March 15, 2016

Dear Parents:

We are looking forward to taking the 8th graders on an outstanding tour of Washington, D.C., along with a special excursion toGettysburg, on May 23-27, 2016. The tour will depart late afternoon on May 23rd and return later in the evening on May 27th. A list of sites and special features of this tour is presented on the next page.The tour has been prepared for us by Brightspark Travel, Inc., a fully insured agency specializing in student group travel.

The price of the tour is $1,670.00 per student. This year, due to the tremendous success of the 8th grade Halloween party, the trip price is cut nearly in half (reduced by $850.00) to $820.00 per student. The trip has gone up this year due to the fact that we have forty-nine8th grade students (ten more than last year). The trip price has also increased due to preferential airfare times for our students, and an extra evening in the hotel.If the $820 trip price is not affordable for your family, there are funds available to help cover a portion of the trip cost for students who need assistance. Please contact Ms. Dan immediately with any questions or concerns regarding the cost of the trip.Please note that each student needs to be in good standing academically in order to participate as well. Students will be notified well in advance if trip participation is in jeopardy due to academicor behavioral concerns.

The attached forms need to be completed and returned to your child’s Advisory teacher by Monday, May 2. You are invited to submit payment (no later than Monday, May 2) online via the following website (which will be live by Friday, March 18): This site will also have extra copies of the required forms, and soon the trip itinerary will also be posted on there. While the students are away, there will be news updates and photos uploaded to the site as well.

Features of this all-inclusive tour include:

 Roundtrip Air Transportation  Guided Sightseeing

 4 Breakfasts, 4 lunches, 4 dinners  Brightspark Staff/24 Hour Service

 All Taxes, Tips/Insurance Coverage  All Admission Fees to Scheduled Activities

 4 Nights at a Hotel and Hotel Security  Lanyard, Backpack, and Emergency Card

If you have any questions about the tour, please call or emailus at School (773.348.8212). You may also call our Brightspark customer service representative at (877.545.0070). Please mention your Tour Web Code (6503041) when you call.

Sincerely,

Ms. Dan

Mrs. Terrasi

Mr. Sitzer

Tour Moderators

A note from Brightspark Travel: “Sightseeing in Washington is prepared from the list of sites indicated below. The sites included depend on specific appointments and optional excursions requested by the group as well as the time of year and days of the week the tour is planned.”

WASHINGTON,D.C. SITES

 Capitol Hill White House

U.S. Capitol Building Mount Vernon – George Washington’s estate

Supreme Court Ford’s Theatre

Library of Congress Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts

 Iwo Jima Marine Memorial Old Town Alexandria

 Smithsonian Institution Arlington National Cemetery

National Air and Space Museum Guard Change - Tomb of the Unknowns

National Museum of Natural History Wreath Laying Ceremony

National Museum of American History Challenger Memorial

 National Archives Kennedy Gravesites

 Union Station FDR Memorial

 National Zoo – Panda exhibit Washington National Cathedral

 Embassy Row Vietnam Veterans Memorial

 Korean War Veterans Memorial Lincoln Memorial

 Jefferson Memorial Washington Monument (by appointment only)

 World War II Memorial Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial

 Pentagon Memorial

 United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (permanent exhibit by appointment only, confirmed for St. Clement School)

SPECIAL FEATURES INCLUDED:

 Washington Nationals Baseball Game

 Create-A-Video Memory Keepsake

 Battlefield Tour in Gettysburg

 Newseum

 Crime & Punishment Museum