WASHINGTON D.C. TRIP

Here is some info explaining how our first Texas Hold'em went, below that is the list of workers for the upcoming dates.

• The State allows a group to have four of these four-day “slots” to earn money

• We have to pay the organization that hosts the tournaments (No Limit Charity Poker)

• It costs SCMS $200 for each license…$800 for the four we are doing

• Once we pay the dealers and No Limit Charity Poker for the four-day “slot”, the remaining money, 40% goes to SCMS and 60% to those parents that worked those nights.

• If you work two shifts, you get two shares.

• If you can’t make a time, please e-mail me (malley@ecsd.us).  I do not get messages left on my office phone forwarded to me.

• If you order food or drink while you’re working you have to pay for it…it’s not on the house.  Someone ordered dinner earlier in the evening and one of the late shift parents got stuck with the bill.

• Every night we need $300 in start-up money.  $250 in $5’s and $50 in $1’s.  I’ll get the start up money to the first group, then after that, at the end of the night, ask the person in charge to lock up the start-up money for the next day.

• One of the workers on the late shift needs to take all of our earnings from that night home with them and then take it to our Central Office the next morning.

• If you work a Friday or Saturday night and feel uncomfortable hanging on to that money until Central Office opens on Monday, give me a call (810-300-1693) and I’ll come get the money and lock it up in our school safe.

• As soon as I know the amounts that each parent has earned, I will e-mail Gerber and let them know that a check is on its way and to credit each account that amount.

• I’ve put the amount of money we earned and what each worker earned on the back of this sheet.  This is going to be the last letter sent home.  From this point on, I’m going to put what each worker has earned on my SCMS Blog which is located on our SCMS website.  It’ll be a very short entry, minus all the math involved.

• This is not meant to be a shell game.  If there are any questions please don’t hesitate to ask.

So far this has gone extremely well….thanks

M

OK….here is the math

We earned a total of $9206 after paying the Dealers

We pay No Limit Fundraising $3770

That leaves $5436 that we earned.

40% is $2172; that goes to SCMS

60% is $3264; that goes to the workers to help with the DC trip

That works out to $136 per worker.  If you worked two shifts you received $272 toward your child’s DC trip.

Better than a poke in the eye.

Texas Hold’em Workers

8/11 – 8/14

8/11 Wednesday

8/12 Thursday

8/13 Friday

8/14 Saturday

Texas Hold’em Workers

8/15 – 8/18

8/15 Sunday

8/16 Monday

8/17 Tuesday

8/18 Wednesday

Texas Hold’em Workers

8/23 – 8/26

8/23 Monday

8/24 Tuesday

8/25 Wednesday

8/26 Thursday

Here is some Info that will be coming home on Thursday, 5/27 on our last fundraiser (a Texas Hold'em).  The flyer should explain it a little more in detail.  After you get the flyer, if you have any questions please give me a call.

Here is basically what the flyer says:

We have four separate “dates”, each one being four days long.  I’m told we can expect to earn about $1000 a night. The school is going to keep 40% of the profits (believe it or not, we have expenses that we need to cover….it’s not going toward my vacation fund).  60% will go toward the DC trip of that worker’s child.  Each night we’ll have 6 workers, so 10% of the profit will go to Gerber in your child’s name.  Example…we make $1000 that night and you work one shift, you get $100 toward your child’s DC trip.  If you owe $175 and work two sessions that earn you $200 then you’ll pay off the trip and get a $25 refund from Gerber.  The one catch that I don’t see happening is that you can not make more than the trip costs.  If that happens (which it wont) the “extra” will go SCMS.  If you are interested in helping out, please fill out the form below with the dates and times you are interested in.  My first priority is to get everyone interested an opportunity to earn some DC bucks.  If we have too many wanting one time slot then I’ll make some phone calls to see if we can work it out…if not, I’ll draw names out of a hat.  Once everyone who wants to help out gets a slot, if there are still openings I’ll fill those from the names of those parents that would like to do more than one time.

In case you missed the parent/student meeting regarding next year's trip (finding a day that everyone can make it is impossible), here are the highlights:

In the office we'll have packets for students to take home.  In these packets you’ll see a sign up form and some fundraising information.  What is not included is a way to explain what an awesome educational experience this is for your child.  It is impossible to put into words.  Please take some time to look over this material and don’t hesitate to call with any questions on any aspect of the trip.  Here are some common questions/answers.

• For the fourth straight year we will be flying.

• It is an awesome trip

• The trip is expensive…payment plans are available.

• Because of the cost, we will be having two, possibly three, fundraisers…one now and one in May to try to help off set the cost.

• Our first fundraiser is with Achatz Pies.  The completed forms are due in the office on December 2nd.  The pies will be delivered to SCMS for your pick up on December 16th.  More info on the pick up time/etc will follow.  Our second fundraiser will be Little Caesar Pizza Kits in the Spring.

• It is not uncommon for a student to save $200-$300 using our fundraisers

• In the past we have had close to a 1 to 3 chaperone ratio.

• We travel in herds….wandering off is not an option

• In the ten years I’ve been going to on these 8^th grade trips, I have never had any behavior or discipline issues….we have great kids.

• Did I mention that it was an awesome trip?

• We are on the go from sun up to well past sun down.  This isn’t a vacation where the kids will have time to swim in the hotel pool or spend time in the arcade.

• Students room four to a room.  They choose their room mates (mid May we’ll have a sign up).  Adult chaperones room two to a room.

• As a parent, if you decide to go, you will be chaperoning your child’s group and will be on your child’s bus.

• There are two ways to sign up.  You can do it online or you can fill out the form and send the form and a check to the SCMS office.  We will mail all the forms in to the tour company together.  If you choose the SCMS route, we need a form for each person going.

• Listed below Abe's picture is an itinerary of what we did this year (just to give you an idea)

• We will be having a meeting in the fall to finalize flight times

• This truly is a trip that will create memories that will last a lifetime.  

• To register online click here then click on participants in the upper right hand corner and follow the directions.

• If you need the Online Tour Code it's CA46A683

Please, please, please don’t hesitate to call with any questions. 

Tour of the U.S. Capitol Building (confirmed tour).

Group picture at the base of the U.S. Capitol Building (included).

White House photo stop.

Souvenir Shop.

Visit the Jefferson, FDR and the Iwo Jima Marine Memorials.

Dinner at Union Station (meal coupon provided).

9/11 Memorial

Second Day 

Breakfast at your hotel.

Depart for Gettysburg.

View the new film "A New Birth of Freedom" at the Visitor's Information Center in

Gettysburg.

Two hour guided tour of the Gettysburg battlegrounds with local guides.

Enjoy lunch at the Dobbin House Restaurant.

Depart for Washington, DC.

Arrive Washington, DC.

Visit the National World War II Memorial.

Visit the Lincoln, Vietnam Veteran's and Korean Memorials.

Visit the Washington Monument.

 Moonlight dinner dance cruise down the Potomac.

Breakfast at your hotel and check out.

Visit Washington's National Cathedral (guided tour).

Lunch at the Pentagon City Mall.

Visit Arlington National Cemetery, including the JFK Grave site and the Tomb of the

Unknown Soldier.

Participate in a Wreath Laying Ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

Sightseeing at the Smithsonian Institution. Here you will have the opportunity to visit the

many museums and galleries this complex has to offer: the National Air & Space

Museum, the National Gallery of Art and the National Museum of Natural History.

Head Home Monday Night.

Questions regarding payment or about the trip 
should be directed to the trip organizer, Mr. Alley.  
Contact 676-1800