FAQs

When is Discovery Week taking place?

Discovery Week will take place the academic school week of November 3rd to November 10. All local/Korea courses will be held during this regular school week. However, most overseas courses will depart on Sunday November 3rd and return November 10th.

Why is registration taking place in May?

In the past we would start students sprinting toward DW in the first week of school, and sometimes that was not enough time to be fully prepared. We spend too much time and money on DW to rush it like we have been doing. Registering in May will allow us to organize and announce course rosters two to three weeks earlier than we normally do in the new school year. We're confident these extra weeks will allow us to prepare the students better for their DW experience.

Why don't some or all overseas courses depart on Saturday, November 2nd?

A large number of our students are participating in KAIAC tournaments on Friday and Saturday, November 1st & 2nd. We don't want to penalize our student athletes for their participation in these events.

Is Discovery Week a mandatory event?

Yes, this is a very important annual event in our high school and all students are expected to participate. Participation is noted on the student’s transcript. Students will not be excused for family trips during this week. A student on a local course can have one excused absence during the week and still receive a passing grade for DW. Like any other school day, an excused absence will only be granted with appropriate note from a parent/guardian.

How do I sign up for Discovery Week?

Registration for Discovery Week will take place May 9th to 16th. Detailed instructions about the process will be sent via email to all students and parents just prior to the beginning of registration. Students will be asked to choose four preferred courses that will be weighted equally and they will be assigned to one of those four courses.

How much does each course cost?

The cost range of each course is noted on the course roster page. Instead of a specific cost, a price range is provided because the actual cost of the trip will not be determined until the roster for each course is set. Once the roster is set, the course leaders will inform students and parents about the final cost of the course at their first course meeting in early/mid September. While we show course prices in USD (the common currency most providers use) final payment will be in KRW.

When and how are course fees paid?

Invoices for course fees will be sent via email in mid September. The entire cost of Discovery Week must be paid in Korean Won by mid October. Most parents choose to pay via a transfer from their Korean bank to SFS. Additional details and dates related to the payment process will be provided soon after students are assigned to their course.

Does my child need vaccinations for their overseas course?

In most cases it is very unlikely vaccinations will be needed. If such is advised, specific information will be communicated through your course leaders.

Does my child require a visa to travel and how do we get that visa?

Many courses will require a visa depending on destination and the passport held by the student. Course leaders will work in conjunction with the school's travel agency to determine which students need a visa. In most instances these can be acquired quite easily. However, in some cases our travel agent cannot acquire the visa for certain students/destinations and it is then up to parents to complete the process. We generally have 4-6 weeks to obtain visas, but often the Chuseok break complicates one of these weeks. The cost of the visa is generally part of the course fees, but there are exceptions and teachers will let you know for sure how visa costs are handled.

Each year we tend to have complications with students holding diplomatic passports and students from countries that have challenging relationships with some of our destination countries. It is the responsibility of the student/parent to be aware of possible visa complications for the courses on their registration form. Do not register for a course where visa issues could hold up or derail your plans should you be assigned to that course.

What if my passport is expiring soon after travel?

Please check your passport expiry date well before registration begins. As a general travel standard, passports must be valid for 6 months AFTER the return travel date. Some countries enforce this, others don't, so it's best to play it safe. This means your passport must be valid until at least May 15th, 2020. If you are certain you will choose to be part of an overseas DW course, and your passport will expire before May 15th, 2020, please begin the renewal process during the summer. For students who enter/exit Korea using an Alien Registration Card (ARC), please be sure it does not expire before November 15th, 2019.

When will I receive further information regarding my child's assigned course?

Communication between course leaders, students and parents will begin shortly after students are assigned to their courses at the end of August. Once the course rosters are finalized, there will be a number of trip specific documents that will be sent home and/or made available on the course web page.

What is the purpose of having an Enquiry Question and Learning Outcomes?

These are designed to give the DW trips a intentionally focused learning experience. The enquiry question will be a pursuit of the entire group while the learning outcomes allow a more personal reflective endeavour. DW leaders will help guide students in this area

What type of insurance is provided for my child?

All DW overseas courses are covered by the school’s medical/liability insurance policy, including 24/7 ground support throughout the duration of the course. Certain courses where students will be in remote locations or in countries where medical care is not of high standard, will have additional medical and evacuation coverage from International SOS. Course leaders will inform students and parents about this additional coverage.

Travel insurance, on the other hand, is not provided for any course. For example, if the student loses a cell phone or computer during the week, there is no coverage for this loss. Parents are encouraged to purchase travel insurance for their student if they are concerned about loss or theft of personal belongings.

Local courses are covered by the "regular" policy as if a normal school day/event.

What kind of supervision is provided for DW courses?

The student-to-teacher ratio for overseas courses is generally 10:1, but may fluctuate slightly depending upon the specific needs of each trip. Ratios for courses in Korea but outside of Seoul are 12:1, and Seoul/campus course ratios are 15:1, again fluctuating slightly based on the needs of the course. For courses going overnight, we try to have male-female sponsors, but this is not always possible.

Why do some courses have an overrepresentation of certain student demographics (grade level, boy/girl)?

An ideal course roster would include an equal mix of grade levels, boys, and girls. We try hard to make this happen when possible. However, because we allow students to register for any four courses, it becomes very hard to keep them balanced. Groups of students in each grade level commonly choose to sign up for similar courses. For example, when 70% of those who sign up for one course are freshman girls (it happened in 2015 and 2017), not surprisingly the course roster will likely be dominated by freshman girls. We do our best to have a mix of grade levels in each course, but again, this is very hard to control and sometimes a course will be dominated by students from one grade, or a few grades.

Why is DW held so early in the school year?

SFHS has a very busy calendar and this is the only week in the year without conflict. It's not ideal, but it does help create a much more tightly knit community early in the school year. DW is the the single best community builder at SFS.

Can I change my course if it's not something I really wanted?

No. Our promise to students and parents is that students will be placed in one of the four courses they list on their registration form. We expect that students and parents will only choose courses that interest them. On the registration form parents and students agree to a number of rules/policies including not requesting to be changed to another course. We will only switch a student if he/she was placed in a course that was not one of their four choices (it has happened), or for a few other specific reasons explained in the DW policies (injury, visa issue, etc.). As much as we'd love all students to be thrilled with their course, we realize for some that might not be the case. The best we can do is give all students one of their four choices.

Why is no first choice offered?

With 500-plus students having a first choice course there is no way that everyone would get their first choice. All course sizes are capped for reasons of practicality, safety and logistics. However, asking everyone for four choices, and weighing them equally, ensures that all students will get one of them. We've looked at a number of ways international schools match students to courses in similar programs, and all methods come with pros and cons. We realize for some it's hard to choose four courses they really like; but remember, it's Discovery Week, a great time to try something new or out of your comfort zone.

Can students repeat the same DW course in another year?

Yes. Some students love their course so much that they want to return, and sometimes they get lucky and are selected to go a second time. If they happen to return for the second time, that's also the last time. You can't to the same location more than twice. It's Discovery Week, so discover something new.

What is the policy during DW regarding use of phone and computers, etc.?

DW is a school event and teachers can, at their discretion and without prior notice limit or restrict use of electronics during DW, just like they can in class or at other school events. Students with a phone or computer commonly isolate themselves from the group, which is the very opposite of what we want to happen during DW. They can be a very annoying distraction. Some teachers may collect phones during the entire week and return them at the end. Others might not allow them during certain times of the day, or restrict them from the course entirely. In the case of an unlikely emergency, parents should call the HS office to get a message to their student.

How much teacher communication can we expect before and during DW

We ask all teachers to communicate directly with parents regularly before DW begins. Most teacher communication will take place via the DW web page or email or through a trip Google classroom page. For courses leaving Korea, we ask teachers to send one email to parents upon arrival, or as soon as possible. After that teachers are not obligated to communicate with parents during the week. It's a week we need to let our students disconnect with home and school and connect with the culture and others around them. Let's all assume that no news is good news.

Why do some courses fly indirect routes or have long layovers?

Airfare is the largest cost for most overseas trips and we work with our travel agent to get the best itinerary in terms of price and timing. Unfortunately, sometimes the best fare is not the most convenient routing but it's often the only way we can keep the trip under budget. Direct flights or more convenient routings on certain airlines are often cost prohibitive. We would not be able to offer some courses if we chose another airline or a more direct/convenient routing.

The 2% admin fee assessed to all courses, how is it used?

This fund is used to pay the stipend for the DW coordinators and other activities associated with DW. It is also used to cover budget overruns in any course.