The following is a summary of those topics covered by school staff at the recent parents evening.
Coaches.
Pupils are assigned to coaches in PSR classes, there are a very small number of pupils to whom this does not apply these parents have been informed.
Coach A. (Who will be known during the trip as Company A).
1K2 1S1 1S2 Staff, Mrs Smith, Mrs Hambly, Mr Denny.
Coach B. (Company B).
1K1 1R1 1R2 Staff, Mr McRobbie, Mrs Ferrie, Miss Delaney, Miss Trimble.
Changes to coach allocations are only possible in exceptional cases and must be for an educational and not social reason.
Pupils will need to have 3 bags with them, their main case/bag with all clothing for the trip (see packing list), a rucksack/bag for overnight travel and daytime use during the trip, (please pack any items which will be required during travel, e.g. medicines, warm
clothing, etc in the rucksack) and a bag for their wellies. The main case and wellie bag will be stored in the hold and will not be accessible until we reach the hostel.
Eating and drinking are not allowed on the coach, although water is allowed.
Please do not pack sweets and fizzy juice in your child’s rucksack. There are many opportunities for food at the frequent service area stops. As we have a number of pupils travelling on the coaches who have severe nut allergies we request that you do not pack any nut products in either your child’s rucksack or case.
Please ensure that you impress upon your child the need to try to get some sleep on the overnight coach, Friday is a very long day and it will be around 10pm before they see their beds again!
Please supply your child with hand cleansing gel and encourage them to use this at all times, especially before mealtimes, and returning to the coach from all activities.
Medicines. If your child takes prescription medicines please arrange for a spare and give this to school staff in a labelled bag (with dosage instructions) several days before the trip departs. If your child is susceptible to travel sickness please ensure
they are given appropriate travel sickness remedies. The first aiders are Mrs Hambley for Company A and Mr McRobbie for Company B. The female members of staff will have feminine hygiene products available should these be required, but please ensure that your daughter has a supply of her usual products should the need arise, female staff will be available at any time to support your daughter if needed.
Accommodation. Request forms were handed out to your son/daughter, these were to be returned to the box in the school office by 23rd March at the latest, if any forms have not been returned we will assume your child is happy to share with anyone. We will not be in a position to allocate rooms until we reach the hostel, we should be able to room your child with at least one pupil from their choice of room mates. Pupils will be required to make their own beds each day and to tidy their rooms.
Hoodies and T shirts have been received from the suppliers, these will be issued prior to us leaving, if you can it is advised to run the hoodie through a quick wash to get rid of loose fibres. Please note your child MUST wear the hoodie at all times when travelling and when out during the day. There is no requirement to wear school uniform.
Passports and EHIC. Please hand these in to either Mr Denny for Company A or Miss Trimble for Company B in Social Subjects by Friday 27th April at the latest, these will be held in the school safe until we depart, if you require your son’s/daughter’s passport for the May weekend please contact Mr Denny. This is a good time to check that your child’s passport and EHIC is in date. Please note no valid passport no travel!
Personal money. During the trip in addition to all meals provided at the hostel and packed lunches you child will be given £10 for breakfast on the ferry, €10 for lunch in Brugges and £10 toward dinner on the way home. Opportunities to spend money during the trip are limited and we suggest €10 at Hooge museum shop, €10 at the Thiepval visitor center and €40 to €50 for gifts in Ypres. Your child may also need around £5 to £10 for stops at the motorway services during the overnight trip.
With this in mind we suggest €60, and also £20, place this in a sealed envelope with your child’s name and PSR class together with the amount enclosed written on the front, each coach will have a banker who will issue monies to your son/daughter on a daily basis. Monies in envelopes should be handed to Mr Denny for coach A and Miss Trimble for coach B. Again please ensure this is handed in well in advance of the trip leaving. Parents do have the discretion for their child to carry all their trip money with them on the understanding that any loss is at their own risk.
Electronic equipment. We would recommend a camera is taken, also it’s a good idea for your child to carry their mobile phone in order to contact you with our arrival home time. Please do not allow your child to take tablets, laptops, portable DVD players as there will be no time for these to be used during the trip and these items have caused problems in the dormitories in the past, any of these which are brought on the trip will be held for safe keeping by school staff to be returned on return to Dunblane.
Please note personal electronic equipment is not covered in the tour or council insurance scheme, and we recommend you take out one trip travel insurance.
Arrival home. We aim to be back at the school by 11pm, we will be in a position to issue a more accurate time at around 9 pm that evening, please arrive promptly to pick your child up. The head teacher has agreed that pupils need not report for school until interval 1045 on the Wednesday.
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