Winter Park Band Notes
December 4, 2016
From Mr. Blackmer
Dear Band Families,
Congratulations to the Marching Band on a terrific Winter Park Christmas Parade performance on Saturday! Thank you to all of our parent chaperones!
The Baldwin Park Holiday parade is this coming Saturday, and we are still in need of chaperones! If you can volunteer your time next Saturday afternoon, please go to the Band Calendar and click on the "helping hand" to sign-up!
A huge thank you to all of the parents who attended our Band Booster general meeting this past week! It was a great turn out! Will have another meeting in the early Winter, so keep an eye out for that announcement!
Please take a moment to read through the information about "Band Fees" below. I am very proud of the fact that Winter Park High School has some of the lowest Band fees in Orange County, but in order to do this, it requires that the fees that do exist are paid in a timely manner. As you can read below, there is a large sum of outstanding fees at this point. I realize that sometimes this just happens because of forgetfulness, and I know in some cases it is because of a financial hardship. Please do not let these fees linger into the New Year. If there is a financial hardship, please contact me and we can arrange a payment plan that will work for everyone. And, if you did just forget, please take care of bringing the account up-to-date sometime this week.
Finally, just a reminder that our Winter Concert is this Thursday, December 8, beginning at 7 PM. Please consider bringing a new pair of socks to donate to Eli Maulfair's "Happy Feet" initiative (see details below). The donation box will be available for drop-off in the Auditorium lobby!
All the Best!
Mr. Blackmer
Band Fees
All Band families should have received a Band Account statement e-mailed to them around the middle of last week. If you have not yet done so, please take a moment to look it over. A "negative" balance indicates an account credit.
If you have an outstanding balance, please take care of it this week. We currently have over $8,000 in outstanding Band fees. Please remember that we get very little financial assistance from the school, so our Band Fees are critical to the operation of our Program.
Also, Guard Fair Share 5 is due this coming Wednesday, December 7.
Band fees can be paid through SchoolPay.com or by check made payable to WPHS Bands. If you are having difficulty paying your fees, please contact Mr. Blackmer to set-up a payment plan.
Concert Cookie Reception
There will be a small reception in the Auditorium lobby following our Winter Concert this Thursday. We are asking everyone to bring bakery-style cookies or dessert bars to share. Items may be brought to the Auditorium lobby prior to the concert, or dropped-off in the Band Office during the school day. Store bought cookies are fine (keep it simple)!
In addition, if you are able to assist with set-up/tear-down, contact Lee McBurney at McBurneyFL@earthlink.net.
Solo & Ensemble Music Purchase Deadline 12/5
Monday, December 5 is the deadline to submit S&E music choices to Mr. Blackmer for purchase through the school. All purchase requests should be e-mailed to Mr. Blackmer no later than 2 PM. Any music requests after that will be the responsibility of the individual student or group.
4th New York Payment Due
For all of our New York travelers, the 4th payment was due last Monday, November 28. Payment may be made through SchoolPay.com (the preferred method) or by check made payable to WPHS Band.
Band Council Planned Events
The Band Council is currently working on several upcoming social events for the WP Band!
Our 2nd annual Band Lock-In will take place on Friday, January 20, from 6 PM - 2 AM. Be looking for an RSVP on Charms in the coming weeks. We'll also need a lot of chaperones for this event!
To celebrate the completion of Concert MPA, there will be a WP Band picnic at Bluejacket Park on Saturday, March 4, from 11:30 AM - 2 PM. More information to come!
They are also working on a skate night!
Door-2-Door Drivers Needed!
We need parent drivers for the most important fundraiser of the year! Door-2-Door is mandatory for all Band students. The students travel in groups of 4 in full uniform with a driving parent through WPHS area neighborhoods asking for donations. Each parent who drives for the day receives a share of the proceeds credited to their student’s Band account. For the past 6 years, the share has been $75 per person or more! Students will also receive the same share credited to their account.
We need over 40 volunteers for this fundraiser and we need to clear everyone for driving now! To volunteer, you must be able to transport 4 students in seatbelts. The students complete all of the fundraising work.
To sign up please follow the following 3 steps:
- Register with OCPS ADDitions at the following link if you have not already done so this school year. Search volunteer opportunities at WPHS and choose “Become an ADDitions School Volunteer” https://ocps.samaritan.com/custom/503/index.php?redirectedFromHttp.
- Forward a scanned copy or a photo of your driver’s license and current proof of insurance to Carla Shuman at shumanorl@aol.com.
- Go to the Band calendar at www.winterparkhsband.com and sign up by clicking on the helping hand icon on Saturday, February 4.
If you have questions about the process, please contact Carla Shuman at the email above.
Solo & Ensemble Fees
The fees for Solo & Ensemble have just been announced as $5.55 per student/per event. Fees can be paid through SchoolPay (the preferred method) or by check made payable to WPHS Band. Fees are due no later than Friday, February 3, 2017.
Please note that the fee is for each student in a solo or ensemble. For example, if a student is performing a solo and is a member of a duet and a trio, that student's total amount due would be $16.65.
UCF Wind Ensemble Concert
Don't miss the UCF Wind Ensemble concert today (Sunday, December 4) at Timber Creek High School!
The concert begins at 5 PM and is FREE! Extra credit for any Winter Park Band student who brings in a signed program on Monday, December 5.
Eli Maulfair Eagle Scout Service Project
From Eli Maulfair: "I am in Boy Scouts, and am currently working on my Eagle Scout Service Project. The project I have decided to take on is a sock collection to be donated to the Coalition for the Homeless. I decided on this project when I read in the newspaper that the most needed donation was clean socks. Clean socks are extremely important as they help protect feet from infections, blisters, and the environment. I am seeking any contributions to help reach my goal of 500 pairs of socks. I am collecting new socks via a collection box located in the Band Room, as well as online fundraising. If you are interested in donating, you can either leave clean, unused socks in the box in the Band Room, or you can donate money to my Go Fund Me www.gofundme.com/operationhappyfeet. Go Fund Me is an online service designed to help raise funds. As little as $1 can buy a pair of new socks. You can donate any amount, then I can withdraw it to use for my project. Thank you!"
The donation box will also be in the Auditorium lobby for our Winter Concert on Thursday, December 8!