes will visit History Park in San Jose, a collection of preserved buildings and artifacts. Through docent-led hands-on activities, students will discover more about daily life in the late 19th century, and get a peek into the everyday world of daily chores in the home and school day activities in a one room school house. 

In addition, students will also get to attend two plays at the California Theater Center in Sunnyvale. CTC productions are a lot of fun for the kids and offer a positive atmosphere in which young people can gain an appreciation and love of the arts.

Third Grade Field Trips

The third grade classes will visit Los Altos History House, which gives a wonderful insight into how much has changed since Los Altos was first developed in the early 20th century. They will also augment their science units on the natural world with trips to Foothills park, where they will explore the world of the Ohlone, and the Baylands preserve in Palo Alto, where students will discover the inner workings of the salt marsh ecosystem through exploration of microorganisms, plants, birds, and fish in an exciting hands-on program.

In addition, students will also get to attend two plays at the California Theater Center in Sunnyvale. CTC productions are a lot of fun for the kids and offer a positive atmosphere in which young people can gain an appreciation and love of the arts.

Fourth Grade Field Trips

In fourth grade students dive deep into California history. Trips to Mission San Juan Bautista and Peralta Adobe, students get to see first-hand what life was like for early residents of the area. They also get to make an adobe brick, dip a candle, design a brand, rope a steer, card wool, weave, grind maize, fry a tortilla and make yerba buena tea, create a corn husk figure, and dress up in California clothes.

But the most exciting trip is the overnight at Coloma Outdoor Discovery School, where everything that the students learned about comes to life. There's gold panning, square dancing, tent pitching and a life like general store. Not to mention a whole night away from homework! It's a fun and educational trip that shows what forty-niner life was all about! From the CODS website: "Our intention is to celebrate the culture, music, and folklore of the California Gold Rush while using lessons of the past to awaken students' interest and sense of responsibility for the environment.  At CODS, students live the Gold Rush: stories, songs, skits, and characterizations all help to convey the social and economic community of early Coloma. Students will walk in the footsteps of the 49ers and experience some of the challenges of surviving away from home."

Fifth Grade Field Trips

In addition to attending a play at Peninsula Youth Theater, this year the fifth grade classes will have the opportunity to experience the "Call of the Sea" in Sausalito.  Students will sail the San Francisco Bay aboard the schooner Seaward, hoist the sails, sing sea shanties, and experience what life was like for explorers and colonists. They will also learn about SF Bay ecology and the importance of our precious resources. 

Sixth Grade Field Trips

This year the sixth graders will go on trips to the California Academy of Sciences, Peninsula Youth Theater, coastal tidepools at the Fitzgerald Marine Reserve, and of course the week-long residential Walden West program.

Many former Bobcats look back on the Walden West trip as the greatest experience of their time at Santa Rita.  Students spend an entire week at the Walden West Outdoor Science School in the hills above Saratoga. A week of no homework, hiking, fresh air, beautiful wilderness, and a great view of the Santa Cruz mountains. The week inculdes many special events like the day hike, the night hike, cabin cheers, and... a very special event the last night. For more information, visit Walden West's website; see the links at the bottom of the page for parents, teachers and student information.