Welcome

1. Welcome Washington DC May 7th-9th, 2014

2. Tonight we are going to: • Give you information about student drop off and pick up. • Give out packing guides and information packets. • Go over the itinerary. • Answer your questions.

3. Morning of Wednesday, May 7th, 2014 • Please say your goodbyes before you reach AMS. • We have a very small window to get the students and their bags in place.

4. Morning of Wednesday, May 7th, 2014 • You will drop your child off at the tennis courts between 6:00 and 6:30 am. • We will be grouping the bags along the court by bus letter.

5. Morning of Wednesday, May 7th, 2014 • After each student drops off his or her bag, he or she will wait for the loading of the buses in the auditorium. • We will load and board the buses as soon as they are inspected. • This process MUST be completed quickly so we can leave before the school buses start arriving at 7:00 am.

6. Morning of Wednesday, May 7th, 2014 • If the weather is unsettled you may want to place your child’s bag in a large plastic bag. • In the event of inclement weather, please be prepared to drop your child off at the back gym nearest the entrance to the AMS campus via the arterial.

7. In case of Snow • We will be traveling in any weather. • Only closing of the roads due to a state or national emergency will prevent us from traveling. • (if it’s snowing in May, we’ve got bigger problems than whether we’ll be traveling to DC or not…)

8. Friday Night, May 9th, 2014 • Plan on being at AMS around 11:00pm. • We will use an e-mail/text messaging system through Teacher Web. http://teacherweb.com/NY/Arlington/AMSDCTrip/newsflash1.aspx • If your child travels with a cell phone they will call you. • If you haven’t received a phone call, please get in touch with a parent of a child with a cell phone.

9. Friday, May 9th, 2014 • Please park only in designated spaces by the Northwest part of the building or along the tennis courts. Avoid parking in the central area where school busses usually park! • Please be mindful of the need for three large buses to enter the Arlington parking lot, and be able to exit again without waiting for all parents to depart.

10. Friday Night, May 9th, 2014 • You must keep the driveway and the area in front of the garages clear.

11. Friday Night, May 9th, 2014 • We have implemented a new policy for the picking up of children. We ask that a parent of each childpresent himself/herself at the bus door and giveyour name and your child’s name to the attending chaperone. Please don’t be offended if we ask who you are; remember, this is for your child’s safety! • If someone other than yourself is picking up your child you must indicate in writing who that is and leave the note with your child’s chaperone on Wednesday morning prior to our departure to Washington. • Failure to abide by this will only serve to prolong your child’s departure from the school, and who really wants to hang out with teachers a minute longer than a three day expanse?

12. Friday, May 9th, 2014 Pick-up procedures • In order to insure that your child goes home with the right person, we will ask you follow the procedure below: • Teachers/students will unload luggage • Once bus luggage is unloaded, we ask parents to present themselves at the door of the bus and request release of their children in an orderly fashion to the lead chaperone • Students will be released to parent/guardian one at a time. We thank you in advance for your patience with this procedure-your child’s safety is important to us, and we want to make sure that every child departs from us in proper care.

13. Informational Packet Contains: • The general information above. • Hotel contact information. • Packing lists. • Copy of the Itinerary.

14. Hotel Howard Johnson Inn Cheverly 5811 Annapolis Road I-295 & Rt 450 Cheverly, MD, 20784 301-779-7700

15. Packing Lists • Just a note: • Make sure there are clothes for all types of weather – we will be out in it all. • Make sure the clothing is appropriate. (PJ bottoms are fine in the room but not on the bus or in public.)

16. While we’re at it: • The dinner cruise is not a “formal”. • Students usually like to dress nicely, but this is not an occasion for formal evening wear. • Students should not assume that we will be returning to the hotel prior to our dinner dance cruise departure.

17. Packing Lists • Everything should be packed in one suitcase that your child is able to carry.

18. Packing Lists • Many students use their book bags for carry-ons.

19. Packing Lists • Snacks, cameras, etc. can go in the carry on. • A note on electronic devices: Students can bring cell phones, IPods, etc. however they must keep track of these items. The school is not responsible for lost items.

20. Packing Lists • This is one time where it is not a bad idea to bring several disposable cameras that have your child’s name written on them. • There is no need or place for game systems that attach to TVs- DO NOT SEND THEM!

21. Packing Lists • Some students have asked about portable DVD players. • Once again, we cannot be responsible for these items. • If you allow this, you must make sure the movies they bring are appropriate for middle school students. We will apply our best judgment to what your child may watch; if there is even a shade of doubt as to the appropriateness of the film, we will confiscate it and return it to you directly upon our return.

22. Packing Lists Personal toiletries: • Toothbrush • Toothpaste • Anti-perspirant /deodorant • Kleenex • Shampoo • Brush/comb • SUNSCREEN

23. Packing Lists The weather may be very cold and wet. Be prepared; Wearlayers! Clothing for at least three days: • Jeans • Appropriate shirts/tops • Jacket/sweaters • Extra boots/shoes/sneakers for inclement weather • Umbrella • Rain poncho • Socks • Underwear • Pajamas • Sunglasses NO FLIP FLOPS.

24. Packing Lists Please leave the following home! • Expensive jewelry • Electronic games, i.e., playstation, etc. You may bring the following at your own risk.We are not responsible for the loss/theft of these items: • Ipods and music-playing devices • Hand-held electronic games • Cell phones • DVD players-movies must be appropriate-

25. MEDICATIONS: • Please follow the directions you’ve been given by our school nurse regarding medications.

26. The Trip • 6:50 am AM - Depart Poughkeepsie, NY for Washington, DC

27. Wednesday, May 7th, 2014 • We will stop in Maryland for lunch. • This is one of the 3 meals not covered in the trip cost.

28. Wednesday, May 7th, 2014 • 6:50 AM - Motorcoaches depart Poughkeepsie, NY for Washington, DC • - Meals and snacks en route are the students’ expense • 2:00 PM - Approximate arrival in the Washington, DC area • - Meet your Tour Leaders • - The White House / exterior walking & photos • Walk from White house to Ford’s Theater (busses 4 hour break until 6:00pm) • 3:30 PM - Ford's Ranger Talk in Theatre, Petersen House, • - and Center for Education and Leadership • Walk to Metro Center- take metro center line to red line (3rd stop) Union Station • - $10 voucher is included toward dinner / Union Station® Food Ct • Busses pick us up at Union Station- drive to Tidal Basin • 6:00 PM- Evening walking of Memorials of group's choice (Roosevelt, Jefferson, MLK) • - including the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial • 10:00 PM - Check into the hotel / Howard Johnson, Cheverly • 10:30 PM - Your night supervision will be on duty for 7 hours

29. Thursday, May 8th, 2014 • 7:00 AM - Breakfast is included / Fratelli's Restaurant • 8:30 AM - Motorcoaches depart for touring • 9:15 AM - Souvenir group photo at the Grant Memorial • - Museums OR Memorials of the group's choice • 12:00 PM - Bureau of Engraving & Printing / # 50 tickets • 12:15 PM - Bureau of Engraving & Printing / # 50 tickets • - Lunch is the group's expense • - US Holocaust Memorial Museum / Daniel's Story • 3:00 PM - National Archives / # 55 tickets • 3:30 PM - National Archives / # 30 tickets • 4:00 PM - National Archives / # 55 tickets • 7:00 PM - Boarding begins at Pier 4 for the dinner cruise • 7:30 PM - Potomac Spirit® Dinner Dance Cruise • 10:00 PM - Disembark & load motorcoaches / transfer to the hotel • 10:30 PM - Your night supervision will be on duty for 7 hours

30. Friday, May 9th, 2014 • 7:00 AM - Breakfast is included / Fratelli's Restaurant • - Check out of the hotel / load the luggage • 7:30 AM - Motorcoaches depart for touring • 8:30 AM - International Spy Museum- DRIVERS OFF DUTY UNTIL 5 PM DEPARTURE • - Group walks to Federal Triangle (Walks to Metro Center) • - DC Metro: Federal Triangle to Smithsonian • 12:00 PM - Bureau of Engraving & Printing / # 50 tickets • - Lunch is the group's expense • - DC Metro: Smithsonian to Arlington Cemetery • - Arlington National Cemetery walking tour/2 bouquets will be provided • - DC Metro: Arlington Cemetery to Pentagon City • - Dinner is included / Pentagon City Mall Food Court • 5:00 PM - Motorcoaches depart for home • 11:00 PM - Approximate arrival in Poughkeepsie, NY

31. Spending Money • Don’t go overboard. • Approximately $12.00 should cover each day’s snacks and the lunch. • That’s about $40 - $50 for food. • Add on what is reasonable for souvenirs.

32. Room And Group Assignments • Students received this information during a 9th period assembly earlier today. • These assignments cannot be changed. • All students traveling will receive final information and luggage tags during this assembly. We ask that you make sure that they are attached to your child’s suitcase.

33. Culminating/Unifying Activity for all 8th Graders • Upon completing your tour of Washington DC, you will be required to complete one of the projects below. You may wish to plan ahead, by taking notes on your notecards, taking pictures, making sketches, and keeping a log of your impressions, to provide yourself with the materials and information necessary to complete one of the following activities (Students who did not attend Washington will be asked to complete this assignment based on any trip that they have ever been on.):

34. Culminating/Unifying Activity for all 8th Graders • Write a book of poetry (5 poems minimum, illustrated and totaling no less than 25 lines of poetry) about Washington. • Keep a sketch book based on your trip (label your sketches). • Create a collage using pictures/memorabilia from your visit (label and use ring card info) • Present a slide show/PowerPoint presentation based on your trip (Perhaps a Top Ten list, ala David Letterman!) • Create a video commercial for the Washington DC trip, using various digital media to entice future students to consider talking this great trip! • Create a Newspaper front page based on events and places you’ve experienced during your visit, (Microsoft Publisher might be an ideal tool for you to use for this assignment!) • Write a work of fiction or comic book that describes your experiences while on the trip. • Write and perform a song based on your experiences!

35. Or…

36. The Washington, D.C. Memory Book 2014 • You may create Personal Memory Book of Washington, D.C. It should be no less than 10 pages long, and are to meet the following requirements: • A decorated front and back cover • Title Page with table of contents • Group page- list your group and chaperone, using both first and last names • In one 100-word journal entry relate the significance of a monument and its place in US history. • In a second 100-word journal entry describe the feelings you experienced at one of the more moving sites of your D.C. visit. • Details recorded on your ring-bound notecards, written out in paragraph form • May contain photographs, sketches, postcards which should portray a variety of Washington, D.C. scenes and must reflect the breadth of your D.C. experience.

37. In order to achieve this academic responsibility, students should: • Take personal pictures while on the field trip. (They need to bring along a camera.) • Collect brochures and other memorabilia throughout the trip. • Students may also wish to: • Purchase postcards of some of the trip’s itinerary stops. • Make some simple sketches and diary entries about places you visit during the trip If you have an idea for a project that is not reflected above, please feel fret o discuss it with Mr. Healy, Mr. Slattery, or Mr. Franks!

38. Questions?