Oak Park Unified School District, Medea Creek Middle School
Catalina Island: Fox Cove and Cherry Cove October 30-November 1, 2017
Good news! The 7th grade trip to Catalina Island Marine Institute (CIMI) is finally here.
Space has been reserved at the camps for the first 250 students who register by September 29, 2017, and is contingent upon good conduct and attendance in school prior to the trip. The suggested, voluntary donation that we ask of parents to fund this trip is $360.00*. This includes bus transportation to the Long Beach port, transportation to the island via Catalina Cruise Line, room and board at Fox Cove or Cherry Cove, cafeteria style meals and the instructional program itself. Please note that neither the school district nor the PFA are able to fund this trip and it is not a required part of the curriculum; however, it is a highly enriching and engaging experience that we would like to make available to all interested 7th graders. We rely completely on this critical and suggested donation amount to fund this trip. If we do not receive sufficient funds from parents to cover the costs of this trip, then the trip will need to be cancelled. For questions about the suggested voluntary donations, please contact Samantha Gottlieb, Dean and coordinator of this trip (818) 7077922. In order to register, we must receive your $360.00 donation (to the student window) and signed permission forms (to your science teacher) by the September 29th deadline. Please note that once the first 250 completed registrations have been received, a waiting list will be formed. Additionally, refunds will not be provided for cancellations after October 13, 2017.
Students will have the opportunity to identify their preferred cabin/tent partners for the trip but final decisions will be made by the science teachers. The details of this process will be discussed in Science class.
Parents who would like to attend this year as a chaperone are encouraged to apply. Active participation in all activities (including the night dive) is required of chaperones, so we ask that you e-mail your interest to your student’s Science teacher and then complete the parent chaperone application detailing any supervision, CPR/First Aid training and water experience you have had with children. Please submit that in addition to the Live Scan and Mantoux 5TU PPD Tuberculin Test, to your child’s science teacher by September 29, 2017. The Catalina committee will evaluate all candidates to select the most experienced chaperones for the trips. Chaperones are asked to pay half of the camp fee ($180).
The attached information should provide the background information necessary to explain the nature of the experience. Our last 28 trips have been tremendously successful by all accounts. The CIMI activities, faculties, and staff are wonderful. A special emphasis is put on safety and positive feelings as students learn new skills and knowledge.
*Any request for supplies or donations toward the purchase of supplies, materials, equipment, field trips, programs, etc. is completely voluntary under the law in California public schools. Students may not be charged for participation in educational activities and may not be discriminated against or denied participation for not providing voluntary donations to the school. Should any student or parent believe they were impermissibly charged a fee or required to provide materials or supplies that they would not have otherwise voluntarily paid or provided, an application for reimbursement may be filed with the District by calling (818) 7353206.
If you have questions concerning this year’s trip to Catalina Island, please email your questions to . All emails will be answered within 24 hours.
Fox Landing and Cherry Cove – October 30-November 1, 2017 Trip Summary Information for Camps
● Times: Arrive 6:00 A.M. and Leave by 6:30 A.M. Monday
Return 6:00 P.M. Wednesday
● Transportation: Bus to/from Long Beach, Catalina Cruise Line to/from island
● Supervision: MCMS faculty, parent chaperones, CIMI staff
● Housing: 2person tents/810 person cabins, spring mattress cots
● Equipment: Wetsuits, snorkeling gears, fins, etc. provided by CIMI for all water activities.
● No electronics of any kind will be allowed on this trip, cameras being the only exception.
● Food: Family style dining hall, special menu accommodated (please tell us as soon as possible and be sure to indicate this on your CIMI form, this includes vegetarians)
● Cost: $360.00 donation per person to cover the cost of each student’s attendance (souvenir shirts, sweatshirts, hats: additional)
● Registration: Submit signed permission slip, CIMI form, and check by September 29, 2017. Return all paperwork to science teacher and all donation checks to the student window.
● Please make check out to MCMSOPUSD. Please write student’s name on the subject line of the check(s), then staple to the donation slip.
● The Catalina Rally (for students attending the trip and their parents) will be held on October 19, 2017 at 6:00 p.m. The chaperone meeting (for adult chaperones only) will be held after the rally on October 19, 2017 at 7:00 p.m.
●If you would like to donate additionally (beyond your child’s suggested $360.00) to the scholarship fund, please fill out the donation slip below attach it to your donation check, and turn it in with your registration form. This fund allows underprivileged students to experience the Catalina trip without financial burden. Thank you for your generosity!
______
Camp Scholarship Fund
Donation Name______
Amount of your Donation $ ______
Date ______
Thank you for supporting our 7th grade CIMI trip!