St Modan s High School Poland trip Thursday 2 nd February Sunday 5 th February Information booklet
The Poland Experience Itinerary: St Modan s High School Dates: 2-5 February 2017 Full itinerary of the trip Thursday 2 nd Feb Afternoon flight from Edinburgh Airport 16:30 Krakow 20.15 Ryanair Coach to Alexander II Hotel Late evening meal in Krakow Hotel Friday 3 rd Feb Breakfast in hotel Visit to Kaszmierz and Podgorze Visit to Salt Mines at Wielcka (packed lunch included) entrance at 14.55 (Pick up in Podgorze at 2pm) Evening meal in Krakow Hotel Saturday 4 th Feb Breakfast in hotel Extended Guided tours of Auschwitz and Birkenau camps (packed lunch included) entrance 9.30 Evening meal in Krakow Hotel Sunday 5 th Feb Breakfast in hotel Galicia museum 10.00 and meeting with holocaust survivor at 11.00 Packed lunch and free time for sightseeing in medieval Krakow Coach to airport 1800 (group are able to leave their luggage at hotel) Return flight to Edinburgh 20.15 Arrive Edinburgh 22.35
Safety and Security The trip has been organised through Mercat Tours International, who the school have used a number of times. Mercat Tours International undertakes to ensure that all reasonable precautions are taken to protect the students who travel with us. Parent information evening An information evening will be held on Thursday 26 th January at 6PM following on from the S3 parents evening. This will cover the information in this booklet and give parents the opportunity to ask any questions about the trip. Child Protection Guides have all passed the relevant disclosure checks for working with children. The roles of the guide and driver are clearly identified and activities are arranged, so that they are never alone with a student. As far as possible, guides will always be accommodated entirely separately from pupils. As with any school trip, the safety and security of pupils remains the responsibility of the teachers, as do all matters of discipline. The school expects the highest standards of behaviour throughout the trip, to ensure all pupils are able to take full advantage of this excellent opportunity. Payment The full cost of the tour is 570 This includes all travel, accommodation, meals, and entry to all museums Full payment should be made by the end of the week beginning Monday the 9 th of January Travel arrangements Pupils will depart St Modan s at approximately 12:30 by coach to travel to Edinburgh airport on Thursday 2 nd February Flight from Edinburgh to Krakow departing at 16:30 on Thursday 2 nd February, arriving in Krakow at 20:15 on Thursday 2 nd February Flight Number FR6624 Flight from Krakow to Edinburgh departing 20:40 on Sunday 5 th February arriving back in Edinburgh at 22:35 on Sunday 5 th February Flight Number FR6625 Pupils will be collected by coach from the airport and will arrive back at St Modan s at approximately midnight Passports All passport information has been received by the school. It is however essential that all pupils have their passport on Thursday 2 nd of February
Insurance Pupils should arrange personal travel insurance to cover loss of any valuables during the trip, including mobile phones or other personal items. Students must have a valid medical insurance card (EHIC) in case there is a medical emergency at any point during the trip. This can be applied for online free of charge at https://www.ehic.org.uk/internet/startapplication.do This should be applied for urgently to ensure it has arrived before departure and given to the tour leader prior to departure. Accommodation Throughout the trip pupils will stay at the Alexander II Hotel Krakow. Hotel website in English http://www.alexhotel.pl/english/hotel-alexander/alexander.html The social areas in the hotel are secure. Pupils will be accommodated in separate corridors or blocks from other visitors. The hotel meets all of the national fire, health and food hygiene regulations. Medical and Dietary requirements All medical and dietary requirements as noted on the original consent form have been passed onto the tour company Mercat, who have passed these onto the hotel. If you are unsure if you have disclosed medical or dietary requirements please contact the school as a matter of urgency to confirm Currency Please note that whilst Poland is part of the EU, it doesn t use the Euro. The currency is the Polish Zloty. It is to the Parents/Guardian discretion how much spending money pupils should receive, however as all meals are paid for and the packed schedule, pupils spending will be limited to purchasing snacks, gifts or souvenirs. From experience, the places where pupils might spend money are in the Salt Mines, the Galicia Museum bookshop and also in the main square on the last day when they have the opportunity to do some sightseeing in their free time. Weather The weather in Krakow in February will be very cold Temperatures for Krakow are forecast to be -2 during our stay and may drop further At night temperatures will drop further and the exposed nature of some of our sites will result in lower temperatures Pupils should ensure they have adequate winter clothing, with appropriate footwear, thermals, hats, gloves and scarves. Please check the necessity list to ensure pupils have appropriate clothing for the trip
Necessities and Recommendations List of Necessities for Excursion to Poland Clothing One suitcase (15Kg) Day rucksack Waterproof Jacket Thermal underwear! 2 Jumpers or sweatshirts Medical Prescriptions Elastopast Inhaler 2 pairs jeans/trousers Shirts and t-shirts Underwear Socks Gloves Hankies Outdoor shoes or boots General Camera Ipod, chargers Alarm clock Plug adaptor EU Pens Indoor shoes Warm hat Night clothes Hand towel Bath towel NB Plenty of Warm Clothing Toiletries: Soap Toothbrush Wallet Money: British Pounds Zloty Toothpaste Shampoo Deodorant Comb, hairbrush