Dear Winter Park Band families,

I hope everyone has had a relaxing summer so far, and Happy 4th! It's hard to believe that we will begin the 2022-2023 school year in a short couple weeks with Band Camp 2022. We're excited to get to work putting together our 2022 marching band show titled, "Goodbye, Yellow Brick Road"!

URGENT - ACTION REQUIRED: All Band families need to check into their student's status with FHSAA Athletic Clearance. Currently, there are only 50 out of 140 students completely cleared and ready for full participation in Band Camp. As I'm sure you know, 50 out of 140 people does not the "Sound of the Wildcats" make! Even if you believe you are cleared, please check your status as soon as you read this. There are about 30 students who have created a profile but have not completely uploaded the required paperwork. That still leaves 60 students/families who have neither created their profile nor uploaded a physical and ECG to be cleared. If you have not submitted your physical and/or ECG to the Athletic Clearance website, please do so ASAP so you can fully participate in all the fun! If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to email both Mr. Smith and myself. I cannot stress enough that this needs to be completed by every Band family as quickly as possible so your student will be cleared before camp begins.

I've seen lots of great work being done and progress being made at Summer Sectionals! The final dates the Band room will be open during the summer are below. Students may access equipment on campus from 11 AM - 2 PM on these dates, and can also take advantage of getting extra help from either myself or Mr. Smith on summer practice and getting ready for All-State auditions this coming fall.

• July 13, 14

Be sure you're playing your instrument leading up to Band Camp. A good amount would be 15-20 minutes a day with a focused warmup and some work on scales, long tones, show music, stands tunes, the fight song, alma mater, etc, and a short cool down. You could pick one thing from that list to work on for 15 minutes and then pick another for the next day. Whatever playing you do now will give big dividends when you get to camp!

Also, a reminder that we are offering Uniform Fitting times during the following dates. If you are able to make it to school, please come get your fitting done for your marching band uniform. If you can't make it either of these dates, don't worry! We'll get you fitted during Band Camp.

Wed., July 13, 11am - 2pm - Upperclassmen

• Seniors 11a-12p
• Juniors 12a-1p
• Sophomores 1p-2p

Thur., July 14, 5:30pm - 8:30 pm - Freshmen

• Upperclassmen who could not make Wed. fittings are also welcome

As a reminder, Band Camp begins the week of July 18 and concludes with our Preview Show the evening of Friday, July 29. Please see the Band Calendar for all Band Camp details.

Have a great week,

Mr. Clemente

Happy 4th, Band Boosters!

Can’t believe the 4th of July signals the near-end of summer, but it kind of does for Band Kids! Eek!

Hope you all have been able to rest and recoup at least a little bit before we begin Band Camp and what will surely be a great Fall Semester of activity and all things band! First, a big thank you to those of you who have been able to help the Kerst family with meals and / or meal gift cards in their time of need. Angela and Dave (Kerst) so appreciate the love shown and support with meals .. It’s so great to know that our band of families can support each other in this way .. thanks so much!

Also a big thanks to the parents who have signed up to help serve meals during band camp and / or help fit uniforms the week before. Only parents who were “official” Additions volunteers for WPHS last year are able to help us in this official capacity during the summer .. don’t worry, new parents, there will be plenty of time when school starts for you to assist!! If you did not receive the sign up genius or have any questions about these volunteer needs, please contact Robyn Fodor (Volunteer Coordinator) at robynfodor@gmail.com or me (dana@keepakefloral.com) and we’ll get you plugged in!

We are in DIRE NEED of more help for these parent-only tasks, however. It takes a village to feed these kids and fit them for uniforms! There approximately 50 open slots for volunteers during this three week period, as feeding and fitting 140-ish students requires many hands!

PLEASE take a look at the sign up genius here and find a slot (or two!) that will fit into your schedule .. even if you need to arrive late or leave early, you can sign up and make a note about your scheduling needs: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0A4FADAB22AA8-marching

We REALLY need to fill these slots so we can successfully get these kids fed and fitted without undue stress on the coordinators of the meals and fittings. Thanks for looking at your calendars to see where you can help out!

And lastly, mark your calendars for 6 p.m. on July 29 for the Band Booster Meeting (yes, if you have a kid in band, you’re a Band Booster!) either in the auditorium or the Band Room at WPHS. We’ll share important info for parents as we approach the upcoming school year, followed by the preview performance of the Sound of the Wildcats’ “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” halftime show! Can’t wait!

Dana Adkinson

WPHS Band Booster President

Summer Uniform Fittings - Save the dates!

• Preferred time slots listed below, but find a time within these two days that works for you to get fitted for marching and concert uniforms.
• New families - use the map below to find your way to the WPHS band room. Follow signs from there to line up for fittings.
• Students - wear your marching compression shorts or athletic shorts, a T shirt and easy to remove shoes.
• Parents - we will need 6-8 volunteers both days to help with uniform fittings. Lunch will be provided for parent volunteers. Please email schaefer.momma@gmail.com or text Amanda Schaefer at 386-214-5432 to sign up. Please arrive at 10:30am to go over instructions.
• Uniform crew - this is another opportunity for student volunteer hours.
• If you cannot make it to be fit either of these two dates - no worries! We will fit you either during Band Camp or at the beginning of the school year.

Wed July 13 11am - 2pm - Upperclassmen

• Seniors 11a-12p
• Juniors 12a-1p
• Sophomores 1p-2p

Thurs July 14 5:30pm - 8:30pm - Freshmen

• Upperclassmen who could not make Wed fittings are also welcome

Our Student Leadership Team have been working very hard to prepare for the coming school year! As part of this work, they have called a small number of Summer Sectionals for their section. These Summer Sectionals are wonderful opportunities for sections to work on the marching band music for the coming fall's show, but also some are social/"get-to-know-each other" functions such as bowling nights or playing frisbee in Blue Jacket Park. Summer Sectionals are optional, but we encourage everyone to try their best to attend them if you are in town and don't have a previous schedule conflict.

A note to parents: Please do not alter your summer plans around these sectionals. If you have a vacation, family function, or any other summer plans that may conflict with a Summer Sectional date, don't worry. We hope you enjoy your vacation!

Click on the link below or look to the picture under this section to find your section's Summer Sectional dates. Students should reach out to their section leader with any questions or clarifications on dates and times.

WPHS Band Summer Sectionals 2022

Monday, July 18

• Percussionists (Drumline & Front Ensemble) and Color Guard, 9 AM - 5 PM

Tuesday, July 19

• Incoming Freshmen, Leadership, Percussion, and Color Guard, 9 AM - 5 PM

Wednesday, July 20 - Thursday, July 21

• All SOTW students, 9 AM - 5 PM, both days

Monday, July 25 - Friday, July 29

• All SOTW students, 9 AM - 7:30 PM daily

Friday, July 29

• Mandatory Band Booster Meeting, 6 PM, Band Room
• Preview Show, 7:15 PM, D Lot Band Practice Field

PROCESS FOR ATHLETIC CLEARANCE

Step One
Obtain or print a physical copy of the EL2 Physical Form and OCPS Cardiology Report form.

Step Two
Take the Physical Form and OCPS Cardiology Report form to your physical and ECG appointment. These forms must be completed by the physician. OCPS will not accept any other forms for this process.

Step Three
Create an account at https://athleticclearance.fhsaahome.org/

You can create a separate account for each student in your home, or parents can create ONE account to manage multiple students.

1. Click the link above. Watch the video if you would like.
2. Click “Create Account”
3. Enter name of Parent OR Student (parent preferred) - whoever is going to complete this registration and upload process, and fill in the rest.
4. Click “Start Clearance Here”
5. Follow prompts:
   1. Select “2022-23” from drop menu
   2. Winter Park
   3. Sport: Select “Marching Band” AND any sport you might try to participate in
   4. Click “Next”
6. STUDENT INFORMATION
   1. Ignore "Choose existing student" unless you've already created an account and added students
   2. Enter student information in the prompts
7. PARENT INFORMATION
   1. Enter Information
8. MEDICAL INFORMATION
   1. Follow Prompts
9. SIGNATURES
   1. Student signatures
   2. Parent signatures
10. FILES
    1. Upload EL2 Physical form (three pages in one file) in the first blank
    2. Upload OCPS Cardiology Report form (one page) several blanks down on the page
    3. Upload ONLY the EL2 and Cardiology Report, you can ignore the rest of the upload boxes.

Step Four
Wait for clearance!

https://winterparkathletics.org/ecg-locations-and-information/

Includes All Sports, JROTC, Competitive Dance Teams, Marching Band and Guard

Read through the instructions below BEFORE starting. New this year, you must select ALL of the sports that your child plans on trying out for at the beginning of the clearance. Missing this step will require an entire new clearance to add additional sports. ALL ATHLETES MUST HAVE THIS COMPLETED EVERY SCHOOL YEAR. If your child’s physical is still good, it will roll over into the new school year clearance. THIS MUST BE COMPLETED AND REGISTERED BY A PARENT/GUARDIAN, USING A PARENT/GUARDIAN’S EMAIL ADDRESS. Please use an email address that is checked regularly as important athletic updates are sent.

Please be mindful of the OCPS 48 hour rule. It takes up to 2 school days to process paperwork, sometimes longer at the beginning of the season. Same day clearance is not possible.

Summer Clearance Deadlines – Submit by for these activities:

• 5/27/22 Summer conditioning or weightlifting
• 7/1/22 Marching Band and Color Guard
• 7/22/22 All Fall sports

Printable Instructions with required forms click here.

Athletic Clearance FAQs:

When can I begin completing my account for the 2022-2023 school year?

• You can begin completing your Athletic Clearance account for the 2022-2023 school year on May 13th, 2022.

Do I need an ECG?

• Per OCPS, all student-athletes, marching band, color guard, NJROTC, and competitive dance students are required to have an ECG completed prior to participation for the 2022-2023 school year. For incoming 9th graders and new students, only an ECG completed after January 1st, 2022 will be accepted. If the student-athlete was in high school for the 2021-2022 school year and completed the Athletic Clearance process including the ECG, these students do not need to get another ECG. Only one is required per four years in high school.

What is my Username?

• Your username is the email address you used when registering. This must be a parent email.

What if I want to play multiple sports or want to choose a different sport later?

• If you know you are going to play multiple sports when registering, it is best to add all sports on the first step where you also select the school year and school. If you are registering for additional sports after completing your initial clearance for the year, you will have to complete the process again. However, you will be able to select the student and parent/guardian information from the dropdown on those respective pages to autofill.

What if I have more than one child? Do I need to create separate accounts for each?

• No. Once you click on ‘Start Clearance Here’ in your dashboard, you will select the year and school for whichever child you are completing it for. It will then give you the option of selecting a current child in your account, or adding another child. All children will then appear in your dashboard. You will have to complete all required steps and documentation for each child.

How do I turn in my forms to get cleared for athletics?

• All forms need to be uploaded to your Athletic Clearance account under the files section of the profile. Please do not drop your forms off at the school. If you have trouble uploading files use the help option in Athletic Clearance. File types jpg or pdf work best.

Why haven’t I been cleared?

• The Athletic Training staff at Winter Park High School will review the information you have submitted and either Clear or Deny each student-athlete for participation. Please allow at least 48 school days for this process. If the student-athlete is cleared you will receive an email stating they are cleared. If something is missing or completed incorrectly, you will receive an email notification stating the student-athlete was denied. The email will also include steps you will need to take to obtain clearance for the student-athlete. Student-athletes are NOT allowed to participate of any kind until they are cleared.

Still have questions?

• Please contact Elaine M. Judy, LAT, ATC at elaine.judy@ocps.net

Quick Overview:

• Who: all students participating in Marching Band
• What: must have a physical exam and ECG completed
• Where: at any healthcare provider; forms must be submitted online
• When: submitted and cleared BEFORE Band Camp begins in July. Ideally, this should be done before the end of June!

Who:
All students who want to participate in Marching Band must have a physical completed and an ECG completed. Physicals need to be completed every year, while ECGs only need to be done once throughout all of high school. If you have already had an ECG done and approved while in high school, you do not need to do one again.

What:
Physicals: must be completed by a physician, and they must fill out the EL2 form included in the physical packet. Students received the physical packet either at Band Registration Night or at Band Mini-Camp.
ECGs: must be completed by a physician, and they must fill out the OCPS Cardiology Report found in the physical packet.

Where:
All students must be registered through https://athleticclearance.fhsaahome.org/ (see below). Once an account is created and the student is registered, the forms are to be uploaded there.

When:
Forms must be uploaded in time for students to be cleared to participate by the start of Band Camp in July.

It's never too late to join the Band!

• Complete the 2022-2023 Band Registration Google Form

• Make the $25 Registration Payment on either the below SchoolPay.com link or by check made out to WPHS Bands.
• Make the $60 Band Camp Meals (optional) payment on the below SchoolPay.com link or by check made out to WPHS Bands.
• 2022/2023 Band Registration and Band Camp Meals SchoolPay Link

• Complete the forms in the following 2022-2023 Band Registration Forms packet that applies to your student's main instrument and return the completed and signed forms.
• Woodwind/Brass/Percussion Registration Packet
• Color Guard Registration Packet

We are very proud of our Operations side of the Winter Park Band. We have a dedicated group of parents that take the Winter Park Band & Color Guard to all their events. However, without the use of the large tractor trailer that transports our equipment to and from each marching band event and the small trailer for color guard the task would be next to impossible.

Through the years, the operations group has made many changes to the trailers to improve the functionality for the Winter Park Band. Historically, all of the monies have been raised through private contributions of a select groups of parents and through the Alumni Foundation. Because of this the need of a full fundraiser event to deflect the cost of the band operations was never really until now.

In effort to maintain our large trailer’s top-notch condition, we are planning to do some MAJOR repairs and improvements to the trailer that is now in its 15th year of service for WPHS band. Additionally, we need to either replace (preferable) the small trailer or make it road worthy again.

Some of the items on our list of improvements are costly, including:

• Repairing some minor damage to larger trailer
• Repainting the lower section of the large trailer
• Rewrapping the upper section of the large trailer
• Replace wheel bearings on front axle
• Moving the back stairway to the back of the trailer
• Replacing or repairing the small trailer
• And other improvements to keep our kids and volunteers safe.

Since we are re-wrapping the large trailer, we will be selling sponsor spots on the larger trailer to defray the cost. There are 10 spots that are available for $1,000 each and the entire front of the trailer for $5,000. These opportunities are a great way to support the Winter Park Band and they are also tax deductible.

Please contact Keith Gavin at kgavin@sscands.com for further information on donations or to provide the goods or services to the improvements that are so desperately needed.

Monday, July 18: Percussionists and Color Guard, 9 AM - 5 PM

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Tuesday, July 19: Incoming Freshmen, Leadership, Percussion, and Color Guard, 9 AM - 5 PM

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Wednesday, July 20 - Thursday, July 21: Band Camp, All SOTW students, 9 AM - 5 PM, both days

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Monday, July 25 - Friday, July 29: Band Camp, All SOTW students, 9 AM - 7:30 PM daily

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Tuesday, August 2: Marching Band Rehearsal, 6 - 8:30 PM (first regular Tuesday night rehearsal)

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Tuesday, August 9: Marching Band Rehearsal, 6 - 8:30 PM

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Wednesday, August 10: First Day of School

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Thursday, August 11: Marching Band Rehearsal, 2:45 - 5 PM (first regular Thursday afternoon rehearsal)

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Friday, August 26: Home Football Game, 5 - 10 PM

Viewing your Student's Financial Account in CutTime:

There is a direct link to CutTime in "Quick Links" on the band website.

To access Cut Time, follow these steps.

• Go to CutTime.net and click “SIGN IN” in the top right-hand corner.
• Enter your Username or Email and Password You are now on your profile, where you can access our calendar and handouts and files. Click “Update Info” tab to input or update contact information. Don’t forget to click “Update” when you are finished.
• Click the “Finances” tab to view financial statements.

Make a difference for Band students with every day purchases! Shop at smile.amazon.com/ch/27-0964817 to generate donations for Winter Park High School Band Alumni Association Inc. Once this charity is selected, always type in Smile.Amazon.com to place orders.

**NEW THIS YEAR!...To enable AmazonSmile on the Amazon mobile app:

• Open the app (sign in) and touch the three horizontal lines in the top left corner. Select "See All Programs" , then select "AmazonSmile".

We've been posting lots of photos our social media platforms, and we will continue to post updates, photos, video, and other media to those pages throughout the year. Follow the Band!

• Facebook: @winterparkhsband
• Instagram: @winterparkhsband
• Twitter: @wphs_bands
• Tik Tok: @winterparkhsband