Welcome Back / Band This Week: Sept. 29 - Oct 3. / Apple Pie Event!

Hello!

My name is Jamie Davis and I am your son or daughter’s band teacher at Spectrum Community School. I would like to extend a warm 'welcome back' to our returning families and a big welcome to our new families and new students! Thank you for choosing Spectrum and choosing to be in our band program. I hope you find your year rewarding and challenging – I look forward to working and catching up with all of your over the course of the year! Despite the late start, we will still press ahead with our fall concerts and performances. They may be altered or adapted due to the timeline but they WILL happen. :) As always, please do not hesitate to speak with me if you have questions or concerns. My contact information is listed below. 

Thank you to our Band Parents Association and our band manager, Carol Davis, for all of the hard work and effort over the past months. The Band Parents Association is essential in organizing the non-musical events/travel/fundraising that help keep our program rich and vibrant and full of opportunity for students. For new parents, please consider a volunteer position (shadowing opportunities are always available) with one of our executive members/band manager as the majority of these hardworking parents will be “graduating” in June with their students. For more information or to volunteer please email me or contact our Band Parent Association president, Mr. Steve Davis (spectrumbandparents@hotmail.ca).

Thank you to everyone that came out to the Bottle Drive on Saturday! You raised $1086 for student accounts and the band program. Great work everyone! 

1.) Fall Start-up

Thank you to everyone that has returned the start-up package of forms that was sent home last week. If you did not receive this from your student please let me know. Your assistance in returning the signed cover page, uniform rental agreement/cheques, and student/parent information sheets is greatly appreciated. 

2.) Band Classes

All of our in-timetable classes (Period 1 & 2) have now started! Music folders are now ready as well and can go home for practicing. Band 9 and 10 students can begin filling out their practice cards - this is Week 1!

***For grade 9s – whenever you do not have Band class in Period 1, you will have PE with Ms. Wilton.

Monday – Band 9 in Period 1
Tuesday – Band 10 in Period 1, Band 11/12 in Period 2
Wednesday - Band 9 in Period 1
Thursday - Band 10 in Period 1, Band 11/12 in Period 2
Friday - Band 10 in Period 1, Band 11/12 in Period 2

3.) Morning/Lunch/After School Rehearsals

All outside of the timetable rehearsals begin this week (Concert Bands, Jazz Bands) except for the Pit Orchestra which will start when music has arrived from the US. Click here for our Rehearsal Schedule.

Monday – Sr. Concert Band at 7:30am, Jr. Jazz Band at Lunch 
Tuesday – Sr. Jazz Band at 7:30am. Jr. Jazz Band at Lunch
Wednesday – Sr. Concert Band at 7:30am, Sr. Jazz Band at Lunch
Thursday – Jr. Jazz Band at 7:30am, Sr. Jazz Band at Lunch
Friday – Jr. Concert Band (All grade 9s and 10s together) at 7:30am, Band Council meeting at lunch

4.) Uniform Paperwork / Uniform Sizing

Thank you for returning your uniform rental agreements and cheques. Please make sure that your damage deposit cheque (for $150) is post-dated to June 30th 2015 (this is only cashed if uniforms are NOT returned in June). The $50 cheque is cashed immediately to purchase matching shoes and to pay for yearly dry-cleaning and maintenance. If you have a financial hardship situation that is prohibitive, please let me know ASAP. No student will be denied a uniform!

This week the Band Parents will be holding 2 uniform sizing sessions in the band room. Please make note of the dates listed below and plan to attend a sizing session:

Wednesday, October 1st  - All RETURNING students (10s – 12s) from 6pm-8pm
Thursday, October 2nd – All NEW students (Grade 9s, those who are new to the program)

If you are able to assist with uniform alterations once fitting is completed, please contact our uniform coordinators, Jen Lindsay (250-881-1599) or Lynda Charchuk (250-818-0342). No experience necessary!

All students must provide: 1.) A pair of long, black socks (NO athletic socks, or socks with logos!) AND  2.) A long sleeve men’s button-down dress shirt (Must be able to hold a tie; NO golf or knit shirts!)  * Excellent quality shirts are available from the Band Parents Association - $20 each (please include payment with form).

5.) Dates To Note

A list of dates for all of our major events is available here. Thank you for your patience as dates were updated and adjusted this week after the job action. Students will receive a paper copy in class/rehearsal. Please note that all performances are mandatory and a graded component of every band course.

6.) The Great Apple Pie Event

Our 9th annual Great Apple Pie Event is THIS weekend! Thank you to everyone that sold pies. If you have not participated in this event before, come on out – you will see the power of team work in action (roughly 7000 pies made in the last 8 years)!

We hope to see you on Saturday, October 4th at 9:00am in the Spectrum cafeteria for pie making day. Please bring peelers, paring knives, and cutting boards (make sure you label everything).

**Orders can be picked up anytime after 12:00pm on Saturday and from 10:00am – 12:00pm on Sunday, Oct. 5th. There is NO storage available at the school. Please make sure that you have made arrangements to pick-up/deliver your pie orders.

***We are still in need of apple donations to make this really successful. Please  email me if you are able to donate your apples. Student crews can be organized to help pick apples off your trees as well. 

Thank you all! I’m so happy to be back at school and am really looking forward to working with each and everyone of you.  Enjoy your year! 

Cheers,
Jamie Davis



____________________________________________
Jamie Davis
Director of Bands, Spectrum Community School
Secretary, British Columbia Music Educators' Association

957 Burnside Road West
Victoria, BC Canada V8Z 6E9

Tel: +1.250.479.8271 (Ext 512)
Email: jdavis@sd61.bc.ca
www.spectrumband.ca