Well, our East Coast Trip is about 6 weeks away. This is just a quick
suggestion to get out and start walking. While on tour, we will be
walking, on average, about 7 miles a day. Granted it isn't all in one
shot, but we will be going through museums, the national mall,
battlefields, and major city streets in Philadelphia and New York. It
is easy to get tuckered out if you aren't in decent shape.
I encourage all the East Coast Trippers to get out and walk at least a
few times a week - and not just in P.E.! If you are thinking about
getting some walking shoes for the trip, I would suggest getting them
now and breaking them in. You don't want to be walking miles a day in
new shoes...blisters hurt. I would also suggest bringing two pairs of shoes on the trip in the event that the weather is uncooperative and one pair gets wet. If you are looking for
a complete list of things to pack, feel free to take a look at the
suggested packing list by clicking on the "Packing List" tab at the top
of this page.
I hope that everyone is getting as excited as I am to start our
journey. Remember that our Rio Norte students consistently get praised
for their outstanding behavior on these trips...I am certain that this
year's group will continue that tradition. I will be handing out a student behavior expectation agreement at our next student meeting on the 27th. Be sure to review the agreement and have both the student and Parent/guardian sign it. If you want to get a head-start, I will attach a link to the agreement HERE, and I will send it by e-mail as well. Feel free to have students turn in the agreement on Thursday if they already have it completed. Knowing what is
expected of you will make it easier to make good choices. That should
do it for now.
A quick reminder that our next meeting is on Thursday, February 27th in
room D-6 at 2:10 pm. During this meeting we will talk about chaperone
groups, review the student agreement, and cover other interesting
topics - this meeting should take about an hour.
As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to e-mail, text
(661) 621-3655, or even post a question on our Facebook page.
Take care,
Mr. Sheridan
Friday, February 21, 2014
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
Money and Our Next Meeting
Hey East Coasters!
Parents of students going on the East Coast trip often ask, “How much money does my child need to bring with them on the trip?” The short answer, technically, is “none.” Your child won’t like me telling you that, but all necessities are covered on the trip. All meals are paid for, drinking fountains are fairly common in most of the places we’re going, all admissions to all museums, events, and attractions are included, so your child doesn’t need to bring any money. Technically.
OK, but seriously now. Your child is probably going to want a bottle of water here and there, and may want a little extra spending money for snacks and beverages beyond mealtimes (about $3-$5 per day). Then there are souvenirs. I’ve seen kids buy a couple small tchotchkes for family, and spend little more than $15 on souvenirs TOTAL for the whole trip. For other kids, they would put the Real Housewives to shame. We had one kid spend over $400 in less than a week.
You know your child and his/her shopping habits best. Clothing is usually the most expensive item kids buy on this trip, and one nice “I ♥ NY” sweatshirt can go for $40-50, easy. Overall, average souvenir purchases are about $10-$20 per day.
Also as you may or may not know, I do respectfully request a little tip money ($10 total) from each student: $5 for our coach driver, $5 for our tour guide. These two people will be with us for the whole trip and become a part of our trip "family". Naturally, tipping is optional, but in our country it is customary and a nice courtesy, especially for a job well done. All other tips are included in the cost of the tour. I will collect the coach driver and tour guide tip money ($10) at the Pre-Departure Meeting on March 26.
On a related note, parents also ask: “Debit/prepaid card or cash?” There are advantages to both. Depending on the type of card and the issuing bank, parents can control the amount of spending per day and/or add value to the card if needed; this is a good security feature if the card is lost, and is also helpful in limiting teen spending. Talk to your bank now about your options. Cash is easiest, but once lost it is almost certainly gone for good. Talk with your child and find out what you think will work best. Several airlines are now cashless, meaning you can only purchase food on the plane with a debit/credit card. United Airlines (the scheduled carrier for our trip), is cashless.
As for VISA, MasterCard, or American Express gift or pre-paid cards, most of them don’t have a name on them, they don’t require ID, and they’re usually as good as cash if lost, so be careful with this option. Finally, don’t even bother with traveler checks; their time has passed. USA Student Travel still recommends them in their “Travel Tips” sheet, but the truth is the 19-year-old kid behind the counter at the souvenir shop will have NO idea what to do with your traveler check.
When asked, this is what previous East Coast trip parents had to say with regard to money:
“A mixture of cash and debit cards worked great for our daughter.”
“My child took $200 and that was more than enough,she came back with money leftover,and she is quite the shopper!”
“We got our daughter a debit card for the trip, (which she hardly used, just on the plane), but it made us feel better. AND, it's proven to be a useful budgeting tool for our daughter going forward. Rather than $5 here, $20 there, she uses the card and we review it to see where the money is going.”
“I gave my daughter cash and put it in envelopes by day. I gave her more for NY and then gave less for each day as I saw fit. I also told her that she could keep whatever money she did not spend on the trip. I gave her $300. She was really careful about making good choices and she came home with $291. ( She bought one sweatshirt, but, made money back on the food court allowance). It worked out well and now she is going to buy a cat with her leftovers as well as an Ipod. :-)”
“I would say slightly more than $20/day.”
Hope all that advice will help your family make a more informed decision about money. Our next student meeting is in one week, next Thursday, February 27, at 2:10pm in Room D-6. Our East Coast adventure is now only 47 days away! As always, if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact me.
Take care,
Mr. Sheridan
Parents of students going on the East Coast trip often ask, “How much money does my child need to bring with them on the trip?” The short answer, technically, is “none.” Your child won’t like me telling you that, but all necessities are covered on the trip. All meals are paid for, drinking fountains are fairly common in most of the places we’re going, all admissions to all museums, events, and attractions are included, so your child doesn’t need to bring any money. Technically.
OK, but seriously now. Your child is probably going to want a bottle of water here and there, and may want a little extra spending money for snacks and beverages beyond mealtimes (about $3-$5 per day). Then there are souvenirs. I’ve seen kids buy a couple small tchotchkes for family, and spend little more than $15 on souvenirs TOTAL for the whole trip. For other kids, they would put the Real Housewives to shame. We had one kid spend over $400 in less than a week.
You know your child and his/her shopping habits best. Clothing is usually the most expensive item kids buy on this trip, and one nice “I ♥ NY” sweatshirt can go for $40-50, easy. Overall, average souvenir purchases are about $10-$20 per day.
Also as you may or may not know, I do respectfully request a little tip money ($10 total) from each student: $5 for our coach driver, $5 for our tour guide. These two people will be with us for the whole trip and become a part of our trip "family". Naturally, tipping is optional, but in our country it is customary and a nice courtesy, especially for a job well done. All other tips are included in the cost of the tour. I will collect the coach driver and tour guide tip money ($10) at the Pre-Departure Meeting on March 26.
On a related note, parents also ask: “Debit/prepaid card or cash?” There are advantages to both. Depending on the type of card and the issuing bank, parents can control the amount of spending per day and/or add value to the card if needed; this is a good security feature if the card is lost, and is also helpful in limiting teen spending. Talk to your bank now about your options. Cash is easiest, but once lost it is almost certainly gone for good. Talk with your child and find out what you think will work best. Several airlines are now cashless, meaning you can only purchase food on the plane with a debit/credit card. United Airlines (the scheduled carrier for our trip), is cashless.
As for VISA, MasterCard, or American Express gift or pre-paid cards, most of them don’t have a name on them, they don’t require ID, and they’re usually as good as cash if lost, so be careful with this option. Finally, don’t even bother with traveler checks; their time has passed. USA Student Travel still recommends them in their “Travel Tips” sheet, but the truth is the 19-year-old kid behind the counter at the souvenir shop will have NO idea what to do with your traveler check.
When asked, this is what previous East Coast trip parents had to say with regard to money:
“A mixture of cash and debit cards worked great for our daughter.”
“My child took $200 and that was more than enough,she came back with money leftover,and she is quite the shopper!”
“We got our daughter a debit card for the trip, (which she hardly used, just on the plane), but it made us feel better. AND, it's proven to be a useful budgeting tool for our daughter going forward. Rather than $5 here, $20 there, she uses the card and we review it to see where the money is going.”
“I gave my daughter cash and put it in envelopes by day. I gave her more for NY and then gave less for each day as I saw fit. I also told her that she could keep whatever money she did not spend on the trip. I gave her $300. She was really careful about making good choices and she came home with $291. ( She bought one sweatshirt, but, made money back on the food court allowance). It worked out well and now she is going to buy a cat with her leftovers as well as an Ipod. :-)”
“I would say slightly more than $20/day.”
Hope all that advice will help your family make a more informed decision about money. Our next student meeting is in one week, next Thursday, February 27, at 2:10pm in Room D-6. Our East Coast adventure is now only 47 days away! As always, if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact me.
Take care,
Mr. Sheridan
Thursday, February 6, 2014
Follow up to Thursday's Meeting
We had a very successful meeting Thursday. I'm extremely excited to be working with such fun, well-behaved, and respectful 8th graders - we are going to have a great trip! Here are some of the things we were able to accomplish in the meeting:
- We played some ice breaker games to try and learn everyone's name and get to know one another better
- We went over the importance of communication and had the kids fast follow sheridantrip on twitter by texting "follow @sheridantrip" to 40404
- Wrote down shirt sizes for our commemorative t-shirt
- We assigned roommates
- We answered a few questions related to the trip
There are a couple of things we didn't cover, and I am including them in this message.
I will have a student behavior agreement for the kids at the next meeting on February 27th. The kids should sign it along with their parent/guardian and return in to me sometime before the departure meeting on March 26th.
Due to the importance of communication, one additional way to stay in touch with me is through my Google Voice number (661) 621-3655. Students and parents are welcome to call or text this number with any burning questions between now and the trip, although e-mail is still best.
Here are some of the questions about the trip that the kids asked yesterday:
Q: When do we leave and when do we get back?
A: We leave on Sunday, April 6th and return on Saturday, April 12th
Q: How many bags are we allowed to bring?
A: You are bringing one check in bag weighing no more than 45 lbs. and one carry-on (usually a backpack)
Q: What time do we go to sleep and wake up?
A: It varies, but usually we will get up around 6 am and get to bed around 10 pm
Q: Are we allowed to use our phone on the trip?
A: Yes, and no. You should absolutely bring your phone on the trip, and you are welcome to use it as a camera while we are touring (although you should bring an actual camera as well). However, phone calls, texting, surfing etc. should be reserved for times when we aren't on tour. What does that mean? You can use your phone in your room, at meal times, and when we are traveling between major cities on the bus, but NOT when we are in the city looking at sites (including the bus).
Q: Is the school dress code in effect?
A: The answer is basically, yes. You should follow the school dress code, but I will go over a few exceptions (hats etc.) at our next meeting.
I am looking forward to seeing my East Coast Trip students at our next meeting on Thursday, February 27th. That meeting will again be in room D-6 at 2:10 pm. Thanks again for a great meeting and if you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.
Take care, and I will talk with you soon.
Mr. Sheridan
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