August 22, 2007

Dear Fourth Grade Teachers,

The volunteer docents at Mission San Diego de Alcalà are eagerly awaiting your visit to the first of the 21 California Missions. We shall be using the following guidelines to schedule tours. Please retain this letter for future reference.

TO SCHEDULE A TOUR: Call 858-565-9077 on Mondays or Thursdays (except holidays) between 12:30 and 2:30 P.M. We shall begin taking reservations on the 6th of September. It will not be too late to book tours for September. The telephone lines will be open September 6th through December 6th 2007 and January 3rd 2008 until all openings are filled (usually all tours are booked before the end of February). We strongly recommend that you book your spring tours by December of 2007.

TOUR AVAILABILITY: September through May. Mondays thru Fridays 9:00 AM – 2:00 PM.

TOUR DONATION REQUEST: $ 20.00 per class of 30 -35.

> Checks must be made out to Mission San Diego and sent to an address that will be provided to you when you book your tour.

>Once a tour date and time is reserved, the donation must be sent and received within two weeks. Upon receipt of the donation, a written confirmation will be sent to you. If the donation is not received within two weeks, it will automatically be canceled.

>Rescheduling will be accommodated subject to availability.

> Unfortunately, refunds will not be possible.

Tour content: Topics such as “why Missions were established in California”, “how they were established”, “ a history of the Kumeyaay Native Americans”, “and cross – cultural differences” will be discussed. Tour groups will visit the Church and learn about the artifacts and architecture. A tour of the grounds and museum is included. All classes are encouraged to avail themselves of our docents who have been trained in mission history using primary source material.

Non docent tours: If you call too late to reserve a docent tour or if you decide to come on your own without scheduling a docent tour, the donation will be the usual entry donation of $1.00 per student (12 yrs and under) and $ 3.00 per adult. Scheduled tours have priority on the grounds of the Mission.

Lunch/Snack: Please be aware that the Mission does not have facilities to accommodate food or snacks on the grounds; accordingly, food and beverage consumption on the grounds is not permitted. Please make other arrangements for these requirements.

We look forward to sharing the wonderful history of Mission San Diego with you and we shall do our best to make it a positive experience for you and your class.

Sincerely,

Janet Bartel (Docent Coordinator)