Dear Potential Host Family,
Thank you for your interest in supporting Global Education in the Weston Public School District. For the last sixty years, Weston has welcomed exchange students from Rombas, France and Porto Alegre, Brazil. Visiting exchange students join Weston High School’s senior class, attending classes full time and finding out what it is like to be a “typical” American teenager. Each student’s experience is enhanced by living with four host families from the Weston community. The benefits of hosting an exchange student are innumerable. Exchange students can help with foreign language acquisition and the ability to see the world from a new perspective. Hosting also allows families to make lifelong friends with someone from a new culture.
Students typically spend nine weeks with a host family and then move to their next family. The Global Education Council is seeking host families for the following periods of time:
Family #1: Late August – November 1
Family #2: November 1 – January 14
Family #3: January 14 – March 25
Family #4: March 25 – mid June
Exact arrival and departure dates from families are flexible, and is determined by host family schedules. Short term “substitute” host families are also available if you are interested in hosting, but have a week or weekend during a slot that is problematic. The only requirement to host a student is to have a student in the Weston Public School system.
Enclosed in this packet are student introductions and basic host family expectations. Remember, if you should chose to volunteer to host a student, you are not alone. You will be supported by a large network of former host families, the Weston School District, and the Global Education council.
Thank You,
The Global Education Council
Host Family Basics and Expectations
1)The exchange student is a member of your family; they are not a guest. Whatever family rules or expectations exist, they also follow.
2)Host Families are expected to provide room and board for the visiting exchange student. This includes B, L, D on non-school days, and B and D on school days. The school will cover the cost of lunch while a student is in school. The school does not cover breakfast or snacks during the school day. The host family is responsible for providing this additional money if students do not eat breakfast at home or bring a snack with them to school (if needed).
3)The school district covers all school related expenses; ie field trip costs and senior class events.
4)Exchange students bring their own spending money and are responsible for other expenses such as clothing, cellphone, and entertainment.
5)Do not feel pressure to entertain the exchange student. It is often nice to do one or two cultural explorations (apple picking, Pumpkin Fest, North End) as a family while the student is in your home, but it is not required or expected. The purpose of the exchange program is to learn about American daily life and culture through the little experiences.
6)Students have health insurance. If they are sick or injured, take them to a walk-in clinic or emergency room as needed.
7)If you need any support, you can contact the Global Education Council to connect you with former host families or for resources in the community.
8)Kim Young, the Global Education Coordinator at the High School is responsible for monitoring the student’s academic progress and visa status.
If you would like to officially volunteer to be a host family for the 2010-2011 school year, please contact a member of the Global Education Council. Kim Young will follow up to schedule a home visit and orientation.
Council Members:
Abrar Qureshi
Suzanne Nash (Meikle), Middle and Field School, , 781-609-2064
Lisa Astley-Sparke
Geetha Sreedhar, Middle and High School, , 781-899-1122
Dr. Waseema Sheikh Bokhari, High School, , 781-431-8685
Tricia Liu, , 616-617-6137
Sepi Hashemi,
Deb Marchiony,
Kim Young, Faculty Rep High School,
2010-2011 Exchange Students
My name is Sara and I am from Rombas, France. I will be 17 years old in October. It has been my dream to study in the United States, so I am very excited to come to Weston. I enjoy watching American movies, and look forward to seeing how life in America is like or unlike the movies. My favorite sport is soccer and I also practice dance. I love shopping, especially for clothes. Music is an important part of my life; I listen music all of the time! I'm very talkative and curious, so a lot of subjects are interesting to me.
Hi everybody! I’m Luísa, and I am from Porto Alegre, Brazil. I am sixteen years old. I’m excited to study in Weston because I like meeting new people and learning about different cultures. I also like sharing with new people about what my own country, Brazil, is really like. These conversations are what make international exchange so important. I like nature, reading, playing rugby and others sports, drinking coffee, talking, hanging out with friends, and listening to music. I am also an advocate for animal rights. My favorite subjects are history, geography and sociology.
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