Mr. Blacquiere

1. You must sign-up by Wednesday, February 23.  You can do this by bringing your money to Mr. B’s room. 

1. The cost of the trip will be the same amount as a normal outing. Rates:  lift ticket =$19,  lift ticket + ski rental= $31,  lift ticket + board rental= 33

1. When you get to school Friday morning, put all of your equipment in the storage room across from Mrs. Gauthier’s room.

1. Go to your normal classes.  You will hear an announcement over the loud speaker at 9:00; it will dismiss you from class.  It’s your responsibility to get your homework from your teachers for the classes you will miss.

1. Grab everything you need from your locker and the ski storage room and meet me at the Chix Coop at 9:05.

1. We will arrive at Bittersweet at 10:00am and will ski until 4:30 pm.  Bring a sack lunch or money to buy lunch at the cafeteria.

1. Our bus will leave Bittersweet at 4:45PM and will arrive back to Cityside (Chix Coop) at 6:00pm. 

If you have any other questions or concerns please call me at: 748-4777 ext 2002 or email me at:  zblacqui@zps.org

Thanks,

Mr. Blacquiere

The first thing that your ski clubber needs to do is to pick up their cards.  I’ll have the cards available for pick-up on Wednesday, December 8.  I would recommend that you pick up your cards before Christmas break so that your family can use them over the vacation.   I have over 120 people in ski club, so I can’t possibly track down every student. I ask that someone from your family pick up their cards from me in room 202.  If you have ordered family passes I will bundle your cards and give them to whoever picks them up.

The first ski outing will be  Thursday , December 16.  The first outing is usually the hardest to organize. Many parents and students have questions about how the event will work.  Ski Club will be run exactly like it was last year, so parents of seventh and eighth graders, you probably know the routine.  This post will be an attempt to fill in all first time ski clubbers about how next Monday will work.  If you have any further questions please feel free to e-mail me at Zblacqui@zps.org.  I will try to get back to you in a timely manner.

If you want to attend the first Ski Club outing you need to do a couple of things this week: 

The first thing you need to do is to pick up your card.  The card will be important to keep with you because each student will be evaluated on the first outing.  The evaluation is nothing to be worried about.  Each skier is asked to go down the bunny hill while a member of the ski patrol determines your ski level.  The card is important because after the evaluation it will be punched so that you never have to do the evaluation again.  The evaluation will determine what types of hills you may go down, beginner, intermediate and expert.  As you progress as a skier, you may get reevaluated so that you can ski more challenging hills.  The card is also important if you would like to take advantage of the two free lessons that are offered.  The lessons are offered by expert skiers and usually last about 30 min. 

The second thing that you need to do is to sign-up for the event on or before Wednesday, December 15.  It is very important that I stick to this deadline, because I need to have an accurate roster so that I can keep track of the 60-70 students in attendance on Thursday.  YOU MAY NOT ATTEND THE FIRST OUTING IF I DO NOT HAVE YOUR MONEY BY THE END OF THE DAY WEDNESDAY.  In order to sign up, I need you to stop by my room (202) with the money required for the outing.  The following are the different amounts required: 

Remember to write all checks payable to Bittersweet Ski Resort

$19- Skier/boarder who does not need to rent   ($14 lift ticket + $5 Transportation)

$31- Skier with ski rental ($14 lift ticket + $12 ski rental + $5 Transportation)

$33- Boarder who rents ($14 lift ticket + $14 board rental + $5 Transportation)

            If I have received your money by Wednesday, you are signed up for Thursday.  On Thursday, when you arrive at school, you may store your snow gear (snow pants, hat, gloves, skis, snow board) in your locker or in the Cityside storage room.  Go to the office on Monday morning and they will direct you to the storage room if you are unfamiliar with where it is. 

            When the school day ends, go to the storage room, grab your stuff and then meet in the Chix Coop.  I will take attendance, we will get on our snow gear and then we will load the bus.  The bus typically leaves Cityside by 3:10.  Your family is encouraged to come on the outings, however, only Cityside students can ride the bus.  Your family will have to drive there separately.  In the past some parents of six graders have met us at Bittersweet to alleviate some of their child’s worries, but that is up to you. Two six grade teachers Mrs. Schuur and Mr Kremer will be in attendance also.

            When we arrive at Bittersweet, I will take care of purchasing the lift tickets and rentals for all skiers/boarders.  Once you have all of your gear on you are free to hit the slopes.  There will be four Cityside teachers in attendance to make sure that everything runs smoothly. 

            When the night is over, we will load the bus and head home.  We arrive at Cityside at 9:30 and the kids will be dropped off in the back of the school by the Chix Coop.  Please be on time to pick up your kids. 

            I hope I’ve answered most of your questions.  The next post contains the answers to many other questions that parents have asked this year and in the past.

Ski Club is a great opportunity for 6-8 graders to learn to love a sport that that they can enjoy their entire lives.  Here are some frequently asked questions about ski club:

When do I buy a discount card and why should I buy it?

The cards can be purchased from me anytime during the season, but I would like the majority of the cards to be purchased by Friday, December 3.  Bittersweet Ski Resort wants to encourage young people to take up the hobby of skiing.  They offer students an opportunity to buy a discount card from a sponsor at their middle school.  The regular rate to ski at Bittersweet is $24 so the card pays for itself the first time you use it. 

When is the card valid?

The card is valid every weekday, but can only be used after 3:00 on weekends and during the holiday season.

Can adults purchase cards?

Yes, The adult card is only $10 but your savings will not be as great as the student cards.  They are, however, a good value if your family plans on going to Bittersweet together more than one time this season.

When will we get the cards  that we ordered?

The cards should be ready for pick-up on Wednesday, December 8.  I will have the cards organized by family so send one family member, who attends school at Cityside to pick up your cards. 

When do I sign-up and who do I pay the money to?

On the 6 dates listed, we have arranged transportation to take students who would like to ski to Bittersweet.  You do not need to go to every Ski Club outing.   If  you do want to go, you have to get all money into me (rm 2002) the Friday before the Monday event.  I need this so I can organize the appropriate transportation and also prepare a list of all attendees so that I can keep track of all 50 students.  If the money is not in by Friday you cannot attend. 

How much $ and who do I write the check to?

The check can be written to Bittersweet.  Skiers/ boarders who have their own equipment- $19.  Skiers who need to rent- $31.  Boarders who need to rent- $33

***Remember a $5 transportation fee has been added to Bittersweets rates to pay for busing***

Where do I store my ski gear at school the day of an outing?

The ski gear will be stored in the storage room across from Mrs. Gauthier’s room. 

When do parents need to pick up their kids?

Pick-up will be at 9:30 PM in the back of the school by the Chix Coop doors. A ski club sign will be posted on the door.

Will there be adult supervision?

We will have a range of 3-4 teachers who will help kids learn how to ski and will be available if a student needs us.

What if my child does not know how to ski? 

We will teach all kids how to ski and Bittersweet  provides 2 free lessons to kids.

Do we need to pack a sack dinner?

Some kids bring a sack dinner and others will bring money to purchase food in the cafeteria.

PLEASE EMAIL ME IF YOU HAVE ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS:  zblacqui@zps.org