Dear TMS 8Th Grade Parents & Guardians

Sept. 20, 2012

Dear TMS 8th Grade Parents & Guardians,

The 8th grade team is excited to announce that a field trip to Washington, DC is in the works for the spring semester. Members of the planning committee and Mr. James met with Educational Travel Adventures and developed an itinerary that will be educational as well as entertaining.

The cost of the trip will be approximately $300 dollars per student and includes a variety of learning opportunities with visits to The Smithsonian, Arlington National Cemetery, Mt. Vernon, and other activities. This trip aligns with the 8th grade US History curriculum and meets the NC Standard Course of Study.

Unfortunately, our time to finalize these plans with the tour company is limited. Therefore, we need to know each student’s intentions of attending the trip as soon as possible. There is still a possibility that we may be able to include a tour of the White House but we must act quickly in order to arrange this.

There will be a couple of opportunities for fundraising activities and this could offset some of the cost of your child’s trip. If you would like to serve on this planning committee, help with fundraising or assist in any way, please email Mr. James ([email protected]) or Mrs. Rife ([email protected]) with your contact information.

Please look over the attached itinerary and discuss your child’s intention to participate in this field trip. Please return the attached permission/check sheet with your child to let the 8th Grade Dept. know if your child will/will not attend this event.

Thanks for your support, The 8th Grade Team, TMS Troutman Middle School Washington D C April 18-20 2013

Thursday April 18 5:3 0AM Depart for D.C. Enroute Rest Stop 11:30AM Lunch (Brought from home) 12:15PM Smithsonian 6:00PM Dinner Pentagon City Mall (Each person given $10) 7:00PM Night Tour DC 9:30PM Sleep Inn Upper Marlboro Md 301-599-9400

Friday April 19 6:30AM Continental Breakfast 7:30AM Depart for DC 8:45AM Capitol tour 11:00AM National Archives 12:30PM Lunch (Each person given $10) 1:30PM Arlington National Cemetery 3:00PM Holocaust 6:30PM Dinner Union Station (Each person given $10) 7:30PM Baseball game

Saturday April 20 7-8AM Continental breakfast 8:30AM Mt. Vernon 11:30AM Depart for Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center 12:30PM Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center (Air & Space near Dulles Airport) Lunch (Each person given $10) 3:00PM Depart for home with meal stop enroute. (Each person given $5) 9:00PM Arrive Troutman Middle School TMS Parent & Student Agreement 8th Grade Field Trip 2012 Washington, DC April 18-20 2013

My child ______, will participate in the field trip to Washington, DC on April 18-20th. Parent/guardian and student MUST agree to the all of the conditions outlined in this letter .

*Parent and Child Initial each bullet below indicating your agreement and then sign the bottom of this form.

Student Parent

______I agree to make 3 deposits of $100 or more. Place each deposit in an envelope and return on the designated deposit dates (Oct. 26th , Jan. 7th, and Mar. 15th) ______I have read and signed a copy of the rules and behavior agreement. ______I agree to make a final payment by March 15th, 2013. This payment amount will reflect any fundraiser credits. ______I understand that background checks are required on all non ISS employees for a fee of $25 requesting to chaperone this trip. Only parents or legal guardians are allowed to chaperone. The cost of chaperones will be the same as the students and they must agree to board with a maximum of 3 other students. ______For some students “hardship” applications will be accepted to help offset some of the cost. However, the maximum amount of support offered will be $100. We reserve the right to change this amount if the student has not participated in at least 50% of fundraising activities. ______I understand that any student who has OSS at any point up to April 18th, MUST be accompanied by a guardian on the trip at his/her expense. ______If a student receives OSS and is unable to have a guardian chaperone, any funds they have deposited can be refunded up to Feb. 15th, 2012. However, No refund can be made after Feb. 15th as the tour company makes final arrangements/payments based on the total number attending the trip. ______I agree to submit ALL additional forms -Updated Emergency Contact Information, Medical Treatment form and permission to administer medication (if needed) by April 3rd, 2013

By signing below, I indicate that my child and I have read ALL rules/regulations (included below) and agree to the terms for this trip.

Parents/Guardians: ______

Student: ______DATE: ______Phone #: ______Eighth Grade Field Trip Information & Behavior Agreement

April 18th – April 20th, 2013d

We will depart from the school on Thursday, April 18th at 5:30 AM. In order to leave the school on time, we will begin loading the bus at 5:00 AM. Please make sure that your child is on time and ready to load the bus as the tour group will not wait for any late comers and money will be non refundable.

Please read all of the expectations and rules below and sign the previous page with your initial paperwork.

 No “power” drinks (energy drinks, 5 hr energy, monster drinks etc.) of any kind are allowed on the trip. Water is the only drink allowed on the bus. No soft drinks, snacks or gum of any kind are allowed on the bus.

 Time will be allotted for snacks and drinks.

 All school rules apply. Any discipline issues will be handled and addressed, including PDA.

 Dress code: Must meet dress down day rules. Tennis shoes or good walking shoes are required. No flip flops. No swimsuits allowed. Again, proper shorts and tops required.

 No pajama’s can be worn on the bus. We won’t have time for you to change.

 No inappropriate TV or movie rentals.

 No calls from room to room once we are in for the night.

 Luggage limit: 1 average size luggage per person.

 Blankets & Pillows are allowed on the bus . No male/female can share blankets. Electronic devices are allowed but must use ear buds/headphones. However, we will not be responsible for any lost items or money.

 Any medications that are required daily should be delivered to Nurse Holland with the medication form no later than Monday, April 15th. Please complete the information form and list any special information that we should know about your child, such as car sickness, sea sickness, sleepwalking, bed wetting or any allergies, etc.

Chaperone Duties Make sure you know where your group is at all times

Refrain from any items that violate Iredell-Statesville School rules These include: no alcohol/drugs at anytime or at any point. Smoking is not allowed during the trip. Please refrain from using inappropriate language, chaperones conduct themselves in a manner appropriate for school personnel. Be aware of any student in your group that may need medication and follow those guidelines.

No Energy Drinks!!!! You, the student, or the school, may have no idea of the medical condition of a student, so these drinks can do significant harm if a child has any known or unknown heart issues.

Make sure students are supervised at all times. Never allow any male/female students in the same room without adult supervision.

Lockdown at 11:00 . A hall security guard will be on duty. No students are allowed out in the hall after 11:00. Do not allow room to room calls after lockdown. The doors will be taped and initialed by the officer to ensure no one leaves the room.

Television programs are PG 13. Some hotels have programs not suited for kids. Please make sure they do not access these.

Students may not be taken off the hotel property even for a short distance or time. We will provide snacks at the end of the night if needed or requested. There will be vending machines available in the hotel as well. I have read and agree to go by the guidelines that have been set for this trip. I understand that these are not exclusive and that all the ISS / TMS rules and regulations apply. Student Print Name: ______Student Signature: ______

Parent/Guardians Signature: ______

Date:______