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= Parkland High School 2012 Costa Rica Tour =

=== DVD Premiere/Costa Rican Potluck Dinner will be held on May 7 at 6:30 PM in C200. The buffet will be set up outside of C200 and we are permitted to take our meals into Room C200 to enjoy while we watch the DVD, which will run under 30 minutes. So, don't eat at home...share dinner with us while we reminisce and enjoy the DVD. === === Parents, Siblings, Grandparents...all are invited. If you know kids who might be interested in going on a Costa Rica trip in the future, bring them too...just remember to bring a little more food if you bring a big group. ===

Premier

Name -# Attending- Dish

Addy - Vegetable tray Hillman - Fruit Fulep -3- Cornbread Kiernan -3- Pulled Pork Cunningham -3- Amirosa Salad/ Brownies Korpacz -3- Chocolate Chip Cookies Hannah -5- Starner -4- Grube -4- Cheese empanetas Preiss -4- Pasta Salad Fistner -4- Green Salad Strawberry Dressing Fillman -3- Lasagna Matta -3- Fruit Tart Gulkewicz -3- Costa Rican Black Bean Soup Shah - 4- Cheese and Crackers Blockus -3- Desert Wagner -2- Taco Dip Hunt -4- Sliced Beef in Gravy Gabala -3- Seven Layer Dip Hickey -4- Potato Salad? Strella -6- Mac and Cheese Kearns -6- Artichoke dip Cortazzo - Sheet Cake/ Choc.w/Peanut Butter icing Bednar -Paper Goods Marsicanos - Coffee/creamer/cups/sugar Somboonsong -4- Chicken Sliders Wiend - 4- Cucumber and Cantaloupe salad Dolan -2- Plantain Chips Harrison -2- Chilli Pickering -3- Neff/Noctor - Water/Assorted drinks Dougherty-2- s'mores brownies. Brett Farley -2- Spanish rice

Welcome to PHS Costa Rica 2012 wiki. All new information about the trip will be posted here. Check back for headlines and updates. = *HEADLINES and UPDATES* = 2/10/12

= Final Itinerary =

= 1. No vegetarian meals on flights...these are American Airlines flights...shorter flights...it is only PAY FOR FOOD on these flights. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND that students bring individually wrapped snacks. Don't waste money on over-priced airline food. Liquids may not go through customs, so they must be drunk before we reach that area in the airport. = = 2. The times for our return flights on the 21st. have been changed by American Airlines. (Found that out today when I called to confirm the flights for the group.) = = = = New times: = = = = Flight 972...Leaves Costa Rica at 3:25 PM and arrives in Miami at 7:20 PM = = = = Flight 866 ... Leaves Miami at 10:25 and arrives in Philadelphia at 1:05AM on Feb. 22... = = = = Bus arrival at PHS -- you will be called. SORRY that it's going to be at such an inconvenient time. =

I received this comment from a parent...this could help those of you who are still making this decision: I saw the comment about visa gift cards....You might want to suggest that TD Bank can PRINT and hand you a VALID VISA card in about 20 minutes. It will have the students name on it and it should be much easier than a gift card. Gift cards can be very tricky with ATM's and some shopping.

I don't work for TD and own no stock in the company, but it is a great service and can keep the liability to a minimum.

CALL YOUR BANKS...tell them your cards are going abroad...REMEMBER, no American Express can be used.
==OBSERVATION FROM A PARENT: If you are buying a VISA GIFT CARD, as the way you will be providing your child with money... MAKE SURE YOU READ THE FINE PRINT ...many of those cards can only be used in the United States !==

=== Go online to activate your tour link travel journals now. Students should do this, as well as parents. Parents if you want to see pictures and journal entries...you must sign on as a parent. You can comment online AND you can see what we will be posting!! ===

Note from Erick, our tour director in Costa Rica...EF phone cards don't work there...you can buy one in C.R.!
Update 1/25/12 1. Teachers have received an email telling them that students will be seeing them for assignments before our departure. They have also been told that all students must be back in their classes the first day back from the trip.

2. All Medical Forms are now complete...thank you!

3. I need S. Shastri to pick up papers/bookbag/luggage tag in D114. I also need the luggage search forms to be signed by the Shastris before our departure.

4. Shah family...have you contacted EF about the spelling of your name...passport/EF site? VERY IMPORTANT!

5. Burkes...need passport copy

6. Those who want to go on the CROCODILE ADVENTURE...you can bring your $15 to Mrs. Cortazzo in D114 anytime...you can bring that $ when you check in on departure day...or you can pay on tour.

7. Reminder to parents: when you check luggage before you leave your home on February 13, MAKE SURE that your son/daughter has no laptop. Remember, they are not to be brought on this tour.

8. 2nd period...Tuesday, Feb. 9 (about 20 minutes long) Travelers on the Costa Rica trip are excused from the first part of 2nd period for a meeting with Mr. Bailey and Mrs. Cortazzo.

9. We leave PHS at 2AM on Feb. 13...and we land in Philly at 11:30 PM on Feb. 21.

More notes later....keep checking the WIKI!!!

DIRECTIONS FOR PHONE LIST Call the person under your name. IF NO ONE answers, leave a message and go on to the next name, UNTIL YOU SPEAK WITH A PERSON...they will then call the next person.

WE WILL DO A RUN-THROUGH of this procedure on February 9th in the evening. (This is the same date as the meeting for the students during 2nd period)

As of Jan. 17...

Since several students did not come to D114 to pick up packets, we needed to hunt you down. Please follow directions, as Ms. Bednar had to look up schedules and then find students. Her time could have been spent doing more productive activities.

The following students still haven't brought in passport copies. Please contact Mrs. Cortazzo at cortazzod@parklandsd.org to inform her if you HAVE a passport. If you do, please email her with that information and bring in the copy.

BURKE, DOBROSIELSKI, FARLEY, KOURY, MANJARREZ, SHAH, SHASTRI, SOMBOONSONG. Chaperones will need to find you and ask you for these copies, if you don't contact Mrs. Cortazzo. Please follow through.

REMINDER TO ALL...Jan. 24 mtg. 7PM C200

All travelers need to: 1. Make sure your name is correct on EF site/matches passport 2. Make a copy of your passport and bring it to me 3. Mark Jan. 24 on your calendar as the last parent/student meeting at 7PM 4. Mark Feb. 9...2nd period...as our final student only meeting before departure.

PS...Once these packets are picked up, and passport photos are in, we will be able to start sharing some hotel information with you.

If you see your friend's name on the above lists, PLEASE encourage them to follow through with my requests. Thanks!

== DID YOU KNOW that your passport must be valid for 3 months after our return to the USA for it to be a valid passport for this trip? So, for instance, if your passport expires in March or April of this year, you can be denied entry to Costa Rica. Moral of the story? CHECK THOSE EXPIRATION DATES! ==