Hello 8th graders and their parents or guardians,
I'm Laura Mankins at Quail Valley Middle School and I am the teacher in charge of the 8th grade East Coast trip in April 2019.
On this awesome trip, we visit Washington DC, New York City, Philadelphia, and Baltimore. This 6-day trip is jam-packed with places we see and the things we do. We are traveling with a company called EF Explore America, who have been around for over 50years doing educational travel. This trip is educational, busy and fun rather than just recreational or vacation-like. Our agenda is loaded with sites and learning experiences. We leave California on a red-eye flight on April 13 (we're traveling over Spring Break this year!). When we land on April 14, we start touring right away. We fly back to California on April 19.
This all-inclusive trip is amazing, and with the trip fee that is paid everything is covered except souvenirs and airline baggage fees.
The trip fee covers all air/ground travel, all hotels, 3 meals a day, gratuities, all entrance fees to sites, the Broadway Show in NY, all tour guides, nighttime hotel security, and more.
I choose to run a very tight trip to keep kids interested, learning, healthy, and above all safe. Students on this trip have lots of fun and learn a lot in the process.
Registrations started back in May and continued over the summer. We are still currently taking registrations throughout this month as well. If you wish to register your child for this trip, the initial cost would be $95 to reserve his/her spot. Additional monies can be a put-down to start with if you choose. Payment in full is accepted of course OR you can make monthly payments. Of course, the later a child is registered and the closer we are to the departure date, the higher the payments will be. Please be aware that all travel companies raise their price in the Fall. EF will be adding their additional fees as of October 1st. Families already registered will NOT be impacted by this fee hike. Anyone who registers after October 1st will be. We will take registrations through the holidays this year if families need to wait to register their child. However, if you can register your child for the $95 that will hold the spot on the trip and avoidance of the fee increase (usually $50 - $100). Payments can be made directly to EF through their website each month, or through automatic withdrawals. Trip insurance is offered at an additional expense. This insurance is your choice to purchase.
For registration information and to register your child (or yourself!) please visit the EF website at:
EFEXPPLOREAMERICA.com/2073787PC
Our trip ID is 2073787PC.
Parents or guardians who want to attend the trip are certainly able to sign-up too. Parents/Guardians/Adults can enjoy this trip as they wish: either staying with our group or going out on your own in the towns that we visit.
Chaperones for the trip are QV staff members or SJUSD staff only.
If you have any questions, please email me at laura_mankins@snowlineschools.com
Thank you for your time and consideration.
