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Weekly News Update
* October Fair share payment due yesterday!
*Football game at Glencliffe Friday. After a brief rehearsal, band members who would like to go to the game will change into their CASUAL uniform and travel to Glencliffe. We will have a "pep band" for the football game.
* TWO competitions this Saturday: McGavock and Goodpasture. Gig sheets went out with Sunday night's email and are available in the "Members" section of the band website.
PLEASE SEND FOOD OR MONEY WITH YOUR CHILD. We are increasingly having band members tell us they did not know they were supposed to bring lunch, even though it is stated three times in the gig sheet. Though we do not let your child go without, it does make it uncomfortable for other parents and band members.
Music City Invitational (McGavock): Prelims performance time is 12:00 PM, with finals starting at 7:00 PM. Admission is $9 for prelims, $10 for finals, or $15 for both.
Goodpasture Cougar Marching Invitational: Prelims performance time is 2:45 PM, with finals starting at 5:00 PM.
* From the Treasurer:
Dear Parents: We have had a very successful marching season so far and we have many more wonderful things to accomplish. We need to insure that we will have the funds to finish the season. We must have full participation by every band parent to make sure that your child's account is either fundraised or paid down to the level that it should be at this point in the season. Fundraisers have been plentiful in the past and we have several going now that you and/or your child can participate in to keep your account up to date. If you have not had the opportunity to do any fundraising thus far you must make some payment effort to help us give your child a meaningful experience. A special thanks to all the parents for your continued support of our amazing students and the band program.
Please contact Mr. Chester or Mrs. Marcie Allen to make payment arrangements. An updated payment schedule can be found on our website at www.hillwoodband.com.
* Fruit sale information sent home. A link to the fruit sale sight is available on the HHS band website. The first due date is October 28 for Thanksgiving delivery. Information for ordering online is attached.
* FUNDRAISING OPPORTUNITIES:
1) Kroger cards (ongoing; contact Mrs. Marcie Allen)
2) Central Parking (ongoing; contact parking@hillwoodband.com)
3) Fruit sales (2 sales for Thanksgiving and Christmas delivery)
* Notice calendar changes below in RED. Rehearsal times have changed for the remainder of marching season. Other changes are included in the calendar time line. Please note that the rehearsal schedule for November has NOT been set at this time.
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Hello!
Mrs. (Julie) Lamb sent a guest commentator piece for the newsletter, but it contains some dated information. First, Julie's ticker is fine. We all had a scare Tuesday, but everything is good. Jeoria went on to the School Board meeting and spoke! Good for her!!! It's never too early to be an advocate!
Saturday is going to be a VERY long day. Please make sure you send money (or lunch) and snacks with your child. We're going to be running from place to place and won't have time to set up an area to share food. EACH BAND MEMBER IS RESPONSIBLE FOR FEEDING AND CARING FOR HIM/HERSELF. (You also want to make sure your child has a couple of bottles of water, or a refillable bottle.)
Please note the band directors' request for parent help. Many of you have asked how you can help. We will need to have water available, uniforms and helmets need to be packed and unpacked, instruments need to be loaded and placed in order, other equipment needs to be loaded.
It will be a VERY busy day and we all need to move quickly - the more hands we have, the better off we will be. Things can get a bit tense. Experienced parents, please remember how confusing it was the first couple of times you helped out and take the new parents under your wing. We all need to work on this a little so the newer parents will feel comfortable and welcomed.
Hope to see you all Saturday!
Our guest commentator this week is Julie Lamb, mother of J.T. and Jeorgia.
Last week was quite a ride. With the awesome "Cool School" event Friday morning, zero too little sleep and then to be hit with the news that cuts so deeply in our house, I was so proud of the band but mostly of our youngest "non" members who pitched in and helped with everything to get the show on. My favorite comment, "I thought it just; happened I didn't know it was so much work" was priceless. The realization that parents are "the just happened" was a lesson learned by seven students who will never forget how shows get put on the field. That was a great lesson for them and I know when they take the field in the future, they will appreciate the parents' contribution to their show.
The Hillwood band did what I expected after working with them over the last four seasons. Our upper classmen guided this group through a very difficult time. And again, they came out winners. Not in placement, but with their choices and work ethic. This program does more to teach our children necessary skills, such as group effort, self discipline, leadership, and most importantly, the self confidence they gain as they learn these lessons that will carry them throughout their life.
Jeorgia and I will be speaking to the school board at 5:00pm on Tuesday, October 14th about revising or deleting the current Marching Band District Standard Operating policy (DSOP). She asked me if she could speak to the board (newly found self confidence of the youngest "auxiliary" member). It is a privilege for younger students to march. They must possess skill and coordination as well as maturity. I believe it is a parent's right to determine if the invitation is right for their child. I believe the band director knows their students thus recommendations are important in this process too. I do not believe that the administration knows what is best for all "band" students. That is one reason why "choice" is becoming the norm for the district, parents should have the right to decide what is best for their child. Please come join us by coming with signs supporting our cause.
Julie Lamb
Update from Jody Gregory, VP of Ways & Means:
First, I want to say Congrats to the band! Way to go! A sweep of all the awards in your class must feel pretty good to you. All those practices are paying off. Keep up the good work. And I'd also like to thank all the middle school kids for helping out. You are still a big part of our program!
Second, the band will need a lot of parent help this weekend. With two competitions here locally & the potential of the band performing four times, it's a great time to get involved. If you can't dedicate all day, come when you can help for awhile. The kids are working on their big finish this week, so it will be a good chance to see all the progress they have made.
Now for a ways & means update: We currently have three fundraising opportunities going on - fruit sales, taking up money at Central Parking events, and Kroger Gift Cards. On our band website www.hillwoodband.com are instructions on how to order the fruit and a link to the Hillwood fruit sale site to order your fruit. The instructions let you and friends & family know how to give credit to your band student when they place an order. The parking opportunities are plenty with Central Parking. You earn approximately $8.50 an hour for each hour worked at an event. If you would like to add your name to the list, send an email to parking@hillwoodband.com to get an initial list of opportunities & email updates. And if you shop at Kroger, the gift card program is an easy fundraiser. Every $ you load on your gift card linked to the band parent organization, you get 4% credited to your account with the band. So $100 loaded on your card would give you $4 to your child's band account. Four dollars can add up week after week.
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