Booking a Program *We begin booking school programs in early December for the next school year* At this time, a brochure with program descriptions and a Booking Request Form is emailed to all of our school clients who have participated in one of our programs in the last 2 years. If you would like to be added to our mailing list, please email us at teamwork@gmu.edu. Be sure to send your Booking Request Form EARLY and follow up with your paperwork promptly. Late paperwork and missing deadlines may result in the cancellation of your program, as we often have a waiting list. Please read both the Teacher Information Page and the FAQ Page as you prepare to book your program(s). For answers not found on our website, email teamwork@gmu.edu or call 703-993-4313. Use the School Year 2007 - 2008 Booking Request Form or School Year 2008 - 2009 Booking Request Form found on the Forms page to reserve your program date. HELPFUL HINTS FOR THE BOOKING REQUEST FORM Provide your email address. Identify BOTH the month(s) and day(s) of the week that you CAN come. **Factor in religious and secular holidays, early closings and SOL testing days. A $200 fee is charged to change a date after the booking contract is signed and returned to us. Estimate the number of students based upon the rising class enrollment. Refer to Booking a Program. Recognize our programs. TDC = Team Development Course; EE = Environmental Education; ETDC = Combined EE and TDC; TTC = Total Team Challenge™; EQ = Earth Quest ; TFT = Tools For Teachers HINTS FOR GETTING YOUR PREFERRED PROGRAM DATE Be flexible. Be willing to have your program start before 9:30am or after 11:00 am. Schedule a program in the afternoon. Shorter programs work well with busy schedules i.e. sport’s teams and clubs. Start at 1:00pm and finish by 5:30pm. List many choices rather than just a few days. Schools that indicate a preference for any Wednesday or Thursday are likely to be scheduled more quickly than a school that indicates only 3 specific days. Fridays are in high demand. If Friday is your 1st choice, please include two choices other than Friday. Indicate clearly your 1st, 2nd and 3rd choices. Please use this page as a guide for requesting your program through final payment and program day. 1. Email/Fax in your Booking Request Form 2. Sign your Booking Contract 3. Submit your Initial Payment 4. Confirm your Group Size 5. Submit your Final Payment 6. Come Prepared on Your Program Day 1. Email/Fax in your Booking Request Form Email/print out the Booking Request Form Summer 2007 – Spring 2008 or Summer 2008 - Spring 2009. Fill it out as completely as possible, and email to teamwork@gmu.edu or fax it to 703-266-7781. We will either issue a contract for one of your chosen dates or ask you to select another date. Use the program descriptions and sample schedules on our website to help you decide which program to choose and to explain the abbreviations found on the form. Email/ Fax in your Booking Request Form as soon as you know you want to schedule a program with us. If you call us to schedule your program, we will give you general information and then refer you to our website. All scheduled programs require that we first receive a Booking Request Form. It is important to us to book programs in the order requested. Once we agree on a date and time for your program, we will put you on our schedule and fax/email a Booking Contract to you. This will hold your program date for five (5) business days. You will also receive an Initial Invoice, Facility Use Agreement, and Program Checklist. 2. Sign your Booking Contract Read the terms of your Booking Contract carefully. This contains the date(s), times, cost of the program and payment/cancellation terms. Sign and return the contract signature page by fax to 703-266-7781 within five (5) business days in order to continue holding your program date. If we do not receive your signed contract on time, your slot will become available to other groups. You may be removed from the schedule. If you need more time to make travel arrangements, etc. before signing, please call or email us to extend your deadline. With your Booking Contract you will receive a Program Checklist. USE THIS CHECKLIST – to make sure you have the forms you need, payments are made, and your students are prepared. Write the dates from the checklist on your planning calendar to assist in tracking your program. Using the checklist will enable you to spend quality classroom time preparing your group for their day at Hemlock Overlook. 3. Submit your Initial Payment School Programs: Please return* a copy of the Initial Invoice with your non-refundable Booking Fee of $200. This is due within two (2) weeks of the date shown printed on the bottom of your contract. This is part of your program cost, NOT an additional expense. If you need to change your program date or cancel your program after you have signed the contract, this fee will be forfeited. *Payment Method: Credit Card: Visa, MC only. See our online Credit Card Payment Form. Call our Financial Specialist at 703-993-9823 with questions. Purchase Orders should be written for the total cost of the program and include a line item of $200 as a non-refundable Booking Fee. Fax directly to Hemlock Overlook at 703-226-7781. Check: ALWAYS mail checks directly to the Cash Office at George Mason University. GMU, Cash Office 4400 University Drive, MSN 2E1 Fairfax, VA 22030 Please include your Invoice number (example: HO6039) on ALL forms of payment. This number assures that your payment is credited correctly to your Hemlock Overlook account. 4. Confirm your Group Size Group size is the total number of people participating in your Hemlock Overlook program. INCLUDE TEACHERS AND CHAPERONES ONLY IF THEY PARTICIPATE IN THE PROGRAM, EAT MEALS OR STAY OVERNIGHT. No later than six (6) weeks before your program date, you need to fill out and fax to us the Group Information Sheet. Receipt of this form officially confirms your number of participants. You will not be able to reduce your confirmed number. On your program day if you come with less than the confirmed number you will not be due a refund. If you need to increase your numbers we will try to accommodate you. Call us immediately if your numbers increase by more than 5 students (703-993-4313). Knowing how many people are expected each day is critical for us as we like to make our program available to as many students as possible. We understand circumstances may make it difficult for our clients to predict this number six (6) weeks in advance. If you need help determining this number contact your sales manager who will work with you to decide your final count. Contact us at teamwork@gmu.edu. When we receive your Group Information Sheet, we will fax the Final Invoice, which reflects any payments received and your balance due. 5. Submit your Final Payment This is the amount shown on your Final Invoice. This payment is due one (1) week before your program date. Please mail your final payment to the GMU Cash Office address shown on the invoice. For schools using purchase orders, follow the payment guidelines determined by your county. 6. Come Prepared on Your Program Day We know you have put a lot of work and energy into making this day happen for your students. Here are a few final reminders: Bring the signed Medical/Liability Release Form for each participant with you on program day. Please check each form to make sure it is signed on the back by the parent or guardian. The student’s name not the parents should be on the front of the form. If a student does not have the form completed and signed, they cannot participate in the program and should not be allowed to come with the group. The students will be OUTSIDE if the weather is within the stated limits. See Weather Policy. It is your responsibility to communicate the importance of this so that the students have a successful day no matter what the weather. Weather and What to Wear/What to Bring Finally, if you are new to this process, seek out someone who can share some tips on planning a successful trip. A critical element for a new or seasoned group contact is transportation and arriving on time. Arriving late may cause one of your teams of students to miss their time on the zip wire! Thank you for all you do to bring your students to Hemlock Overlook. This is an incredibly rewarding experience for everyone involved. We look forward to working with your group. Contact us at teamwork@gmu.edu or call 703-993-4313.