Band Buzz: July 21, 2024
Falcon Band and Color Guard
It's time for the Monarchy to rise!
We are looking forward to another great year of performances from all of our excellent students. We've got a LOT of very important information about summer band, fees, and fundraisers included in this week's Buzz. For the 24-25 school year, a weekly issue of the Buzz will be sent out to keep you informed.
From the Directors: Important Dates
CLHS Band Families,
We hope you are having a wonderful and relaxing summer! This message is just a quick reminder that color guard and percussion start up Monday and Tuesday from 7:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. Then starting on Wednesday July 24, the full band program will go from 7:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Physical forms are also due on July 24 (July 22 for color guard). This is a hard deadline, and students will not be allowed to participate in marching rehearsals 7:00-10:00 without a physical and the Rankone online forms upload. Only the official CCISD physical form can be used and must be signed by a doctor and uploaded into Rankone Sport. Physical forms and Rankone instructions are located here. In addition to the physical form, all online Rankone forms must be filled out for your child to be allowed to participate in marching band. Please take care of this soon, if you have not already. You/your child’s ability to earn a spot in the varsity band may be jeopardized if they miss rehearsals due to not have a physical on file.
Please be on the lookout for the first Band Buzz to be sent out this Sunday evening with a lot of information regarding the coming weeks.
The official Band Calendar located at https://www.clhsband.org/calendar.html and can be pushed to your smartphone by clicking the +googlecalendar link at the bottom right of the calendar.
Students: make sure you are on the band app and that you have notification turned on!
Monday, July 22 and Tuesday, July 23
Color Guard and Percussion 7:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. Please check your specific Band App group for more details in the coming days.
Student Leadership 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Please check the leadership Band App for more details in the coming days.
Wednesday, July 24 – Friday, July 26
Full Marching Band 7:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
-Band Hall will open at 6:30 am. Please plan on arriving by 6:45 so that we can start rehearsal on time.
- Wear athletic shorts, a white t-shirt, sunglasses, hat, sunscreen, and proper tennis shoes!
- Bring your WATER JUG, sunscreen, hat, sunglasses, instrument, mouthpiece, reeds, and music that was passed out in June. We will be outside from 7 am- 10 am, and then inside in the AC the rest of the day. Musicians will break out into small sectionals from 10:30-noon, and color guard will go inside and continue to work on fundamentals and choreography during this time.
- Lunch will be from noon until 1:30 pm. You can bring a sack lunch, or students who drive can go home or to a nearby restaurant. You are given 1.5 hours so that you do not have to rush, so please stay close by and stay safe!
- 1:30 pm – 3:30 pm we will be in larger sections inside working on music. Color Guard will continue working inside on fundamentals and choreography.
- PLEASE DO NOT EAT ANY DAIRY PRIOR TO MORNING REHEARSALS (i.e. NO milk, yogurt, etc). Dairy + Heat/Humidity is not a good mix.
- Make sure you eat breakfast prior to rehearsal. You will need lots of energy to get through the rehearsals! NO ENERGY DRINKS!
- DRINK LOTS OF WATER PRIOR to the start of summer band
Please send any questions you have to jpearce@ccisd.net
We look forward to seeing you next week!
CLHS Band Staff
Volunteers Needed
Come join the Popsicle Posse! Organizer: Heather Shaw
Popsicles will be handed out and trash collected during the first 2 weeks of summer band (July 24th -- Aug 2nd) after the morning outside rehearsal. Outside rehearsal is expected to end at approximately 10 am each day.
We need at least 5-6 volunteers to help each day! You will meet on the sidewalk outside the band hall door at 9:30 and we should be done by 10:15 at the latest.
*CHANGE FOR THIS YEAR* Practice might end as early as 9:45AM each day. We will need volunteers there by 9:30AM . It is possible it won't end until 10AM though. It will likely be a heat dependent call each day made by the directors. We need to be in place to serve starting at 9:45AM even though we might not serve until 10AM. This is a longer shift than in previous years so I wanted to be sure to point this out for those who leave work to come volunteer (which I know is many of you! Thank you!).
You also get to see a sneak peek of their progress every day you come to help! It's amazing how far they come in just the first 2 weeks!
Please sign up here for a shift: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0F49AFAA2AA1F85-50359408-clhs
Rock-A-Thon Organizer: Alice McCoy
We'll need parent volunteers for many activities August 2nd, so save the date. More info below.
Band Fees Due by August 13th, 2024!
2024 – 2025 Mandatory Falcon Marching Band Fees
Marching Band and Colorguard
- Uniform $171
- Activity $325 (paid to CCISD through skyward)*
- Contest Meals $70
- Total: $566
Other Activity Students
- Activity Fee $325 (paid to CCISD through skyward)*
- Total: $325
*The activity band fee of $325 will be added to your child's Skyward account when school starts. This fee will be due by September 1, 2024
Pay fees and order game meals here: https://form.jotform.com/231334687827162
Payment Options (INCLUDE STUDENT'S NAME ON ALL TRANSACTIONS)
-Zelle to treasurer@clhsband.org (bring proof of payment if paid on 8/13/24)
-PayPal/Credit Card (bring proof of payment if paid on 8/13/24)
-Check payable to FBBC
-Cash (exact amount)
-Financial Assistance
Pick Up Equipment Night August 13th
When: Tuesday, August 13th, 2024 6pm-9pm
Where: Clear Lake High School Commons
Who: All band and color guard members
Fill out this form before attending Equipment Night: https://form.jotform.com/231334687827162
This form collects student information and gives parents an opportunity to join the booster club, volunteer, and purchase game day meals and BBQ dinners. It also collects mandatory activity, uniform, and contest meal fees. There is an option to pay online or pay by cash or check during Equipment Night.
WHAT IS "PICK UP YOUR EQUIPMENT" NIGHT?
Pick Up Your Equipment Night is for picking up any band items ordered and paid for at the end of the last school year (shoes, heat uniform, practice shirts, gloves, music folders, lyres, etc.). Additionally, you will be able to pay the Band Activity Fee and purchase items from the Falcon Band Booster Club (FBBC). These items include game meals, contest meals, booster club membership, spirit items, and tickets for the BBQ following the preview show. It is also an opportunity to find ways to help the booster club make a difference in the Clear Lake Band and Colorguard programs.
Note: Uniform and show shirts will be delivered later in the year.
WHO NEEDS TO ATTEND THIS EVENT?
At a minimum, all new Band and Colorguard parents need to attend, even if your student is designated as an "other activity student." Students attending are optional. Make sure you fill out the online form ahead of time since you will need their input!
If you are a returning student with no equipment to pick up AND you paid online or put a check for the full amount in the booster mailbox in the band hall, then you do not need to attend Equipment Night.
WHERE CAN I PURCHASE SPIRIT WEAR?
Falcon band and Colorguard spirit wear such as chaperone polos, hoodies, jackets, bling shirts, decals, and yard signs can be purchased at Equipment Night or during the BBQ Dinner.
Spirit Items are also available online through this link -
https://form.jotform.com/241508973697169
WHAT ABOUT OTHER ACTIVITY STUDENTS?
Other activity students who are not attending ANY of the practices, football games, or contests are not required to purchase items from the Pick Up Your Equipment Night, but we do ask that they fill out the online form and pick up band items they ordered on-line (if any). Also, all "other activity" students are invited to participate in Rock-a-thon, so you might want to stop at that table to ask questions or drop off gift card donations.
I HAVE TWO STUDENTS IN BAND. DO I HAVE TO FILL OUT TWO SETS OF FORMS?
Yes. It will take a few extra minutes, but we need a record of the Information, Game Meals, and fees for each student. You can fill out just one of the Membership, Volunteer, and BBQ Forms and then leave them blank in your other student's form.
WHAT IF I CAN'T PAY THE BAND ACTIVITY FEE?
The majority of activities in CCISD have an activity fee. If you have a financial hardship, contact one of the directors in advance to address your situation. Then on that evening, you can ask one of the directors to sign a waiver before you reach the cashier's table.
Rock-A-Thon August 2nd (TENTATIVE)
When: Friday, August 2 from 4pm-11pm
Where: Clear Lake High School Commons
Who: All band and color guard members
Dear Parents and Students,
I hope you all are enjoying this summer and are getting to spend time with family and friends. Before you know it, we'll be back together, and it will be time to start our wonderful marching season. It is so exciting to be getting back and plan all the activities for this coming school year. I hope that everyone will be able to participate this year in the favorite social event of the summer - the annual Rock-a-thon, and we'll all have a blast being together for this event.
What is Rock-a-thon?
For those of you who have not participated in Rock-a-thon before, here is a brief description of what it's all about. The students receive donations to sponsor them to stay in their rocking (rolling) chairs for a lock-in from 4:00pm until 11:00pm. This event will happen on August 2, 2024, and is for all band and color guard members. Students bring their favorite rolling chair and prepare to rock the night away and have fun being together. There will also be door prizes and students can earn drink tickets, chicken nuggets, and pizza by earning certain levels of donations.
How Can I Help?
Ask for Donations
We need your help in preparing for this Rock-a-thon. While you are out visiting with family and friends, please consider asking them to make a donation(s) for the Rock-a-thon. Our goal this year is $18,000. Let's keep working together to reach our goal. At the end of this e-mail, you will find a link for donations.
The more donations you receive, the more credits you receive. Here are the levels and the amount of donations necessary for each:
· $75 Entry into Rock-a-thon
· $100 Drink Ticket
· $150 Chick-fil-a nuggets
· $200 Pizza
· $250 and up, each $50 increment receives an additional chance to dunk Mr. Pearce in a dunking booth 😊
· $500 and up, each $100 increment receives an additional chance to dunk Larry the Truck Guy and/or win a gift card for Amazon
Join Falcon Band Booster Club (FBBC) at a Level Above Basic Membership
The minimum or basic membership of FBBC is $40. Any amount above the minimum will be used toward your student’s “Rock-a-thon Level” as shown above. For example, if you join FBBC at the $100 level, then $60 of your membership will go toward your student’s “Rock-a-thon Level.” You will have an opportunity to join FBBC when you pay activity fees.
Gift Card Donations
Other ways to help make our Rock-a-Thon successful include donating gift cards that we can use as door prizes. Gift cards should be for $10-$15 each for places like Starbucks, i tunes, fast food restaurants, etc. The $30 three packs work great, please leave them in the package and we will break them up once we get them.
Volunteer
Save the date (August 2, 2024) to come out and help us at Rock-a-thon. We need many parent volunteers to help this run smoothly. It's a great opportunity to see all the fun and excitement that happens at Rock-a-thon and get to know our wonderful parents better.
Volunteer Link:
https://form.jotform.com/241876911642159
Corporate Matching Donations
Many companies and businesses have matching donation programs. If you work for a company with a matching grants program, please consider requesting a matching donation. The FBBC can help you with any paperwork you may need to fill out.
This is our biggest fundraiser of the year, and we use these donations to help support expenses needed to keep our high-quality band program, our wonderful group of clinicians and instructors, and necessary repairs and replacement of worn equipment. Please consider how you can help our Rock-a-thon to be successful. We look forward to raising money for our band while having fun in the process. Enjoy the rest of your summer and we look forward to seeing you soon. Please see below the letter that you can use as a template that includes the link for donations.
Thanks again for your support! If you have any questions about Rock-a-thon as you are gathering donations or about the actual event itself, please feel free to email or text.
DONATION LINK: https://form.jotform.com/232397094340154
*** Below is the letter that students can use as a template. Feel free to personalize it to each recipient. ***
Hello Family and Friends!
Another school year has ended, but our Clear Lake High School band will soon be busy preparing for the 2024-2025 season, and I am very excited to be a part of it! Our summer practices start July 24 (even earlier for color guard and percussion!) We look forward to developing our show for our marching competitions in the fall, and our concert and color guard competitions in the spring.
As we prepare for the new school year, we will also need to plan for the expenses associated with maintaining a high-quality program: our fantastic team of clinicians and instructors, maintaining our 18-wheeler to move our instruments to and from games and events, and repairing or replacing worn equipment.
The Rock-A-Thon fundraiser, sponsored by our Falcon Band Booster Club, is our largest fundraiser of the year to underwrite these costs. Rock-A-Thon is a wildly popular team-building event that takes place each August. Students bring chairs that rock and roll to the lock-in for an evening of rocking, play games in chairs, music, food, and fun! It is a culmination of the first full week of summer rehearsal and our starting point for marching season.
Would you please consider sponsoring me at Rock-A-Thon? Any size donation would mean so much to me and my fellow band and color guard members, with whom I share this experience.
*** I have enclosed a self-addressed stamped envelope for any donation you could make.
Falcon Band Booster Club
PO Box 891612
Houston, TX 77289
· Please make any checks payable to “FBBC”.
· Make an on-line donation by clicking this link: https://form.jotform.com/231476489478171
· Please KEEP the enclosed receipt for your tax records.
I hope you will consider assisting me in this endeavor, as we work to make this another unforgettable year! If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me or my parents. Thank you so much for your consideration and support – it is greatly appreciated!
Go Falcons!
Your Signature
Senior Mums
If you have a senior and would like the boosters to create a mum for you to show your support, please fill out this form by August 7th. Mums will be available to pick up at the BBQ after the marching demo on August 23.
Senior Mum Request
Buzz Contributions
If you would like to contribute to the Band Buzz, please contact the appropriate committee or board member. They can send fully edited information to the following e-mail address: VP@clhsband.org . The deadline for submissions is midnight each Wednesday night.
Thank you,
Lauren Stephens