Web viewDear Parents or Guardians and Students, Thank you for your interest in participating in a music program trip to Atlanta Georgia. This trip will be a rewarding

East Iredell Middle SchoolMusic Department

Atlanta Trip Information

Dear Parents or Guardians and Students,

Thank you for your interest in participating in a music program trip to Atlanta Georgia. This trip will be a rewarding experience for your students and we hope to make it as stress-free as possible for all involved. In this packet you will find the following items:

Tentative trip itinerary Performance and rehearsal information Finance information Chaperone, security information, and rooming assignments Academic, behavior, and school policies Student travel agreement Medical forms Travel agreement from the travel agency

Should you have additional questions please do not hesitate to email or call us to clarify. We know this is going to be a great opportunity for your students and we look forward to planning this trip with each of you.

Sincerely,

Joyce [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]



Tentative Itinerary(Some times and activities may be adjusted)

Friday Apr. 20 5:00 AM – Depart East Iredell Middle School, rest stop along the way 10:30 AM – Arrive in Atlanta Georgia, meet with our tour director. 10:45 AM – Visit Word of Coca Cola 12:45 PM- Lunch at CNN Food Court 2:00 PM- Georgia Aquarium 5:00 PM- Hotel check-in to freshen up prior to dinner 6:30 PM – Dinner at Dave & Busters (meal & tokens provided) 10:00 PM – Back to Hotel 11:00 PM – Lights out

Saturday Apr. 21 7:00 AM – Continental breakfast at the hotel 8:00 AM – Depart hotel for Music in the Parks Competition Performances Morning – EIMS Music Department performances at Music in the Parks 12:00 PM – Travel and arrive at Six Flags Over Georgia, Fast Food Lunch on the way (not provided) 6:00 PM – Competition awards ceremony inside Six Flags Over Georgia.

1 complimentary meal in the Park 9:00 PM – Depart Six Flags Over Georgia for Statesville 2:00 A.M.- Arrive in Statesville @ EIMS



Performance and Rehearsal Information

EIMS Chorus Students will be performing in the Music in the Parks Competition. This performance will take place on Saturday morning with the awards ceremony later in the evening.

This performance provides students with an exceptional opportunity to receive feedback on their strengths and weaknesses as performers and gives them an additional performance outlet outside of their normal concert environments.

This trip is for 7th and 8th grade chorus students only. In order to have a great performance, we will have to have rehearsals after school leading up to the trip. While preparation will be done in class all students going on the trip will be expected to attend all after school rehearsals. A full schedule of rehearsals will be provided by November.

Failure to attend after school rehearsals or documented lack of participation in class may result in the student not being allowed to perform in the competition. The Competition Process

Students will prepare 2 pieces of music for full group performance. The performance will take place at an Atlanta area school in front of 3 highly qualified judges. These judges will critique everything from musicianship to precision and even how the students present themselves visually. The judges then give the performers a score and the scores in turn lead to a rating. Superior, Excellent, Good, Fair, or Poor.

Once the performance has happened, performers scores will be compared against the other schools performing in the same category. (i.e. MS Bands vs. MS Bands, MS Chorus vs. MS Chorus) Students will not be in competition with older or younger performing groups.

At East Iredell Middle School, our biggest concern is with the rating. While the competition aspect is fun and a motivating factor we recognize that we cannot control other schools scores and their advantages and disadvantages. For example: many schools may have band and chorus every day for an hour and a half, effectively giving them double the amount of rehearsal time during the school day. Our goals should be to receive Superior or Excellent ratings, not to “win” the competition. It is with this in mind that students must take their preparation for this event seriously through out of school practice and in class participation.



Finance InformationTotal cost: $390This may adjust up or down slightly depending on number of students attending. If it adjusts significantly higher we will adjust the schedule to make it more affordable.

What is included? Bus travel 1 Night Hotel Security Guard for Hotel Tickets to: World of Coca Cola tour, Georgia Aquarium, Six Flags Over Georgia,

and Festival Performances. Continental breakfast at hotel, Friday lunch voucher, 1 restaurant dinner and

token card for games, Saturday dinner voucherWhat is not included?

Fast Food lunch Saturday Snack food stops while traveling Souvenir money

Payment Schedule:Payment #1: Sept. 19 - $65 non-refundable depositPayment #2: Oct. 17 - $65 non-refundablePayment #3: Nov. 14 - $65 non-refundablePayment #4: Dec. 12 - $65Payment #5: Jan. 16 - $65Payment #6: Feb. 13 - $65 Final Payment

Fundraisers:Each fundraiser we will be running this year will be a way to directly bring down the cost of each student’s trip. An amount per item sold will contribute to the total cost for the student. The profit will vary by fundraiser, but I will let you know how much profit they can earn per item sold when I send home the fundraiser packets.

Sept. 5 - 13 (Pick-up date Sept. 19) – Donut Sale (approx.. $3 per box sold) Oct. 22 – Nov. 5 – Poinsettia Sale (Profit $8 - $10 depending on size sold) Jan. 5 – Jan. 14 – Popcorn sale, approx. 30% of amount sold will be profit

Payment Options



Cash or check payments must be in an envelope with the student’s full name and amount on the outside.

Check’s should be made out to “East Iredell Middle School,” and written in blue or black ink. Be sure to include an address, phone number, and drivers license or ID number on the check.

Online Payment Instructions

1. Go to the East Iredell Middle School website.

2. Click on “Online Payments” under Quick Links on the right side.

3. On the next page, click on “Middle School” and then “East Iredell Middle School.”

4. On the right side, select “Chorus Atlanta Trip.”

5. Click the “add to cart” button and then the “check out button” on the next screen.

6. From this point forward the website does a good job of explaining what to do. You may have to create a student profile if you haven’t done so already.

FAQ’s about Finance



Q. Why is the trip so expensive? A. Overnight trips require a lot of costs that may not be directly visible to parents

or guardians and students. For example: there are insurance rates for bus travel, security guards for the hotel stay, additional fees that must be paid for student performance, included meals, ticket prices, etc.

Q. What happens if I pay for the trip but end up not being able to go? Will I get my money back?

A. You will unfortunately lose all non-refundable deposits paid to hotels and other venues. Anything that you paid that was not part of a non-refundable deposit will be refunded. This includes any students that might not meet the academic or behavior requirements.

Q. What if I fundraise money but the student does not end up being able to go or I fundraise more money than the total cost of the trip? Will fundraised money be refunded?

A. Fundraised money is the property of the EIMS Chorus Department. We can only refund money that you paid directly towards the trip. If a student fundraises above the total amount of the trip we will give up to $50 as spending money during the trip.

Q. What if I can get cheaper tickets into Six Flags or other attractions? Can I get a discount on the total cost of the trip?

A. Often times when traveling with a large group the rates or tickets are differently designated and students have to have that type of ticket to participate. For example: At Six Flags students must have a “performers ticket” that allows them to participate in certain events.

Q. Can the price of the trip change? A. Yes, the price may go up slightly based on the number of students planning on

attending the trip. This will be calculated in the final payment in March.

Chaperone Information



Chaperones can and will make or break a trip experience for students. While we appreciate parents or guardians who want to help by chaperoning we have opted to use EIMS Teachers and other Iredell-Statesville Schools employees as chaperones on this trip. This decision was made with the best interest of students and safety in mind.

Should parents or guardians want to attend to view the performances or attend other attractions with your students you are welcome to make your own travel arrangements. If parents or guardians decide to attend on their own, students will be required to attend all trip events with the school, stay in their assigned hotel rooms, and ride on the buses. If a parent or guardian is already a teacher or Iredell-Statesville Schools employee they may be allowed to chaperone the trip based on availability.

Security

While we want to have fun and great performances on the trip, student safety is our number one priority. The hotel in which we will be staying is guaranteed to be in a safe and secure area of the city. All students will be housed on one or two floors and will not be spread over the entire hotel building. A security guard will be hired to be on duty on each floor from 11:00 PM – 7:00 AM for both nights of the stay. Lights out time will be enforced by chaperones.

Groups and Rooming Assignments

During the waking hours students will be divided into groups of no more than 10 students and will be assigned a chaperone that they will stay with for the entire time they are not on a bus or when we are in a full group. Students will have the opportunity to sign up for their groups prior to the trip and once the groups are set they will not be allowed to change their group. Student groups may be co-ed.

Room assignments at the hotel will be done prior to the trip as well. Students will have the opportunity to sign up in groups of 4 (boys and girls separately of course). Students that do not have a group of 4 students when signed up will be placed together in order to fill all rooms to maximum occupancy. Should we end up with a number of students going that cannot be divided by 4 some rooms may have 5 students. Most rooms will have two queen beds and room for a pull out or sleeping cot as needed.

Academic and Behavior Requirements



For a student to be eligible to participate in the trip they must meet the same expectations as all other school field trips. This includes:

Students cannot fail more than one class on their January report card. Students cannot have more than three write-ups resulting in a half day or more each of

in school suspension. Receiving more than one day of out of school suspension. More than five total days of bus suspension.

In addition to the above school policy EIMS Music Department students will not be eligible to attend the trip for the following reasons:

Failure to attend any scheduled concerts and performances without a school supported written excuse.

More than one office referrals from the EIMS Music Department.Students are expected to follow all school rules and procedures while on the trip. Students should treat their time on the trip as they would a school day. Infractions while on the trip can result in disciplinary action upon return to school. Major infractions may require parents or guardians to come to Atlanta at the parent or guardians expense to take students home.

Behavior and Academic Contract

Effective Dates: September 19, 2017 through April 21, 2018As a student of East Iredell Middle School and a member of the chorus I understand the above expectations must be met and failure to do so will result in not being allowed to attend the EIMS Music Department trip to Atlanta from April 20, 2018 - April 21, 2018. I also understand that all school rules and procedures should be followed while on the trip.

Student Name: __________________________________

Student Signature: __________________________________ Date: ____________

As a parent or guardian of an East Iredell Middle chorus student I understand the above expectations and recognize that should my student not meet the requirements they will be ineligible to attend the EIMS Chorus trip to Atlanta from April 20, 2018 - April 21, 2018. I understand that should my student not be able to attend I will be refunded all paid money except the $195 non-refundable deposit. Furthermore I understand that should my student violate school rules and policies while on the trip they may receive disciplinary action at school upon return and I may be required to come to Atlanta at my expense to pick up my student.

Parent Name: __________________________________

Parent Signature: __________________________________ Date: ____________

EIMS School Travel Agreement(This form is kept on file at the school)



Trip Participant: ______________________________________

Parent/Guardian Name: ______________________________________

Parent/Guardian Reliable Phone: ______________________________________

Parent/Guardian Email Address: ______________________________________

In anticipation of a spring EIMS Music Department trip to Atlanta Georgia on April 20, 2018 through April 21, 2018 the EIMS Music Department will include the following:

Round trip bus travel, 1 nights hotel stay, tickets to all planned events and attractions, continental breakfast, two meal vouchers, one restaurant dinner and security for hotel

The total cost for the trip will be approximately $390 for each student, $195 of which will be a non-refundable deposit.

In exchange for the provided services above we agree to make payments on the following schedule:

Payment #1: Sept. 19 - $65 non-refundable depositPayment #2: Oct. 17 - $65 non-refundablePayment #3: Nov. 14 - $65 non-refundablePayment #4: Dec. 12 - $65Payment #5: Jan. 16 - $65Payment #6: Feb. 13 - $65 Final Payment

All fundraiser money credited towards the trip payments may be included at any time in the above payment schedule.

Should a student fundraise above the total cost of the trip they may only receive $50 maximum in spending money and this will only be distributed upon arrival to the trip. All fundraised moneys are property of the EIMS Chorus Department.

All students must maintain good standing as stated in the academic and behavior contract.

Student Signature: __________________________________Date: _________

Parent/Guardian Signature: __________________________________Date: _________

Medical Information FormPlease print clearly, this form will be presented to doctors in case of an emergency.

Student Name: _________________________________________________



Address: _________________________________________________City: _________________________________________________State: ______ Zip Code: ______________ DOB: ______________Student Social Security #: ______________________________________Student Home Phone # ______________________________________Parent/Guardian Name: ______________________________________Parent Mobile Phone # ______________________________________Parent Work Address ______________________________________

______________________________________Parent Work Phone #: ______________________________________

Does the student have health insurance? YES ______ NO ______

Insurance Company Name: ______________________________________

Policy #: ______________________________________

Health History (check all that apply) Allergies (check all that apply)______ Diabetes ______ Aspirin______ Orthopedic problems ______ Penicillin______ Asthma ______ Sulfa______ Epilepsy ______ Insect Sting______ Cardiac problems ______ Tetracycline______ Other: __________________________ ______ Food:_____________________________

Do school personnel have permission to administer to your child any of the following medications? (check all that apply)______ Aspirin ______ Tylenol ______ Ibuprofen ______ Pepto-Bismol

Has your student had a tetanus shot current to within six years? YES ______ NO ______Is your student on any other regularly administered medications? (If so please list medication name and dosage amount)__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Are there any other health factors that should be considered? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

I give permission for school employees to seek proper medical care and to the physician or hospital to secure treatment for and to order medications, injections, anesthesia and/or surgery for my student as named above.

Parent / Guardian Signature: ______________________________________ Date: _______________





Documents

Web viewDear Parents or Guardians and Students, Thank you for your interest in participating in a music program trip to Atlanta Georgia. This trip will be a rewarding