Missed any shopping?

We were moving pretty quickly that last 36 hours, and although we spent PLENTY of time in the touristy souvenir shops, we skipped some historical gift shops at the end of our tour that I wish we had more time to explore, but they still offer a selection of items online.  Here are three I would recommend: 

Library of Congress
http://www.loc.gov/shop 

Ford's Theatre (enter the coupon code 6001209 and save 10% because we visited there)
http://www.fords.org 

National Archives (I was so bummed we had to skip this one!)
http://www.estore.archives.gov/

Of course, it's entirely possible that your child has already spent enough of your money as it is.  If so, you can just delete and have a great day!

Cheers,
Mr. Ippolito

East Coast Adventure wrap-up

Thank you again to our East Coast Trip parents for being so supportive and helpful in making our trip safe, fun, educational, and memorable.  Thank you to our chaperones:  Mr. Martinez, Ms. Reinhold, Miss Bretthauer, and the lovely Mrs. Ippolito for all their help in keeping kids safe, for counting so many times (. . . 41, 42 . . . 43, OK we have them all!) and for reminding students that they are proudly representing their families and representing Rio Norte with their good manners and citizenship.  I think our chaperones' greatest strength was that each was a role model and an example of good character for all our kids.

Thank you to our students.  For as frustrating and annoying as some of the behaviors were in the first couple days of our trip, after a few conferences with students and a handful of e-mails and phone calls to parents, we all settled into "a groove" with each other and the last four days went great.  I was especially proud of our students in Washington, DC.  While other middle and high school students from other groups were chasing each other around monuments and memorials, smacking gum in cemeteries, and texting in museums, our students were polite, thankful, and respectful.  We were praised by several adults along our travels for how well-mannered and polite we were.

Most impressive throughout the whole trip was that our students were so ON TIME.  This promptness, the best I have seen out of all these East Coast trips I have done, meant that we were able to see more and do more than any other student group I have traveled with.

The Day 6 photos are now online, and I was able to capture a few videos from our trip as well.  You can check out the videos here:

http://picasaweb.google.com/trippolito/EastCoastTrip2009VIDEOS?authkey=Gv1sRgCMj-yMX0yfjRgAE&feat=directlink 

I will have over 1,000 photos from my camera and Mrs. Ippolito's camera burned to a disc and ready to give to your child by Tuesday, April 14 (if you come to visit me in my classroom on Monday, April 13, you can wish me a happy birthday, but I probably will not have your disc ready yet, so just give me one more day back in my classroom).  Also available for pickup will be your child's student ID card.  Hanna Kerby, I found your disposable camera.  E-mail me, and we'll figure out a way to get that, and your photo disc, to you.

Anything I missed?  If so, let me know.  Thanks for a great trip!

Cheers,

Mr. Ippolito

Day 6 photos

Will be posted tomorrow. I'm going to bed as soon as I get home!!

Sent from my iPhone

At the 118 freeway

Sent from my iPhone

At the crest of Sepulveda Pass

Please make sure to keep the red curb clear for the bus. Thanks!

Sent from my iPhone

At Culver Blvd exit

ETA 11:45

Sent from my iPhone

Headed home on the charter bus

We're on our way!! We made great time and should be at Rio about
11:50pm.

Sent from my iPhone

We've landed

Luggage, then our final bus ride home!

Sent from my iPhone

Everyone's on the flight

And ready to go!

Sent from my iPhone

Safe in SLC

Our flight to LA leaves at 9:20. If anything changes, I'll let you
know. Otherwise, expect to pick up around 1:00 a.m.

Sent from my iPhone

Finally all boarded!

Take off hopefully in 10-15 minutes.

Flight delayed to SLC

We're scheduled to depart at 5:15 now. Tighter connection in SLC, but
we should be OK.

On the road to the airport

We visited Ford's Theater and the National Archives this morning, and
just finished lunch. We are now off to the airport to come home!

As we have more flight info, I will pass it along to you via the blog.
Remember we have a plane change in Salt Lake, so I'll keep you posted
on that too.

See you at Rio late tonight at around 1:00 a.m.

New photos are online

For Day 5.  A fun, full day with the kiddos today.  Enjoy the pics!!  We're on our way back home tomorrow.

RVI

Dinner at ESPN Zone

Air and Space Museum

Just starting the Capitol tour

Library of Congress

Waiting to get into the Capitol

Supreme Court in the background

Lunch at Union Station

Changing of the Guard

Tomb of the Unknowns

Arlington National Cemetery

Photos are online

Enjoy!  G'night!

RVI

Mr Ippolito is tired!

We have faced a few health challenges this evening!  Nothing too serious, and all the appropriate parents have been notified.  However, Mr. Ippolito is tired.

As such, I am currently preparing photos for posting, but they may be without captions tonight.  

I also should mention that in the past 24 hours, our kids have--for the most part--been wonderful. 

The docents at Mt. Vernon this morning commented on how pleasant our students were, and the server at Dobbin House last night mentioned that we were the BEST group she has had all season.

Thank you, parents, for helping us hold our students to such high standards of behavior.  We want to represent our school and our community in the best way possible, and that all begins by being courteous, kind, and caring to each other, and the people we encounter during the trip.

RVI

National Museum of American History

Just left the National Cathedral (amazing photos you'll see tonight!!)
and we're now in American History. Just saw the big Lincoln exhibit,
and about to see the ruby slippers from Wizard of Oz, among other cool
Americana. After this, dinner at King Street Blues and then memorials
at night.

Sent from my iPhone

Visiting the Vietnam Memorial

Lunch at Reagan Center

Paying our respects to Gen Washington

At George Washington's home

Mt Vernon!

Driving to Mt Vernon

Photos for Day 3 are now online!

Enjoy, and have a good evening!  We start bright and early tomorrow at George Washington's home of Mt. Vernon!

RVI

Dinner at Dobbin House

Gettysburg

A rainy ride to Gettysburg

We got really lucky and only got lightly sprinkled on in Philly. Now
it's off to G'burg!

Hanging out with the Founding Fathers

In the National Constitution Center

Inside Independence Hall

Liberty Bell

Good morning Philly

Taking photos of Independence Hall waiting for Liberty Bell to open.

Visiting Ben Franklin's grave

Thank you and goodnight

Thanks to all parents who responded to my call for help.  It has been a good night, and with the exception of one girls' room (we've already spoken with them), our security guard has said that it's a quiet night.

I appreciate your support.  We're looking forward to a great day tomorrow!  The weather probably won't be as great as it was today (we're expecting cold and rainy tomorrow in PA), but we're ready.

Photos are now up for today.  Enjoy!

RVI

I need your help

Parents,

We are having such a great time on our tour, and I think our students are having a great learning experience.  However, one of things we seem to need a refresher course is being considerate while traveling.  We have spoken with them quite a bit, but I think it would also help coming from you.

When you speak to your child tonight or tomorrow morning, please take a moment to talk to your child about consideration.  In the hotel room, we are not the only guests there.  Families with children, men and women on business, and other patrons share the hotel with us, and our students right now are way too loud with their doors, their footsteps, and their voices.

Also, our students are having a problem remembering to clean up after themselves.  Whether it is in a restaurant, or on our coach, they need to remember that if they don't clean up after themselves, they are just creating an unnecessary job for someone else.

Thank you so much for your help in this matter.  I believe that if we both send this strong message together, it will be that much more effective.  Even if think, "Never MY child!" please send the message anyway, and encourage your child to be a role model to others.

Warm regards,

Ron Ippolito

--
Ron Ippolito
Rio Norte Junior High School
rippolito@gmail.com

Driving to Philly

Driving south on the New Jersey Turnpike. Ask your child to explain
the history of turnpikes when you talk to him/her this evening.

Happy Birthday Rachael!

A warm sunny day for Central Park!

Levain Bakery

We're surprising kids with Levain Bakery cookies in Central Park.
Check out photos of me in the bakery at www.levainbakery.com

Sent from my iPhone

Top of the Rock

Good morning NY!

Just checking out

And eating breakfast

Sent from my iPhone

Day 1 photos now online

Click the link to the right and enjoy!

RVI

In line to see our Broadway show!

Hello, Dum Dum!

In the American Museum of Natural History

Cold and windy in NYC

Waiting for the harbor cruise

There's the Brooklyn Bridge in the background!

Cold and windy in Battery Park

Breakfast!!

At Planet Hollywood. Yum!

Safe landing in NYC

Next stop breakfast!!

Sent from my iPhone

Just boarding plane now

Sent from my iPhone

Updated flight number

Our itinerary says Delta flight 614, but our flight number is really
flight 714. Right now scheduled for on time departure.

Sent from my iPhone

Leaving Rio

Your kiddos are in good hands! Enjoy your evening, parents!

East Coast Trip - Last e-mail before we travel!

This time tomorrow, we should be checking in at the Delta gate, ready for our big adventure.  I'll make this last message short.

Wear your blue USA shirt tomorrow.  If you forget it, I have extras.  We all wear the same shirt because for the first 18 hours of the tour, we're all still getting to know each other.  It helps everyone if we all look alike.  You'll be able to shower and change before Broadway.  Yes, of course, wear your jacket over it when we're out in the cold, but your blue shirt should still be underneath.  

Do a final packing check.  Batteries and chargers are the most frequently forgotten-at-home accessories on this trip.  Go through your whole packing list and check and double check.

Transition to the blog - I will no longer be sending out these broadcast e-mails to you.  Instead, I will be posting regular updates on the blog.  These updates will include a collection of photos each evening.  Check from work, check from home, my goal is to post a trip update every 4-6 hours.  Again, that address is http://trippolito.blogspot.com 

I'm ready.  I'm packed.  I'm excited.  Hope you are too!

RVI

--
Ron Ippolito
Rio Norte Junior High School
rippolito@gmail.com

East Coast Trip - The second-to-last e-mail

OK, here are just some few last-minute things I've been thinking of:

Attendance on Friday - I think it's important to be at school Friday.  First of all, I don't think the school would let me continue my trip if tons of kids kept turning up absent.  Second, Hey, I'm going to school!  And third, I don't think it's a good idea to stay at home and sleep/lounge all day.  You WANT to be tired by Friday night.  You want to get some sleep on the plane.  Taking a three-hour nap in the middle of the afternoon will just throw your sleep pattern off even more, I think.  Stay healthy, eat well, get a good night's sleep Thursday night, but don't spend all Friday napping.

To reward those who come to school Friday - I am going to hold a drawing.  You must come see me in person sometime on Friday (brunch or lunch) to enter yourself into the drawing.  The winning student will receive an "I HEART NY" t-shirt when we arrive on Saturday.  Hanna and Lucas, since you don't attend Rio Norte, I'm going to assume you are going to your respective school on Friday and enter your name into the drawing.  I'll announce the winner when we're on the coach heading down to LAX.

Weather reminder - If you've been checking the weather, it looks like it's going to be in the 30s, 40s, and 50s, with a bit of rain here and there.  Be prepared!

Luggage captains - I have had one strong student (thank you, Lucas) volunteer to be a luggage captain.  Marc, I've heard a rumor you're interested, too.  If anyone else is interested, come see me.

Name badge preference - If you have a preferred nickname that you'd like on your name badge other than the name that is officially on my roster, let me know.  If it doesn't matter whether you are "Katrina" or "Katie," "Christopher" or "Chris," then don't worry about it.

I said "second-to-last" e-mail because I imagine there will be one final one later Thursday afternoon/evening.  See you in about 40 hours!

RVI

--
Ron Ippolito
Rio Norte Junior High School
rippolito@gmail.com