CHINA 2020 DECEMBER MEETING DECEMBER 5 2019 5

CHINA 2020 DECEMBER MEETING (DECEMBER 5, 2019 @ 5: 30 PM)

COUNTDOWN… We Are 153 Days Out! (That’s 5 months & 1 day!) Our 110 Day Deadline is: January 17, 2020!

CURRENT STATUS & TRAVELERS 52 total travelers, 3 on the waitlist 7 th Grade Boys: 3 Girls: 5 8 th Grade Boys: 18 Girls: 10 Parents: Male: 2 Female: 10 New Life Staff Members Mrs. Roquemore, Mr. Luciano, Mr. Foward, Ms. Lin – 4

CONFIRMED DATES OF TRAVEL We are scheduled for a departure on: Wednesday, May 6 -Friday, May 15. May 4 is the last day of Georgia Milestones and May 5 is the only make-up day. EVERYONE needs to be present for GMAS testing. There will be no make-ups done after the trip. Students must be present for the 2 school days after the China trip to make up their District Assessment Finals. May 18 & May 19 NOTE: May 19 is 8 th grade graduation, but the ceremony is at night. Students will still need to be present for school that day to take their DAs.

STUDENT REQUIREMENTS FOR THE TRIP Chinese GPA for 1 st semester Chinese needs to be at 80% or above. Grades close for the 1 st semester on December 20 th. Students must maintain an 80%+ in the spring semester. No more than one write-up/suspension from September 26 th until departure date. If a student receives one suspension, a note will be sent home to parents indicating that should another incident occur, their trip is jeopardized. Students will be moved from the “Enrolled” list to the “Waitlist” if either of the above infractions occur. Waitlisted travelers will have the opportunity to enroll in the spot that just freed up. As a reminder: we have 3 travelers on the waitlist This trip is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Parents, you are paying a lot for it! We want to make sure your traveler understands that they should not be taking this trip for granted.

PASSPORTS Everyone should have their passports back at this point. Be sure the name you have given to EF matches your passport. This is how EF will book your plane ticket. Middle name or initial should be on passport if it is on your official documents. http: //travel. state. gov/passport_1738. html Passports need to be valid at least 6 months after we return. November 16, 2020.

ADD PASSPORT TO EF PAGE ASAP! This needs to be done by January 1, 2020.

KEEP IN MIND Immunization Ask your personal doctor. Although no immunizations are required, make sure you are up-to-date on routine vaccines: measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine, diphtheria-tetanuspertussis vaccine, varicella (chicken pox) vaccine, polio vaccine, and your yearly flu shot. Insurance Check with your personal health insurance to see if you are covered in a foreign country and what the coverage is. EF has medical and travel insurance you can purchase. Insurance is non refundable after enrolled. Communication/The Great Firewall There is a Internet firewall in China – many American social media sites like You. Tube, Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram are banned. Consider communication apps to be able to talk to family at home Communicate through Whats. App, Group. Me (we will be using this app to send updates) Spending Money Go ahead and look up money options. Talk to local bank about when to exchange money (will usually need to notify bank 14 days before you leave). CASH IS PREFERABLE. China does not usually accept credit cards unless they are large international chains (might be helpful to have at airports) Have students practicing how to pay with credit cards. AMEX has no international fees.

HOLIDAY WISH LIST Suitcase Backpack (EF will provide one, or you can bring one of your own) – no rolling backpacks Camera – memory cards Travel alarm clock Adapter Personal journal Plane pillow Sunglasses/Hat Money pouch Watch Nice raincoat with a hood – we will be out there rain or shine Easy dry clothing Toiletry holder Luggage tag + strap Luggage lock (I prefer combination ones the best) Good walking shoes! And of course…any additional donations to your EF Student page! NOTE: All battery packs will need to be brought in a carry-on suitcase. NOT in checked luggage.

ADDITIONAL OUT OF POCKET COSTS VISA/Passport Lunch (SWCC funds will cover 2 lunches) Water bottles (provided by the school) Tips (about $10 per day per student for tour guide, local guide, & bus driver = about $100 total) T-Shirts (different shirt daily – makes it efficient to keep track of everyone) Transportation to/from Hartsfield-Jackson airport. Snacks + Any gifts & souvenirs We will let you know as the dates get closer what our fundraising efforts have covered.

MONEY/FUNDRAISING OPPORTUNITIES On That Note… SWCC Krispy Kreme Sale (October) - $585. 00 Last Year’s Chinese New Year Evening Event – $323. 50 Other Funds - $1, 268. 58 Upcoming Fundraisers Our Priorities on What We’re Covering: • • • Talent Show – Pizza sales – Thursday, Dec. 19, 2019 Chinese New Year Evening Event (January) Fortune Cookie Fundraiser – half will go to China trip (January) Transportation To/From Airport T-Shirts Lunches Bottled Waters Tip

110 DAY DEADLINE – JAN. 17, 2020 Name confirmations and passports Passports must be valid at least 6 months after your scheduled return date and every traveler’s ticketed name must be identical to their passport. If a name needs to be changed after the 110 -day deadline, they will likely incur charges of at least $200 and sometimes the cost of the full ticket. Special Travel Requests Anyone who is looking to fly out of a different airport or stay longer before/after tour must coordinate with Customer Service before this deadline. There is a $150 Special Travel Fee to change your airline ticket plus any costs associated with the change. Payment All travelers on the Manual Payment Plan must be paid in full by January 17 th at midnight!! Auto payment - due 35 days before departure Airline tickets are not sent out until all payments are paid in full Rooming All student/adult rooming upgrades are due by this date!

CALLING ALL CREATIVE STUDENTS! We are looking to do a t-shirt design contest! Can be designed on the computer or drawn on a white sheet of copy paper. Must include a front design (back design optional). The shirt design must include: The words “New Life Academy of Excellence”, “New Life Academy”, or “NLAE” A space for the school logo The words “China” and “ 2020” Be as creative as you like! The winner of the t-shirt contest will get 2 additional lunches covered on the trip! DEADLINE: February 28, 2020

LAST TRIP’S EXAMPLE

NEXT MEETING - VISA PROCESS (LATE FEB. /EARLY MAR. ) CANNOT BE COMPLETED WITHOUT PASSPORT! For Individual Tourism Visa acquisition EF tour consultant (Caroline) will create Visa letters about 70 days out from our tour, when they receive our flight itinerary. These visa letters will be specific to each traveler with the flight itinerary and sample hotels attached. EF works with Visa. Central and I believe they provide a discounted price for the visa process but you are not required to use this visa provider. If you have non-US citizens, they will need to individually look into what their visa acquisition process will require. You can go online to Visa. Central, state that your residence is in Georgia, you’re going for Tourism to China to just look up requirements of what may be needed. Copies of birth certificates may be needed for students. Families with parents who are separated: need notarized permission from both parents when filling out the visa for student to leave the country. VISAs are good for 10 years Estimated cost - $250 -$300

UPCOMING IMPORTANT DATES Please write the following dates on your calendars/agendas: - Wednesday, January 1, 2020 - Students must have their passport submitted to their EF tour page by this date! - Friday, January 17, 2020 - 110 Days Out!! - Friday, February 28, 2020 - T-Shirt Design Contest Ends! - Friday, March 6, 2020 - $200 due to New Life Academy (this fee will cover transportation to/from the airport, bottled water, tips for our driver & guide in China, as well as group t-shirts) - We will update the total in February if any of our remaining fundraiser efforts covers this cost! - VISA Paperwork Meeting - Date/Time TBD in late February/early March - I will help you fill out your VISA paperwork (once sent, it should be back within a week). - Friday, April 10, 2020 - Colored copies of Travel documents (passport, VISA) due to Mrs. Roquemore - Thursday, April 23, 2020 @ 4: 30 PM - Final Student Travelers Meeting - Thursday, April 23, 2020 @ 5: 30 PM - Final Parent Meeting - Thursday, April 23, 2020 @ 7: 00 PM - Final New Life Chaperone Meeting

QUESTIONS?