ACTION REQUIRED:  Confirm receipt of this letter by Friday, Dec 21.  See instructions below.

 

Confirm your receipt of this letter.

 

All applicants must confirm receipt of this letter and state their intention to participate in the trip.  Contact Mrs. DiPoi at Conard (in person or at 231-6047) or Mr. Grudzien at Hall (in person or at 232-4561 x 1216) by noon on Friday, December 21, 2007.   

 

 

Passports

 

You must have a passport by the departure date, and the expiration date must be after October 2008.

If you do not have a passport, apply for it NOW.  To apply or renew visit the state department website at travel.state.gov . Your passport is your responsibility, and you cannot leave for Spain without one.  We need your passport number as soon as you have it for your airline reservation.

 

 

Medical and Legal Issues

 

We have included a Travel Permission and Information Form.  It contains several sections which cover parent and participant responsiblities, medical issues, emergency procedures, and behavior expectations and consequences.  A parent or guardian must fill it out carefully and completely, and you must get Physician's Order(s) completed if necessary.  Please return this completed form to Mrs. DiPoi or Mr.
Grudzien by January 18, 2008.

 

 

Meetings

 

There will be a mandatory meeting for parents and participants.  It will be on Thursday, March 13, 2008,  in room 169 at Conard at 7:00 PM.  Mark your calendars now!  We will hand out more information, explain procedures, and answer your questions at that meeting.  A reminder will be sent. 

 

 

Payments and Refunds

 

Your first payment of $500 has been noted and will be deposited.  This is needed to secure airline and hotel reservations.  The second payment ($750) is due on January 31, and the final payment ($750) is due on February 29.  All payments should be made out to Hall High School and given to Mr. Grudzien  at Hall or Mrs. DiPoi at Conard on or before each due date.  The dollar has been at an all time low against the euro.  We will attempt to keep within our budget, however, the final payment may be slightly higher (depending on the exchange rate).  Remember that the trip covers virtually all of your expenses except lunches, souvenirs and gifts, and incidentals (post cards, snacks, etc.).  Participants who withdraw from the trip will be issued a complete refund if a substitute is found; otherwise, money returned will be limited to the amount we get refunded.

 

 

Important Notice regarding Alcohol Use

 

Although the legal drinking age is 18 in Spain, it is relatively easy for teens to purchase alcohol at restaurants, bars and stores. There will be times when participants are not under the direct supervision of chaperones.  Please be aware that any student caught drinking, intoxicated or in possession of alcohol will be subject to all school rules, including suspension and ineligibility for sports teams and honor societies.  It is also possible that students will be sent home early at parents’ expense for inappropriate behavior. Parents and applicants may need to reconsider this opportunity if there are issues of trust and/or self-control.  There is a waitlist, so a full refund is available to applicants who voluntarily withdraw.

 

 

Roommates

 

Participants will be in doubles and triples in the hotel.  Roommates will be determined at our meeting, where you will first be given the chance to meet all the participants.  The chaperones retain the right to make a change in rooming assignments as they deem necessary.

 

 

Chaperones

 

The trip will be led by Spanish Teachers:  Mark Grudzien (from Hall) and Maria DiPoi and Juan Melián  (from Conard).  There will also be 3 additional chaperones.  We organize this trip ourselves which saves us money and gives us complete control over what we do.  We also coordinate a summer exchange program with a sister school in Madrid, and we offer a trip to Argentina during April vacation (every other year).  We like to travel.

 

 

Basic Trip Information

 

departure:         Friday, April 11, directly from school via bus to Bradley Airport

return:               Saturday, April 19, early evening via bus from Bradley Airport

flights:  US Airways flights 3253 & 740 and 741 & 1438  

exchange:         $1.00 = € 0.68 (as of 12-10-07)

 

 

Communication

 

We will mail a reminder letter before our meeting and contact you if you miss a deadline below. Should you have any questions or concerns, please contact either one of us:

 

Mrs. Maria Dipoi:                     maria_dipoi@whps.org                         231-6047        

            Mr. Mark Grudzien:                  mark_grudzien@whps.org                    232-4561 x 1216

 

 

ACTIONS REQUIRED

 

1.  Confirm receipt of this letter                                                        by Friday, December 21

2.  Remit 2nd payment ($750)                                                           by Thursday, January 31

3.  Complete and return the Travel Permission Form                            by Friday, January 18

4.  Remit final payment ($750 - anticipated)                                    by Friday, February 29

5.  Attend the mandatory meeting at Conard                                   Thursday, March 13 at 7:00 PM

 

Above and beyond our normal workload, we are organizing this trip as well as our summer exchange program.  We are counting on you to be responsible and not force us to waste time tracking you down for the above items. Thanks in advance for your cooperation.