Good morning Band Family,
It’s the first day of school! Welcome to all of our new and returning band students!!! Even though the school year is just starting we are already rolling with our marching band season. Be sure you’re checking this weekly email for details about the upcoming band events.
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It’s very important that band students attend every rehearsal and performance for the duration of the school year. They will receive a grade for their participation at each rehearsal meeting. Please be sure that you check the calendar on the band website for all rehearsal and performance dates. Any absence without the director’s approval will be considered unexcused. Unexcused absences from any event will have a negative impact on the student’s grade and cannot be made up. We are aware that emergencies happen, and will deal with those on a case by case basis. The most important thing in those situations is clear and open communication.
Please be sure to schedule any appointments around the calendar (which has been posted since last April, see below for a link to the calendar). It is vital for the success of the band that each member is present at every rehearsal and performance. We can only succeed with everyone! https://www.thehoustonband.com/calendar
THIS WEEK:
Tuesday (8/13) Rehearsal 3:00-5:30 PICTURE DAY
Thursday (8/15) Rehearsal 3:00-5:30
Friday (8/16) Rock-A-Thon See below for details
IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Band Booster Dues:
By now, we should have all paid or planned to pay the first two installments (May 15th and July 15th) of the Band Booster Dues. Please work to stay current on these payments as this is how we fund Band Camp and purchasing all of the materials and equipment for Band Camp and the early part of the marching season. The next payment due will be September 15th.
ROCK-A-THON:
We will hold our biggest fundraiser of the year, ROCK-A-THON, on Friday August 16th at the High School. This event helps fund all of the great things we will do during our marching season. How does ROCK-A-THON work, you ask?
ROCK-A-THON is a supervised lock-in at the school gym on Friday, Aug 16, from 8pm-6am. Once you’re in, the doors are locked and no one leaves! You do not have to buy a rocking chair, a camp chair or something comfortable you can individually sit in will work. Most of the students group together along the gym walls and set up TVs with gaming systems to play video games, or take part in the activities planned for the evening. The students remain seated for about 50 minutes and then get a 10 min break each hour to go to the bathroom and get a snack. We have an exciting schedule this year with group activities and snacks alternating every other hour! The kids are supposed to get sponsors/pledges for each hour of rocking, with a minimum of $100. Please do not feel obligated to pay that yourself though. It’s easy to ask grandparents, neighbors, family for $10-20. If you can get a corporate sponsor, that’s awesome, and we’ll try to get publicity for them on a sponsor banner on the band shed. It’s a super fun night your kid won’t want to miss!
Pit Crew:
Many thanks to all of you who have signed up to support our children on the field for competitions! August 17th (Saturday) is our next meeting. We will meet at The Shed at 8 AM.
You will have just picked up your child from Rock-A-Thon and tucked them snuggly into their bed. So, you will have a few free hours before they move again! Leaving time to have a brief Pit Crew meeting and then start some painting and a few other things to keep moving forward to be ready for their first performance. We want to beat the heat! If you have a basic tool kit, please bring it for some of the simple maintenance we need to start on.
To join or if you have any questions, please contact Susan Boresky (boreskyzoo@aol.com) or Will Boyd (boyd.will@yahoo.com) Check us out on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/thehouston.pitcrew.7