Washington, D.C. Trip: Class of 2028

The 2023-2024 Washington D.C. Trip: November 8-11, 2023

There will be a MANDATORY parent meeting on Tuesday, October 24th at 7pm in the Middle School cafeteria/auditorium. One parent per student MUST attend the meeting. Students do not need to attend this meeting. This meeting will include important trip details and required paperwork, as well as the distribution of student t-shirts, hoodies, and other materials. The meeting will last about one hour.

8th Grade Washington D.C. Trip - CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

8th Grade Washington D.C. Trip NEF and PTO Scholarship Application

Trip ID: 207524

Please view the following three videos.

Please contact Meghan Barnauskas at: Meghan.Barnauskas@novik12.org with any questions

Trip Overview

Payment Options

Additional Details

Information about the Washington D.C. Trip, November 8-11, 2023

Goals of the trip

Itinerary

The itinerary is subject to change.

Day 1, Wednesday

Day 2, Thursday

Day 3, Friday

Day 4, Saturday

Tour Company

Registration

All registration materials and money is handled by WorldStrides, not Novi Middle School.

How to register

Cost

Option 1: Register by January 30th, 2023

$1,029 base trip price (4 students per room)

$75 Early Bird Discount

Total: $954

To be guaranteed a spot on the trip you must register and submit a $49 non-refundable deposit to WorldStrides before January 30th. The $49 is applied to the cost of the trip.

Option 2: Register after January 30th

$1,029 base trip price (4 students per room)

If you register after January 30th, a $99 non-refundable deposit to WorldStrides at the time of registration. The $99 is applied to the cost of the trip.

*The prices above do not include the optional $159 Full Refund Program

Payment Plan

There are two ways to make payments.

Option 1: Mail, phone, or online.

There is a $6 additional charge for each payment

All checks should be sent directly to & be made payable to: WorldStrides

Option 2: EZ Pay (recommended)

EZPay is an automated payment plan through WorldStrides. Through EZPay, your trip payment installments come directly out of the bank account or debit card you authorize us to use. There are no additional charges to use this service.

Payments of $200 are due 2/20, 4/20, 6/20

Remaining balance due at final payment which is due 8/25/2023

Late Fees:

$15 late fee for missed installment, $60 late fee for missed final payment

Full Refund Program

Participation in the Full Refund Program is optional and is an additional cost of $159. It insures you a full refund of the cost of the trip in the event that your student cannot attend. For it to be valid, you must cancel prior to the group’s departure.

Please read registration letter carefully for more information regarding F.R.P.

The full refund does not include: $159 Full Refund Program cost, the initial deposit, or any handling and/or late fees

Over 50% in Novi, and up to 70% across U.S., choose to do this plan.

Without the Full Refund Program, WorldStrides retains 100% of tour price if you cancel less than 44 days prior to departure.

Financial Assistance

Below are two ways to access financial assistance for the trip. You may apply for both opportunities. The Novi Scholarships offered are from a collaboration of resources from Novi Youth Assistance, Novi Middle School Parent Teacher Organization and the Novi Educational Foundation. The FLAG Scholarships are offered through WorldStrides, our tour company.

FLAG Scholarship
Novi Scholarships

FLAG Scholarship

FLAG Scholarships are made available through WorldStrides to families with an annual adjusted gross income (AGI) under $85,000. The money is awarded on a sliding scale that compares your AGI to the price of the trip. It is also awarded on a first come, first served basis so we encourage you to apply early. For more information on this opportunity, please contact WorldStrides.

Novi Scholarships

So that as many Novi students as possible can attend the annual 8th grade trip to Washington DC, the Novi Educational Foundation (NEF) and the Novi Middle School PTO (PTO) will be pooling resources to provide scholarships to students in need. The two entities will coordinate awards based on one application. The NEF and PTO have some flexibility to assist families that are classified as low-income (see table on application) as well as those whose incomes exceed certain levels. NEF and PTO can provide assistance to any student attending Novi Schools. The NEF and PTO Scholarship application should be turned into the Novi Middle School Main Office. Priority will be given to applications received by January 20, 2023.

8th Grade Washington D.C. Trip NEF and PTO Scholarship Application

Additionally, financial assistance may be available to families through the Novi Youth Assistance (NYA). Because NYA uses Community Development Block Grant funds to offset the cost of some of its programs, it is more limited in who can receive funds based on family income. Additionally, NYA can only provide funds to residents of Novi. If you are interested in applying for an NYA scholarship, please visit their website (https://ecec.novi.k12.mi.us/programs/novi-youth-assistance) or contact them at 248-675-3089. To be considered for an NYA scholarship, you must fill out a separate NYA scholarship application (on their website) and provide required supporting documentation.

Please apply for the FLAG Scholarship in addition to applying for NEF and PTO Scholarships and NYA Scholarships.

No High School Credit

My Trip

Accomodations

Medication

Meals

Meals will be eaten in a variety of places including food courts, buffets, and family-style restaurants. We are able to accommodate a variety of dietary needs and restrictions such as vegetarian, vegan, gluten free, and allergies. It is helpful if we are notified of dietary needs in advance of the trip. The list of locations for meals will not be finalized until August.

D.C. Trip Restaurants (tentative)

Hilton Mark Center, breakfast

Reagan Building Food Court

Pentagon City Mall Food Court

Ballston Quarter Market Food Hall (there are other restaurants available that are not listed on website)

We the Pizza Crystal City, dinner, pre-set menu for groups

Nighthawk Pizza, dinner, pre-set menu for groups

Good Stuff Eatery, dinner, pre-set menu for groups

Ivy City Smokehouse, dinner, pre-set menu for groups

Firehouse Subs, box meal, pre-ordered before trip

Trip Security

The trip is chaperoned by Novi School District Chaperones. These are generally teachers but have also included principals, the superintendent, student resource officer, district nurse and board members. We keep a ratio of one chaperone for every twelve students.

WorldStrides provides nighttime security chaperones who are stationed on each floor on which we have students housed. They are stationed from 10:00 pm until 5:00 am.

WorldStrides also provides us with a 24-hour contact service. Each student will be issued a wrist band with the contact number as they get on the bus in Novi. We do this so that in the event they may need it, they will have a number to contact someone 24 hours a day.

While touring the city, each bus will have an assigned licensed tour guide to help our groups navigate and learn the history of the city and the nation.

We also have doctors on call in the event of a medical need. We also carry trip liability insurance.

Novi Attire

Included in the cost of the trip, each student will receive a Novi Washington D.C. t-shirt and sweatshirt. Shortly after you register, expect an email from WorldStrides (and our representative Tina Desimone) requesting your child’s size for the t-shirt and sweatshirt. We offer adult sizes small, medium, large and extra-large. Do not order the shirts while you are registering for the trip. Wait until the company contacts you after you register. Please remember that your child will likely grow from the time you select sizes until the trip, so order accordingly.

Behavior Contract

Students will complete a behavior contract at the beginning of September. Violation of this contract will cause the student to be removed from the trip. If a student violates this contract prior to the trip, the student will be removed from the trip. If a student violates this contract while on the trip, we may send the student home on an airplane at the parent/guardian’s expense.