YEAR 7 LANGUAGE AND CULTURE TOUR TO BARCELONA & THE COSTA BRAVA 24TH-30TH JUNE 2018

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1 Our Ref: YR7 - Barcelona Trip June.jpe 22 nd May 2018 Dear Parent/Carer, YEAR 7 LANGUAGE AND CULTURE TOUR TO BARCELONA & THE COSTA BRAVA 24TH-30TH JUNE 2018 I am pleased to provide you with the final tour details. Please read the letter carefully as it contains very important information. Tour Itinerary Sunday 24th June: Please arrive at Oldfield School by 12.30pm, departure by 1.00pm. Students will require a packed lunch for evening meal or will be able to buy some food on the ferry. Monday: Arrive in Calella, walk around town, free time at the beach, hotel swimming pool in the afternoon. Dinner at the hotel. Tuesday: Breakfast in the hotel, packed lunch provided. Day trip to Barcelona to explore the city; visit las Ramblas and art galleries. Dinner at the hotel. Wednesday: Breakfast in the hotel, packed lunch provided. Parc Guell, Sagrada Familia and Nou Camp Stadium Tour. Dinner at the hotel. Thursday: Breakfast in the hotel, meal voucher provided for students to purchase food at the theme park. This food is classed as American style food, students can purchase other foods if they wish. Day at Port Aventura Theme Park. Dinner at the hotel. Friday: Breakfast in the hotel, picnic on beach, snacks provided, party will visit supermarket for students to purchase additional food. Free time in Calella, Beach Olympics, travel 4pm. Students will purchase dinner on the way home / prior to boarding coach. Saturday 30th June: Students will purchase breakfast and lunch on the journey. We anticipate returning to Oldfield School at 3.00pm - traffic permitting. Drop off at school on Saturday 24 th June: Please do not park within the school carpark when dropping off your child. The coaches will require space to manoeuvre around the school entrance and it is essential that all vehicles are parked away from the main entrance and are not parked directly in the marked bus stop outside of the school.

2 There are two coaches departing, each student has already been allocated a coach students will not be able to change coaches at any point during the tour. Please make your way to the allocated coach and sign in with a member a staff. At this point you will need to hand over your child s passport and EHIC card. These will be kept with their group leader and stored in the hotel safe for the tour. Ferry Crossing: We are expecting to arrive at Dover at 5.35pm. Students will be allowed to explore the duty free shopping and entertainment areas on the ferry. Rest breaks: Due to the nature of the trip the coach drivers will need a substantial amount of rest. These breaks will be divided amongst England, France and Spain locations will depend on traffic. This will be a chance for students to have something to eat (packed lunch or purchased) and use the bathroom. No one will be able to remain on the coach during these times. Food: Please ensure that your child has had food prior to us leaving Oldfield School all service stop breaks are not covered in this tour and your child will be expected to purchase / bring their own food, but please also encourage your child to try new food whilst we are away. The first meal provided is on the evening of the second day (Monday), at the hotel. The last meal is breakfast on the last day (Friday -provided by the hotel), therefore students will need to keep money to buy food for lunch and dinner for the return journey. Breakfast: The hotel will provide students with a hot and cold buffet for breakfast each morning. The choices here range from British and European options. This breakfast is all-you-can-eat, however no food can leave the restaurant. Lunch: The hotel will provide students with a packed lunch that they can eat during our lunch stops, however, if students wish they can purchase food during this time. Our tour will stop at several locations that have a range of food outlets. Dinner: The hotel will provide students with a hot buffet for their evening meal. The choices here are a range of British and European options. This meal is all-you-can-eat, however no food can leave the restaurant. Snacks: Students are allowed to take snacks on this tour. However, no sugary drinks or hot food are allowed on the coach at any time. Only food prepared by the hotel will be allowed in the onsite restaurant but students are free to eat and drink snacks in their room. We highly recommend that you only provide your child with enough snacks for the coach journeys.

3 Money: The students will need some pocket money for snacks and souvenirs. Students will need sterling for the rest stops in England, both on the way and the return journey, we advise 20 for this. We recommend approximately 20 per day and that students budget for this accordingly. Parents can divide the amount of money each day in clearly labelled envelopes which will be stored in the hotel safe and released when a teacher is present, however this is optional. Please inform your child s party leader if this is the case and hand over the envelopes prior to departure. The hotel asks for a deposit of 20 per person to cover the whole group, this will be refunded on the day of checkout if the rooms have been left in a reasonable condition. Please hand this deposit in with the passport and EHIC card at the beginning of the trip, in an envelope clearly labelled with your child s name. Therefore, we recommend a total of 140 for the tour. Please do not send travellers cheques. Clothes: Please bring only one suitcase with casual but neat clothes, comfortable shoes, night clothes and a bag for dirty laundry. Towels are provided by the hotel. As students will be using the hotel swimming pool, they should bring swimwear. Students will be exposed to the sun during most of the day, it is essential that all students bring a sun hat, sunglasses and sun cream. Every student will be allowed one piece of hand luggage on the coach. This should be a backpack that they can use around Barcelona to store water. Please note that all clothing brought on this tour should be respectful, as the Sagrada Familia, a religious building, does not allow vests or mini-shorts, we therefore ask that these items are not brought on our tour. Clothing with offensive print should remain at home. Students should dress appropriately for the evening meal, no sunhats or vests. Please note: Miniskirts, low-cut shirts, short shorts and high heels are not appropriate and should not be worn on the trip. In line with school policy, makeup and jewellery is not to be worn throughout this tour. Acrylic nails and nail vanish should not be worn. Please note to avoid loss of jewellery, we would appreciate all parents abide by this rule. Important documents: On the morning of departure, all passports will be taken in by a member of staff and held securely until the end of the tour. Staff will also take in all European Health Insurance Cards (EHIC).

4 Medical: If your child is on any medication please inform Mrs Dowding before departure. We will also need to know if your child has been in contact with any infectious illness in the three weeks before departure. If your son or daughter suffers from travel-sickness, please inform us and provide them with appropriate tablets. Students will be expected to understand their own medical needs. If required, please provide them with instructions and this will support the staff who assist them. All medication should be clearly labelled with the child s name and contents in a clear bag. Rooming: All students have been allocated rooms prior to departure. They will not be allowed to move rooms during the trip. Staff will be allowed access to these rooms, however other students will be granted limited access throughout the tour. We encourage students to spend time in the communal areas rather than their rooms. Students will not be allowed on the hotel balcony at any time. Please note that the rooms have telephones and satellite televisions. Students will be instructed not to use these. However, if they do, and incur a charge, this charge will have to be paid for by themselves or passed onto their parents. Each student will be asked for a 20 deposit prior to access to the hotel, this will be returned if the room is undamaged. Rooms have towels and hairdryers for convenience. Insurance: This has been arranged through the Schools Into Europe travel company. This insurance does not extend to small electronic devices therefore we recommend that these are left at home. Please note that in the rare event of damage to small electric devices, the school, staff, students, or travel company cannot act as an agent for a personal insurance claim and there will not be any expectation to provide evidence or support any claims made. Behaviour: We expect the highest standard of behaviour from all students at all times. Please remind them that they are representatives of their families, Oldfield School and the UK and that they must behave appropriately. The party leader reserves the right to withdraw any persons or activity if they feel the safety of students may be compromised by the behaviour shown. Students will have an in-depth meeting on the standards we are expecting prior to departure. Contact: We recommend that parents and carers follow the school s Twitter for updates throughout the trip. Here you will find live updates about travel and photos from our tour. All students are welcome to take mobile phones or European phone cards with them to contact home. However, we encourage all students to participate in all activities and immerse themselves within the experiences that we provide. Parents / carers are asked to keep contact brief and at the end of the day (8pm UK Time GMT / 9pm Spanish Time CET). The rationale for this is that some students often get homesick after speaking to parents. Please be very positive when speaking to your child and any

5 concerns should be directed to the Party Leader. We would also encourage minimal texting, again, to ensure all students are experiencing the tour to the full potential. Students will be asked to stay off their phones whilst at the venues and walking around the city we would therefore ask you not to contact your child during daytime hours. Emergency Contact If you require immediate contact with staff, parents are advised to contact the school directly on If you have an emergency outside of school hours please use the number provided below, please note that this will be charged at your European calling charges applied by your phone provided Hotel details H TOP Olympic *** C/Benavente S/N, 08730, Calella What to bring: Passport EHIC Card Euros Sterling suitcase and 1 piece of hand luggage T-shirt / Shorts for 5 days Comfortable clothing for coach travel for 2 days Underwear for 7 days Comfortable footwear for 7 days flip flops and sandals are allowed but please remember there is a lot of walking. Toiletries, including a toothbrush Pyjamas / Night clothes Sunglasses Sun cream Sunhat Beach Towel (hotel towels can be used). Swimwear Goggles Medication Plasters for blisters

6 Bag for dirty laundry Optional: Mobile Phone Reading Book Sketch book/ Pencil Snacks for the bus Beach equipment (football etc) Camera There will be an information evening to reiterate the contents of this letter on 4 th June at 4.30pm. Kindest Regards Mr J Pearce Tour Leader