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

Follow up to Thursday's Meeting

Hello East Coast Trippers!
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

East Coast Adventure 2014...Here We Go!!

Dear East Coast Trip Family,

In a little over 2 months, we will be departing on our big adventure to Washington D.C., Hershey, Gettysburg, Philadelphia, and New York.  I can tell you from personal experience that history travel, is amazing.  There really is nothing quite like it; and I am very excited to be able to share the experience of visiting some of our most famous national treasures and landmarks with your child.  For the past few months we have been finalizing our roster, and we now have a good idea of who is going on the trip, so it's time to inform you of some important dates.  


Thursday, February 6th @ 2:10pm - Rio Norte Room D-6  Roommate Meeting

So, this is the meeting that all the students will be most interested in attending!  This is my opportunity to become familiar with the kids, and we will finally have a chance for the students to meet their fellow adventurers who are going on the trip.  This meeting is intended for students and teachers only.  We will start with an ice-breaker activity or two and then we will move on to the all important process of choosing roommates.  If your child cannot attend this meeting, it might be a good idea to have them designate a person to speak on their behalf regarding room assignments (unless they don't care who they room with).  This meeting should take a little over an hour, and will conclude at 3:30. 



Thursday, February 27th @ 2:10pm - Rio Norte Room D-6  Student Meeting
Topics to be determined



Wednesday, March 26th @ 6:00pm - Rio Norte Room D-6: Pre-Departure Meeting

Organized by USA Student Travel, and hosted by both myself and our tour company rep, this meeting will go over the specifics of the trip.  We finally get to see our exact itinerary, and our hotel and flight information.  Now that we know for sure everyone who is going on the trip, our tour company is working hard making final arrangements to secure the very best flights and hotels possible. This meeting is MANDATORY for the traveling student and at least one parent/guardian to attend.

 

That should do it for now.  I'm looking forward to a great trip, with a great group of kids.  I will be trying to stay in contact with all of you on a pretty regular basis now as the trip gets closer.  On that note,  I would also like to remind you (or inform you for the first time) that you can stay connected to the trip on Twitter and Facebook.  You can "Like" our trip page at https://www.facebook.com/MrSheridansEastCoastAdventure or follow on Twitter at http://twitter.com/sheridantrip.  Finally, you can get updates sent to you as a text message on ANY cell phone (regular cell phone or smartphone) by texting the words follow @sheridantrip to 40404. These Twitter text alerts are free and do not require you to sign up for a Twitter account. Standard text rates do apply.

Take care, and I will see the kids next Thursday the 6th!

   

Important Trip Date Information

Hey East Coasters,
I let the kids know yesterday that our trip looks like it will be taking place from April 6th - 12th.  This is slightly different from our traditional dates of Friday to Thursday.  We will be leaving on Sunday, the 6th and returning on Saturday, the 12th.  The reason for this change has to do with direct flight availability.  I will keep you all informed as more information is passed along from the travel rep.  Thanks!

Parent Information Meeting Tomorrow Night!

Parents of Rio Norte 8th graders - come to room D-6 at 6:00pm for information on Mr. Sheridan's East Coast Adventure taking place this Spring.  Representatives from USA Student Travel will be present to explain the trip and answer any questions.  Hope to see you there.

Parent Information Night on Sept. 10th!

If you have an 8th grade student who attends Rio Norte, and you would like to learn more about Mr. Sheridan's East Coast Adventure taking place this Spring (April of 2014), you are invited to attend an information meeting in room D-6 at 6:00pm on Sept. 10th.  A representative from our travel company, USA Student Travel will be there to discuss the specifics of the trip and answer any questions.  See you there!

Interested in signing up for Mr. Sheridan's East Coast Adventure 2014?

If you will be in 8th grade this year at Rio Norte Jr. High, and would like information on this year's Spring trip, stop by room D-6 to pick up a packet.  Spots are filling up quickly!