How do I sign up to be a guide?
Each school has a River-Lab captain.  You may contact your school office to get his/her name and contact information.  You may also get this information at the River-Lab office (203) 259-1847 or on this website under "Contact Us." Your captain will take your information and sign you up for guide training.  He/she will also give you information you will need to be a guide for River-Lab.    

Can I just show up for my child's trip if I want to guide it?
No.  Although we appreciate anyone's interest in the River-Lab program, our guides must attend two training sessions - one indoor and one outdoor - in order to become a qualified guide.  The River-Lab program makes up one-third of Fairfield public school's science curriculum and is designed to be CMT-compliant, so it is very important that our guides receive the proper training.  Each training session runs about two hours long, so you will be asked to attend about four hours of training in total.  

Where are the study-trips?
Grade 3, 4, and 5 study-trips are conducted at the Perry's Mill Open Space on Sturges Road in Fairfield.  You will find a Google map on this website.  Grade 5 includes both a study-trip to the Open Space and a classroom lab activity immediately following at your child’s school.  Guides should plan to attend both the study-trip and lab.  Grade 6 trips are held at each of the town's estuaries, St. Mary's, Southport, and Ash Creek.  You will find directions on this website.  

What if I want to guide but can only do 1 trip and not the suggested 3?
We encourage all guides to schedule 3 trips.  We must provide trained guides for trips for every grade 3-6 class in every school, so your help in staffing these trips is invaluable to us.  Of course, if your schedule will absolutely not permit you to attend 3 trips, we are still happy to have you as a guide.    

What is a “Follow Trip”?
You have the option of attending a trip and shadowing an experienced guide before you lead your first trip.  Some guides feel that this helps them to feel better prepared.  You can choose to schedule yourself for a follow trip.  

What is a “Back-up Trip”? 
You are asked to sign up to guide 3 trips and to schedule yourself as a “back-up guide” for one trip.  The back-up guide is on call and available to guide that trip if a regularly scheduled guide has a last-minute illness or emergency.   

What do I do if it turns out I can't guide a trip for which I am scheduled?
Once you are scheduled for a trip, you are committed.  You will be given a roster of all trained guides at your grade level after trainings are complete.  In the event that you must reschedule, it is your responsibility to find a trained replacement.  In the case of a last-minute illness or emergency, the back-up guide will take your place.     

What do I do if it rains on the morning of my scheduled trip?
We try our best to conduct our trips rain or shine. Please dress accordingly. In the event of severe weather, you will be called or emailed one hour in advance of your trip to reschedule.  We are not able to update the website daily with trip cancellations, so please check your messages.  

What if it starts raining while I'm out on a trip? If the weather changes during the course of a trip, the decision will be made by the trip leader to end the trip.  In most cases, the buses wait along Sturges Road during the trip, so the bus can be flagged down.  If not, please call the Fairfield Public School transportation office at 255-8385, or the River-Lab office at 259-1847 to locate your bus.