April 29, 2011 Thank you! Thank you for volunteering to chaperone our fourth grade students as they travel to Austin.

 5:00Meet in the Dove cafeteria (enter through the front doors).  5:30Buses leave promptly. ◦ Students will be given snacks and drinks on the buses.  9:00Arrive in Austin. Museum orientation.  9:30Texas: The Big Picture (in the IMAX Theater)  10:00Tour the museum exhibits with your small group (Session 1).  11:00Meet at the museum entrance.  Eat lunch at the Outdoor Plaza at the Stephen F. Austin Building.  11:30Clean up and restroom break.  11:45Walk to the Capitol and brief tour.  12:45Tour the museum exhibits with your small group (Session 2).  1:45Meet at the Spirit Theater entrance.  2:00Star of Destiny (in the Spirit Theater)  2:30Tour the museum exhibits with your small group (Session 3).  3:15Meet at the museum entrance for group picture.  3:30Board the buses. ◦ Students will be given a small snack and drink on the buses.  3:45Leave Austin.  4:30Pick up dinner at Jason’s Deli in Round Rock.  7:30Arrive in Grapevine.

Chaperones may not bring additional children.

 The children in your group should never be left unattended.

 Use indoor voices and walk at all times.  Cameras are not to be used in the exhibits and theaters.  Backpacks, lunches, earphones, and cell phones are not allowed in the museum.

 Please report inappropriate behavior to one of the fourth grade teachers.  Food, drinks, and chewing gum are not permitted in the exhibits and theaters.  Contact a museum staff member and one of the fourth grade teachers in the event of an emergency.

 Students will be given an assignment booklet to complete. Students will earn a social studies grade for the assignment.  A chaperone may purchase snacks or souvenirs for his or her own child; however they should not make purchases for other students in the group.

Directions:  From I-35 South Take I-35 North to Austin. Take Exit 235A (15th / MLK Blvd. / State Capitol). Turn left on Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. and go west. Turn left on N. Congress Avenue. Turn right onto 18th Street. The Museum's underground parking garage entrance will be on your right. Parking:  The Parking Garage entrance is located on the south side of the Museum on 18th Street, just off North Congress Avenue. There is a prepay charge of $8.00 per private vehicle at the Museum’s parking garage entrance.

 Pack a sack lunch in a disposable container.  Chaperones riding the bus will pre- order their dinner from Jason’s Deli.  Chaperone’s not riding the bus may choose when and where they plan to stop for dinner on the return trip to Grapevine, but should arrive within 15 minutes of the buses arrival.

 Students will receive a breakfast snack and drink during the bus ride to Austin.  Students will bring a sack lunch with disposable containers. The lunch should include his/her drink.  Students will receive a drink as they board to bus to return home.  Student dinner boxes will be picked up at Jason’s Deli in Round Rock. They will be given another drink with this meal.

 Students should remain seated during the trip to and from Austin.  A restroom is available for emergencies.  School policy regarding electronic devices will be followed throughout the field trip.  Students may bring a pillow and or jacket for use on the bus.  Students will be able to watch “G” rated videos on the bus.

 If you volunteered to chaperone and are no longer available, please contact your child’s teacher as quickly as possible.

Three floors of exhibits -- three themes as big as Texas history: Land, Identity and Opportunity. The exhibits at The Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum will surround you with the sights, sounds and (sometimes) smells of Texas history. Each floor of exhibits highlights important chapters in The Story of Texas through objects, media programs, and recreated environments. Founded as a non-collecting institution, the Museum exhibits bring the Story of Texas to life through an ongoing process of changing historical objects as loans are returned and new ones are received.

 On the first floor, The Story of Texas begins before this land was called Texas. It is a story of Encounters on the Land, of first meetings between Native Americans and explorers from Europe. Find out about the many native peoples who lived on this diverse landscape. What did the Spanish find here? What were the French doing? What did the Native American leaders think of these newcomers? You will hear their words, see the objects that reflect their lives and have a sense of the environment where these encounters took place. Learn about the early missions, settlers and soldiers. Why did the Comanche, the Spanish, and the American and European immigrants come to Texas? The story continues through 1900 when the last unexplored region in Texas, the Big Bend area, was finally mapped.

 On the second floor, explore the story of how Texas became an independent nation in Building the Lone Star Identity. From his jail cell in Mexico City, hear Stephen F. Austin's own words that herald the coming of the Texas Revolution. Experience the battles of the Revolution through the eyes of Juan Seguin, a Tejano military and political leader. Understand the different visions of Sam Houston and Mirabeau Lamar, both Presidents of the Republic of Texas. Follow Texas as it became the 28th state, then seceded from the Union, joined the Confederacy and fought in the Civil War, and shaped a new future that included freedom for all Texans. Discover how Texas grew into the 20th Century and celebrated its unique identity during the 1936 Centennial years after Texas independence. See a giant time line of Texas history unfold on a 60-foot video wall, with interactive stations where you can learn more details about many important events in Texas history.

 On the third floor you can see how Texans have persevered on the land and how they approached everything from drilling oil to redefining world technology. Creating Opportunity explores the important role of ranching in Texas; how Texans have adapted to the diverse conditions of the land to prosper on it; and how oil changed Texas. Through recreated environments, interactive media produced by Pyramid Studios, and actual artifacts, you will learn how Texas-led explorations in the 20th Century frontiers of space, medicine and technology have impacted the entire world. Take a seat in the "Oil Tank Theater" as native Texan Walter Cronkite narrates a media presentation exploring the impact of oil on Texas, and of Texas oil on the world. See why Texas was the place where America's military learned to fly. Hear and see Texas legends in music and sports, and join in an interactive experience in the "Connecting Texas Theater" to learn how the histories of key Texas cities physically and culturally link the state together.