Planning Your Group Visit

SCHEDULING YOUR VISIT
At the start of each calendar year, Tremont notifies schools and posts a calendar and download link to the Program Application Form on our website. Groups that attended in December, January, or February of the current school year get first priority in scheduling for the next year. We will do our best to accommodate your needs. Schools generally schedule trips by March for the following school year.

THE RESERVATION CONFIRMATION AGREEMENT
The Reservation Confirmation Agreement (RCA) is the most important form involved in scheduling a trip. Your group will not have a trip reserved until we receive this completed form and the accompanying deposit. The RCA will be sent to
you after you have contacted us with requested dates and group numbers for your desired visit. You may provide us with this information via phone call, e-mail or by sending us the Program Application Form mentioned above.

The RCA contains vital details about your group. It is very important that this information is complete. The RCA also contains our terms of agreement and cancellation policy. Please read these carefully.

TEACHER PREPARATION & FEE REDUCTION
To make the most of your experience, we recommend that teachers attend a program prior to your trip. We offer several good options. Teacher Escape Weekend is planned specifically for teachers scheduled to bring students to Tremont. Other programs throughout the year provide leaders with skills and knowledge useful in a school group trip. Learning and feeling comfortable with trails, lessons, outdoor teaching methods, and facilities is easy and fun for teachers at our workshops. Participation in one of our teacher preparation workshops allows you to waive your fee when attending with your group. In addition, your entire group can attend at a reduced rate. If you cannot come to a program before your trip, contact us so we can arrange for you to visit Tremont and observe when another school group is here. There is no need to come to Tremont feeling uncertain of what is involved!

CANCELLATION & PAYMENT POLICIES
Groups are scheduled more than a year in advance. Thus, we adhere to the following billing practices:

A group who cancels more than 60 days prior to their scheduled arrival date will lose its deposit or be billed 10% of their scheduled number of participants, whichever is higher.
Cancellations made less than 60 days prior to the scheduled arrival date will be billed for 50% of their scheduled number of participants.
Groups may submit a more accurate count up to 90 days prior to reserved dates. Thereafter, groups are responsible for a minimum payment of 90% of the number of participants indicated on the Reservation Confirmation Agreement or the most current number we have.
The full cost will be invoiced during your stay at Tremont. Full payment is due within 30 days after your group’s arrival date.

GROUP INSURANCE REQUIREMENT
Insurance is required for groups coming to Tremont. This cost is included as part of the program fee. Each claim has a $25.00 deductible. Cost and terms are subject to change.

THE TREMONT VIDEO
We want to give you our Tremont video, which is an excellent way to introduce parents and students to Tremont. It is available on the Tremont DVD and a compressed version is also available on our website. Expressed appreciation goes to the Alcoa Corporation, Tennessee Operations who provided production and composition of our video.

POCKET GUIDE & JOURNAL
You can greatly extend your students’ educational experience by providing them each with a Pocket Guide and Journal. They are packed full of Smokies information and make a great pre-trip research tool for students. Students can use them for journaling and sketching during their stay and use them for follow up assignments. If you order journals for your whole group, the cost per journal is discounted. Contact our office if you would like them shipped to your school prior to your trip. The journals and postage will be added to your school invoice. If only some of your students want a journal, order them on the Bulk Order form.

STUDENT FINANCIAL AID
Financial aid is available for students whose families are unable to fully fund their trip to Tremont. Thanks to funding from generous donors, we average more than $25,000 in financial aid given each school year. Teachers will need to complete a financial aid request form and submit it to Tremont for review. Once received, we will evaluate the total requested aid for your group and contact you on how much financial aid can be awarded. Financial aid forms can be found on our website at www.gsmit.org/school program adventures.

TREMONT’S SALES AREA AND DISCOUNT BULK ORDERS
Books, shirts and other items are available for purchase in our sales area, which is open 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. We require students to be accompanied by an adult, and our gift shop can only accommodate up to 10 students at a time.

We offer a group discount for items on the Bulk Order form. Please appoint one person to gather the orders and money, then submit that order to Tremont four weeks before your arrival. Checks should be made payable to your school and bulk order charges will be included on your school’s invoice. Discounts do not apply to your group once you arrive.

HOW TO PLAN YOUR SCHEDULE
Please review our day and evening lessons and the sample schedule. Once you have made decisions on class selections, please send a completed schedule request form or contact us with your selections and any questions about particular lessons. Please feel free to contact us about any special class needs. Many of our classes are fl exible to work within your curriculum. All classes are correlated to the curricula of Tennessee, North Carolina and many other states. Our lesson outlines, activity descriptions and additional resources can be found on the Tremont DVD.

PLANNING FOR EVENING MEALS & SNACKS

Meal Times - Meal times are as follows – Breakfast: 8:00 a.m., lunch: 12:30 p.m., supper: 5:30 p.m. Please contact us in advance if it is necessary to change a meal time.
Meal Count - We need the correct numbers for meals at least two weeks prior to your visit. The Meal and Lodging Count form is included for this purpose. There is an additional fee for additional meals.
Sack Lunches - Nutritious sack lunches can be prepared in lieu of any scheduled dining hall meal. Please indicate on the Meal and Lodging Count form when you wish to have a sack lunch. On Wednesdays or Fridays, when one group departs and
another arrives, we may not have adequate room in the dining hall. On these occasions we provide a sack lunch for the departing group.
Special Diets and Needs - Those with special diets can be accommodated with advance notice. We encourage participants with radically different diets to bring food to supplement our menu. A small dorm style refrigerator is provided for school medications as well as refrigerating special food needs.
Snacks - For groups that request them on the Meal and Lodging Count form, snacks are provided for an additional fee. Snacks consist of milk and such things as fruit, muffins, granola bars or cookies. Groups that bring their own snacks must keep them in the dining hall. Please assign an adult to oversee cleanup after snacks, which includes wiping tables, sweeping, and placing all trash in the bin. We cannot provide staff or kitchen facilities for preparation of
snacks that you bring.
Table Assignments - If you decide to assign students to specific tables, please let us know on the Table Chart Form. Otherwise, we can divide students into table groups upon your arrival. Students below 7th grade are assigned eight or nine to a table; 7th grade and above are assigned six or seven to a table.
Table Captains - Before you arrive, please assign one child per table per meal to help with meal set up and cleanup. Table captains arrive in the dining hall 15 minutes prior to each meal, and usually spend 15 minutes cleaning afterwards. Please assign one adult to help guide the table captains each meal.