Quarter 1 Wrap Up

As emailed last week, the 5th grade band special areas rotation will be changing upon return from Fall Break. Any and all assistance helping the students remember and learn this rotation would be greatly appreciated. This change was approved by administration, and shared with all special areas teachers, so all are aware of the shifts. Adjustments can be made as we move into 3rd quarter too, so students are not missing the same special each quarter. 6th grade band will be doing a shift into 2nd semester for equity. I do apologize for any schedule conflicts, but there are only so many ways to get the students to meet their 90-minute district guided minutes. This quarter, the most a student had band was 75 minutes a week, with many weeks being 2x in a day, so no lessons for a full week. There were even weeks where the RTI time was their only lesson, giving about 25 useable minutes for instruction. This has led to inconsistencies and difficulty in remembering the skills. I cannot wait for you to see how regularly spaced rehearsals and meeting district minutes really boosts their skills! A paper copy is coming home and will be emailed to 5th grade parents specifically.

I will be available Thursday, October 17 12:05-5pm in an open house format for 10-minute conferences. Conferences are reserved for students receiving Bs or lower. If you'd like to set up an academic conference for a B or lower, please email me with what time you'd be available so we can confirm.

If there are any questions regarding 6th grade honor band auditions, middle school honor band or all-state auditions, or if you'd like to just come by and say hello, I will be in my room. If I'm in a meeting, please try back a little later.

Concert and Event dates can be found in multiple locations:

• Quick Reference Guide folded document sent hom first day of class. All dates were listed on the back of this paper with grade levels notated.
• Band Handbook - the last page is dates to know with grade levels notated. This can be found on our band website.
• Band Calendar - This is a dedicated page on our website.
• Band Website - The homepage has an upcoming dates that shows 1 month in advance if you scroll down a little bit (RH side of screen)
• Canvas Course Announcement - I posted the last page of the handbook to the students Canvas courses for easier reference.

These places have detailed information about the event, with time and grade levels to attend. I hope this helps navigate where to find everything.

Upcoming dates to know:

October 25 -- 8th graders only SDOHS feeder night

October 29 -- Middle School Band Concert

November 14 -- Middle School Band Assessment @ BCHS during the day

• I am looking for about 3 chaperones to accompany us (and one to drive large instruments in a truck/SUV). If you are a middle school parent and would like to come, you must be volunteer trained and availble 10am-2pm approximately. Please email caryn.kunz@dvusd.org if willing/able!

November 21 -- 5th & 6th Grades Band Concert

December 17 -- Middle School small ensemble night at Elevate Coffee (more info coming soon)