November, 2008
Dear Students and Parents:
We hope you are beginning to get excited about our upcoming trip to Montreal and Quebec. We have worked hard to design a tour that will be a very educational and memorable experience.
The information provided below has been carefully selected to give you a brief but important overview of the entire trip. We have tried to cover the types of items and questions that we believe would be most commonly asked. Please read the information carefully and if you have further questions, please feel free to call us!! You may contact either Mr. John Grande, Mr. Scott Ludlow or Mr. Charles Hafele, at 215-674-4185.
Itinerary
We will depart by motor coach from the Upper Moreland Middle School on Thursday evening, May 28, 2009 at 9:00 p.m. We will return Monday evening, June 1, 2009 at 9:00 p.m. We anticipate a ride of 10-12 hours each way. While in Quebec and Montreal, we have planned educational, cultural, and recreational events that will make the trip interesting and memorable. A detailed itinerary is in the attached packet.
Chaperons
There will be a minimum of four chaperons from the Upper Moreland School District plus a bilingual tour guide from the tour agency on each bus. Exact numbers of chaperons and specific choices will be selected once we know how many students are attending. Our goal is to provide one chaperon for every 8 or 9 students.
Student Criteria for the Trip
Academic: Students should make sure all classwork and homework assignments are complete and up to date. Any work missed due to absence should be completed in a timely fashion. Students must maintain a 75% (or better) grade in all subjects for the duration of the year. If a student receives a grade of less than a 75%, in any subject, for any report period, the student will be placed on probation. That grade must be brought up to 75% by the next report period, and all other grades must be maintained at 75%. If the grade is not improved or if any other grades fall below average in future marking periods the student will be removed from the trip.
Please be advised that your child’s grade will be checked on Star_Portal on Tuesday April 28th at 3:00pm, the midpoint of the 4th marking period. If your child is already on academic probation and shows a grade below 75% in any subject on Tuesday April 28th, s/he will be removed from the trip and your money will be returned to you.
So please check Star_Portal often to assure that each of your child’s grade is 75% or better.
Discipline: Students who are participating in this experience need to realize that they represent our school and our nation in a foreign country. These students are expected to exhibit exemplary behavior during the school year as well as on the trip itself. A regular pattern of misbehavior or multiple causes for disciplinary action will result in elimination from participating in the trip. More specifically, any student who has accumulated 3 or more discipline referrals, or has been placed on In-School Suspension will be put on probation. Any additional discipline referral will result in removal from the trip. Students who receive an Out-of-School Suspension will automatically be removed from the trip without any probationary period. This may result in forfeiture of any or all monies collected for the trip, depending upon the time of the offense and per the tour company’s refund policy.
Absences: Students who have been ill for a significant amount of time immediately prior to the departure date will be required to furnish a doctor’s note assuring us of good health. To be eligible for this trip, the student’s attendance must be regular. Students who miss too many days throughout the year cannot afford to miss additional time as a result of this trip.
Final approval to go on the Montreal/Quebec trip rests on the discretion of Mr. Grande, Mr. Hafele, Mr. Damon, Mr. DeVido and recommendations from the 8th grade teachers.
Insurance and Liability
Parents and schools never plan such trips with expectation of problems or accidents. However, on rare occasion, unanticipated situations occur. To help ease everyone’s minds, we will run a trip that is carefully supervised with clear guidelines and expectations. The company we have chosen to conduct the tour is an experienced agency with a long history of successful travel arrangements. The motor coach company, the tour agency, and the Upper Moreland School District maintain liability insurance in the event of select, unforeseen problems.
Equally important, all children attending the trip must have some form of medical insurance. Liability insurance from the organizing agencies does not eliminate the need for medical coverage.
Along with the permission slip is a medical emergency form. This form must be completed and returned with the permission slip and the first deposit. Families not having medical insurance for their children should purchase short-term coverage through the tour agency. Additionally, individual cancellation insurance is also available. If you buy cancellation insurance, medical insurance is also included. Should your child become ill and be unable to travel with us, the cancellation insurance would provide a full refund to you.
Costs
- The trip itself will cost $710.00. This covers transportation, lodging, most meals, and all admission prices.
- Cancellation and Medical insurance would cost an additional $70.00.
- Medical insurance is an additional $ 17.00.
- It is recommended that children carry approximately $150.00 for spending money.
This money would go toward snacks and souvenirs.
**Fundraising activities to help defray some costs have been planned….see link.
Payment Plan
The first payment is due with your permission slip no later than Friday, November 21st , 2008. This payment would include $310.00 toward the trip and payment for additional insurances, if desired. Remaining payments would be made in February and March.
Due with permission slip and medical form:
- 1st payment............................................................................................... $310.00
- Optional Insurance
- Medical & Cancellation............................................................................. $70.00
- Medical insurance alone……………………………………………........$17.00
- Permission Slip
- Medical Release
Due by February 20nd - 2nd payment................................................................... $200.00
Due by March 12th - 3rd payment................................................................................ $200.00
All checks should be made payable to the “ Upper Moreland School District”
Due May 12th, 2009
An original birth certificate or passport is due to Mr. Grande. In order to cross an international border students are required to show their birth certificate or passport. In addition, students will be asked to give their school picture identification card. These important papers will be kept in our school safe until the day of the trip and returned to students on Monday, June 1st, at the end of the trip
Additional Meetings
There will be one more meeting scheduled on May 12th to review final details for the trip. Specific guidelines and trip information will be reviewed at that time. Behavioral expectations of students will be reviewed in detail.
Behavior
Needless to say, we will expect students to be on their best behavior during the entire length of the trip. Rather than reviewing every possible detail, suffice it to say that general school rules will apply while on tour. Students will need to follow teacher direction, be punctual, show respect to people we come in contact with, honor housing guidelines, and avoid behaviors that are risky or harmful. If students cannot commit to a spirit of cooperation and respect, they would be better served not attending the trip.
Hopefully, this information has proven useful. Again, should you have any further questions, please contact us as soon as possible.
Sincerely,
Charles Hafele John Grande
Principal World Language Teacher
Trip Coordinator
Jg0909@umtsd.org