The Week Ahead - Week Beginning 9/27/10

Here are the upcoming events for the week beginning Monday, Sept 27th:

Monday (9/27): Full Band 3:00 to 5:00 PM

Tuesday (9/28): Horns 3:00 to 5:00 PM, Pit/Battery/Guard 5:30 to 8:30 PM

Wednesday (9/29): Brain Tumor Awareness Walk, 5:30 to 7:00 PM @ Haile Village

Thursday (9/30): Full Band 5:30 to 8:30 PM.

September $75.00 Fair Share Payment Due (you should be up to $275.00 paid in by now)

Friday (10/1): Football game vs. Eastside, we are the visiting team, so we will be in the away bleachers.

We will have our first competition next Saturday, October 9th at Chiefland HS. A detailed itinerary will be available after Mr. Pirzer receives the schedule.

Brain Tumor Awareness Walk

Below are the details for the performance at the Brain Tumor Awareness Walk, which is taking place this coming Wednesday, September 29^th, from 5:30PM – 7:00PM.

• Students are to meet at the “Perfect Gift” gift shop in Haile Village by 5:30PM. A map has been provided by Mr. Pirzer, extra copies of which are in the band room. For those who have GPS devices, the address is: 5202 SW 91st Terrace, Gainesville, FL 32608-7124. Parking will be in a nearby lot, off of SW 52^nd Rd.
• Be on time!! Students need to be there no later than 5:30PM to set up and warm up. Note that there will likely be traffic on any route you take, given the time of day, so plan accordingly.
• Dress will be the travel uniform and sneakers. GHS band hats are also permitted.
• Instruments will be brought over in a UHaul, or students may bring their own. In either case, students are responsible for remembering to either bring the instrument or put it in the UHaul after morning band class.
• Students are responsible for getting to the site. Carpooling is encouraged as parking may be a challenge depending on the popularity of the event.
• Students are to bring their stands music. Music stands will be brought over in the UHaul.
• After the performance, everyone is expected to help load the truck before leaving. The unloading process will happen the next morning.

Any questions, please send an email to ghsbandnews@gmail.com or directly to Mr. Pirzer at pirzerb@gm.sbac.edu.

Band Camp II Photos

Band Camp I Photos

The Week Ahead - Week Beginning 9/20/10

Homecoming Week

Please note that our schedule is different because of Homecoming and Open House:

Monday: Horn Line 3:00 to 5:00 PM, Pit, Battery, and Guard 5:30 to 8:30 PM

Tuesday: Full Band 3:00 to 5:00 PM and Open House

Thursday: Full Band 3:00 to 5:00 PM
Friday: Homecoming Game vs. West Port. Students report at 3:00 PM. Lettermen Jacket Order forms due!!

For the game this week, we will not need a pit crew nor a prop crew since we will not get to do a halftime show.

GHS Band Booster Meeting minutes 091310

Band booster president, Frank Mason, opened the meeting by announcing that the intent was to make the meetings move along more quickly, so we would get right to the agenda.

Motion was made to approve the minutes of the last meeting, and was seconded, all approved.

Mr. Pirzer reviewed the upcoming events, all of which are contained on the current calendar (same calendar that was distributed at the parent meeting at the end of Band Camp 2, and that is currently on the website).

Upcoming Football Games

The band has performances for the next 3 consecutive Fridays, however the middle game (on 9/24) is homecoming so there will not be a show performance during half time. Instead, the full band will play for the homecoming court.

For this Friday’s game, each student needs to contribute $1 toward the food that is being partially donated by Jimmy John’s. Donations of chips, bananas, apples, and other similar snack items are requested of parents.

Note that this Friday (9/17) is going to be a long day for the band students, beginning with an early morning Pep Rally. Band students need to be at school at 7:45am (Students, please wear band shirts). Students will leave for the game (on buses) between 5:30pm and 6pm. Parents should arrive at Citizen’s Field no later than 7:10pm if they would like to see the pregame show. Volunteer parents, if you arrive at the game at 6, there will be no one checking the gates. If you arrive later, you will need to go to the pass gate and your name will be checked against a list of volunteer names submitted by Mike Grantham. You are welcomed to caravan over to the game from GHS, or simply meet at the field. Everyone (except for Pit Crew, who will have their own shirts) should wear his/her band booster shirt to the game. If you don’t have one, Mr. Pirzer has them for sale for $25.

The 9/17 game is a bit unusual in that the visiting team (Santa Fe) will play at the end of the game, instead of at half time. GHS students will stay to watch Santa Fe, and Mr. Pirzer requested that the parents stay, as well.

Other Events

As noted on the calendar, All State auditions are this Saturday. The students who are participating know who they are.

Please take particular note of next weeks’ practice schedule. It is different than the norm due to the open house on Tuesday evening. Pit/Battery/Guard will have their late practice on Monday versus Tuesday. Also, there is no night rehearsal next Thursday (9/23) … practice will be 3-5 instead. PLEASE CHECK THE CALENDAR.

Gator Dockside Breakfast is 9/25. More tickets need to be sold!

There has been a request to add an event on Wednesday, 9/29. It is a walk for Brain Tumor Awareness in Haile Plantation. A subsection of the band will perform – it will be similar to what has been done for the March of Dimes Walk. All participants will get community service hours. Much more info to come from Mr. Pirzer.

State Championship

Mr. Pirzer reiterated there will not be a National Competition, as was announced in the meeting at the end of Band Camp 2.

Band will depart for state championship on Friday morning, 11/19, and will practice at a high school in Tampa for a couple of hours. Then, students will be taken to the movies (or some similar activity) to relax. Actual competition is the next day, Saturday 11/20, with the preliminary rounds to be held at Chamberlain High School, and the Finals to be held at the baseball stadium. Rooms for Friday night have already been reserved at a Days Inn for all students, and 40 parents (20 double occupancy rooms). Cost for parents for package deal (parent bus and room) will be $65 per person. These will only be available as a package, not separately, and bus will leave when student buses leave (Friday morning). Let Mr. Pirzer know if you want to participate in the parent bus/hotel arrangement.

Student Absences

According to Mr. Pirzer, we have yet to have perfect attendance at any of the practices. The absenteeism has been going up lately and it is becoming an issue. Please do what you can to make sure students are coming to all practices.

Treasurer’s Report – Suzanne Clark

As is usual, the fall season has started off with some big expenditures (totaling $31,000). Our fundraisers are contributing nicely (particularly Gator concessions and Yankee candles), but we need more $$. In that regard, the next $75 installment of fair share is due September 30.

Fundraisers – Laura Netardus and SusanWeinstein

Need to push the Gator Dockside breakfast. May want to consider buying 10 tickets and then giving away to friends/family who will use them. These folks tend to leave nice tips, which are then allocated to the fair share accounts of all children who worked the event.

Gator Concessions – Ruth Dean and Liz Brown

The concessions are doing great, based on 2 games of work so far. The following dates still have openings:

10/9 – Same day as Chiefland Competition – need 3-4 more guard parents/siblings and 3-4 more band parents/siblings)

11/13 – Same day as North Marion Competition – need 1-2 guard parents/sibling, and 3-4 more band parents/siblings)

We are not going to do the concessions for the game that coincides with the State Championships and have made other arrangements for the concessions to be handled.

Other upcoming fundraisers:

Chicken Barbecue – begins 10/4

Holiday Wreaths – begins 11/1

Downtown Arts Festival – booth setup and teardown – 1^st weekend in Nov. Randy Handel will provide additional information.

Possible new fundraisers (will be further researched by Laura and Susan):

Dinner at Chili’s (percentage of proceeds come to band)

Pasta Sales

Volunteer news – Volunteer Coordinator Mike Grantham

The Pit Crew is set, and will practice this Thursday evening (Mike has communicated with them separately). Those on the Pit Crew are listed below:

1. Rick Yost
2. Cathy Honeycutt
3. Gene Honeycutt
4. Jayne Hargrave
5. Kimm Tyson
6. George Bryan
7. Carol Bryan
8. Keith Teller
9. Roberta Guidice- Teller
10. Sherolyn Spencer
11. Christian Spencer
12. Cindi Cleeton
13. Amy Mueller
14. Mike Coughlin
15. Frank Mason
16. Cindy Mason
17. Ashton Mason
18. Miranda Mason
19. Chasalee Hurley
20. Susie Hummel
21. Mike Grantham

Pit Crew shirts should be in by game day.

Uniforms – Adela Van Antwerp

Thanks to help from several volunteers, all students have been fitted, with the exception of one person and all jackets are done.

Guard uniforms are in process and will be ready by Friday.

The only items that won’t be ready for Friday’s game are the capes.

Adela let us know that the process was difficult this year as many of our incoming freshmen were very small, and we didn’t have many small jackets. So, lots of shifting around of jackets had to take place. For next year, the band will get a loan to purchase some new jackets (thanks to a special angel not to be named in these minutes), and will do some targeted fundraisers to repay that loan.

Meeting was adjourned at 7:50pm.

The Week Ahead - Week Beginning 9/13/10

Here is a look at the week ahead. This one is a very very very important week as our first performance is this Friday.

THIS IS ONLY FOR HORN LINE MEMBERS!

Each hornline member will need to have a towel with approximate dimensions of 20" by 30" for next week's rehearsals. A little smaller or a little larger is fine, but it cannot be a big towel nor a dish towel. I have found that a bathroom hand towel is about 16" by 25" and that will be fine. Also, the towel will need to be fastened around the students waist long ways so that it can be worn as a leg cape. I suggest the students use their stretch block rope to tie around their waist.

THIS IS FOR EVERYONE!

Monday: Full Band 3:00 to 5:00 PM, Band Booster Meeting at 7:00 PM

Tuesday: Horn Line 3:00 to 5:00 PM, Pit/Battery/Guard 5:30 to 8:30 PM

Thursday: Full Band 5:30 to 8:30 PM, Pit Parent Practice 7:00 PM

Friday: Football Game, Students report at 3:00 PM for Practice. Dinner is being provided by Jimmy Johns,Students need to bring $1.00 for dinner. Exact details will be given at Booster meeting. Gameday itinerary is available on the band website.

Saturday: All State Band Auditions @ Buchholz HS. Only for students that have already signed up.

Please look ahead at the calendar, as the week of September 20th has a different rehearsal schedule due to GHS Homecoming. Be prepared and look ahead.

THE WEEK AHEAD - WEEK BEGINNING TUES, 9/7/10

• Tuesday (9/7): Horn Line 3:00 to 5:00 PM, Pit, Battery, Guard 5:30 to 8:30 PM
• Wednesday (9/8): No After School Rehearsal SCRIP ORDERS DUE TO MR. PIRZER
• Thursday (9/9): Full Marching Band 5:30 to 8:30 PM
• Friday (9/10): Full Marching Band 3:00 to 7:00 PM

Coming Soon.....

• Monday, Sept 13: Band Booster Meeting 7:00 PM in Band Room.
• Thursday, Sept 16: Pit Parent Practice starting at 7:00 PM, practice Field
• Friday, Sept 17: Football Game vs. Santa Fe. Our First performance of the year!!!

Gator's Dockside Pancake Breakfast Tickets are now available. Check them out through me in the band office.

Gator Concession Fundraiser Opportunities

There are a few openings that need to be filled for upcoming Gator Concessions. We are trying to fill them with people who are not already signed up for a booth. This is to give everyone a fair opportunity to work. They changed our booths around so we have been filling those positions with people signed up as alternates. Here are the few that still need filling.

The following dates are open:
September 11
Band Booth
I need a parent/child set or just a parent to be lead on this booth

October 9th (this is the competition in Chiefland)
All Adults or siblings over the age of 14
thank you to those who already signed up
Guard booth (2 positions)
Band booth (5 positions)

November 13th (Competition in North Marion)
All Adults or siblings over the age of 14
thank you to those who already signed up
Guard booth (2 positions)
Band booth (4 positions)

We really need to have some parents kick in and help at one of these dates. With all adults, there are fewer people required and you have a chance to make more money. The money will go to your child's fair share.

If you want to work, please email Ruth at ruthie_dn@yahoo.com

Detailed Information for Gator Concession Volunteers

Thank you for volunteering to work concessions at the Gator game! Our GHS Band Booster Supervisors are Liz Brown (cell -- 352-256-1851), Mary Griffis (352-283-4391), and Ruth Dean (352-231-3095). Please keep these numbers with you so you can call us on game day if you need to speak with us. Here is some important information you will need:

ARRIVAL TIME AND LOCATION: Please arrive at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Gate 17 (south side of stadium) by [3 hours before kickoff] so that we can distribute wristbands and all walk in together. Liz/Mary/Ruth will be there to meet you.

PARKING: If you are driving to the game, there are two parking garages that should be available, on Gale Lemerand Drive south of Museum Road. Traveling south away from the stadium, one garage is just south of Museum Road on the west side of Gale Lemerand, and the other garage is a little further south on the east side of Gale Lemerand. Parking is free and should still be available if you are arriving 3 hours before kickoff. Ruth Dean suggests that it is easier to get to Museum Road from 13th Street than it is from 34th Street. You may want to consider carpooling, or getting dropped off and picked up near the stadium if that can be arranged.

WHAT TO WEAR: Please wear black or khaki shorts or pants and your GHS Band & Guard t-shirt/Booster shirt so that it will be easy to identify everyone at the gate. You will be given a Gator Concessions shirt to change into. We will collect the shirts at the end of the day so they can be washed for the next game. You must wear sneakers or athletic shoes -- NO sandals, Crocs, or other types of open-toed or slip-on shoes. You will be on your feet all day, so comfortable supportive shoes are a must. Hair should be pulled back, and we must wear ballcaps, Gator ballcaps only. We have some concession hats from last year that will be available (I think we have 5), but you can wear your own Gator hat if you have one, or purchase one at the stadium.

WHAT TO BRING: Bags will be checked at the gate. There is not much storage room at our stands, so the less you bring the better., However, you may want to bring a personal water bottle and a snack. In the past, workers have been allowed to eat from the stand but some of our stands are selling only popcorn so you can't count on that for a meal. Eat a good breakfast/lunch!

VENDOR: Our vendor is M&M Concessions. Our primary contact is Willie Moscheola. Please remember that although we may consider ourselves "volunteers", as far as the vendor is concerned we are being paid to perform a service. The vendor decides how the booths will be run, and he is our boss for the day. If any issues arise with the vendor, please call Mary or Liz and we will work it out.

WORK DUTIES: We have a total of 4 stands. The largest stand sells sandwiches, turkey legs, boiled peanuts, bottled drinks. This stand will be staffed by Guard members (4 Guard plus one parent). The other stands sell kettle corn, caramel corn, and bottled drinks, and will each be staffed by two students and one parent. Only parents may handle money. We are responsible for taking inventory of all of the products before the stands are open (counting and recording exactly how many of each food item and drinks are in the stand), stocking the ice and icing down the drinks, getting the stand ready to sell food. The stadium gates open one hour before kickoff, and that is when we start selling. The Guard members will be assembling the sandwiches to sell, scooping out boiled peanuts, and handing out pre-cooked turkey legs, so there is no actual cooking involved. The Band stands will be selling pre-packaged popcorn and drinks. Our most important responsibilities are taking an accurate inventory at the beginning and end of the shift, taking money and providing accurate change, and accounting for all food sold at the end of the shift. We are also responsible for cleaning the booths at the end of the shift. We start shutting down during the 4th quarter of the game, and will be finshed shortly after the end of the game, when the inventory is finished and money is counted. Our vendor pays us 10% of the total sales at each booth. Mary and Liz will collect the payment from the vendor, deliver it to the GHS Band Booster treasurer, and provide a breakdown of Fair Share for each worker.

TIPS : We are allowed to accept tips, but we cannot put out a tip jar. We will have a money bag/envelope at each booth for tips. Please remember that tips belong to the Band and Guard, and will be included in the Fair Share accounting and divided among all of the workers. We will have small signs posted at each booth showing that we are affiliated with the GHS Band and Guard.

SHOW YOUR PURPLE PRIDE: We will be very busy during the game. Our customers might be impatient or impolite. Our job is to keep a smile on our faces and make our customers happy. Be sure to thank your customers, and if someone leaves a tip thank them for supporting our program!

Thanks again for working -- Please email or call if you have any questions.

Gator's Dockside Pancake Fundraiser Information

Attention all parents and students:

The tickets for the upcoming pancake breakfast (scheduled to take place at Gator's Dockside - Newberry Road - on Saturday, 9/25) are ready for pickup.

• Students should pick up their tickets from Mr. Pirzer or his designee - they will sign out for the specific tickets given to them. Note: Tickets will be packaged in groups of 10 and each student should be able to sell 10 tickets. If students want to sign out multiple packets of tickets, they may do so, however please note that students are responsible for ALL tickets for which they sign out. They must either return $$, or unused tickets to account for every ticket they signed out.
Students are to sell those tickets for $6 each.
• Students are to turn in the $$ to Mr. Pirzer for the tickets sold NO LATER THAN 9/22. NOTE: Don't save it up to the end ... The longer the $$ are held onto, the more of a chance the $$ will be lost.
People who purchased the tickets then must bring the tickets as entry to the breakfast.
Students will receive 50% of the proceeds of their own sales as a credit to their individual fair share accounts.
• Tickets that don't get sold must be returned to Mr. Pirzer, along with the proceeds of any sold tickets.

Volunteers needed:

We need a few parent volunteers to monitor the activity on the morning of the event and several student volunteers to serve the breakfasts, as well as people to make posters to remind students to get their tickets. A signup sheet will be located in the band room.

If you have a question, simply send an email to ghsbandnews@gmail.com, and I will get your answer from the co-coordinators of this event, band parents Sandra Reichert and Jayne Hargrave.