TJCL Parent's Ltr

February 2, 2005

Dear Parents:

The Tennessee Junior Classical League convention will be held this year at Smyrna High School (near Nashville.) We will leave Dobyns-Bennett at 2:35 p.m. on Thursday, April 21 and return at approximately 7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 23. If your son or daughter is interested in attending, please read this letter carefully.

The convention includes academic, art, essay, poetry, costume, forensic, track and field and swimming competitions. There is literally something for everyone. Students must take at least three academic tests and be in at least one other site competition. In the past students have returned from the convention with an increased commitment to and understanding of Latin and have also gained an increased comradery by working toward common goals.

We will leave from and return to the front (Ft. Henry Drive side) parking lot. A Twentieth-Century Coach bus will provide transportation. Space will be given on a first-come-first-serve basis. Information on lodging accommodations will be given out as soon as I receive an approved hotel list from the state TJCL chairpersons.

The trip cost is $120. This includes a $20 registration fee, bus transportation, and hotel room for two nights. Students will need money for 3 dinners and 2 lunch meals (the hotel provides a free complimentary breakfast). If we stop at a mall to eat dinner as we sometimes do, they may want spending money. This of course is an individual decision.

If your son/daughter wishes to attend the TJCL convention, please send a check made out to JCL for $60 as a deposit (you may pay the entire amount if you wish) by Friday, February 20. The final payment of $60 is due by Monday, March 15.

For students who participated in our Sally Foster Gift Wrap fund raiser in September, their 40% profit will be subtracted from the trip=s cost, and they need to pay half of the total due on each payment deadline. I will notify each student concerning the amount of profit they earned and how much they owe for the trip. For those students who earned more than $120 in profit through their sales, their names will be put on the reservation list as soon as they notify me they are going. The profit earned by students who sold wrapping paper, but who cannot attend the convention, will not be credited to another student=s cost unless it is for a sibling. We must do this because an estimate of the funds has already been computed and used to decrease the total cost of the trip for all going.

Because the cost of the trip is figured on the basis of an estimate of how many students will attend, I cannot give refunds for the deposit unless there is another student to take the place of the person who cannot attend. A refund will be given only in the case of the student=s personal illness or a serious family emergency.

I may need one additional chaperone other than myself. If you are interested, please fill out the form at the end of this letter, and I will notify you in the event more supervision is needed.

Thank you for your support for TJCL convention trip, which provides Latin students with an opportunity to compete academically, creatively, and athletically. I will do everything I can to ensure that students have an enjoyable and safe time. If you have any questions concerning the trip, please call me at school (230-6828 or 378-8400, ext. 6828) and leave a voice message or e-mail me at shickman@www.k12k.com. I will return your call or e-mail as soon as classes are over. In addition, you may visit the Foreign Language Department’s web site at www.k12k.com\db/academics/foreignlangage and click on “Latin” and then "TJCL Convention" to access more information about the convention.