ROE PTO

All ROE Family Members Are Welcome!
Jan 24^th – Jan 25^th, 2020
Read below to learn more
Register by Jan 10th (t-shirt option available)
Register by Jan 19th (no t-shirt option)

This highly anticipated ROE PTO community event has created many lifelong memories, rain, cold, or otherwise.  Join us on the playground fields or under the roof at ROE for a night of fun, smores, and… more fun. Even if you don’t camp, there are options for your family.  It will be one of the best nights of the year!

THE BASICS

• What – ROE families will pitch their own tents on the ROE campus and spend the night. Families may also sleep in the building, however tents are not allowed in the building. Dinner, smores, and breakfast will be provided along with activities. Note: you can just come for Friday night fun if you are unable to campout over night.
• Where – ROE campus. Drop-off tent/gear in the teacher’s parking lot.
• When –  Campout gates open at 5:00pm on the Jan 24th, 2020. Gates close at 8:30am on Jan 25th.
• Cost – $20 per ticket, which includes a meal.  Optional long sleeve shirts cost $15 for kids, $28 for men and  women’s hoodies
• How – Register here!

LOGISTICS

• Drop Off/Parking – the teacher’s parking lot, located off San Felipe just west of Kirby, will be open and available for dropping off people and gear starting at 5pm on Friday, January 24.  Drop off is your best option, especially if unloading tents and other large items.  We have 180 families coming, so parking will be limited and the closest spots in the teacher lot will be coned off for vendor access.  Therefore, we recommend that you get dropped off or consider carpooling with other campers.  For neighborhood walkers, note that the gates at Avalon Place will be open.
• Check-In – this is mandatory!  Once on the premises, you need to head to the pavilion / hardtop area first thing.  At check-in, you will receive your meal ticket (wristband), photo booth tickets, any t-shirts you ordered, free commemorative item, and other essentials.
  • The check-in table will be located near the sidewalk that leads from the teacher’s parking lot to the hardtop.  Look for balloons.
  • If you have a younger child, we encourage you to write your cell # on their bracelet.
  • From check-in, you will be directed to 1 of 4 marked Camp Sites for setting up tents. See Tent Setup below for additional details.
  • The check-in table will also be our ongoing camp out information/lost and found booth for your kids.
• Loaner tents – we are unable to offer loaner tents.  However, REI and a number of online companies will rent tents.
• Tent setup – after check-in, you will choose a camping spot in one of the designated areas and then begin setting up your tent.  See the map below to see where the designated camping areas are.
  • Please make sure that you don’t set up on top of any ant hills!  Good spots are those on level ground, away from trees, and free of ants.  If you have never used a tent before, we suggest that you do a trial run ahead of time. Less tent set up time = less stress and more play.
  • NOTE: a few Boy Scouts from the local troop will be available to help setup tents.  Ask how to find them at check-in.
  • NOTE: several parents have requested that we designate an area exclusively for young children (e.g. Pre-K and K) so that they can get to sleep earlier with less surrounding noise.  While we cannot accommodate this, we do encourage parents to look at the map, plan ahead, and group together.
• Map – click here to see the map.

FOOD

• Dinner – BBQ sandwiches is the default for adults.  However, during registration, you can choose a vegan option.  Chicken tenders and cheese or pepperoni pizza will be served to children.  Please note that children will not be served BBQ.
  • Drinks are water and juice boxes (adults also have tea available). We will have some granola bars for snacks but feel free to bring other snack items.
  • NOTE: as much as we would love to accommodate children with allergies, we cannot reliably do that.  Please plan accordingly if your child has food allergies.
  • NOTE: as you probably know, the pavilion hardtop was recently repaved and repainted with your PTO dollars.  Please help us keep it as clean as possible by not eating food on it.
• S’mores – we will have 4 fire pits setup so that adults who accompany their children can make smores.  Children will not be served without an adult accompanying them.
• Breakfast – there will be a number of options available for breakfast.
  • Chic-Fil-A mini biscuits, individual bundt cakes, and volunteer-made pancakes.  Water and juice boxes will be available. Please plan to supplement the menu if you have any dietary restrictions.
  • For adults (and adventurous children), we also will have the Coffee Q food truck owned and operated by Julio Arevalo (an ROE parent!) and his business partner.  While he has graciously offered free plain coffee to all starting at 6:30am, he also sells specialty coffee, hot chocolate, tea, and food that is outstanding (I speak from experience!).  Please feel free to support him as he has supported us.

ACTIVITIES

• Free play – believe it or not, the kids mostly enjoy playing freely with just their flashlights to show the way around the ROE playgrounds.
• Star Gazing – the Houston Astronomical Society (with weather permitting) will bring out telescopes and volunteers to show us the stars! This has been fun in the past, so make sure you look for them after sunset.
• Light Up “Soccer” – we use the term “soccer” loosely. We plan to offer multiple light up
  balls for children so that they can make up their own games on the soccer field.
• Photo Booth – we will have a free photo booth for the kids so that they can commemorate
  the night with their buddies.

RULES OF THE ROAD (AND HELPFUL HINTS)

• Camping Options – There are 3 camping options: in tents outside; in the school without tens (bring your own sleeping bag); or simply dine and dash.  You choose when you register
• Behavior – Please set expectations with your children about their behavior.  In the past, we’ve had children injure others and destroy school property.  Therefore, please let children know that they are not allowed to throw anything, that some areas of the school will be roped off due to past damage, and that they should abide by any signs, markers, or tape set up to limit where they can go.
• Pavilion / Hardtop –  As you probably know, the pavilion hardtop was recently repaved and repainted with your PTO dollars.  Please help us keep it as clean as possible by not eating food on it.  Once you receive your dinner or breakfast, please move off the hardtop to eat.
• Restrooms – The only restrooms available to campers are those in the 1^st/2^nd grade hallway.  The school will remain open during the night – but the grounds will be dark so make sure your flashlights are handy!
• Flashlights – Please see What to Bring below.  Flashlights are very handy.
• First Aid – Ensuring the safety of your child is the responsibility of the parents. The event organizers will have a basic first aid kit available in the Pavilion, but you may want to bring your own items.
• Fire Pits! –  You can’t have s’mores without fire and skewers, so safety around the fire pits is paramount.  As such, parents MUST accompany their child around the fire pits at all times! Further, ONLY parents will be handed the skewers for the s’mores.  From there, we strongly advise the parent to roast the marshmallow for their child.
• Lights out! – We want everyone to be in their sleeping bags by 10 pm and lights out shortly thereafter.  We all need to respect that so we have happy campers in the morning!  If your child needs to go to sleep earlier, please see the note above under Logistics / Tent setup.
• Security – We will have HPD police officers providing security through the entire night.  If you’re not camping or sleeping in hallways then you need to plan to exit the ROE campus by 10 pm. We will lock the gates then for security purposes!
• Trash pick up is an all camper effort!  Please bring a small plastic grocery bag from home and use that to collect trash.  This will take place after breakfast, so please plan to help us in our trash search and rescue operation after you have packed up.  Thank you in advance!
• Weather – Please check the weather as we get closer to event and prepare accordingly. Remember, there is always the option of sleeping inside the hallways.

WHAT TO BRING:

• Water bottles – We will provide some bottled water, but to reduce trash, please bring a water bottle just as you would camping. The outdoor water fountain is available.
• Sleeping bags and tents – as needed (see more below).
• Flashlights – We will not hand out flashlights this year.  Not only are the grounds unlit and dark at night, they are still dark when campers start waking up at 6:00am!
• Eye masks/shades.  If you are sleeping in the school, be aware that it will be really bright!  The lights must be kept on for safety reasons.  If you plan on sleeping, bring eye masks.
• Ear plugs – We did not have much demand for them last year so we will not provide them.  If you think you may need them, please bring them.
• Positive attitude – It helps everyone!

VOLUNTEER

• This event takes a small village!  At the time of registration, you will be able to indicate whether or not you can volunteer a few hours.  We need adults to help setup, serve food, manage the fire pits, etc. so any and all help is welcomed.
• Other than a few exceptions, we will try to limit volunteer spots to 1 hour.

OPTIONAL T-SHIRTS AND HOODIES!

This year we are offering optional adult women and men hoodies in addition to kid shirts! Optional children’s long sleeve shirts cost $15 each, and the optional men’s and women’s hoodies are $28. Please indicate quantity and sizes when you register. Note: registration is the only time you will be able to order shirts and the deadline is January 10, so don’t delay!

Sample women and men’s hoodie shown below. The camp out logo will be 3” square and fit over the pocket area. The logo on the shirts and hoodies will go across the chest.

CAMPOUT MAP

EVENT SCHEDULE

• Friday, 1/24/20
  • 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm –GATES OPEN, Check-In (Pavilion) and Tent Setup (designated areas only)
  • 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm – Dinner (Pavilion): BBQ, Pizza, Chicken Tenders
  • 6:00 pm – 9:30 pm — Activities (Pavilion): Picture Booth
  • 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm – Houston Astronomical Society Star Party (weather permitting)
  • 6:45 pm – 9:15 pm – Free play / light up soccer (in the field)
  • 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm — S’mores (Pavilion)
  • 10:00 pm – LIGHTS OUT (plan to be in your sleeping bags or driving away) and gates locked
• Saturday, 1/25/20
  • < 9:00 am – Wake up, break down tent, and clean up your area
  • 6:30 am – 8:00 am – Coffee Q Food Truck (on the north side of Pavilion)
  • 7:00 am – 8:00 am – Breakfast (Pavilion):  Chick-Fil-A minis, bundt cakes, pancakes, OJ
  • 8:00 am – 8:30 am – Finish Clean Up – there may be prizes for campers turning in trash!
  • 8:30 am – GATES CLOSE

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER.

Questions?  Contact [email protected] .