The excitement around the annual 8th grade class trip to Washington, D.C. is heating up at Geisler Middle School. As of November 20, our third bus is officially open and we only have about 2 seats remaining. Registration will be open until December 1. At that point, families interested in registering MUST contact Mr. Yu (TorryYu@wlcsd.org) in order to register.
Families who were originally on the bus 3 waitlist should expect an email from Corporate Travel on November 20. They can make their initial payment and pay their required CFAR insurance. The insurance must be paid by December 1. The $50 from the waitlist hold will be applied to their deposit.
If you are already registered with Corporate Travel and made your initial payment, please make sure you have taken care of turning in your child's permission slip, behavior contract, registered for travel insurance, and completed the acknowledgement form. The links for these steps are posted below.
SAVE THE DATE! Monday, April 7 at 6:00pm will be our parent pre-departure meeting in the GMS Cafeteria. We will be reviewing the itinerary, trip procedures, packing information, introducing chaperones, and more!
Thank you,
Mr. Torry Yu
D.C. Trip Coordinator
Families who are interested in registering their student for the 2024 Washington, D.C. Trip can do that now! Registration and payments are made through Corporate Travel - use the links below to complete your registration.
Please note - students who have turned in their permission slips and behavior contract does not mark them as "registered". In order for students to be considered "registered", they must also be registered through Corporate Travel with an initial payment made and the travel insurance purchased.
All payments must go through Corporate Travel, NOT through Geisler Middle School. Families are encouraged to either register and pay online, but can also pay over the phone to Corporate Travel (866-550-1081). Payments can also be mailed to the Corporate Travel offices (with a note enclosed that has your student's name and Geisler Middle School) or delivered in-person at 41780 Six Mile Road, Suite 100, Northville, MI 48168.
Joining the Waitlist
After December 1, families interested in registering for the Washington, D.C. Trip will join the waitlist. To be added to the waitlist, families will be required to pay $50 to hold the spot on the waitlist. Once your student is approved (or space opens) to join the main list, Corporate Travel will reach out to families to complete the registration process to make payments. The $50 will go towards the initial deposit. The CFAR insurance can be added once your student is officially open.
Please email Mr. Yu (TorryYu@wlcsd.org) if you are interested in joining.
Deposits for the trip are non-refundable. Walled Lake Consolidated Schools REQUIRES that all students attending the 8th Grade Washington, D.C. Trip purchase the Cancel for Any Reason (CFAR) insurance to protect your paid deposits should you need to cancel for any reason, including medical reasons. The Travel Protection is available at the time of registration and MUST be purchased when you register your student. The CFAR plan will reimburse between 75% and 100% of your payments (depending on the reason you need to cancel) up to 48 hours prior to the trip departure date, or up to departure for medical reasons. The cost is $91 and is payable with the initial deposit. Students who are on the waitlist will wait to add the insurance when they are officially registered.
Please note: on the registration portal, the CFAR insurance is listed as "optional" as the travel company is not allowed to mandate the insurance be added, but is a requirement for Walled Lake students.
Mr. Yu will be alerted to any students who do not purchase the insurance and will be reaching out to families if that is the case.
Students needing to take medication should complete a medication form that is signed from their doctor and turned into the main office by March 19.
Medication can be dropped off to Mrs. Bickel in the attendance office beginning Monday, April 14, and up to the morning we depart in it's original container. Students who have medication held at school will be passed on to each bus.
Every bus will have a medication leader who will discreetly dispense the medication (as directed on the medication form) at the directed time, or as needed, with another chaperone as a witness. The medication leader on each bus will carry the medication backpack at all times which will include first aid items, over-the-counter medication (see below), feminine hygiene products, and all medication forms.
NEW! Over-the-Counter As Needed Medication
Students who are not prescribed to take regular medication, but may need over-the-counter medication as needed have the choice of supplying their own (with a completed medication form) or utilizing the stock medication that each bus will have on hand. Each bus will have ibuprofen (Motrin/Advil), acetaminophen (Tylenol), Tums, Benadryl, and non-drowsy meclizine (Dramamine) for students who may need it. We will be following the instructions on the box and will make a phone call home before administering the medication.
Families are asked to complete the form below and return it to Mr. Yu by March 19.
We thank all of our families who participate in the first trip fundraiser of the year. These profits, along with those from previous fundraisers, have been submitted to Corporate Travel to be applied to individual student accounts.
We will be having a Little Caesar's Pizza Kit fundraiser running from November 7 to December 7. See the email from Mr. Yu for more information to participate.
T-Shirt Sponsorship
As mentioned at the parent meeting, all students are given 4 t-shirts to wear throughout the entire D.C. trip, which is an added safety measure. Families who own or work for a business who may be interested in sponsoring a day's t-shirt should contact Mr. Yu (TorryYu@wlcsd.org). As a thank you, we will be printing our sponsor(s) logo on the back of the shirt. These shirts are often worn after the trip at school, in the community, and for years to come!
GMS Parent Meeting Presentation
Did you miss the parent presentation on Curriculum Night? Don't worry! Click here to access the meeting presentation.
- October 22 - fall fundraiser pick-up in GMS Commons Area, 3:30-5:00pm
- November 7 - December 7 - Little Caesar's Pizza Kit fundraiser (more information to follow)
- November 27 - trip registration deadline
- December 20 - district permission slip and behavior contracts due
- Early January - student roommate and group planning process begins!
- March 7 - final payments due to Corporate Travel
- March 19 - medication authorization forms due to GMS
- April 7 - pre-departure parent meeting, 6:00pm - GMS Cafeteria
