Meeting 7 April 20
Information to share and discuss with your parents before the meeting:
● Finances
○ Breakfasts and dinners are paid for, but many times, you will need to buy your lunch. Plan on spending about 10USD for lunch, and discuss with your parents other snack money
○ How much will you spend on souvenirs? What kinds of things are you interested in bringing home?
○ We don’t recommend bringing your money in all cash, although it is your choice. In the past, students have used debit and credit cards. Tell your bank that you will be traveling, and they can assist you. Be aware that there is often a 3% international transaction fee. Check with your bank.
○ Emergency funds - We will collect $100 in emergency funds at the evening meeting on May 8. Checks will be made out to Christine Darling, but we will not cash the checks unless your student needs to use any of the emergency money (debit card lost, not working, etc). We will return the checks when we return to St. Louis.
○ Tip money - If we are satisfied with their services, we would like to tip our driver and our tour guide. We will collect $20 cash from each traveler to take and convert for the tips.
● Phones
○ How often do your parents want you to check in?
○ Do you have a way to text/call for free (I like WhatsApp for text and calling with wifi)
● Packing
○ 1 carry on (backpack)
○ 1 reasonably sized suitcase. You must be able to carry your luggage by yourself, including lifting it overhead. Do not pack more than you can lift.
○ Leave space in your luggage to bring souvenirs home
○ Pack layers - the days will be in the 60s and 70s, but the nights will be in the 40s and 50s
○ Pack items that can mix and match (we will have more specifics at our meeting in May)
○ Put something like a bright scrunchy band on your suitcase to make it easily identifiable when we pick up our luggage at the airport
● Behavior and expectations in the hotel
○ Stay in your own room after 11pm
○ Sleep in the room assigned to you
○ Be ready for the Colonel Carter White Glove Inspection
○ You will be held accountable for any damages in the room
○ Be quiet and respectful of other hotel guests
○ Never leave the hotel without an adult, not even to step outside for fresh air. If you want to go outside, let one of the chaperones know so they can accompany you
○ Do not cause a problem, for yourself or for others
● Behavior and expectations on the tours
○ Listen to directions the first time
○ Be polite and respectful to your tour guide - they are working hard to make sure you have fun and learn a lot. Appreciate their efforts.
○ Use quiet voices at monuments and keep voices at a reasonable volume on the bus
○ Do not make jokes of any kind at the airports regarding bombs, weapons, etc.
○ Sit in your assigned seat on the planes
○ Stay with your assigned group/chaperone
○ Do not cause a problem, for yourself or for others
April 18, 2017
Dear Parents and Travelers,
Please read through and discuss the items on this agenda together. We are providing the April 20 student meeting itinerary ahead of time so that students will come to the meeting on April 20 with any questions you or they may have. We will use our April 20 meeting to further discuss these guidelines. Please email us if you would like clarification about any of the topics.
We are also going to send some mandatory Clayton School District forms home with your traveler after the meeting this week. Please return these forms at or before the parent/student meeting on May 8.
Our flight from St. Louis to Montréal is currently scheduled for departure at 9 a.m. on June 1st. We will plan to meet at the airport by 6:30 in order to organize our group and ensure that everyone has time to arrive and check in. We will all check in together, so we will meet in the departure hall. We will discuss this in more detail at the May 8 meeting.
Bonne journée à tous et à toutes,
Stephanie and Christine