Dakota Band Parents Booster Meeting Agenda
February 10, 2014
Call to Order
Opening Remarks
Congratulations to everyone involved in making Guys and Dolls such a fantastic show! It is amazing to see the high level of talent our students possess! We are also fortunate to have such dedicated staff to motivate and guide these students to excel. Thanks to everyone for spending countless hours rehearsing and preparing!!
Congratulations also go out to all of the students who participated in MSBOA Solo and Ensemble. Our students earned 40 1st division ratings and 21 2nd division ratings. About 25 of these solos or ensemble groups will be going to the state festival on March 22.
Director Announcements
Uniforms:
An idea for a major fundraiser for uniforms was presented to Mr. Sibley, who then had to take it to Ed Skiba (assistant superintendant) for approval. Mr. Skiba’s reaction was that they would just fit new uniforms for both Dakota and Chippewa Valley into the budget for next year. (We are still looking into doing the major fundraiser to provide funds for other needed equipment.)
The cost for both schools together is about $120k, and the key to keeping that cost low is to combine orders for whatever elements are possible because the cost per piece goes down as the number ordered increases. As a result, we will order pants and hats together, so those elements will be identical for both schools. This means pants and hats for both schools will be black. Extras – such as badges, buttons, lettering, different stitches – will be kept to a minimum to keep cost down as well. We are trying to make them quality uniforms while still balancing cost.
Process: There is a sample uniform in the band room now, but it will be tweaked quite a bit before we get a final quote on the approved design. At that point it has to go out for competitive bids. It takes approx. 90-110 days to manufacture the uniforms. Hopefully the purchase will be approved by the beginning of June so we can have uniforms by end of August.
Band Camp:
Camp dates will be 8/4-8/9, same plan as last year with students being bused to camp and parents pick up on Saturday. There will be pre-camp the week after school gets out, and the Thursday and Friday prior to band camp.
There are several options for band camps – colleges, like we’ve done, but also at churches and at YMCA-type camps, which a huge number of bands do. Alma had some advantages, but at a price – last year we spent a bit more than we took in. It also had the disadvantage of time being wasted walking from dorms to practice.
To save both on money and travel time, the board researched other options for this year and we finally settled on the Michigan Christian Youth Camp (mcyc.org) near Lapeer. We will save enough to give us more room to buy flags and equipment for the show.
A bit about MCYC:
Sleeping arrangements are cabin-style (which they call dorms), with most rooms holding 13 or 14 people, and a couple that hold 30. Bathrooms are attached. The dorms are right next to the practice field, and the dining hall is on other side of field. There will be activities for free time, including a game room, and a lake to swim in. There is also a camp store.
There will be another band there at the same time, but there’s a second field that the other band will be using. There are several indoor spaces to gather and rehearse in case of rain.
Death of Eric Pauli:
This was a very difficult week for the kids, and Mr. Abend was very impressed with way kids reacted and took care of each other. It was good for them to be at school and see each other. Mr. Pauli had great things to say about the band kids who supported them all week. The Paulis asked that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the band scholarship fund or to an animal shelter, and Mr. Abend has already received several donations. Exactly how this money in the scholarship fund will be used is TBD.
Treasurer’s Report
Student accounts are up to date as of end of January. We will definitely not be getting the information we need from Kroger to continue depositing donations into individual accounts. Instead, the contribution will be divided between the main account, marching band, drum line, winter guard and scholarships so everyone benefits in some way.
Fundraising
Little Caesar’s pizza kits will be available for pick up in the band room this Thursday, February 13, from 1:15-3 pm. If you are unable to pick up during those times please email Mr. Abend to make other arrangements.
Parent Help
Please continue to watch the Dakota Booster website (dhsboosters.com) for volunteer opportunities.
Please watch for an email request for parent help with MSBOA District Band Festival March 14th and 15th. We are hosting it here at Dakota and it requires a lot of team work to make it run smoothly.
Bands
Please continue to encourage practice at home.
All bands are working hard to prepare for our Pre-Festival concert on February 26th at 7:00 pm.
Winter Drum Line and Winter Guard
The Cougar Regiment have been practicing very hard and scored highest in their division in their first competition which was Saturday February 1st in West Bloomfield. Congratulations! Winter Guard is also working very hard within the new division they’re competing in this year. Nancy Burns noted the cost of admission to these competitions. Hosting one of these events could be a good fundraiser.
Upcoming Events
Feb. 10: Final NY payment was due.
Feb. 13: Little Caesar’s pick up
Feb. 13: Pep band at basketball game at 7pm. About 30 kids are signed up, and others can come if they want. They’ll meet at 5 and run through the music (marching band music).
Feb. 14: Wind Ensemble to attend clinic at Eastern Michigan University. Students should dress nicely (no jeans or t-shirts) and bring money for lunch. Da will consist of a concert by EMU’s wind ensemble, a performance by the Saline HS wind ensemble, then a clinic by director of bands at EMU and director of bands at Univ of Kansas.
Feb. 26: Pre-Festival concert at 7 pm.
Orange Leaf sets up – sell small cups of yogurt and $1 each goes back to the program. Have them come for festival?
Booster scholarship - $500 one girl, one boy.
Next Band Parent Meeting
Monday March 10th at approximately 7:45 pm.
Open Forum
Tim Ardanowski announced that the Dakota Boosters have established a scholarship based on GPA and athletic/fine arts/club involvement. There will be two $500 scholarships, one for a male student and one for a female student. Application will be on the Dakota scholarships web page.
Meeting Closed