End of Stay Orientation: Monday June 29, 2009
We are scheduling times for all students to arrive at the Bowling Alley, allowing for those quite a distance away to arrive a little later in the afternoon. Please try to arrive during the time listed so we don’t have a back-up of students at any one time. You may arrive any time during the 45-minute span allotted for your group. Parents are asked to stay at least until the student has checked in and the luggage has been checked. You may stay as long or as short of a time that you wish until 6:00PM. We will expect you to leave at the end of that period, however.
There will be a luggage weigh-in station at side entrance of the Bowling Alley. AFS luggage tags will be given to each student at this time. If your student is over the designated size/weight requirements s/he will be asked to adjust their luggage to meet the requirements. (The requirements were mailed out from Minnesota around the time of pre-return orientation. Click here for a copy). Any items that must be removed will be sent home with the host family. Please keep this in mind when helping your student pack for the return home. Airlines are changing luggage rules weekly - please check specific airlines' rules. Any information we have given to you to date may have changed. Airline luggage rules may be different for students as they are traveling in groups. To find specific requirements for each airline you can go to www.seatguru.com. Double check and print off a copy for your student to have. The general rule in the past has been two pieces of luggage, no heavier than 50 lbs each.
Just a reminder, the Area Team does not have the students' travel information. Travel is taken care of by their home country and their natural parents receive the information (as they will be making the arrangements for pick-up on their end). The return airline is usually the same airline that the student flew here on.
Please remind your student to make sure that they carry some money or a credit card in case there is a need while traveling (or if they would like to purchase additional food at the bowling alley). We provide a meal and snacks for the kids, but in the past a number of students have snacked throughout the evening on their own. The bowling alley has a great menu of sandwiches and salads.
The students will travel from Horicon to Chicago by bus very late that night (= very early the next day). More than 700 AFS students from the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes will be in one place for Departure Day on June 30. It is always a great day, with lots of excitement, tears, and good-byes. On that day, the students get back together with the other students from their country and return to their home country.
If you have any questions please call Lori Adams at 608-230-6395 or 608-751-6716
or e-mail at ladams@ecidesign.com
or you can contact Holly Dowe at 920-887-3117
or Robby Robinson at 920-674-3395.