Winter Park High School Band Notes
August 19, 2018
FROM MR. BLACKMER
Dear Winter Park Band Families:
I hope that everyone had a great first week of school! It is always a bit turbulent adjusting to the new schedule, waking up earlier, and getting back into a routine, but I hope that everyone weathered it well! This past week was my 24th "first week of school," and I was exhausted, but it was a good kind exhaustion! We have some terrific students in the Winter Park Band Program, and I look forward to every day working with them!
There are many items to draw to your attention this week, so please read carefully. Several of these things have important deadlines and cut-off dates, so mark calendars carefully!
- Until our class lists and courses have been corrected on Canvas, we will be using Google Classroom. Students were added to our Google Classrooms over the course of last week (and some will be added this coming week), and parents are encouraged to follow on their as well. Of course, our primary means of communication will always be this weekly newsletter and our website - www.winterparkhsband.com.
- Our second annual Mattress Sale Fundraiser is coming up on Saturday, September 29, in the East Cafeteria! This was a very successful (and easy) fundraiser that we did for the first time last school year that earned us over $6,000 in profit! In addition to raising money for the Winter Park Band Program (which, in turn, comes right back to the students), for each student referral that results in a sale, the fundraising company will be paying out cash rewards ($25 for one referral, $50 for two referrals, $100 for three referrals, and onward). To kick-off this fundraiser, we have a very important (and short) parent meeting this coming Tuesday, August 21, from 5:00 PM - 5:30 PM, and the fundraising company will be donating $5 for each family in attendance!
- Our trip to Los Angeles at the end of the school year is still happening! There are just a few more details that need to be worked out, and then I will send a trip-specific e-mail out to all families.
- Look for information regarding uniform accessory ordering later on today or tomorrow. This is for BOTH marching band and concert band uniform accessories, and there are some very important cut-off deadlines to watch for! The website for accessory ordering is www.MyBandStuff.com.
- Lastly, there has been a little bit of confusion on the new after-school attendance procedure. Regarding the Absence Request Form discussed in the Band Handbook, this is only for after-school rehearsals, and only if the student was in school during that specific day. Essentially, what we are saying is, if a student is well-enough to be in school for the day, they need to also attend scheduled after-school rehearsals. In the rare occasion where this is not the case, then the Absence Request Form needs to be completed. If a student has been called-in sick/absent for the school day through our Attendance Office, there is nothing more that you need to do!
All the Best!
Mr. Blackmer
BAND TRAILER WORK DAY
A huge THANK YOU goes out to the many volunteers who helped with our Trailer work day this past Saturday: Willson McBurney, Jim Flood, Brenna Flood, Adam Maulfair, Mike Roberts, Tim Ellis, Angel Gonzalez, Olivia Gonazalea, Samuel Gonzalez, Jay McPherson, Peter Vassos, Michael Storch and Keith Gavin.
ALL-STATE PREP CLINIC
The University of Central Florida's Music Department will be holding their annual "All-State Preparation Clinic" on Saturday, August 25. This is a FREE clinic, but students do need to register at www.music.ucf.edu/allstate. All Winter Park Band students who will be auditioning for the Florida All-State Band are strongly encouraged to attend, and even those who are not auditioning for All-State Band, remember that the All-County Band auditions are based on some of the same music as All-State!
2ND ANNUAL MATTRESS SALE FUNDRAISER
The Winter Park Bands will be hosting their 2nd annual Mattress Sale Fundraiser on Saturday, September 29 in the East Cafeteria! This is a great way for students to earn credit into their Band account, and there is a Facebook event page found at https://www.facebook.com/events/229907844517176/. Please share this event on your own Facebook page, and encourage others that you know (even if they are not part of the WP Band Program) to share as well!
We will have our kick-off meeting for parents/students on Tuesday, August 21 at 5:00 PM in the Band Room. This meeting will last 30 minutes or less, and Custom Fundraising Solutions will be donating $5 to the Band Program (and ultimately into student accounts) for each parent in attendance!
Look for additional information coming in a specific mattress sale e-mail later this week!
MARCHING BAND PERFORMANCE DAY PARKING
Please see the picture below depicting our Marching Season Parking Routine. Following these rules will allow our tractor trailer to easily maneuver out of the bus loop before the Band buses depart. It will also allow us to safely park the trailer for easy unloading upon our return. Thank you for your help with this!
AMAZON FUNDRAISING OPPORTUNITY!
Even though the holiday season is past us, this is still an excellent tool to raise money for the Band every time you shop at Amazon. The Winter Park High School Alumni Band Association is a registered charity on Smile.Amazon.com, so please remember to use this unique link to shop at Amazon every time, and a small percentage of the sale (at no cost to you) will automatically be sent quarterly to the WPHSABAA account and then donated to the Winter Park Band Program. If we all use this link every time, we can raise funds on an ongoing basis to help the band! https://smile.amazon.com/ch/27-0964817
If you have any questions, contact Jane Claus at janeclaus@live.com.
Color Guard Sectional
Monday, Aug 20, 2018, 03:00 PM
Winter Park High School, Summerfield Road, Winter Park, FL, USA
Marching Band Rehearsal
Tuesday, Aug 21, 2018, 02:45 PM
Winter Park High School, Summerfield Road, Winter Park, FL, USA
Mattress Sale Fundraiser Parent Kick-Off Meeting
Meeting will be held in the Band Room and the WPHS Band Program will earn an easy $5 for every parent in attendance! It's a short meeting, so please stop in before taking students home after Marching Band rehearsal.
Tuesday, Aug 21, 2018, 05:00 PM
Winter Park High School, Summerfield Road, Winter Park, FL, USA
Marching Band Rehearsal
Wednesday, Aug 22, 2018, 01:45 PM
Winter Park High School, Summerfield Road, Winter Park, FL, USA
Home Football Game
Friday, Aug 24, 2018, 05:00 PM
Showalter Field, Cady Way, Winter Park, FL, USA
Winter Park High School Bands
Email: Christopher.Blackmer@ocps.net
Website: www.winterparkhsband.com
Location: 2100 Summerfield Road, Winter Park, FL, United States
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/121733824572614/
Twitter: @wphs_bands