Washington, D.C. Student Trip 2016 Parent Meeting #1 February 11, 2016 Washington, D.C. Student Trip 2016 October 31 – November 4 (Monday-Friday)

Washington, D.C. Student Trip 2013 Trip Information 5 Day Trip Cost of $820 includes: -Five days of touring all important sites, museums and memorials -Philadelphia: Independence Hall & Rocky steps -Smithsonian Museums -House of Representatives -Holocaust Memorial Museum -National Archives - Mount Vernon -All monuments and memorials -Subway ride -Arlington National Cemetery -Ford’s Theatre -Embassy Suites hotel (quad rooms) -All meals (breakfast buffet daily, lunch and dinner) -Dinner and dance at Hilton Hotel on Thursday or NBA/NHL game -All transportation and entrance fees -Group photo at the Capitol Building -T-shirt for group photo -Lanyards for identification -Prodigy Tour Guides on every bus and security in place at night on each hotel floor. -

Ways We Communicate Information to You Washington, D.C. Student Trip 2013 Ways We Communicate Information to You Parent Meetings: 3 Parent Meetings are held prior to the trip. 1) February 11 Trip information and registration guidelines 2) August (Curriculum Night) Required medical forms information with due dates and roommate selection guidelines 3) October (approx. 2 weeks prior to trip) What to pack and behavior expectations Website: http://berkshiredc.weebly.com Washington, D.C. Trip website can be reached from the main Berkshire M.S. web page. All announcements, required forms, etc. are available there. Berkshire Bulletin: Berkshire Bulletin announcements are available daily and updated often. To sign up for the bulletin, visit the Olentangy home webpage and click on Mailing List. All Call Phone, Email Messages, and Remind Updates: This type of communication is used for important announcements that need to reach all parents; for example, upcoming parent meeting dates/times, changes to preplanned dates/times for luggage drop off, final payment reminders, etc. Parent Emails: Email justin_emrich@olsd.us to get on the Parent Email List. Put D.C. in the subject. You will receive occasional emails reminding you about upcoming payment dates, meetings, etc.

Trip Coordination Specifics Washington, D.C. Student Trip 2013 Trip Coordination Specifics Berkshire Trip Coordinators: -Justin Emrich Trip Organization justin_emrich@OLSD.US Student/Chaperone Meetings Parent email notices & Remind updates D.C. apparel orders Scholarship fundraising Student fundraising accounts D.C. Website Fundraising incentives for students throughout year -Carla Baker, Principal Scholarship Applications carla_baker@OLSD.US

FUNDRAISING OPPORTUNITIES Washington, D.C. Student Trip 2013 FUNDRAISING OPPORTUNITIES Enjoy the City coupon book: Begins tonight and runs through March 1, 2016. Orders will be fulfilled and returned to the student for delivery within 7-10 days of receipt of orders on March 1. Orders must be paid for in full at time envelope is submitted. Students who do not sell their sample book should return the book and envelope to Mr. Emrich ASAP. Students earn 50% of their total profits toward their DC trip. Yankee Candle Sale: Begins in early September and is sponsored by the PTO. Students earn 20% of their total sales toward their D.C. account. All fundraising dollars will be totaled and applied to student Prodigy accounts prior to the trip. Fundraising dollars are non-refundable.

FUNDRAISING FUNDS TRACKING Washington, D.C. Student Trip 2013 FUNDRAISING FUNDS TRACKING Justin Emrich tracks all fundraising activity for current 6, 7 and 8 grade students at Berkshire Middle School. If you would like to check on your child’s fundraising totals, you can contact me by email (justin_emrich@olsd.us) or speak to him after the meeting. A fundraising report will be available at the August meeting and again prior to your final trip payment. Fundraising money earned before the final payment (October 7, 2016) will be credited to your Prodigy account before your final payment is due. Please note, fundraising dollars are non-refundable.

Washington, D.C. Student Trip 2013 D.C. Trip Payments All students need to register for the trip if planning to attend by going online to www.prodigystudenttravel.com. Once online, parents can easily enroll their student(s) for the trip and pay the registration fee. Students who plan to apply for a scholarship must also register and pay the registration fee in order to be considered for scholarship funds. Registration fee: due by March 18, 2016 The specific payment plan for the trip is in your packet. Five Installment Payment Plan: Payments can be made in five installments to help parents spread out the costs over a period of time. All fundraising student account totals will be added to student trip accounts at Prodigy prior to the final payment being due. ***Trip registration closes on Friday, September 2, 2016.***

Washington, D.C. Student Trip 2013 Scholarships In order to be considered for a scholarship a student must do all of the following: Pay the $120.00 deposit and register on Prodigy Student Travel Participate in at least 2 fundraisers Complete and submit the scholarship application to Mrs. Baker by no later than Thursday, September 8, 2016.

How to Make Trip Payments Washington, D.C. Student Trip 2013 How to Make Trip Payments To pay by credit or debit card (Visa, MC, Discover or American Express) go on-line at www.prodigystudenttravel.com This is the preferred method of payment because it is easy to check on balances quickly and efficiently. To pay by check or money order make all checks/money orders payable to Prodigy Student Travel, Inc. and mail to: Prodigy Student Travel PO Box 688 Worthington, OH 43085-0688 Be sure to include the student’s name in the memo space. ***No payments will be accepted at school.***

Washington, D.C. Student Trip 2013 Spending Money in DC Mitzi Flannery from Key Bank – Hassle Free Checking option instead of your child using cash while they are on the trip. Not required by the school, but is a great option for many families.