Tenerife exchange update 3

Hello everyone!
Today we visited Mount Teide, Spain's highest point. The views and weather were spectacular!
I have included a few pics of the group as we walked towards to volcano. Before starting the walk we visited the information centre and learned about the geography of the island.

Tenerife update!

The weekend is finally here and the sun is shining. So far the students are having a fabulous time. Yesterday we all went to Siam Water Park in the south of the island. The weather was glorious, although the forecast was for thunder storms, they never materialised. 

The spanish students joined us for the day, so it was a great opportunity for everyone to bond and have fun together. There was certainly a lot of fun and laughter and screaming on some of the scarier water slides, although to be fair that was mainly Mr. O'Connor!

Here are a few pics of the group. Tis first one was taken on the first night when we arrived at the school and the second was taken yesterday after our day at Siam Park. Children will be spending the weekend with their Spanish families and we will regroup on Monday morning for our trip up Mount Teide.

Mr. O'Connor and I are also pleased to say that the children are all learning lots of Spanish and they are all becoming increasingly more confident at using the language to communicate.

Arrival in La Laguna Tenerife

Hola a todos!

We arrived last night just after 9pm and despite being one hour delayed in leaving Edinburgh airport, we were actually only 12 minutes late in landing.

We received a warm welcome from staff, parents and students when we arrived at Martin Luther Colegio. The students were all very excited! 

We will keep you updated as the week progresses.

Best wishes

R. Irvine 

Tenerife trip 2013 - emergency contact number for parents

The emergency contact number for the Tenerife trip is: 07780760428
This number should only be used outside school hours in the case of an emergency!
The contact person here in the UK is Mr. Macdonald.

Last update from Mr Irvine...

We have arrived safely at Dubai airport. Our next flight to Glasgow is scheduled to depart on time at 15:10 Dubai time (3 hours ahead of the UK). We should therefore arrive in Glasgow between 19:30 and 20:00. I still estimate our arrival time at school to be this evening beween 21:30 and 22:00.

Final blog post

I am reliably informed that the staff and pupils on the China trip are on their way back to Edinburgh, and have had an incredible trip. Here's one final blog post...

Waking up early in the morning is a pain for even the most disciplined of us, as we soon found out after hearing about how drained everyone was, once we had woken up (at six in the morning!) and left the comfort of our beds in the small rooms we had on the Hogwarts Express from the beautiful, traditional Xi'an back to the rush and excitement of Beijing. Once everyone had been cleared through the various sections of security at the train station we proceeded outside into the intense heat that was the catalyst to the groups complaints. We reached the bus soon enough though, before the moans and groans of our masters filled the air, alongside our own. Then began the short, air conditioned, and for once tranquil drive back to the hotel (so that we could unpack the bags we had taken to Xi'an, and be reunited with our suitcases). I say tranquil, but really it was only  due to fatigue and sheer tiredness that there was a decent amount of peace in the coach. It was evident that everyone craved a shower, a request fulfilled when we reached the hotel and were released to our rooms, before this happened we enjoyed a large breakfast at the hotels second floor restaurant, after which we collected our suitcases and received our room cards, in other words the long sought after keys to the gates that the blessed shower rooms lay behind. After leaving the hotel, our first destination was the Temple of Heaven, we had heard many things about its beauty and couldn't wait to witness it. We reached it at around ten in the morning, and then split up into our family groups to walk around, take pictures and explore the spectacular scenery that we were lucky enough to see. The absolute magnificence of the temples that preceded the Temple of Heaven raised my expectations of it to the extreme and displayed such beauty, showing that fluid craftsmanship and hard work can create something that can awaken the artist within us all.  Seeing the Temple of Heaven, in all its glory, was inspiring, it showed dedication, represented faith and demonstrated loyalty which knew only the sky to be its limit. Lunch was then our priority,  after reaching the restaurant and being seated, everyone was graced by the presence of many very well presented as well as incredibly amazing foods, this kept the smiles on our faces going for quite a while. A small village was our next stop. This was where we were intrigued by new methods of renewable farming and ingenious ways of reducing waste, it was very eye opening as well as informative, especially as it's something so important. We saw many gorgeous animals there, including a pony, cow, donkey, two peacocks, and some cute little rabbits, one of which seemed to be exhausted by the heat and was trapped under a rock, after Sebastien (I named him) had been rescued it seemed he was still very tired, as he just lay on the ground, breathing slightly whilst looking in pain, Mr Irvine then took charge in fanning Sebastien to cool him down. He then picked him up and handed him to one of the farmers so that he could take care of the little rabbit, an act of extreme kindness if nothing else. A short coach ride to another section of the village followed, we were on our way a nursery to meet some small children and give them presents we had brought. It was a very touching experience, every child was beautiful and behaved very well, they even prepared a dance for us! It was absolutely stunning, one could see that a lot of hard work was put into it. We then gave the presents we brought to the children's teacher, as she would distribute them fairly. Their teacher then asked Kitty and I to hand out pieces of shortbread to the kids, we took a packet each and went around offering them to the sweet little kids who were engaged in colouring at the time. Seeing as I'm far too scary in appearance, only a few kids said yes to shortbread from myself, but Kitty being so friendly and petit was accepted by nearly everyone, it was a really nice thing to do, have a short chat with them, give them something that they'd never had before, and then watch their eyes light up with surprise as they enjoyed what they tasted. Leaving the nursery was hard, we couldn't bring ourselves to leave such cute kids, it was a challenge. The market nicknamed the 'Silk Alley' was our final stop, and the end of our tour, this was where
- after splitting into groups and deciding a time and place to meet - everyone had been told to save their money for, as it would be very cheap and the haggling would be plentiful. True to the rumours it was, everyone came back with plenty of gifts, souvenirs and presents. It was a very lovely place and it will remain a lovely memory for all of us, as haggling was not only exciting but rewarding. Finally, after a long and noisy coach ride back, we had dinner at the hotel. The food was amazing, I really enjoyed the conversations we had, the laughter we shared and the cake for Nicholas' birthday we all loved. All good things must come to an end, or maybe that's not true, seeing as we all have such fantastic memories, ones that will stay with us for life, does that mean that this good thing will never come to an end? I think so. I have made new friends, spoken to people for hours on end with whom I've never spoken more than a few words to, and learned so much about a culture that is so interesting and historical. Our time as a family is also nearly at an end, which saddens us all in some way, large or small, but I'm confident in saying that the memories and experiences of our large, dysfunctional and annoying family will be with me forever, always close to my heart.

Blog from Ryan and Ariane

Today's blog is by Ryan Schuller and Ariane Branigan

Our last day in xi'an was very memorable. After breakfast at the Wannian Hotel we left for a local factory that makes beautiful replicas of the famous terracotta warriors in varying sizes. It was interesting to see the process of the clay being coiled, moulded and fired in a kiln. The finished product was realistic and gave us an impression of what to expect when we saw the real warriors in the museum. Many of us bought mini terracotta figures (the real ones sadly wouldn't fit in our hand luggage). Some people wanted to buy traditional Chinese warrior swords but we decided that they wouldn't be let through immigration.

After we had left the factory we drove to the Terracotta Museum, which is on the site of Emperor Qin Shi Huang's tomb.  The first of the three pits was the biggest, holding over 500 standing warriors. Although they were awe-inspiring, it was slightly disturbing to see life-size human figures missing limbs or heads. However they *were* looking considerably better than we would after being buried underground for 3000 years. The other two pits were smaller but the warriors contained in them were in better condition and had greater significance to Chinese history.

Lunch was delicious but uneventful until Patryk bet Thomas 15 yuan that Thomas couldn't eat 15 bowls of noodles. This attracted mass attention from the rest of the group who started cheering him on- Unfortunately the contest was interrupted when it was time to leave. However Thomas still managed to eat EIGHT bowls of noodles, much to the amazement of the group, and insisted that he could've eaten more if not restricted by our schedule.

After lunch we walked round the Huaqing Hot Springs, a truly beautiful mountain retreat which was used by many emperors in the Tang Dynasty as a summer house. We were very disappointed to learn that we couldn't actually swim in the volcanically-heated water (understandable as the water was dark green) but we were all still amazed at the sheer beauty and peacefulness of the place.

Dinner was good, in an authentic local Chinese restaurant, but brief due to the fact that we had to catch a soft sleeper at seven. The train station was very busy and even though we had already experienced soft sleeper trains in chin, we were all still excited to board the train, although not for the foot pain you experience when waking up In the morning.

Sore feet and early mornings aside, the day was highly enjoyable and it was sad to say goodbye not only to our amazing local tour guide Sean but also to the beautiful city xi'an itself. We hope to return in the future.
-Ryan and Ariane

Today's blog is by Coren Childs
Up for another day in Xi'an. Woken up at six in time for breakfast at seven and leaving at eight. We started off the day by visiting a sanctuary for many animals, but mainly pandas. The morning was boiling and it clearly aggravated not only us, but the animals as well. There were the golden monkeys, that screamed and shrieked at us from there tiny cages, the black bears that ran around their enclosures and jumped up at the bars, and then there were the pandas, which lazed around in the heat, but then again, pandas don't do much else, no matter the weather. After spending the morning walking around this sanctuary, we got lost trying to find our way out. Eventually we found our way out and met up with the rest of the group, I remember Miss Halliday cheering about how her group were first to all be there, referencing the Hogwarts- like aspect of our train by saying, "Gryffindor is first again!" Well, someone thinks their team is best.
For lunch we went to this small local restaurant for noodles, beef, bread and other delicious foods. This had to be one of the tastiest restaurants so far. We were the first foreigners ever to have visited the restaurant. We were treated like royalty! of us took turns eating the really spicy chillies, I almost died after having to climb over 700 steps, some of us tried to run to the top, I made it about halfway before having to stop due to the heat. Once we made it to the top we received the great news, everyone back down!
For dinner we went to a restaurant where we had chicken, beef and another delicious food.
After dinner the groups were split up again between those who wanted to go for a walk, play table tennis or do more salsa dancing. We had loads of fun and the night ended on a good note.
Time for another day, and another journey.
-Coren

Blog post from Rishi

Today's blog has been written by Rishi Pandya

After leaving the newly christened 'Hogwarts Express' (sleeper train), we arrived in Xi'an. Moaning and sleepy faces were abundant and only our masters walked at a decent pace! The coach ride was a pleasant thirty minutes, due to everyone being far too tired to speak. Arriving at the hotel was a sight for sore eyes, as this meant a much needed and well deserved shower. Our first stop was a calligraphy class at an art gallery, where we learned to draw Chinese characters and got a chance to watch a professor of calligraphy paint a masterpiece. The artwork displayed was breathtakingly beautiful, truly amazing. Our attempt at writing elegant, graceful Chinese characters was a mixture of success and... Not so much success. Such a complex art form, suited to a complex culture, that holds such a vast history. For lunch we went to a Chinese buffet which kept us all happy. Wonderful smelling foods greeted us as well as kind people who catered to our every need, this place was also a theatre. Leaving the restaurant, the next destination was the Wild Goose Pagoda, a Buddhist temple of worship with over 1300 years of history to its name. Here we saw a large incense burner that was just outside of the temple itself. Up close the temple was so stunning, so noble and so humbling. The marble dragons that adorned the sides of the lower half of the temple were incredible.
Then we left for Xi'an's city wall, it is nine miles long and very uniform looking. We were given free time to roam the wall and enjoy the view, it was a beautiful one as the wall is so high. Many locals and tourists use bicycles to travel along the wall, sadly we could not use them due to safety reasons, but it was a nice feeling, greeting people we had never met before as they rode past us. Our dinner was at a place called Shaanxige, where we were served many, many different types of tasty dumplings. The amount of Chinese cuisine we were served was amazing, it was a shame that quite a lot had to go to waste. The Xi'an wall was our last stop and we began to make the return journey to the hotel. We had activities to last us the time until bedtime, these were badminton and salsa dancing. An intense doubles tournament for badminton ensued and a more relaxed, more passionate salsa dancing class also took place. Miss Halliday took charge of the salsa and Mr Bryant headed the badminton. The winners of the badminton tournament were the team of Ben and Rory, who played with style and confidence, and for the salsa the most impressive dancer was Martin, who surprised Miss Halliday fantastically. Our adventure together as a family continues. As for tomorrow, temples, pandas and new memories await.

Tiannamen Square & Xi'an province

On Sunday morning the sun was shining when we left the hotel and made our way into the coach. We headed to Tiannamen Square. The students were surprised to learn that the square was so big it could hold up to 1 million people. We walked across the square to get a feel of it's size and took some group pictures.
Next we visited the Forbidden City to walk through the grounds of the Emperor's home and also the offices where he carried out daily work and business. The sun was beating down as we wandered among the splendid buildings. It became so hot at one point that we retreated to the shade for ice cream.
Next we were treated to another huge lunch of mouth watering, authentic Chinese food and then we walked back to our coach.
On the way to the Summer Palace we stopped off at a traditional tea house and were treated to a Chinese tea ceremony. We all tried various teas and learned about the medicinal benefits of each one. Following the ceremony we all raided the gift shop, no doubt there will be delicious Chinese tea coming back to Scotland as gifts.
The Summer Palace was as beautiful as expected and more, built along the water, boasting a marble boat and a long, painted promenade. The students witnessed many people wearing traditional dress and took the opportunity to take lots of pics. The folk music playing in the background and the beautiful sunshine only added to what can only be described as the genuine Chinese cultural experience.
Dinner again was as before - copious amounts of delicious Chinese food, too much in fact! We will need to start climbing the wall daily in order to burn off the extra calories if we keep eating like this! I am so pleased that all the students are enjoying the food and getting plenty to eat, even those who are vegetarian.
Tonight we will be taking the Hogwarts express to Xi'an. This will be an adventure, rattling and winding our way through the Chinese countryside for 11 hours.
Next stop Xi'an, see you soon!

Arrival and updates

Two brief updates from Mr Irvine, who is having some trouble accessing the blog while in China. Apologies for the sporadic nature of these updates!

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We finally arrived at the Rainbow Hotel in Beijing on Friday, around 1 am local Time. After a short sleep we were up again. I was really pleased to see the students trying typical Chinese breakfast food, the small white dumplings were delicious. We are now on a bus heading north, a 60km bus journey, to the Great Wall. We are having a lesson on Chinese language, characters and culture en route.
Unfortunately my iPad seems unable to access my China Blog when I am in the hotel. I will try my best to keep you updated on our Chinese adventure.

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Hello, here is a brief update on our trip so far; on Saturday afternoon most of the group climbed to the 3rd tower on the  part of the Great Wall that we visited. To encourage us to climb right to the top, we were told that those who made it right to the top would be hailed "Ying Xiong" by our guides when we returned to the bottom. "Ying Xiong" translates as Heroes. The early morning rain did not put us off, the plastic ponchos that we purchased for 10 Yuan at the start of the walk were soon removed as we began to climb. We found that  they were making us more wet that the light rain as it was so hot and humid.
After a very full Chinese buffet lunch, we visited the Ming tombs and learned how the landscape of the area mimicked an emperor's throne, running from the mountains down to the water. Each emperor had his own tomb built before he died.

Next we followed the Sacred Way, a beautiful walkway  lined with statues of animals and warriors and learned what each one represented. We were surprised to learn that these statues were 600 years old.

On our way back to the city, we were taken to a jade factory and gift store where we watched workers craft beautiful ornaments and we learned about the different types of jade.
After dinner we were taken to the Chinese acrobat show, an award winning, stunning display of virtuoso. 

A very tiring, fun packed day that left us desperate for a soft pillow in a darkened room.
Tomorrow the sun will be out and Tiannamen scare, the Forbidden City and the summer palace await

First day in China

We finally arrived at the Rainbow Hotel in Beijing on Friday, around 1 am local Time. After a short sleep we were up again. I was really pleased to see the students trying typical Chinese breakfast food, the small white dumplings were delicious. We are now on a bus heading north, a 60km bus journey, to the Great Wall. We are having a lesson on Chinese language, characters and culture en route.
Unfortunately my iPad seems unable to access my China Blog when I am in the hotel. I will try my best to keep you updated on our Chinese adventure.

(This post was added by Mr Macdonald; words provided by text from Mr Irvine). 

Emergency contact during trip to China

Dear all
In the event of an emergency whilst we are overseas in China, please call the following number: 07780760428
The contact person will be Mr. MacDonald.
Please note that this number should only be used if there is an emergency after school hours, otherwise please call the school directly.

The coach will arrive back at the school around 10pm on Friday 28th June. We will ask the driver to park at the bottom end of Lauderdale Street, near the small side gate as there is a lot of construction work going on at the top end, next to the car park entrance.

Best Wishes

R. Irvine

P.S. T-shirts and caps were issued during lunch break today. Any student who did not collect them should do so first thing tomorrow morning.
All luggage should be taken to the S6 common room in Spylaw before registration and passports should be handed to Ms. Lyall.
After lunch tomorrow all students going on the trip are requested to meet in S1 with their family leader.
Students will be told this tomorrow morning when they hand in their passport.

Only two sleeps to go ....

Hello everyone,

Just confirm that the coach will collect us at Glasgow airport and bring everyone back to the school on Friday 28th of June. Our ETA is around 9:30, we arrive back in Glasgow at 8pm.
Please come to the school in order to collect your child.
On Thursday morning all students should arrive at the school normal time and take their luggage over to the Spylaw building. Ms. Lyall will meet them there and direct them to the room where we will all store our luggage for the day.
Ms. Lyall will also be taking in passports for safekeeping.
Students will attend morning classes as normal and then have their lunch. Following lunch break all students will be asked to meet with me and the other staff and we will spend some time in family groups going over the final details of the trip.
We will be putting our luggage onto the coach around 3:15pm and departing from the school at around 3:30pm.
I would also like to mention that the t-shirts arrived at the end of the school day today and they will be available for collection at lunchtime tomorrow (Wednesday!).
Please can you ask your child to report to his/her family leader on the Thursday morning to declare any medicines that he/she will bring on the trip. A small note from a parent/guardian would also be helpful.
If you have any questions from now until Thursday, please get in touch.
Please make sure that you have a copy of the emergency number to contact here if needed. This was issued back in March, but I can re-issue, or place it here on the blog.
We will have a bit of time in Glasgow airport, students will need some money in order to buy refreshments and possibly something to eat as it is quite a long time until we are on the flight.
Our first flight will depart around 9:30pm (EK026) from Glasgow.
On emirates the weight allowance for hand luggage is 7kg and 30kg for the hold.
Please ensure that your child's luggage does not exceed this limit.

China Trip update - Tuesday 11th June meeting

Hello,

Today we discussed the final arrangements for our trip.
We will be leaving from school by coach on Thursday 20th of June at 3:30pm.
All students are expected to be at school as normal on the morning of Thursday 20th, but we will organise a room where all luggage can be stored safely until our departure.
Some of the students asked if they could be absent from school on the Thursday morning before our departure; however in light of the fact that it is a working day for parents and students will be required to bring heavy luggage to the school, it has been decided that all students should attend school as normal. After lunch students will be asked to meet in their families to discuss final arrangements and plan for our departure.
Some students today were enquiring about spending money and how much they should bring. Although I have not been on this particular trip before, I have taken the advice from other staff who have and we do not envisage students needing a lot of money as everything is included in the price; meals etc. Any pocket money will be purely for snacks, drinks and gifts therefore we recommend something in the region of £100. Since it is not possible to obtain Chinese currency in Scotland, it might be better to take US dollars instead of  Sterling.
I am currently looking into the best way for us to exchange this currency once we arrive in China and I will update the blog as soon as I have this information.

R. Irvine

China Trip Update

Hello everyone,

With only 10 days to go until we depart for China it is important that we take time to check all of the details and make sure that we have all of the necessary paperwork in place.
Hopefully you have by now received a cheque in the post to reimburse you for the cost of the visa and in some cases an overpayment? If so, you will see that the attached letter has a tear-off slip for you to sign and return to the school. I need to know that everyone has now received their visas for China. I would therefore urge all parents/guardians to make sure that I receive this acknowledgement asap.

Tomorrow there will be a lunch meeting for China, it is essential that all students attend.
We will discuss out departure details and rooming for our trip.
I will also be discussing the emergency cards which will be issued to all students during the trip.
At the last meeting, one of the students asked me to clarify the situation with mobile phones. I will go over this tomorrow as well.
It is important that everyone is aware of the cost of using a mobile phone whilst abroad, and although we are not banning students from taking their phones with them, we have to insist that they are used appropriately and that they declare with their family leader if they are indeed taking a mobile phone with them to China.
It is essential that the following rules are adhered to at all times if a child is planning on taking and using a mobile phone whilst in China.

• If a member of staff asks a student to switch off a phone, they do so without argument.
• Mobile phones remain switched off and packed away during travel, this includes journeys by coach/train in China.
• Mobile phones remain switched off and packed away whilst in the hotel bedrooms
• Cameras/videos on mobile phones will be used in a responsible manner. 

Faliure to comply with these rules could result in the phone being confiscated and not returned until the end of the trip.

If you are any doubt about this, or you are concerned about the phone being lost. or stolen, we would recommend that the phone remains at home.
However we do recognise that a mobile phone could be useful during the trip, provided it is used in a mature and responsible manner.
All students should let their family leader know if they plan to take a mobile phone and be prepared to share their mobile phone number with their family leader.

This will be discussed further at the next China meeting on Tuesday 11th of June!

China Trip update

Hello everyone!
5 weeks today and we will be off to China!

Just to confirm what we covered at the meeting on Tuesday,

I issued two additional pieces of paper which are necessary for the visa applications; one was a cover letter from the school confirming the names of all trip participants, the second piece of paper was the first page of the trip itinerary, this was missing from the pack issues last week.

You should now have everything that you need for the application. Please make your appointment online. You will be given a time to visit the consulate to submit all of the required paperwork.

Students who did not attend the meeting on Tuesday should see me ASAP in order to collect these documents and be able to proceed with the application process.
In a couple of weeks I will be asking you to confirm with me in writing that your child has received his/her visa, or at least if the application has been submitted.
Please do not leave it too late!

Thanks and best wishes

R. Irvine

P.S. I will try to organise for the cost of the visa to be refunded to you within the next 2 weeks!

China Visa application update

Dear all,

I have just received confirmation from the Travel Company with regards to the insurance information that you need to include on the application form;

Please read the following:

Fogg Travel insurance:
Master policy number SJUNS40097- 01 A&B
Insurance document info can be downloaded from NST website but if students have had pre-existing medical conditions they need to call 0845 1300198 to check this out.
Back in March we highlighted the need for you to contact the Insurance Company directly, if your child has any pre-existing medical conditions. Please do this if you haven't done so already!

I appreciate that you will now be eager to send off your application, but before you do so please wait for one more final document that I have been advised to share with you. In order to support your application you will need a letter from the school confirming that your child is A) going on the trip to China and B) is a pupil at James Gillespie's High School.
I have only been made aware of this today, so I have arranged for a letter to be drafted this morning and I will get it to you ASAP. Once you have received this document, together with the other paperwork that I issued on Tuesday, you should have everything you need in order to proceed with the VISA application.
I am still being told that it is taking approximately 4 days if you visit the Edinburgh Centre.

More information to follow shortly.

Thank you for your patience and understanding

Best Wishes

Mr. Irvine

China Meeting Tuesday 7th May 2013

Hello,
today we met at lunchtime and we discussed further the application process for visas.
I issued envelopes to each student which contain important information that is needed to support each individual application.
Please treat the contents of the envelope as confidential and do not make photocopies.
Once the application has been processed and the passport returned, if the support documents are also returned I would ask that they be brought back to the school and given to me.
It would appear that taking the documents along to the Edinburgh consulate is the quickest and cheapest way of applying. Please check the China Visa website for more precise details about the application process, although I believe you can apply online and then you will be given a date/time to go along to the centre. This is when you will take along the supporting documents that were issued today.
Today a question regarding insurance was raised and I am currently dealing with this. I will update the blog as soon as I find out about the insurance; e.g. if there is a policy number that you need on the application form.
If there are any more questions like this, please get in touch and I will do my very best to get you an answer as quickly as possible.
Some students did not attend the meeting today and I am out of school tomorrow. if your child did not attend my meeting today and therefore did not received the documents, he/she should report to me first thing on Thursday morning.


Thanks and best wishes

Ryan

China Trip - visa update

Hello everyone!
I have received documents from the Travel company, copies of which you will need to send along with the completed application form.
I have printed these this afternoon and arranged for copies to be made for each student. My plan is to issue these at the next meeting on Tuesday 7th May. I don't want to upload them here as they contain passport information.
I believe you can take the application and hand it in yourself, this might in fact be a slighter quicker and cheaper method than sending it by post. I think Mr. Warden mentioned this back in March as he has had the experience of applying for several visas in the past. I believe it only took him 4 days last year to get his.
I will confirm all of this on Tuesday. In the meantime, if you have any other questions that can't be answered on the visa website please email either myself, or Mr. Warden using the email address that he supplied on the letter that was sent out last Tuesday.

Best Wishes

Mr. Irvine

Feedback from the China Meeting on Tuesday 23rd April

VISA APPLICATIONS - UPDATE!!!

Please note there is a meeting EVERY Tuesday lunchtime for the foreseeable future. If a meeting is not going to take place, I will inform you the week before, or put a message on the blog. We also use the computer screens in the school to share information like. Yesterday we discussed visas and I became aware that a significant number of students who are going on the China trip are also going on other overseas trips in May.
For these reasons and others, many students cannot surrender their passports in May. This makes it very difficult for us to organise a group visa as all passports would have to be sent off together.
We have also done a bit of research into the process and we feel that it would be better if everyone made their own individual application as the process of making a group application is not as straightforward as we previously thought.
We will therefore be asking you to make your own visa application and I will update you later on how to go about this.
The form is available to download from China Visa Application Service Centre online. Once you are on the website, go to "visa instructions" and then you will see an option for downloading forms. The form that you will need is V.2011A
There are detailed instructions on the website about how to apply. I read that applications by post can take up to 10 days.
I will try to create a link to the website via this blog, but if it doesn't work please just search for "China visa Application Centre" and you will find it. I will organise a letter to be sent home to confirm this. Please get in touch if you have any questions/concerns.
China Visa Application Centre

China Meeting Tuesday 23rd April

1. Meeting Tomorrow

This is a reminder that there will be a meeting tomorrow at 1:15pm in W20 for all students going to China.
Attendance is essential!
Please ensure the following:

1. Are all of your payments up to date? If not we need the final payment immediately! (last week there were still several outstanding payments and this is causing problems as we need to pay the final instalment to the travel company.

2. If you have not yet returned a signed copy of the code of conduct, please do so immediately. You cannot go on the trip if you have not done this!

3. You will have to attend some of the Friday afternoon Mandarin sessions in order to practise some very useful, survival Mandarin for the trip to China. This will be taught over a block of 4 weeks.

There will be a sign up sheet for this being passed around tomorrow in the meeting.

2. Vaccinations (Important information for parents/guardians):

There are no particular vaccination requirements for China, but tetanus and hepatitis vaccinations should be up to date.
As mentioned at the information evening, it is the responsibility of parents and guardians to find out whether, or not their child requires vaccinations. It is therefore advisable that all parents seek the advice of their child's doctor. They will be in a better position to advise you whether, or not a child needs a particular vaccination. We are not able to give medical advice and your family doctor will have knowledge of your child's medical history..

3. Visas

We have made the decision to do a group visa for our trip, we will therefore be asking all students to bring in their passports to be sent away for the visa.
I will update you more on this shortly!

Mr. Irvine

Code of conduct - notice for students and parents

If you have not yet returned a signed copy of the code of conduct issued on the information evening on Thursday 14th of March, please can you do so immediately. This should be returned to your family leader.

Best wishes

Mr. Irvine

Next China meeting for students

The next meeting for students will take place on Tuesday 23rd of April at 13:15 in W20. Attendance is essential.

Mr. Irvine

China Meeting reminder

Just a reminder that there will be a meeting for all parents/guardians this Thursday at 6:30pm in the school library.
The meeting should last approximately one hour. I would ask that all students arrive early at 6pm.
There will also be a lunchtime meeting for students as normal on Tuesday 12th at 1:15pm in W20.

Agenda for Thursday 14th March

1. Time to sing in Mandarin
2.Time to learn Mandarin
3. Introduction to the staff who will accompany the group to China
4. PowerPoint Presentation
-Travel arrangements
-Trip Itinerary
-Insurance
-Medical info/vaccines etc
-Kit list
-Code of Conduct
5. Questions & Answers

I hope that you can all attend as this meeting is very important, please contact me at school if you are unable to attend this Thursday!

Mr. Irvine

China Meeting update ( today at 1:15pm)

Today the China group met at the usual time and we had an interesting discussion about the Great Wall of China. Last week I asked those who attended the meeting to do some research and try to find out some interesting facts about the Great Wall, ideally things that most of the group may not already know!
Once again I was disappointed with the turnout, although much better than last week, there were still 11 pupils missing. I issued the EE2 forms today and asked pupils to return them completed by Friday, along with their passport (or photocopy of their passport!). I have allocated pupils to family groups for the trip and I asked all pupils to return the aforementioned documents to their designated family leader.
If you did not attend the meeting today you will not:
A. Have a copy of the EE2 form
B. Know who your family leader is
Please can you see me immediately if you did not attend, so that I can give you the form and tell you the name of your family leader.
Parents/Guardians, can I please ask for your assistance here, your child should have an EE2 form to bring home this evening.
For next week I asked the group to do some research on the Changling (Ming Tombs), which is on our itinerary to visit.

The family group leaders are:
Mr. Irvine
Mr. Warden
Ms. Halliday
Ms. Lyall
Mr. Stewart

Best Wishes

Mr. Irvine

China Trip Meeting 2013

Hello everyone!

We had a very disappointing turnout at the China meeting today, only 13 out of 33 turned up!

I asked those who attended to give me their preferred T-shirt size. I need to know all T-shirts sizes ASAP (S? M? L?). If you did not attend the meeting today you need to get this information to me ASAP!

Please remember that attendance is essential, we need to have regular meetings in order to share important information and updates. Meetings will be every Tuesday at 1:15 in W20 and an attendance record will be kept.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR PARENTS/GUARDIANS & STUDENTS!

1. Passports need to be brought in and photocopied by Friday 8th of March at the latest! Please check that your passport is valid. Please check that the passport meets the requirements for China.

2. Each student should hand their passport to their designated family group leader (these groups have only just been decided and the names will be put up in the display cabinet in the languages corridor from tomorrow, or students can ask me and I will tell them who their family leader is.

3. EE2 forms will be given out at our next lunchtime meeting (Tuesday 5th March!) to be signed & completed by parents/guardians and returned to the appropriate family leader no later than Friday 8th of March.

Please indicate on the form if there are any specific dietary requirements.

*TASK FOR NEXT MEETING:

FIND OUT 5 INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA AND SHARE THEM AT OUR NEXT MEETING ON TUESDAY 5TH OF MARCH AT 1:15 IN W20.

China Trip Update

Hello everyone.
Our Tuesday lunchtime meetings will continue as normal for the time being, Please remember that attendance is essential.  We have not yet had 100% attendance at these meetings.
The meeting starts at 1:15 every Tuesday in W20.
At the next meeting I will be asking students to provide sizes for trip T-shirts that we are currently in the process of organising. The cost of this has been covered, but students can pay for additional T-shirts if they wish.
I will confirm the cost of these at the parent information evening in March.
I am also in the process of enquiring about visas and will update you in due course. It is my intention to try and organise a group visa as this will save you the trouble of having to organise it yourself.
Please note that the next payment of £260 is due in March!

More information to follow soon!

China Trip Itinerary

Please click here to view the latest version of the itinerary:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/uz6e48da4wprgl5/Itinerary.doc

Parent Information Evening

Dear Parents/Carers,

Just in case your child missed the meeting yesterday and did not pick up a letter, I wanted to make you aware that I have scheduled an information evening for parents for Thursday 14^th of March. This will be an opportunity for you to find out more information about the trip and to meet the team of very experienced staff who will accompany the children to China. 

The meeting will start at 6:30pm and should last around 1 hour. A reminder will be handed out to students nearer the time, but please pencil this important date in your diaries.

Mr. Irvine

Next China Trip Meeting for students

Notice for all students who are going on his trip

Please note that our next meeting has been postponed until Tuesday 19th of February (first day back after the February break!).
Please continue to practise your song and keep checking the blog for updates.

I'll see you next in W20 at 1:15 on Tuesday 19th!

Mr. Irvine

China Trip flight details

FLIGHT DETAILS
Departure Date	Departure Airport	Departure Time	Arrival Date	Arrival Airport	Arrival Time	Airline	Flight Number	Locator
20/06/2013	Glasgow	21:30	21/06/2013	Dubai	08:00	EMIRATES AIRLINES	EK 026	IZUWLW
21/06/2013	Dubai	11:00	21/06/2013	Beijing	22:20	EMIRATES AIRLINES	EK 308	IZUWLW
28/06/2013	Beijing	07:25	28/06/2013	Dubai	12:00	EMIRATES AIRLINES	EK 309	IZUWLW
28/06/2013	Dubai	14:50	28/06/2013	Glasgow	20:00	EMIRATES AIRLINES	EK 025	IZUWLW

Accommodation details

Please find attached some information that I have just received from the travel company about our hotel accommodation.

Click on the links below to access the documents (they are in PDF format!)


Hotel information

Hotel Information

China Trip - Details

Dear all, preparations are now well under way for our trip to China in June.
I have started to hold China meetings on Tuesdays over lunch with all students who will take part in this excursion. Students must attend these meetings.
The flights have been booked and the only change to our original plan is that we will now be flying from Glasgow airport to Dubai and then on to Beijing.

Here are the details:

OUTWARD JOURNEY
Emirates Airlines – Flying from Glasgow
Departing GLA on 20/06/2013 at 21:30
Flying with EMIRATES AIRLINES on flight EK 026
Arriving DXB on 21/06/2013 at 08:00
Departing DXB on 21/06/2013 at 11:00
Flying with EMIRATES AIRLINES on flight EK 308
Arriving PEK on 21/06/2013 at 22:20

RETURN JOURNEY
Departing PEK on 28/06/2013 at 07:25
Flying with EMIRATES AIRLINES on flight EK 309
Arriving DXB on 28/06/2013 at 12:00
Departing DXB on 28/06/2013 at 14:50
Flying with EMIRATES AIRLINES on flight EK 025
Arriving GLA on 28/06/2013 at 20:00

I am also in the process of organising an information evening in the school library for all parents and students on the evening of Thursday 14th of March at 7pm. This will be an opportunity for parents to find out more about the trip, meet the team of staff who will accompany their children and ask questions.
More precise details of this meeting will be given out in the form of a letter in due course.

PAYMENTS
The next payment of £260 is due in February!

Blog set up

We have set up this blog to help students and families keep up with news about our China links and forthcoming student visit to China.  More info will be appearing here soon.