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8th December 2016 Dear Parents/Carers
VISIT TO WASHINGTON DC AND NEW YORK, USA THURSDAY, 19TH – WEDNESDAY, 25TH OCTOBER 2017
Bullers Wood School History and Politics Department will be organising a trip to the USA during October half-term in 2017 and we would like to invite your daughter/son to participate in this trip. Half of the A Level history course at Bullers Wood is US History, from the Civil War period to the Civil Rights movement and its legacy. The A2 course in Politics also covers the representative processes and government of the USA. Students often begin their studies with misconceived ideas of the nature of USA, and little grasp of its system of government, history and people. While this makes the course something of a voyage of discovery for the students, it can only be helped by some direct, first-hand exposure to two of the USA’s most important cities. Itinerary The exact itinerary for the trip is still to be confirmed however we plan to visit the following places:
New York (Manhattan)
Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island Heritage site
Metropolitan Museum
Tour of Wall Street
Central Park
Visit to top of One World Trade Centre
Times Square
Broadway Show – TBC subject to availability Washington DC
Smithsonian Museums, including Holocaust Museum, Air and Space Museum and a choice of others
Tour of the US Congress building
Library of Congress
Lincoln Memorial
Trip to Washington’s home at Mount Vernon
Arlington Cemetery In addition, we do try to give the students some limited free time in both cities which they can use as they wish. Cost The total price will be £1,550.00. The cost of the trip is inclusive of flights, airport tax, accommodation, visit admissions, the Broadway show, the dinner cruise, breakfasts and dinners. Students will need to buy lunch on six occasions. The tour operator recommends an average of $5-10 per day be allowed for lunches.
Students should also allow approximately $20 for tipping, which is customary the USA. Accommodation will be in 2 or 3 star hotels with private bathrooms. Students will be accommodated four, six or eight to a room, sharing large double beds, as is standard in the US. This is a cost based on current prices and an estimate of 40 paying passengers. The final cost may vary slightly due to exchange rate movement between now and the final booking. The minimum number of students we will take is 30. The maximum number we will take is 40. Places will be allocated on the basis of receipt of paid deposits, first to history and politics students currently in Year 11 and 12, and then opened to other students if places remain available. Deposit The initial deposit required is £150.00 per student by Friday 16th December 2016. This initial deposit should be paid by cheque to Bullers Wood School. If we do not have at least 30 deposits by that point, then the trip will be cancelled and all cheques will be returned in full. Further instalments via www.squidcard.com will then due as follows: Payment 2: £280 due by 31st January 2017 Payment 3: £280 due by 28th February 2017 Payment 4: £280 due by 31st March 2017 Payment 5: £280 due by 30th April 2017 Final payment: £280 due by 31st May 2017 Please pay via www.squidcard.com as you would do to pay for lunches, using your usual user name and password. There will be a box to select for Trips and Visits and then you should click onto the “US History 2017 trip” and the relevant instalment. If you are not registered with Squid, please contact Mrs Caple on [email protected] to obtain the necessary details. If your daughter/son is accepted on the trip, please make a note of the payment dates in your diary and on calendars to ensure that payment deadlines are met. You will have the opportunity to pay for the trip in full or in more than one instalment at any stage if you prefer. Strict adherence to the payment dates by parents/carers is essential to enable the school to meet tour operator conditions. If you are unable to meet the deadline for any instalment, it is vital that you contact Mrs Caple, Educational Visits Administrator, via [email protected] to at least one week before the deadline dates. Failure to meet payment deadlines may compromise your daughter/son’s place on the trip. Please note that the school reserves the right to refuse any student a place and to cancel the place of any student whose behaviour prior to the trip shows her to be irresponsible, unreliable or disobedient or whose attendance record is not acceptable. If a student is withdrawn by either the school or parent/carer, airline terms and conditions and a £50 administration fee will apply.
Your daughter/son will need to have his/her own valid passport, a black and white copy of which must be provided with the consent form attached. If your daughter/son’s passport is not valid for the date of the trip please provide a copy of her/his birth certificate and take steps to obtain a valid passport. It is the responsibility of parents/carers to obtain an ESTA. All eligible travellers who wish to travel to the U.S. under the Visa Waiver Program must apply for authorisation on-line and then pay the fee (currently US$14.00). Your credit card is charged with the Sterling equivalent. The correct website address to use is https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov. Please provide a copy of the ESTA to Mrs Caple via the Trips and Visits box opposite the B7 or by emailing the confirmation – [email protected]. All medical details and emergency telephone numbers which we invite you to update every year and which we will use for the trip will be generated from the school’s records. Please ensure that any changes in this information are provided to [email protected] or by letter as soon as possible and definitely updated by the end of September 2017. Next Steps If you would like your daughter/son to be considered for a place on this trip please ensure the attached reply slip is returned by hand to the History Office (L2), by Friday 16th December together with your cheque for £150.00 made payable to Bullers Wood School. Yours sincerely Mrs A Housden Teacher of History
REPLY SLIP BULLERS WOOD SCHOOL
(To be returned to the History Office (L2) by hand by Friday, 16th December 2016 latest)
Daughter/Son’s Name:_______________________________________ Form:___________ (BLOCK CAPITALS PLEASE)
☐ I give permission for my daughter/son to participate in the above visit and enclose my initial
deposit of £150.00 by cheque payable to Bullers Wood School. I have written my daughter/son’s name and form and “US History trip 2017” on the back of the cheque.
☐ I will adhere to making further payments by www.squidcard.com according to the payment
schedule and understand that failure to do so may lead to my daughter/son being withdrawn from the trip.
☐ Enclosed is a black and white photocopy of my daughter/son’s VALID passport or copy
of her birth certificate (ESSENTIAL).
☐ I accept the terms outlined in the ‘Parental Responsibility’ document which I have retained for
reference.
☐ I have signed the Code of Conduct and attach it to this reply slip.
☐ My daughter/son has/has not received a tetanus injection in the last ten years?
(Please delete as applicable)
☐ I give permission for my daughter/son to undertake any first aid or medical treatment that may
be required. PLEASE NOTE CAREFULLY Payment signifies the commitment by the payer to membership of the party and therefore the cost of the visit is non-refundable except in case of serious illness, where a doctor’s certificate will be required. Payments are used to secure firm bookings with the Company whose services are engaged for the visit. Please note that you are entering into a contract with the Event Company and Travel Company, not the school. Please ensure all payments are made promptly as stated. Failure to meet stated deadlines may compromise your daughter/son’s place on the trip. Any cancellations will be subject to loss of deposit and/or fees imposed upon us by the tour operator plus a £50.00 administration charge. Please note that the school reserves the right to cancel the place of any student whose behaviour prior to the trip shows her to be irresponsible, unreliable or disobedient, or whose attendance record is unacceptable. Indeed, a student may be withdrawn from the trip if attendance or behaviour deteriorates after the offer of a place on the trip is made. Parents/Carers are advised that this will incur cancellation fees plus a £50.00 administration charge. Signed:_____________________________________________ Date:_________________ (Parent/Carer)
