Sarah Banks Washington, D.C. Trip

The excitement around the annual 8th grade class trip to Washington, D.C. is beginning to heat up at Sarah Banks Middle School. Registration has moved to the waitlist and families interested in registering will only be available as space opens up from students who drop or are removed from the trip. To reserve your space on the waitlist, please continue registering on the Academic Expeditions trip portal. No payment is required until you are moved to the main list.

Please take a moment to review important trip information below and for directions on how to register for the trip. We are looking forward to a great time this spring. Our pre-trip departure meeting will be held in early April - stay tuned for the final date to be shared as this meeting will cover our trip itinerary, specific trip procedures, packing information, and more.

Thank you,

Mr. Torry Yu

D.C. Trip Coordinator

TorryYu@wlcsd.org

Families who are interested in registering their student for the 2026 Washington, D.C. Trip can do so now! Registration and payments are made through Academic Expeditions - 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 Academic Expedition with an initial payment made and the travel insurance purchased.

All payments must go through Academic Expeditions, NOT through Sarah Banks Middle School.

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 $60 and is payable with the initial deposit.

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. Families should be selecting OPTION 2 for the add-on insurance on the trip portal.

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 24.

Medication can be dropped off to Mrs. Bickel in the attendance office beginning Monday, April 13, 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.

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 24.

We know safety is always at the top of mind for parents and students. Here are safety and security protocols we have set in place:

Students:

• Students wear the same t-shirts each day so we are able to identify them in large groups.
• Students and chaperones have a method of contact with each other.
• Students are told and reminded that they are never to be alone! At all times, they need to be with a buddy (even when going to the restroom).
• During check-in, students will be given a lanyard that they must wear the entire trip that has a safety number for Corporate Travel in the event they are separated from the group.
• We practice fire, severe weather, and ALICE drills regularly at school and students are reminded that those skills learned can be transferred to the Washington, D.C. trip.
  

Chaperones:

• Chaperones have a group chat with the other chaperones to communicate any important information.
• All chaperones have a photo list of the students on the trip in the event a student is separated from the group that we can show to security & law enforcement.
• Before we leave any stop, each bus will do a headcount to ensure all students are accounted. We will not leave until all three buses are set.
• At curfew, chaperones will be coming around to each student room to do a room check and a headcount to ensure all students are accounted for.
  

Additional Measures:

• At the hotel, we have security guards hired specifically for Banks Middle School on each floor who patrol the floors during the overnight hours. They tape the room doors to make sure students stay in their rooms. Any issues, they will alert the trip leaders.
• Many of our trip stops, as government buildings, have security checks before entering.
• Our bus drivers are only allowed to drive a certain amount of miles and time in a given trip/day. We stop halfway in Pennsylvania to change drivers, along with stopping every 2-3 hours to stretch and take a break. Bus drivers are also only allowed to drive so many hours within a day.

We thank all of our families who participate in the first trip fundraiser of the year. These profits, along with those from previous fundraisers from 6th & 7th grade, will be submitted to Academic Expeditions in the winter 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. An email will be sent from Mr. Yu and in Mrs. VanWagnen's The Banks Bulletin email when it begins.

For families who are NOT interested in selling fundraising items but have family and friends who would like to provide monetary support for their student's DC trip, Academic Expeditions offers a program called Fund My Trip. On your trip portal, click your username in the top right corner and click on Fund My Trip in the drop down. Click the photo to the right for more directions.

This gives each family a unique web address that they can text, message, or share on their social media to solicit funds towards their trips. This will make it much easier for students and families to raise awareness of their upcoming travel, as well as those looking for gifts for the holiday season, birthdays, money in exchange for work, etc.

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, passed down to family and friends for years to come!

• September 16 - Curriculum Night - Parent Informational Meeting (registration begins)
• November 7 - December 7 - Little Caesar's Pizza Kit fundraiser (more information to follow)
• November 26 - trip registration deadline (late registrations ONLY accepted if space remains)
• December 19 - district permission slip and behavior contracts due
• Early January - student roommate and group planning process begins!
• March 6 - final payments due to Academic Expeditions
• March 24 - medication authorization forms due back to Sarah Banks
• TBD April - pre-departure parent meeting at Banks

Please make sure to continue to check the Sarah Banks DC Trip website and The Banks Bulletin newsletters for updates regarding the trip. Information will also be shared in your student's social studies class regularly. More information will also be shared as we approach our departure date.

If you need any assistance registered for the D.C. Trip or have any additional questions, please do not hesitate to contact Mr. Yu at TorryYu@wlcsd.org.