PLEASE COMPLETE THE 3 FORMS IN THIS PACKET AND RETURN THEM WITH YOUR FIRST PAYMENT ON OCTOBER 11th!!

! SUMMER 2017 Please visit www.yocj.org for copies of forms and general information. PARENT MEETING SEPTEMER 27, 2016 GENERAL INFORMATION PLEASE COMPLETE THE 3 FORMS IN THIS PACKET AND RETURN THEM WITH YOUR FIRST PAYMENT ON OCTOBER 11th!! Dates: Leave Wednesday, June 28 th 2017 and Return Wednesday, July 5 th 2017 Total Cost: $2,600 Firebird Fine Arts Tour Package includes: Round trip airfare from NJ to Berlin and from Berlin to NJ Bus transportation to and from airports Accommodations in 3 star hotels. Double and triple rooms Day 2: Dinner, Day 3-7: 3 meals daily, except 3 lunches (accommodations made for dietary restrictions) Ground transportation throughout trip on superior class German coaches, licensed and insured, equipped with A/C and toilets All excursions per itinerary (attached) 2 concerts, one in Leipzig and one in Berlin Escorted throughout by Firebird Fine Arts Tours Tickets for a performance in Potsdam Private Chamber Music Concert in Leipzig Chaperones: A Registered Nurse, Conductors, Board members and selected adults will chaperone the trip. At least one adult will be located on each floor of each hotel. Please fill out the attached Chaperone Form if you are interested. All medications will be administered by the Nurse (see Medication Information on page 4). Payments and Forms: The following three forms are attached to the back of this packet. They must be completely filled in and returned with a copy of Passport inside cover with the first deposit (CHECKS ONLY) on October 11th. (See the payment schedule below). 1. Parent/Student Contract 2. Passport/Legal Name form 3. Chaperone Form, if interested 1

PAYMENT SCHEDULE: First deposit of $1000 due October 11, 2016 First deposit (Spring semester students) of $1000 due January 31, 2017 Second deposit of $1000 due January 31, 2017 Second deposit (Spring semester students) of $1000 due March 28, 2017 Final payment of $600 due April 25, 2017 Final payment (for chaperones) of $100 due April 25, 2017 Refunds: $100 per person is non-refundable from each initial deposit. No further refunds will be made after February 14, 2017. Insurance: You are responsible for obtaining your own trip insurance/trip cancellation insurance. There are sites such as www.insuremytrip.com that have various options for trip insurance and we recommend that you review your options. Travel Funds: Students and families should obtain euro s ahead of time in the United States prior to our trip. Money will be needed for the 3 lunches that Firebird Tours does not cover, as well as any airport snacks on Day 1, 2, and 8. For anyone bringing credit cards, please call your company ahead of time to alert them to your international trip, as well as to obtain your pin number. Money can be exchanged at locations such as Altours in Princeton. http://www.altour.com/ Additional Family Members/Age Restrictions: Additional family members may travel with our group at the same price of $2,600 per person, and must adhere to the same payment schedule stated above. Only YOCJ students who will be 12 or older on June 27, 2017 are eligible to participate on the Tour as musicians. Instruments: Cellos, basses, all large percussion instruments, a harp and possibly some large brass instruments will be rented on site in Europe. Otherwise, students should be prepared to bring their own instruments on the trip. Some instruments may constitute a carry-on bag by the airline. YOCJ is NOT responsible for any student-transported instruments brought on the trip. It is strongly advised that students have insurance in effect for their instruments prior to the trip. Medication Information: Please refer to page 4 of this packet. Luggage Preparation: All luggage will be checked by YOCJ Board members the night before departure and travelers will not have access to their luggage once checked. Carry-ons will be checked prior to anyone boarding the bus at HS North prior to leaving for the airport. Questions: Please direct all questions to Mr. Pugh at contactyocj@gmail.com NEXT GENERAL MEETING On Tuesday, April 25, 2017 (when final payments are due), we will have another meeting to discuss further details about the trip. 2

! SUMMER 2017 IMPORTANT DATES AND DEADLINES September 27, 2016 October 11, 2016 January 31, 2017 March 28, 2017 April 25, 2017 Meeting at 7 p.m. in HSN Theater Meeting at 630p.m. in HSN Upper Dining Hall 1 st payment of $1000 and these forms are due: Parent/Student contract Passport/Legal Name form and copy of Passport Chaperone Application Form (if interested) 2 nd payment of $1000 is due 1 st payment of $1000 is due from Spring Semester Students 2 nd payment of $1000 is due from Spring Semester Students Final payment of $600 is due Final chaperone payment of $100 is due **All forms and payments must be in a sealed envelope.** Make checks payable to YOCJ (Cash will not be accepted for any deposits.) Please clearly print your child s name(s) in the memo section of your check and on the sealed envelope containing your check and forms. Checks will be collected at WWPHS North on the above dates by the YOCJ Board. Envelopes can also be mailed to: YOCJ 19 Ginnie Lane West Windsor, NJ 08550 3

! SUMMER 2017 MEDICATION INFORMATION YOCJ follows the same policies and procedures for the administration of medications on trips as does the West Windsor/Plainsboro School District. A Medication Form completed by the medical doctor and signed by a parent must accompany all medications taken on the trip, including over the counter, nutritional supplements and prescription medication. The only exception is birth control pills; no medication form is required. If we do not have a doctor s form, the student will not be able to take the medication. Students are not allowed to carry medication in their luggage or on their person. The only exceptions are medications needed for life threatening conditions which may be self-administered such as inhalers, Epipens for an allergy, or diabetic medication. These medications, along with birth control pills, may be carried by the students in their carry-on bags. Each morning, a nurse will be available so students can come one at a time for their medication to maintain their privacy. Students are responsible for reporting to the nurse for their medications. The nurse will only seek out students if the medication is essential and the student has failed to report. The same procedure will hold for any medication needed at nighttime. If medication is needed during the day, special arrangements will be made with individual students. All medication, OTC and prescription, must be in original bottles or in packs labeled with the student s name. Medical forms and labeled container(s) of medication should be turned in one week prior to the trip. This will include requests to administer Tylenol, Advil and Benadryl to be given as needed. Of course, if your child is very sick or has any other problem, you will be notified. Also, basic first aid supplies will be available. Medical forms will be available later in the season. If you have any questions please contact Mr. Pugh at contactyocj@gmail.com and he will have the nurse respond to your questions. 4

ITINERARY as of September 2016! SUMMER 2017 DAY 1 (Wed.) June 28 Depart USA DAY 2 (Thurs.) June 29 BERLIN LEIPZIG Arrive in Berlin. Meals on flights and/or lunch on your own. Load buses and depart for Leipzig. It is a little over a 2 hour drive. Afternoon arrival in Leipzig, where you will experience a musical Mecca where Bach wrote much of his greatest music. We ll visit his tomb in his church, the Thomas Kirche. We ll also visit the Nikolai Church, where Bach was also conductor and composer, and where history was made in 1989. Due to the peaceful but powerful, determined protests of its young people, Leipzig was first among East German cities to bring about the fall of the communist regime Check into our hotels and time for freshening up 7.00 PM Dinner DAY 3 (Fri.) June 30 LEIPZIG Buffet breakfast. 9.30 AM Depart hotel in small groups with guides for Leipzig s Notenspur Walk 11.00 AM Free time and lunch on your own 2.30 PM Meet and proceed to the Petri Kirche, the site of your concert Alternate program suggestions for the parents and family members 3.00 PM Receive instruments in the Petri Kirche, followed by rehearsal 5.30 PM Return to hotel for snack, relax and change clothes 6.45 PM Depart hotel 7.30 PM Concert in the Petri Kirche in Leipzig 9.30 PM Dinner at the Restaurant Brauhaus Thomas Kirche DAY 4 (Sat.) July 1 - LEIPZIG HALLE - LEIPZIG & CONCERT Buffet breakfast 8.45 AM Depart Leipzig for Halle. 9.30 AM Arrive in Halle and enjoy a brief introductory walk, visit the G.F. Händel Haus. http://www.handel-house.com/en/museum/ 12.00 PM Lunch on your own and free time 2.30 PM Depart Halle 4.00 PM Afternoon visit to the Mendelssohn Haus, https://www.mendelssohn-stiftung.de/r-museum-en-a-373.html 5

7.00 PM Exclusive Chamber Concert for YOCJ presented by a string quartet and a brass ensemble from the University of Leipzig. 8.30 PM Dinner at the historic Restaurant Auerbach s Keller DAY 5 (Sun.) July 2 LEIPZIG - POTSDAM - BERLIN Buffet breakfast. 9:00 AM Depart for Berlin. You will witness the course of history of this amazing city: from the proud Prussian Kingdom to the newly formed German State (after 1871), to the horror-filled Third Reich (after 1933), to the divided Germany after World War II, to the reunited Germany after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. Brief stop in the town of Wittenberg, where you ll have a chance to see the church where Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the church door. On our way to Berlin we will visit Potsdam, the capital of Brandenburg, where Bach was inspired to write his Brandenburg Concertos. Potsdam was the summer residence of Prussian Kings and Emperors. It is located outside of Berlin. 12:00 PM Lunch together in Potsdam After lunch we will visit the Marmorpalais (Marble Palace) http://www.spsg.de/en/palaces-gardens/object/marmorpalais/, built from 1787-1793 by King Frederick William II, also known as the Musical King. He was known as an outstanding amateur Cellist, and for cultivating one of the best orchestras in all of Europe. He collaborated with Mozart, who claimed of the Court orchestra, that it is the best gathering of Virtuosos in the World. Boccherini was his Court Composer for a time, and after Beethoven performed at Court in 1796, out of gratitude, he dedicated a Cello sonata to the King. Located in the same park is the Cecilienhof Palace, the last residence built by the Hohenzollerns before the end of WWI. It was the site of the famous Potsdam Conference, where the Allies met at the end of WWII to decide the fate of a defeated Germany. 4.00 PM Special event in Potsdam to be announced 5.30 PM Proceed to our hotel, the Abacus-Tierpark Hotel in Berlin, for check-in and dinner. http://www.abacus-hotel.de/default.aspx?lang=en DAY 6 (Mon.) July 3 BERLIN Buffet breakfast 9.00 AM This morning we begin with a bus/walking tour of Berlin. We will see the Reichstag, the Brandenburg Gate, the Holocaust Memorial, the site of the feared SS headquarters and Hitler s bunker, as well as the famous former border crossing between East and West Berlin -- Checkpoint Charlie. We then continue our walk in the historic center of Berlin, including the State Opera House and the Humboldt University Library, site of the book burning during the Third Reich. 6

12.30 PM Lunch on your own and free time in the heart of old Berlin, for shopping and exploring on your own. 3.30 PM Orchestra members meet and proceed to our host school, the Georg Friedrich Händel Music High School. You will have an introductory meeting with the choir and orchestra members from the school. Rehearsal time Alternate program suggestions for the parents and family members 7.30 PM Dinner DAY 7 (Tue.) July 4 BERLIN Buffet breakfast After breakfast we depart for the Museum Island, which is an island in the center of Berlin that has 5 Museums clustered together. We will visit the worldrenowned Neues Museum which houses the famous bust of Nefertiti. The Berliner Dom (Cathedral), of the Hohenzollerns is also located here. We will proceed to the area behind the Museum Island where the New Synagogue is located (First built in 1866). 12.30 Lunch together, and then return to our hotel. 4.00 PM Depart hotel for our concert site for rehearsal with the host choir and orchestra of the G.F. Händel School 4.15 PM Rehearsal and snack 7.30 OUR CONCERT at the Zwingli Church Concert Hall Afterwards buffet supper with our partner musicians near the concert site Return to hotel DAY 8 (Wed.) July 5 BERLIN USA Buffet breakfast or brown bag breakfast for earliest flight. Bus transfer to the airport for the flight home. 7