Grade 6 Info Packet

20 Aug 2019 Dear Grade 6 Parents, Next month, from 23-27 September, the entire Upper School, both students and faculty, will be travelling off-campus on China GO! Participation in these annual trips is an expectation for all students from grades 6-12, and is a highlight of the year at SCIS, eagerly anticipated and always remembered. At SCIS, China GO! seeks to build our community through shared experiences by engaging in authentic service- based activities which promote host culture connections. These shared experiences help build the bonds of friendship between classmates and solidify a foundation for positive student-teacher relationships. All expenses are included in the cost of tuition. The Grade 6 Anji, Zhejiang trip is a new trip organized through Insight Adventures, who partner with us to provide outdoor education and cultural experiences led by certified guides supported by our SCIS teachers. Anji is known as the first National Ecological County in China, dedicated to preserving its pristine natural environment and developing pollution-free produce, including bamboo shoots and health-promoting white tea, Anji Bai Cha, one of the rarest of all Chinese teas. The Anji program is tailored to younger year level students looking for a fun, interactive outdoor experience. Students will learn about communication, collaboration and how to overcome fear in a variety of activities including climbing, kayaking, tree top ropes course and wilderness skills. For more questions about the details of the trip itself, please refer to the attached documentation, or contact your child’s Advisor. Travel Documents To travel in China, all foreign nationals are required to have a current passport with a legal visa. Bookings are already being made using the passport information that we have on file. If there has been a recent change to your child’s passport, please contact the SCIS Upper School Secretary, Jelly Ling, as soon as possible. If your child’s visa is currently being processed, the visa bureau should issue a receipt which can serve as a legal document affirming that they are holding the passport, and that the student is in China legally and free to travel. While we use copies for bookings, student will need to have their original passport or travel permit with them on the trip. We also need your signed conduct agreement form as well as a medical release form with insurance information. Those two forms are attached, and are also available for download from ManageBac, and from our school website. Drop Off/Pick Up In order to ensure the safety and efficiency of the entire group, all students must be together, under the supervision of their teachers, from the beginning of the trip to the end. School buses will pick up students from planned meeting points to begin the trip, and return them to the same points to end the trip. All students are required to use this school transportation, and parents are asked not to make any alternate arrangement Communication Students are free to bring mobile phones on the trip, but in order to ensure that they participate fully in every activity without distraction, they will be expected to keep them zipped up in their bags through out the day. Every evening, at a scheduled time, all students will be expected to call their parents. Please refrain from calling or texting your child during the day, as they will not respond until the evening, and their silence may cause you undue worry. Students who do not have their own devices will have the opportunity to borrow from a friend to ensure that all students are able to connect with their parents every night. If a family emergency arises and you have an urgent need to reach your child during the day, please contact Dr Volpe or Ms Shanks, and we will facilitate the necessary communication immediately. Pictures Each trip will be fully documented through both pictures and shared reflections. These pictures will be collected for each grade level, and used for reflection and demonstration, for the yearbook, and many other functions after the group returns to Shanghai. While the school administration will provide updates and a few pictures during the week through the Principal’s blog and the Grade Level Parent rep, our expectation is that teachers are directly engaged with students throughout every activity, and should NOT spend time on editing or sharing photos, tasks which necessarily distract from full engagement with students. Forms Please return hard copies of the following to your child’s Advisor as soon as possible, and under no conditions later than 30 August: Conduct Agreement and Permission Form (attached) Medical Release Form (attached) Copies of current passport and visa page Thank you for trusting us with your children. We are confident that this will be a lasting learning experience, and they will return to you brimming with new insights into themselves and the world, and with memories to last a lifetime. Please don’t hesitate to contact your child’s Advisor with further questions about the trip. We are also ready to help in any way we can. Warm regards, Frank Volpe, Ph.D. Naomi Shanks Upper School Principal Upper School Vice Principal Mobile: 18521410773 Mobile: 15121046551 China GO! 2019 SCIS Conduct Agreement and Permission China GO! is a unique and enjoyable experience for everyone involved. It is essential that all SCIS students act with integrity at all times and adhere to the same high standards that are expected of them when in school. The trips are considered an extension of the classroom and all students are expected to participate fully. The trip leaders and staff attend to the safety of each individual, the safety of the group. All participants are expected to follow their directions at all times. Any misconduct will be immediately addressed and dealt with appropriately. Please review the following guidelines as a family. Each student must affirm that: 1) I will conduct myself in a safe and respectful manner during the entire trip. 2) I am aware that I will remain with the SCIS group and under SCIS supervision at all times, unless permission is granted specifically by the supervisors. 3) I agree to follow group curfews as decided by the trip leaders, and be inside my room and in bed with lights out at the scheduled time. 4) I understand that under no circumstances may I be alone in a room with the door closed with anyone other than my assigned roommate(s). Other standards of behavior for social times in the hotel will be determined by the trip leaders on the first night of the trip, and must be adhered to. 5) I will not change the accommodation arrangements without the permission of the trip leaders. 6) I will only use mobile phones and other devices according to the guidelines provided by my trip leader, and understand that my teachers may hold my devices for me if I am not able to do this. 7) I am aware that the use or possession of tobacco, alcohol, or controlled substances will not be allowed. Furthermore, if I enter an environment where substances are present, I am aware that I should immediately leave the environment. 8) I agree to immediately report any unusual circumstances or problems that arise during the trip directly to the trip leaders. 9) I agree to follow all existing Chinese laws. 10) If I violate any of these rules during the period of the trip, my parents will be required to come and take me home immediately, at their expense. Further consequences may also be possible, to be decided upon by the administration of SCIS. ***** I, _______________, have read and fully understand these guidelines. I commit to upholding these standards on China GO! 2019. __________________ __________________ __________________ Student Name Student Signature Date I, the guardian of _________________ agree for my child to participate in China GO! 2019, and for SCIS to take full responsibility for the well-being of my child throughout the trip. We have discussed these guidelines together. __________________ __________________ __________________ Guardian Name Guardian Signature Date SCIS Medical Release and Dietary Information Form In the event of an injury or illness of a student while away on China GO!, school personnel will notify parents as soon as possible and suggested treatment will be confirmed. In an unfortunate emergency circumstance in which a student must seek immediate treatment without opportunity to contact parents prior to agree upon treatment, it may become the trip leaders’ responsibility to make a decision which will ensure the student’s well-being. Student’s name: ________________________________ Date of birth: ______________ Guardian(1) name: _________________ Guardian(2) name:______________________ Primary phone: ________________________Work phone: ______________________ Insurance provider:_________________ Insurance plan number: ___________________ Emergency Contacts: 1. ________________________________ Tel. Number: _____________________ 2. ________________________________ Tel. Number: _____________________ Medication: List any medication(s) your child will be taking while traveling and instructions. Prescription medication should be turned into the trip leader at the start of the trip. ____________________________________________________________________ Please inform us of any medical problems, allergies, or dietary requirements of which we should be aware. _____________________________________________________________________ We, the undersigned parents of _____________________________________, do hereby authorize and

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