Thunder Band News 12/12/2017

/ Announcements, Booster, Color Guard, Guards, Marching Thunder, Percussion / By

In This Issue

  • Upcoming Rehearsals
  • Rose Parade Tour Information Meeting and Holiday Concert
  • Rose Parade Medical Forms and Float Decorating Waivers
  • Cell Phones for Rose Parade Tour
  • Grades and Attendance Reminder
  • Color Guard Shoes
  • BandsCare Service Project
  • Making a Difference Service Competition
  • Marching Band Banquet RSVP
  • Disney / Rose Parade / Marching Thunder T-Shirts
  • SignUpGenius Summary
  • Upcoming Events
  • Upcoming Rehearsals

There are 20 days until the 2018 Rose Parade. Rose Parade fun fact of the week: The most challenging part of marching the Rose Parade—aside from the length of the parade—is a 108 degree turn known as TV Corner. TV Corner is unique because it is challenging to march the turn properly AND that is where all of the TV cameras are set up, so it has to look good!

This technically difficult turn is what our students have been running over and over during recent rehearsals. They are making great progress, but there is still work to be done. Students, don’t forget to get with your marching line to go out to practice hitting every checkpoint, every time.

Upcoming Rehearsals

We have two band rehearsals and three guard rehearsals before departing on the Rose Parade tour.

Color guard will be rehearsing on Wednesday, December 13, from 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM. Band students will not be participating in this rehearsal due to the holiday concert that evening.

This Saturday, December 16, will we be rehearsing from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM at Westlake. From 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM, we will be rehearsing the field show and parade music. There will be a lunch break from 12:00 PM to 12:30 PM and then students will get into uniform to start right at 1:00 PM. We will do a dress rehearsal in uniforms and then a five-mile march from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM.

For Saturday’s rehearsal, students should bring water and a lunch from home. If your student is concerned about cold, they should bring warm layers to wear under their uniform. Anyone who misses Saturday’s rehearsal will be taken out of the parade block. Open guard students are excused from this rehearsal.

On Wednesday, December 20, we will be rehearsing indoors at the South Towne Expo Center in Sandy. We will meet at the band room at 12:00 PM to travel by bus to Sandy and will practice from when we arrive until 5:00 PM. When rehearsal is over, we will load the trailer and return to the school, arriving between 6:00 PM and 6:30 PM.

It is important that all students be at these last few rehearsals so that we can finish preparing for our performances in Pasadena.

We will need parents to help next Wednesday with loading the trailer at Westlake, unloading and loading the trailer at the expo center, and marking floors at the expo center. Before the students arrive, we need to lay out a football field and “the turn” on the expo center floor. If you are available to help next Wednesday, please contact Dave Duke at duke84043@gmail.com.

 

Rose Parade Tour Information Meeting and Holiday Concert

This Wednesday, December 13, we will have our final tour information meeting at 6:00 PM. The holiday concert will follow at 7:30 PM. Please plan to attend this meeting to receive any last-minute information and ask any remaining questions about the tour.

 

Rose Parade Medical Forms and Float Decorating Waivers

Rose Parade forms are past due. Emails have been sent to parents and students who are missing one or both forms. Please check this link to be sure your forms have been received:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1i93x67u7o74dSXlJv1uw6OWIc9w2dIL8Un1fDYaRjwc

If you are missing forms, please get them in immediately. We will be giving the hard copies of the forms to the tour director on Wednesday night.

Students who do not turn in their medical forms will not be able to march in the Rose Parade. This is a Rose Parade policy. Please turn these forms in Monday or Tuesday so that we can make the necessary copies and hand them over to the tour company on Wednesday.

Liability forms must also be in before the tour meeting on Wednesday. Students who have not turned in a liability form will not be allowed to decorate floats with the rest of the group.

 

Cell Phones for Rose Parade Tour

When traveling with a large group of students, we occasionally use text messages if we need to communicate with all students quickly. If your student will be traveling with a cell phone and can receive text messages, please fill out the form at https://goo.gl/forms/Pjxd9eiW6CCEclVo2 so that we can verify we have current cell phone numbers for all students.

If you have a feature that blocks text messages or calls at night for your student, we recommend you disable it while they are traveling with the group. Since we are traveling west, the time zones do not work in our favor. If a student is not in their room at 11:00 PM in California, that is after midnight in Utah. If calls or texts are blocked, we can’t contact your student and will need to call you (after midnight) to ask you to contact them for us.

If you will be traveling to California and would like to receive updates in case of changes to the schedule, please also provide your cell phone information so that we can send text message updates in case of any significant schedule changes.

 

Grades and Attendance Reminder

Students participating in extracurricular activities are required to have passing grades and current attendance. As we prepare for the Rose Parade tour, please check your student’s grades and attendance for any issues that might prevent them from participating in the trip. If there are any outstanding issues, now is the time to resolve them.

If your student has unexcused absences, they need to participate in attendance school. Attendance school is available before school (free) or after school ($5).

 

Color Guard Shoes

Because the color guard shoes for this season have worn out, new color guard shoes have been ordered and will be here this week. The cost for shoes is $20 (normally $35) and can be paid online at myschoolfees.com or in the Westlake finance office. The last day to pay for shoes is December 18.

Because these shoes will be new, they need to wear them everyday to break them in. Mariann Liddiard has officially declared it cool to wear guard parade shoes to school!

 

BandsCare Service Project

While in Pasadena, the Marching Thunder will participate in a BandsCare service project with the Ronald McDonald House. We will visit the home to play for and interact with the families who are staying there. We will also be delivering much-needed supplies and gifts for patients and their families.

When we asked what gifts we could bring to the patients, we were told that these families need basic necessities more than gifts. We are gathering items to be delivered to these families. To sign up to donate items for this service project, go to http://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F054AAFAB2BA02-rose.

 

Making a Difference Service Competition

Thank you to everyone who helped assemble the kits last Wednesday. We ended up with 51 complete school kits and 15 complete hygiene kits.

We have a few items needed to complete the remaining kits: 11 pencil sharpeners, 12 bottles of shampoo, and 12 spray deodorants. If you are able to donate any of these items, please sign up at http://www.signupgenius.com/go/30e044aa8a628aa8-final. Please put these items in the bin in the band room by Friday, December 15, and remember to include your instrument or section along with your name when you sign up.

If we can complete these last kits, we will have 62 school kit and 27 hygiene kits. Way to go!

 

Marching Band Banquet RSVP

Payment are now being accepted for parents and family members attending the marching band banquet on Wednesday, January 10. There is no charge for marching band students. Parents and other family members are $8, which is our cost for this event.

To RSVP for this event, go to https://goo.gl/forms/FL8pzqAxyHuQioIF3. You can fill out the form for your entire party, but everyone attending must RSVP.

Payments for parents and family members can be made this Wednesday before the tour meeting or after the holiday concert. You can also make payments online at myschoolfees.com.

You can confirm your payment one of three ways.

  1. Prior to submitting the RSVP form, make your payment using the provided link or go to myschoolfees.com to make your payment, and then enter your payment confirmation code in the box provided below.
  2. Pay for your plate online and send a copy of your receipt to Shawna Ivins at sivins4@gmail.com or Charlotte Ducos at cdducos@gmail.com.
  3. Pay at the holiday concert and submit your receipt either via email or directly at the register when you pay.

To RSVP, go to https://goo.gl/forms/FL8pzqAxyHuQioIF3. To make payments online, go to https://secure2.myschoolfees.com/single_item_link.aspx?sid=121&feeid=13277.

Remember that EVERYONE (students and parents) needs to RSVP in order to receive a plate at the banquet.

 

Disney / Rose Parade / Marching Thunder T-Shirts

One of our parent volunteers has designed a custom Disney / Rose Parade / Marching Thunder T-shirt. This shirt is available for band members and their families to purchase. This is not a required purchase and is an optional item for anyone who would like one.

These shirts are being ordered directly through Aimie Furse and all payments and questions should be directed to her at aimiescreations@live.com. For more information, go to https://goo.gl/forms/VBIcZRgPWqvOjEjO2. The deadline for orders is December 14.

 

SignUpGenius Summary

 

Upcoming Events

  • December 13 – 6:00 PM – Parade tour meeting with Bob Rogers Travel
  • December 13 – 7:30 PM – Holiday band concert
  • December 14 – 3:00 PM – Concerto concert auditions
  • December 15 – 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM – Pep band
  • December 19 – Performing arts holiday assembly
  • December 27 to January 3 – Rose Parade tour

 

Upcoming Rehearsals

  • December 13 – 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM – Rose parade rehearsal (color guard only)
  • December 16 – 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM – Rose parade rehearsal (all except open guard)
  • December 20 – 12:00 PM to 6:00 PM – Rose parade rehearsal

 

You are receiving this email because of your association with the Westlake High School band program. If you no longer have a student at Westlake or wish to be removed from the mailing list, contact us at thunderbandnews@gmail.com or reply to this message to be removed from the mailing list.