Great Meeting Today!

Our meeting today was all about information.  We went over some important procedures, handed out the student agreement (which needs to be signed and returned), went over chaperone groups and met some of our chaperones, and then let the kids ask any burning question that they just couldn't wait to get answered.  If your student missed the meeting, have them come by my room (P-2) to pick up a trip agreement next week.  

One quick reminder that our next meeting is our MANDATORY Pre-departure meeting at 6:00 pm in the MPR at Rio Norte on Thursday, March 7th.  At least one parent/guardian must be in attendance.

Here are some of the questions that kids asked, with answers.

Q:  What are we supposed to pack?  How many bags can we bring?  Do we need to dress up for Broadway?

Check out the Packing List tab at the top of this page for basic information.  You can bring a check -in bag and a carry on...keep your check-in bag below 45 lbs.  For Broadway, just wear something nice, but comfortable.  We will be touring during the day before we go to our play.
Q:  Can we wear pajamas on the plane?
NO.  We will be landing in the morning, hopping on our bus, and will be touring all day after we land...we won't be going to the hotel until later that night.  You will need to be in actual clothes.

Q:  Do we have to stay in our chaperone groups?

No.  The chaperone groups are for organizational purposes only.  Most of the time we will be in a full group tour.  Chaperone groups allow us to account for all kids before we leave a location.

Q:  How often will we get food?

We get three meals a day (breakfast, lunch, and dinner). These meals begin with breakfast the morning of our first tour. You are responsible for eating dinner before we leave for our trip.

Q:  How big are the food portions, is food included in the trip?

Food is included.  Some portions are fixed. At other places it's all-you-can-eat. I've never had anyone starve on the trip, so I think the portion sizes are good.  Be careful not to over-do it!  Also, if you have any dietary restrictions (vegan, allergies etc.) please let me know.

Q:  Is there time for shopping?

Plenty. You won't get to shop in every shop in every city we visit, but you will be provided with ample opportunity to spend your money.

Q:  What will the weather be like? 

It really depends.  It is early Spring on the east coast which means it will likely be cooler than it is here in California.  It could potentially be cold enough to snow, or you could have an 85 degree day (like we did in NY six years ago).  Pack for all eventualities.  

Q:  What play are we seeing on Broadway?  Are we going to a baseball game?

Right now we are scheduled to see "Mean Girls",which is based on the 2004 movie written by Tina Fey.  We are also scheduled to see a Brooklyn Nets basketball game while in NYC.

Q:  How long are the plane rides?   Can we move seats on the plane?

We are scheduled to take a direct flight from LAX...it's about 5 hours each way.  Seats on the plane are assigned and you need to sit in your assigned seat.

Q:  What time do we leave the hotels in the morning and what time do we get back? 

It depends, but usually we have breakfast at the hotel around 7:00am and leave around 8:00am.  We will return around 10:00pm each night.  Lights out is usually around 11:00pm.

Q:  Is the school dress code in effect?

Yes.  You are allowed to wear hats and sunglasses (if you are a Red Sox fan, or a Yankee fan, I wouldn't recommend wearing those hats in the wrong city).

Q:  Are there opportunities to buy snacks in between meals and can we bring water with us on tour? 

 Yes, but be careful not to eat too much junk or you will get sick.  Water is fine to bring with you while we are on tour, and the coach drivers often have bottles for sale as well.  NO water when we go through TSA security at the airport!

Q:  Can we bring food in the hotel rooms and on the bus? 

In the Hotel the answer is yes, on the bus, NO.  ALWAYS clean up after yourself.

Q:  How long is the trip? 

We will leave Rio around 6:00pm on Saturday, March 30th and return to Rio around 10pm on Friday, April 5th.

Q:  What if our phone goes off while we are walking around? 

Your phone should be on silent mode for the trip...we don't want to be disrespectful.
Q:  Can we bring a GoPro Camera or a really big expensive camera on the trip?
You should avoid bringing anything overly expensive.  The more stuff you bring, the more stuff you can lose or break.  GoPro may not be allowed in some of the places we are touring (no photography).

Q:  Should we bring cash or a pre-paid card for the trip? 

This is up to you and your parents.  I would suggest looking into whether your bank will allow a debit card with set maximum daily charges - we can talk about money in depth at the pre-departure meeting.

Q:  Is it just us on the plane, and are the planes nice? 

We will have our own buses for the trip, but the plane will have many others.  At this point it looks like on the way out, we will be flying on United - a nice airline, and flying home on Alaska, also nice.

Q:  What are we doing everyday? 

We will be touring, and seeing many of our most important national treasures!

Q:  What kind of hotels are we staying in?

They're four-star hotels like Westin, Wyndham, and Crown Plaza.

Hope that helps!  See you all at our Pre-Departure Meeting: Rio Norte MPR @ 6:00pm on Thursday, March 7th!

East Coast Adventure...Let's Get Walkin'!

Well, our East Coast Trip is a little over 5 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, large estates, 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 26th.  This is my agreement and is in addition to the one sent by Nation's Classroom.  Be sure to review the agreement and have both the student and Parent/guardian sign it and return it to Mr. Sheridan by the departure meeting on the 7th of March (students can turn it in to Mr. Sheridan sooner than that if it is 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 student/chaperone meeting is this Tuesday, February 26th in room G-2 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

Money and Our Next Meeting

Hey East Coasters!

So, 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... 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 $500 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 in Times Square 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 Thursday, March 7. 

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. Looking online, many financial magazines rate the Wells Fargo card for teens and the Capital One 360 account as good 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. Most airlines are now cashless, meaning you can only purchase food on the plane with a debit/credit card.

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...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's 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. :-)”

“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 exactly one week, on Tuesday, February 26, at 2:10pm in Room G-2. Our East Coast adventure is now only 39 days away!  As always, if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact me.

Follow up to Our Student Meeting

Hello East Coast Trippers!
We had a very successful meeting this week.  I'm extremely excited to be working with such fun, well-behaved, and respectful 8th graders - we're going to have a great trip!  Here are some of the things we were able to accomplish in the meeting:

- We played an ice breaker game to try and get to know one another better
- 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 I covered with the kids Tuesday, and I am including them in this message for parents as well.

I will have a student behavior agreement for the kids at the next meeting on February 26th.  The kids should sign it along with their parent/guardian and return it to me sometime before the departure meeting on March 7th.

Due to the importance of communication, I informed the kids of different ways to stay in touch with me and the trip - and it might be good for you too.  Two that I focused on are following my text alerts by having yourself and the kids fast follow sheridantrip on twitter by texting "follow sheridantrip" to 40404.  Another way 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 Tuesday:

Q: When do we leave and when do we get back?
A:  We leave on Saturday, March 30th and return on Friday, April 5th.

Q:  Is food included on the trip?
A:  Yes, breakfast. lunch, and dinner are included.  Breakfast is usually at our hotel.

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 it might be a good idea to bring an actual camera as well).  However, phone calls, facetime, 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:  What sporting event are we going to?
A;  It looks like we will be going to the Nets vs. Raptors basketball game in Brooklyn

I am looking forward to seeing my East Coast Trip students at our next meeting on Tuesday, February 26th.  That meeting will again be in room G-2 at 2:10 pm and will conclude around 3:15.  Thanks again for a great meeting and if you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.