HIGH SCHOOLSHORT TERM STUDENT EXCHANGE PROGRAMS

By Lauren FinaldiJoliet Catholic Academywww.profeTunes.blogspot.com

Benefits

Language immersion More likely to study abroad in college Unique opportunity

Experience life in another culture

Lifelong friends/connections Become global citizens Broadens prospective of own country

Challenges School administration

School policies Bad past experiences with tours Students/teachers missing school

Parents Financial Fears

Planning

Getting started

Arrange for group from abroad to come to your school first. Groups come early September or January, so start planning year prior Find organization to work with

“home stay” vs. “exchange” Make a flyer for all FL teachers to hand

out and talk it up in classes/clubs*

Ways to recruit more families Extend personal invitations to families

you know Have information available at

Parent/Teacher nights, other school events

Ask enthusiastic students to help recruit their friends

Include in School Newsletters, send email out to all families in school

Planning the Visit: Part I

Hold a meeting for all students/parents interested in helping with the plans

Set up Edline/other online group Create an online calendar Recruit parents to help

organize/chaperone specific events

Calendar of Events* Include after-school options almost every

day, more in beginning of stay After school & weekend activities are optional if

the family has something else planned, but keep in mind students generally like to be together

Have brief before-school meetings and after-school meet-ups (help arrange rides) Help make arrangements for guests whose host

brother/sister works or is on a team, etc. If travel organization has planned some

activities, see if you can attend.

Party Ideas

Welcome Party/Barbecue Day of arrival or following day, all family

members encouraged to attend Ask for families to volunteer their house Food donations or assign each family

something to contribute

Goodbye Party/Gathering Host house or restaurant/pizza parlor

Party at Host Family House

Goodbye Dinner

Weekend Ideas Shopping mall Trip to city Sporting events Theater events Family gatherings College visits Short trips to places such as Galena, Starved Rock,

etc. Boat trip Concert Church

Field Trip Ideas Meet the Mayor Local attractions Local museums Amusement park Local college visit Local sports Fire station Theater

Trip to City Scavenger hunt Guided tours Boat ride

After-School Ideas Dodge ball game School sport

events Ice-cream, FroYo

parlor Laser Tag Bowling Shopping Mall Arcade

Any school events

Cooking/Baking Barbeque Mini Golf Movie night

In-School Ideas

Shadow host brother/sister (2 days, max.)

Shadow someone new (FL Club, etc.) Split into small groups and spend day

talking to foreign language classes Subject of choice day (PE, Art, Music,

etc.) Spanish Class Parties

Planning the Visit: Part 2 Work with teacher from other country to

match students Note: food allergies, age, animal fears/allergies,

introvert, extrovert, sports, interests

Begin communication among students and families Create Facebook page for group

Add all members, share pictures of school, etc. Exchange email addresses

Planning the Visit: Part 3 School approval

Field trips/subs, etc Outside activities School lunches Bus to school

School publicity/marketing School marquis/sign Bulletin boards Newsletters Press Release

Planning the visit: Part 4 Make arrangements for all field

trips/outside activities Don’t forget tax exempt papers if

applicable Keep list of all contacts Confirm all events two days prior

Make transportation arrangements as needed Encourage family carpools

Planning the Visit: Part 4 Set up several means of

communication Email Group Edline Group Facebook Page Text Groups Host Information Sheets Evites Twitter

Planning the Visit: Part 5 Hold a mandatory meeting for all parents/students 1-

2 weeks before arrival of group Introduce everyone, facilitate friendships General information on group, country of origin, etc.,

main differences in customs, habits, etc. Go over calendar Hand out permission slips, contact information, etc. How to be a good host family What to do in case of problems Who pays for what? (Students have their own

spending money but if going to a restaurant or somewhere as a family, please pay for your guest)

Arrival! Each host family should have at least

one person to greet and pick up student

Get notification from organization or teacher from abroad when group is within half-hour from pick-up location and send out texts to families.

Greet with: welcome signs, balloons, etc.

Greetings!

Once Home… Be aware of time difference/jet lag Speak slowly and clearly, repeat if needed Ask to see pictures of their family, house, etc. Introduce all family members/photos of any not present Typical family routines, rules What to do with laundry If sharing a bathroom, discuss shower routines Provide towels, ask if they need any other toiletries or

forgot anything Discuss use of electronics, WIFI, etc. and

communicating with home

First School Days All teachers in school should have been notified of

guests shadowing host brothers/sisters All host brothers and sisters and guests meet in

classroom before school Welcome! See if principal or other administrator can greet Discuss school rules/expectations (stay with host!) Tour Allow visiting teacher to talk to his/her group. Make

sure all is well. Meet after school if going to event, help arrange

carpools, etc.

Possible Issues

Student unhappy with host family, vice-versa

Someone in family gets ill Host student gets ill Misbehavior Drinking, parties, etc. Student doesn’t have enough money

Taking a group to another country

Length and Dates

Typically two weeks in length. Typically over Easter or Christmas

break, plus miss some days of school

What to Look for in a Travel Organization Easy to contact representatives any time of

day, ease of communication, quick responses Flexibility of programs (dates, excursions,

etc.) References. Call other school who have used

them before How long have they been in business? Try to

Google the name of company + complaints

What should be included: Round trip airfare (including luggage)

from your local city Bus/train transportation with escort

from airport to final destination Hotel stays as needed (check website

or references for hotels) Some meals during hotel stays Guided tours Travel insurance

Promote the Trip Hand out information to interested

students* School announcements, newsletter,

posters, website, etc. Visit school FL clubs, FL Honor Society

meetings You generally need more student

participants than group tours, usually 12+

Participants Must APPLY*

Require students to apply to the program and provide teacher signatures, references and possibly write in target language. Give approximately two weeks until deadline.

Informative Meeting Schedule a meeting in the evening so

parents can attend. (approximately one hour)

Hand out information/itinerary provided by organization

Organization may provide slideshow Introduce yourself and other chaperones.

Tell qualifications and why you are excited about this trip

Answer questions Go over payment plans, etc.

Acceptance Letters* Send a list of applicants to school deans,

guidance counselors and business office (private schools) to get their approval of applicants.

Talk to other teachers, check references as needed.

Send letter of acceptance/or denial to applicants* Include information on how to sign up Include Parent Consent Form Include date of first meeting

Paperwork

Fortunately, many organizations now provide ways for parents to submit papers and payments directly online. This is very helpful and is something you may want to ask when shopping for an organization.

Your Group Once students have been accepted

and have paid 1st non-refundable deposit, you will know exactly who will be part of the group.

Hold bi-weekly meetings before or after school. You may want to have them every month and as the trip gets closer, every other week, and then every week.

Meeting Topics Famous artists, authors, etc.

from your destination General

geography/history/politics of area

DVDs on the location Passports Notarized travel form for

students under 18 What to buy Travel safety Useful/essential vocabulary Culture shock/jet lag

RULES What to expect

Food Clothing Tips Greetings Other cultural differences Weather

What to bring Voltage, outlets Money Photos to show host family Gift for host family

Local chocolate Book on your city Local team gear

Reminders

Remind all teachers of students attending and days they will be absent. Ask them to consider giving them assignments related to their trip to make up for missed work.

T-shirts

Consider having a group T-shirt made to all wear while traveling on the plane and home. Consider ordering one for host brother/sister. Makes a great gift! (I use CustomInk.com online to design and order)

www.CustomInk.com

Passports Tell students not to take Passports with

them when going to school, shopping etc. Students should make four copies of

passports…leave one at home with parents, give each group leader a copy and keep a copy.

You will need your actual passport (not a copy) when going to banks to exchange money

Communicating with home Many homes have WIFI, bigger cities with

McDonalds, Starbucks, etc. will have WIFI You can buy a cheap pay-as-you-go cell

phone Many countries have phone booth joints

where you can go in and make long distance calls for very reasonable prices.

There are phone apps for free chatting. WhatsApp

Blogging/Facebook

You can find free sites for blogging, such as Blogspot.com. Create a group blog and add all members as administrators. Have students add pictures, stories.

You can make a Facebook Page for your group and students can upload photos and comments.

Take lots of pictures!

Enjoy making memories!

Enjoy knowing you’ve made this happen!