March of Dimes March for Babies Performance

This Saturday, March 26th is our annual performance for the March of Dimes March for Babies at Westwood MS. All Concert and Symphonic Band students will be involved in this activity as it is a required performance. The students that participate will receive 12 community service hours if they bring their form to Mr. Pirzer to sign. Attached is the information sheet the students will receive in class today. They need to be at Westwood by 7:15 AM.

FBA District Concert Festival News

Congratulations to the Concert and Symphonic Bands on their outstanding performances on the FBA District Concert Festival on March 17th. The Concert Band earned an overall superior rating and the Symphonic Band earned straight superiors from all judges!!

Both bands will now advance to the FBA State Concert Festival on Friday, April 29th, at Ocoee High School near Orlando. Our performance times will be announced after Spring Break.

Band Booster Meeting 3/14/11

Meeting Minutes

Band Director Update

Important Dates coming up:

FBA District Concert this Thursday, 3/17, at Buchholz High School

• Students must be here at 3:30pm
• Leaving school at 4pm
• Concert band performs at 5:30 pm
• Symphonic band performs at 8:30 pm

Mr. Pirzer needs 1 or 2 parents to ride the bus over, and a handful of parents to chaperone the students while they are in the audience. Please communicate directly with Mr. Pirzer if you are interested in helping out.

Note: There will be a concession stand – pizza, drinks, and snacks – for students/parents to purchase dinner at this event.

Note: If performances earn Superior ratings, the bands will be invited to perform at the State Concert Festival in Ocoee, FL on April 29.

This Saturday, 3/19, there is an indoor drumline competition at Fletcher High School, Neptune Beach

• Performance is 5:13pm
• Itineraries have been sent out to those parents of participating students,

In Indoor Drumline and Guard State championship is Saturday April 2^nd

• Drumline will perform in Matanzas.
• Guard will perform in Palm Coast.

March 26 – March of Dimes

• Westwood Middle School
• Report time is 7am, 1 hour 15 commitment
• Attire – purple shirts, blue jeans, sneakers, GHS sweatshirt
• Students can also do the walk, as well, if interested.

April 26 - Spring Concert

May 6 – 8 - Daytona trip

• In order to attend, Fair share must be paid in full by Friday April 8^th, plus cost of trip. Cost of Trip: $120 per student (4 to a room), $120 per parent (2 to a room)
• Hotel has been gutted and re-done since we last stayed there.

Treasurer report – Suzanne Clark

• Have made some good progress collecting fair share, although there is still a fair amount outstanding.
• We have some expenses coming up that need to get paid:
• State Concert Festival ($350 per band), if we make it.
• Indoor percussion staff

Non-fair share fundraising – Frank Mason

• 8 people attended 1^st meeting, will meet once per month, the week before booster meeting
• Lots of good ideas for getting additional funds (including grant opportunities) were shared at the first meeting.
• Trying to raise money for extra trailer, plus 20 more band jackets at $250 each. ($5,000 initially to be loaned by Mr. Hintermister). If anyone is willing to donate $250 toward this effort, a patch will be sewn inside one of the 20 new jackets.
• If you are interested in joining this group, please reply to this email and I will pass it on to Frank Mason.
• April 4^th is next meeting, 7pm, location to be determined.

Fundraising – Laura Netardus

The Cookie Dough fundraiser remains – extension until Wednesday, 3/16/11. Will likely arrive the week after spring break.

GatorNationals – Mike Grantham

Gator Nationals went great. Had 40 volunteers on Saturday, 45 on Sunday. Tim Dean and Ken Clements did a great job organizing North side.

Scrip – Susie Hummel taking over for next year. Next Scrip due April 13.

Uniforms – Adela Van Antwerp

• Need bow ties and cumberbunds – students will need to share for the remainder of this season, and we will need to buy more for next year.
• Need to look at jackets for mending (lots of sleeve issues).

Next meeting is Monday, April 11th.

Meeting adjourned 7:45 pm.

Indoor Percussion at Jefferson High School Photos

Band News and Announcements

Parents and Students,

Greetings to everyone! I hope everybody is having a great March and getting ready for Spring Break. We have a lot of things going on in the band world between now and Spring Break.

Here is a summary of what is going on........

• Saturday and Sunday: March 12th and 13th: Gatornationals Parking. You should already know if this involves you :)
• Monday, March 14th: Cookie Dough Orders and Money Due to Mr. Pirzer
• Thursday, March 17th: FBA District Concert MPA @ Buchholz HS. See attachment for the itinerary.
• Saturday, March 19th: Indoor Drumline and Guard Competition @ Fletcher HS. See attachment for Drumline Itinerary
• Saturday, March 26th: March of Dimes, March for Babies Perfromance at Westwood Middle School. Students need to report to Westwood at 7:00 AM. More details will be out next week.
• Saturday, April 2nd: Indoor Drumline and Guard State Championships, times TBA

Indoor Drumline is down to its final few rehearsals. Here they are..

• Friday, March 11 4:00 to 8:00 PM
• Tuesday, March 13 5:30 to 8:30 PM
• Friday, March 18 4:00 to 8:00 PM
• Tuesday, March 22 5:30 to 8:30 PM
• Thursday, March 24 4:00 to 8:00 PM
• Tuesday, March 29 5:30 to 8:30 PM
• Friday, April 1st, 4:00 to 8:00 PM Please note that this is a change to the original indoor calendar.

We are also in preparation for our end of the year trip to Daytona Beach. The dates are May 6th - 8th. I have attached a brief overview of the trip to this email. The most important thing is that we need to have all fair share and Daytona payments in by April 10th. If you have raised money beyond your fair share amount, you may use the overage towards your Daytona Trip.

I hope to see everyone at the Booster Meeting this Monday at 7:00 PM and be sure to pack the BHS Auditorium with purple next Thursday for our FBA Concert MPA.

GatorNationals Fundraiser

The list of volunteers for GatorNationals parking for Saturday and Sunday as it stands right now is to the left.

Make sure all the volunteers for Sunday know to set their clocks ahead, as Sunday is the start of daylight savings time.

We will meet at the Gainesville Raceway in northeast Gainesville by 5:00 a.m. each day. Enter the grounds through Gate C (which will be the only gate open at 5:00 a.m.), and park immediately on your right, which is the staging area for volunteers. Check in with Mike Grantham and then we’ll move out to our assigned area.

A note on dress and the weather: Saturday and Sunday mornings are expected to be quite cool (lows in the 40s) and clear, warming to the 70s by the afternoons. Dressing in layers will likely be best. The parking fields will be wet after last night’s rain and there may be puddles or mud, so don’t wear flip flops.

A map of how to get to the raceway is included.

Attention all band students and parents,

Included in this post is important information for this weekend's GatorNationals fundraiser. If you have volunteered (or think you may have volunteered), please check the list to the left and the very detailed instructions below.

Also, a few additional items to note:

• Our indoor percussion and color guard competed this past weekend and both turned in respectable performances (Indoor percussion 2nd place, Guard 12th place). Thanks to all students, staff, and parents who made it possible.

• Our next band booster meeting is Monday, 3/14, at 7pm. Please attend.

• The FBA District Concert Festival takes place on Thursday, March 17th, at Buchholz High School. Mr. Pirzer will be giving additional details to the students.

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Information for Gatornationals

*First and Foremost, pay attention to the Parking Directors and stay in the area that they assign you to stand.*

1. Please be at the Gainesville Raceway by 5:00 AM. You will need to meet at the tent that is by the road. If you are parking your car, come a little early so you have time to park and walk to the tent.
2. Entrance for volunteers is Gate C, 3^rd entrance on the right coming from the south.
3. This weekend, the weatherman calls for mid 40’s in the morning at mid 70’s by noon and very sunny. Please bring sunscreen, a hat, and be sure to wear layers of clothing. One of the parents will have a car close by that you can put your jackets in when it gets warmer.
4. You will need to bring a small cooler for drinks and snacks. IF YOU BRING DRINKS, THEY MUST BE COCA COLA PRODUCTS!!! The NHRA is sponsored by Coke so you cannot have any product that is not Coke, they will take it away from you if they see it. Remember, you are a temporary employee of Gainesville Raceway and the NHRA. Here’s what you can bring.
1. Sodas: Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite, Coke Zero, Fresca, Barq’s
2. Water: Dasani
3. Sport Drink: Powerade only, no Gatorade
4. Energy Drink: Full Throttle only, no Red Bull, Amp, Monster, etc
5. Drinks and snacks can be placed in one of two vehicles that we will have parked near our designated parking areas.
6. You will be finished each day by about noon, but it could be a little earlier or a little later.
7. After you are done, you may enter the raceway for free. Your orange vest is your ticket into the raceway. The parking directors will have more info on that for you.
8. Make sure you sign in and out at the tent. To get credit for working, you need to be on the list. Everyone needs to check out with Mike Grantham before leaving or going into the race or they will not be credited with time served. They can do this via text or phone call or see Mike or one of his designated adults personally. No exceptions.
9. If you cannot make it, you must email Mike Grantham at mgrantham@clayelectric.com or call him at 352-258-5978 by 8:00 PM the previous night. Do NOT email Mr. Pirzer, he cannot help you. If you signed up, you need to be there!
10. This is work, no texting on cell phones, no sitting down, no squatting, no talking to your buds, no congregating. If you cannot stand for five to seven hours, you do not need to come out.
11. Finally, this is not a social event. You are here to work and earn money. We have had a very good relationship with the Raceway for many years, let’s keep that going.
12. If any students decide to be disrespectful, Mike will dismiss them and their parents will be called to come pick them up.

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