May 2025

Welcome NOW BOOKING 2025-2026! Book Early! Reserve Your Preferred Date Now!

In This Issue

Book Your Field Trip Now

Now Booking for 2025-2026

Featuring Remember the Builders Student Education Program

Teachers & Parents

News from the Executive Director

FREE Field Trip Scholarships

Apply Today for 2025-2026

Some restrictions apply

Celebrating Our Teachers

Teacher Recognition Program and Complimentary Art Book

Join us this Summer for Music Under the Stars Enjoy Top Notch Tribute Bands

Tables and Tickets Available for Purchase

Summer Lectures Return with Historian Eric Plunkett

Learn More

Shop the Mission Store

Featuring Many Resources for Teachers, Students and Parents

Shop Online Now

FREE BONUS VIDEO LIBRARY

The Mission offers a $150 value video library FREE to all educators for booking their field trip in the 2025-2026 school year.

Book Early! Now Booking Onsite Experiences for School Year 2025-2026

Book your next Mission San Juan Capistrano onsite experience for school year 2025-2026 and save money by booking early!


Book any learning program by June 20, 2025 and receive current low pricing AND our FREE Bonus Video Library ($150 value).


View the 2025-2026 Educator's Guide

NEWS FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Dear Teachers and Parents,

Student Field Trip to Mission San Juan Capistrano Spring 2025

Thank you for choosing Mission San Juan Capistrano as a favored field trip destination for you and your students. Each year, thousands of 4th grade students visit Mission San Juan Capistrano, and we are hoping yours will join us this new school year. 


The Mission’s education program is proudly called: “Remember the Builders: Mission San Juan Capistrano Student Education Program.” This name reflects our committed focus on sharing the many facets of history and ensures that we are celebrating the contributions of our builders. We are always proud that our education programs continue to meet, or exceed, the State of California’s curriculum standards for learning about history, social sciences, and some science.


With the name and our effort, we are proud to offer our self-guided tour experience designed just for students. The tour, entitled, “If These Walls Could Talk” was designed especially for California students working on their Mission studies. The audio tour takes learners to 23 stops to learn about the varied 250-year-old history of the Mission hearing from the “Grandmotherly Mission Wall” who introduces the listeners to indigenous builders, soldiers, padres, and more. We believe the students will truly enjoy this special learning experience and learn more about the multiple facets of history and the contributions of many. Surveys from last year’s teacher and students are overwhelmingly positive about our self-guided student audio tour. 


To further facilitate learning, we are extremely proud to announce Mission San Juan Capistrano will offer free funding for up to 300 students per day in most months of the school year as funding allows. This funding opportunity has been underwritten by grants and donations from generous donors from all backgrounds. As a result, everyday more students will be able to enjoy our audio tour and experience our Mission Matters adobe brick making class at no expense. This combined experience is valued at $19 per student.


Every student receives our special commemorative bracelet that reads “Remember the Builders” so they can take home a memento to remember their field trip. Finally, any teacher that books their school or class for a field trip to the Mission also receives access to our FREE bonus video library, an extended classroom learning experience ($150 Value).


In school year 2025-2026 Mission San Juan Capistrano will celebrate its 250th Anniversary. Planning a field trip here during such a key milestone is also a milestone. We hope we will be welcoming your students back to Mission San Juan Capistrano in 2025-2026 to Remember the Builders so they can gain greater respect and appreciation for the past. We are grateful to teachers for the outstanding work they do to educate our youth. The Mission team is proud to support your efforts. Thank you for choosing Mission San Juan Capistrano as your field trip destination. You are the magic that brings learning to life.



Sincerely,

Mechelle Lawrence Adams, Executive Director

Mission San Juan Capistrano

SCHOLARSHIP FUNDING FOR FIELD TRIPS AVAILABLE FOR 2025-2026! Apply Today for Adopt-A-Class Funding

Students Enjoying Mission Matters Adobe Brick Making during 2024-2025 school year

Mission San Juan Capistrano Offering FREE Funding for 4th Grade Students Daily During Select Months of the Year


We are extremely proud to announce Mission San Juan Capistrano will offer FREE funding for up to 300 students per day in most months of the school year as funding allows. This funding opportunity has been underwritten by grants and donations from generous donors from all backgrounds. As a result, everyday more students will be able to enjoy our audio tour and experience our Mission Matters adobe brick making class at no expense. This combined experience is valued at $19 per student. We are pleased to share there are no fee or price increases this year.


BOOK NOW! SPACE AVAILABLE FROM SEPTEMBER 2025 THROUGH JANUARY 2026 AND JUNE 2026

CELEBRATING OUR TEACHERS

Teacher Recognition Program and Complimentary Art Book

Thank you to our wonderful teachers who continue to bring their students back to the Mission year after year. To show our appreciation, teachers who reach special milestones in their careers are presented with a commemorative lapel pin celebrating 5, 10, 15 and 20+ years.


We are also able to show our appreciation for teachers by giving them a complimentary book "Romance of the Mission Bells" The California Missions in Art from The Irvine Museum on their field trip day. The books were generously donated by the Irvine Museum.


Thank you for educating the next generation and inspiring students to care for historic sites like Mission San Juan Capistrano.

Mrs. Rosemary Kurien of Bethany Christian Academy received her 20+ recognition pin and retirement pin! She has been bringing her students to the Mission for 35 years!


JOIN US THIS SUMMER AT THE MISSION

Celebrate the Summer at Mission San Juan Capistrano ~ Public Pricing Now Available for Music Under the Stars


Spend your summer creating memories at Orange County's only Mission. Music Under the Stars is a fundraising concert series in support of preservation and sustainability of the Mission. Music Under the Stars features a top-notch tribute band lineup, celebrating a variety of timeless and nostalgic classics in popular music at the beautiful and historic setting of the Mission.

SUMMER LECTURES RETURN WITH HISTORIAN ERIC PLUNKETT

This Summer the Mission will Host a Lecture Series Featuring Local Historian Eric Plunkett

All lectures will be held at Mission San Juan Capistrano in the Historic Sala from 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. The lectures will be free of charge to Mission Members, volunteers and with paid admission to the general public. Seating is limited so please R.S.V.P. to Marissa Medina by phone at (949) 234-1321 or by emailing mmedina@missionsjc.com. We hope you can join us.


Thursday, July 17 • 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. From St. Junípero Serra to Lieutenant William Emory - The story of Mission San Juan Capistrano


Thursday, July 24 • 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.  The Books that Made Mission San Juan Capistrano


Thursday, July 31 • 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. How Old are These Buildings, Anyway? - The story of the mission's many buildings


Thursday, August 7 • 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. Topic Coming Soon

About Eric Plunkett

Eric Plunkett is an educator in the Placentia Yorba-Linda Unified School District. A native of Placentia, he graduated with a degree in history from California State University Fullerton in 2008. He has published several articles and co-authored the book, The Portolá Expedition in Orange County 1769-2019, with the late historian, Phil Brigandi. He maintains a blog with articles related to the early history of the Orange County area at www.visionsofcalifornia.blogspot.com


SHOP THE MISSION STORE

Featuring Many Resources for Student Mission Reports

Support the Mission by shopping at the Mission Store featuring many resources for your students studying the California missions, including report workbooks, learning kits and activities, and more!


Net proceeds from the purchases protect the religious and historic significance of Mission San Juan Capistrano and further educational programs, exhibits and preservation efforts.


Download our easy shopping forms to return to Mission San Juan Capistrano on your scheduled Field Trip Day and receive a FREE Mission San Juan Capistrano membership with a 15% discount at the Mission Store all year!

FREE BONUS VIDEO LIBRARY

BONUS VIDEO for ALL Distance Learning and Onsite Experiences!

The Mission offers a $150 value video library FREE to all educators for booking their field trip in the 2025-2026 school year. These additional resources support the “pre” and “post” field trip experience, and extend the learning experience. Our library consists of "In Our Voice: Native American Basket Weaving," "In Our Voice: Mission Bell Ringing and Native American Singing" and "In Our Voice: Native American Storytelling."

SHARE YOUR VISIT WITH US!


"Third graders continue their education of California outside of the classroom by visiting Mission San Juan Capistrano. Students got to tour the Mission, learn about its early history, and enjoyed a hands-on learning activity making adobe bricks." - Harbor Day School


We LOVE to hear from you! Take lots of photos and don't forget to tag us on Facebook and Instagram #MissionSJC @MissionSanJuanCapistrano and we will share them in our next issue.


Student enjoying their Docent Guided Tour at the Mission @HarborDay

TEACHER APPRECIATION DAY!
Join us Every 2nd Saturday of the Month!
Receive 15% OFF when you shop in the Mission Store!

Mission San Juan Capistrano is the

#1 Destination for Onsite Field Trips

3 Ways to Book Your Mission Experience:


ONLINE Book Today!

Complete online registration and submit

www.missionsjc.com/book

Allow up to 3 business days for your request to be processed.


EMAIL bookatour@missionsjc.com  

Allow up to 3 business days for your request to be processed.


BY PHONE (949) 234-1306

For questions and assistance reserving trip.

Monday – Friday • 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

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Book ANY Onsite Experience and receive our

FREE Bonus Video Library (a $150 value)!

Mission San Juan Capistrano | www.missionsjc.com
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