information - Rutlish School

RUTLISH SCHOOL
Watery Lane, Merton, SW20 9AD
Phone: 020 8542 1212
Fax: 020 8544 0580
Student Absence: 020 8540 3134
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: http://www.rutlish.merton.sch.uk
Headteacher: Mr A. Williamson
HISTORY AND GOVERNMENT & POLITICS
New York and Washington USA History and G&P trip 19-26th July 2014
Dear Parent/Carer,
The History and Government and Politics Department have planned an exciting trip to New York
and Washington in the USA in the first week of the Summer holidays 2014. There are 30 places
available for students to apply for boys in Years 7-11 and for both girls and boys studying History
and Government and Politics in RR6.
The total cost will be £1,459
The tour operator is Travelbound (a subsidiary of TUI Group). Their website and all additional
information regarding trips can be found at www.travelbound.co.uk
The trip planned is bespoke and takes in some of the two cities most iconic and inspiring locations,
ensuring students have an experience they will remember for the rest of their life. The trip is
particularly relevant to students who have elected to or are considering taking GCSE level History
or A2 level History or Government and Politics, as it takes in many of the key locations that we
study for these courses.
The proposed itinerary for the trip is as follows:
Day 1: Your coach will met you at school and transfer you to
the airport for your flight to New York. Arrive New York, you
will be met at the airport by your coach and transferred to
your hostel to check in. Once you are settled you can head to
the bright lights of Times Square for some sight-seeing and
dinner at Mama Sbarros.
Day 2: This morning after breakfast you will meet your
guide for your half day guided Civil Rights tour. After this take the
Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty boat. The Statue of Liberty
was a gift from the people of France to the people of the USA,
this iconic statue is an international symbol for freedom and
democracy. Ellis Island has long been the first port of call for
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immigrants entering America for the first time. In 1990 the main building was restored and
opened as a museum dedicated to telling the stories and history of immigrants entering America.
This evening visit the world famous Empire State Building. Students can choose if they want to go
all the way to the top of what was once the tallest building in the world and enjoy the panoramic
views of the city. Dinner this evening is at Bubba Gump Shrimp Company.
Day 3: This morning visit the 911 Memorial Centre. After this sobering experience you can take
some time and head into Central Park for lunch. This afternoon you are free to go shopping.
Maybe you will visit 5th Avenue or the world’s largest department store – Macys. After this head
over to Ellen’s Stardust Diner for your evening meal.
Day 4: After breakfast today, check out of your accommodation and
transfer from New York to Washington with a 2 hour stopover in
Philadelphia! Whilst there you could visit: Independence Hall,
Declaration House as well as the Liberty Bell - an iconic symbol of
American Independence, the bell was commissioned from the
London firm of Lester in 1752 and was cast with the lettering
"Proclaim LIBERTY throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants
thereof." It originally cracked when first rung after arrival in
Philadelphia. After this continue on to Washington.
After checking into your hotel, head to Harriet’s Restaurant for your evening meal. This evening,
after dinner, you could visit the Lincoln memorial, Vietnam War, Korean War and Second World
War monuments.
Day 5: Today stretch your legs on Capitol Hill, after meeting your guide
for a half day guided walking tour of Washington’s Government
Buildings including the White House, Congress, and the Supreme Court
- the seat of executive authority in the world's remaining superpower.
Visiting these sights allows students to see the places where laws are
debated and signed and where decisions are made that affect the lives
of Americans and people across the world.
You will also visit the White House Temporary Visitor Center. Then onto
the Holocaust Memorial Museum. The permanent exhibition at the
Holocaust Memorial Museum presents a narrative history of the
Holocaust, the annihilation of 6 million European Jews By Nazi Germany from 1933 – 1945. The
exhibit uses more than 900 artifacts, 70 video monitors, and four theaters showing film footage
and eyewitness testimonies of Nazi concentration camp survivors. Dinner tonight is at Armand’s
Restaurant on Capitol Hill.
Day 6: This is your final day in America! After breakfast at your
accommodation visit the Frederick Douglass Museum (Frederick
Douglass was an American social reformer, orator, writer and
statesman. After escaping from slavery, he became a leader of the
abolitionist movement, gaining note for his dazzling oratory and
incisive antislavery writing), this exhibit showcases Frederick Douglass'
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life at Cedar Hill, Anacostia, Southeast Washington, D.C., his last home. He lived here from
1878 until his death in 1895. His home provided the backdrop to his active political and warm
family life. His personal belongings, home furnishings, books, photographs of family and
friends can be seen in the very place where Douglass and his family used them. They provide
a unique insight into his personal and public life, family, home, and interests. Your final visit
of your trip is to the Air and Space Museum, part of the Smithsonian, here you will be able to
see the largest collection of historic air and spacecraft in the world. It is also a vital centre for
research into the history, science, and technology of aviation and space flight, as well as
planetary science and terrestrial geology and geophysics. After this return to meet your
coach and transfer to the airport for your overnight flight back to the UK. On arrival your
coach will meet you at the airport and transfer you back to school.
The cost of the trip includes all flights, transfers and coach travel, excursions and half board
accommodation (breakfast and evening meal). Every effort has been made in order to keep the
cost of the trip down and maximise the experience for the students. At this stage it would be wise
to budget in the region of $10-15 a day for lunches, which have not been included.
Visas are not required for UK passport holders (and some European Union passports) entering the
USA as long as a “Visa Waiver Application” is made online prior to departure. This is a simple form
that takes minutes to complete and would need to be completed by the parent or guardian of the
student travelling. For those students not holding a UK passport, we will need to make a Visa
application which may incur an additional cost. Please see
http://travel.state.gov/visa/temp/temp_1305.html for further details on US Visas & VWP (Visa
Waiver Program).
Accommodation will be in either hostels designed for groups or hotels, the details of which will be
provided as soon as the tour numbers are confirmed.
If you are interested in this proposed trip then please complete the attached consent form
(including details of which passport is held) and return it with a deposit of £250 by Wednesday
24the July 2012. The payment, cash or cheque can be made payable to ‘Rutlish School’. These
should be returned to the finance office. Your deposit will be refunded if we are unable to fill the
places offered and therefore the trip will be cancelled. Please only pay the deposit if you are
confident you will be able to pay the full amount. We will have a waiting list in place to replace
those people who are not meeting payments.
NOTE* - If you pay the initial deposit, we will take this as a commitment that you agree to pay
the full trip cost as stated above. If you pay the deposit and then pull out, you will lose the
deposit and be charged the full amount if we are unable to fill the place. Please be aware of this
before handing in deposits. There will be no school funding available for this trip.
The payment schedule will be as follows thereafter:
Friday 6th September - £159
Monday 7th October - £150
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Thursday 7th November - £150
Friday 6th December - £150
Monday 6th January - £150
Tuesday 6th February - £150
Thursday 6th March - £150
Monday 7th April - £150
Please retain this letter for your information and do not hesitate to contact Jaya Carrier via e-mail
(below) or on the schools telephone number if you have any questions or queries.
Yours faithfully
Jaya Carrier
Husseyin Davut
Ms. Jaya Carrier
Trip Leader and Second in Charge of History
[email protected]
Mr Husseyin Davut
Head of History and G&P
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PARENTAL CONSENT FOR A SCHOOL VISIT
1. DETAILS OF VISIT to NY and Washington From: 19th-26th July 2014
I agree to my son/daughter ………………………………………………………. Form
……………….
taking part in this visit and have read the information sheet. I
agree to his/her participation in the activities described.
2.
MEDICAL INFORMATION
a.
Does your son/daughter suffer from any conditions requiring medical treatment,
including medication?
YES/NO
If YES, please give brief details: ………………..…………………….……………………...……………………….
………………………………………………………………..…………………….……….……..…………………………………
b.
Please outline any special dietary requirements of your son: ……………………………….
………………………………………………………………………………..………………………………………………………..
c.
May he be given pain relief medication if necessary? YES/NO
If YES, is there a type you would prefer him/her not to be given (eg aspirin, paracetamol,
ibuprofen)
……………………………………………………………………………………………………..…………………………………….
3.
PASSPORT DETAILS
Issuing Country/Nationality………………………………..
Passport Number…………………………….
4.
DECLARATION
I agree to my son/daughter receiving medication as instructed and any emergency
treatment, including anaesthetic or blood transfusion as considered necessary by the
medical authorities present.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Contact telephone numbers
Work: ……………………………………….………… Home: …………………....……..…………………
Home address: ………………………………………………………………………..……………….……..
…………………………………………………………………………………….………..…………………..
Alternative emergency contact:
Name:
………………………...……………… Tel No: …...……………………………………….
Signed :
………………………………………… Date:
……..……...…………...…………………
Full Name (capitals please): ……………………………………………………………..…………………
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