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Los Vaqueros Watershed Connection Frequently Asked Questions
Los Vaqueros Watershed Connection is available for grades three and up for public, private and home schools within the Water District service area (Martinez, Concord, Bay Point, Pittsburg, Antioch, Oakley and parts of Pleasant Hill, Walnut Creek, and Brentwood). Schools outside of the CCWD service area are not eligible to use the program. To book a date, you must submit a fully completed, legible registration form. Incomplete or illegible forms will be returned. At least four weeks notice is required and all registrations are processed on a first-come, first-served basis. Registrations will be accepted for the upcoming school year starting May 1st. Requests received prior to May 1st for the next school year will not be considered. No, registrations can only be submitted by mail, fax, e-mail or in person. We ask you to give us three difference date choices. We do our best to accommodate your 1st choice, however, depending on availability, it may be necessary to confirm your 2d or 3rd choice, so please ensure that all the dates you give us will work for you and your school calendar before submitting your registration form. The education calendar on our website will also show the available dates for the different programs. There is a check box on the registration form to indicate how you will be arriving at the watershed. Please indicate that you will be arriving by bus. We will notify you with your tour date. Once your transportation is confirmed, notify the coordinator at 925 688-8307 or email and your date will be finalized and the confirmation sent to you. Due to the popularity of our programs, we are unable to hold dates. To book a date, you must submit a fully completed, legible registration form. All registrations are processed on a first-come, first-served basis. We can accommodate up to 40 students per program. If your classes only have 20 students in each class, two classes should combine for one program. If your classes are larger than 20 students, book a separate program for each class. You may request up to 3 programs (all on different days) per registration form. If you need more than 3 programs use an additional registration form. If you book a program for a small group CCWD reserves the right to combine your class with one from another school, as long as the total number of students does not exceed 40. Most registrations are processed within two weeks and a confirmation packet will be mailed to the contact person designated on the registration form. Confirmation packets contain important information. Do not assume you have a reservation until you receive you confirmation. If you have not received your confirmation within three weeks, please contact the education coordinator at 925-688-8307 or email. The Los Vaqueros Watershed Connection programs are offered Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday during the normal school year. Programs are generally not booked on Wednesdays. The Watershed Connection is a full 4 hours in length, from 9:30 AM – 1:30 PM. If you plan to use a school district bus, do not request a program on an early release day unless you can guarantee the bus will not have to leave early. The Los Vaqueros Watershed Connection is designed for grades three and up. The majority of our programs are conducted for grades three, four and five. We can adapt the program for higher grades as well as for special needs classes. The maximum number of students we can accommodate at one time is 40. We would like to have between 6 – 10 adults (teachers included) accompany the group. We MUST have at least 3 adults (teachers included) in order to conduct the program. Younger siblings are not permitted. The Los Vaqueros Watershed Connection program is conducted at the Los Vaqueros Interpretive Center on the north side of the watershed in Brentwood. Enter the watershed through the north entrance at the end of Walnut Blvd. The Interpretive Center is at the very end of Walnut Blvd at the base of the dam. Prior to your field trip date teachers will receive a packet containing a letter describing the program and outlining how to prepare their class. They will also receive LV Journals for all students. Students should complete the pre-trip activities in the journal prior to the field trip. The journals are also used the day of the program; teachers need to bring the journals with their class to the watershed. We do not cancel programs due to rain. If it is raining severely the outdoor portion will be replaced with an indoor activity. If it is only misting or raining lightly, we still conduct the outdoor portion. Be sure to dress for the weather. Umbrellas are discouraged for safety reasons. No, the Los Vaqueros Watershed Connection is provided at no cost to schools within the Water District service area (Martinez, Concord, Bay Point, Pittsburg, Antioch, Oakley and parts of Pleasant Hill, Walnut Creek, and Brentwood). No, it is the school’s responsibility to provide transportation. However we do need to know if you will be arriving by private automobiles or bus. CCWD will reimburse the school for the cost of bus transportation up to $300 per trip.
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