Scheduling

"Though my soul may set in darkness, it will rise in perfect light;
I have loved the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night."
- Sarah Williams (1837-1868)

Visit the Sandburg Sky Poetry Web page, including CSMS student-authored sky poems.

Sandburg Center for Sky Awareness
A Fairfax County Public Schools Planetarium

Sandburg Planetarium
Scheduling Planetarium Visits

COMMUNICATION

Communication between the Sandburg Planetarium Teacher and the principals and teachers at those schools that I serve is critical to a successful planetarium learning experience for students. My preference is to communicate via e-mail, since this virtually eliminates "phone tag" and helps to preserve a written record of our communication. My e-mail addresses are: Walter.Sanford@fcps.edu; and wsanford@wsanford.com.

My office phone number is 703-799-6169. Office hours are limited to Tuesdays and Thursdays only.

SCHEDULING PLANETARIUM VISITS

To accommodate all classes in the Sandburg Planetarium service area, it may be necessary to combine two- or more classes for planetarium visits. Visits to the Sandburg Planetarium will be scheduled on TUESDAYS and THURSDAYS only. Planetarium visits will last approximately one- to one-and-a-half hours. There are two programs daily:

Morning Program	9:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
Afternoon Program	11:45 a.m. - 1:15 p.m.

LOGISTICS

Classroom teachers are responsible for making field trip arrangements, including transportation. Be advised that FCPS busses must be reserved at least three weeks in advance of the trip date. Please be sure to schedule busses to arrive at your school approximately 20-30 minutes before the program starting time so that your class will arrive on time! Complete a Field Trip Request form and submit it to the FCPS Transportation Office (the funding code is: 730-503-1522). Remember to put the field trip date on your school calendar. Have parents sign and return Field Trip Permission forms. It is strongly recommended that parents be invited to participate as field trip chaperones (at a ratio of one parent for every 10 students).

SCHEDULE REMINDERS

For planetarium visits, I will try to send schedule reminders, however this is a courtesy--ultimately, it is the responsibility of the classroom teacher to follow the schedule. In the event of an emergency or cancellation, please contact the Planetarium Teacher ASAP.

COMMUNITY GROUPS