Parent Information Letter
2017 – 2018
Dear Parents:
Congratulations! Your student has been selected to be a member of the 2017 – 2018Maple Creek Singers. Your student was selected based on their talent and potential and I am excited about next year’s group. In this letter, I will give some basic start up information for the group.
I will use the MC E-mail message system as my primary information passing tool. I will send to you rehearsal schedules, trip/performance information, the payment schedule, and other general information that comes up unexpectantly.
The NACS Canvas Page will also be used to send out information to you and students throughout the year. Canvas will be use mostly to send out information quickly to you and the students on events that are occurring in class assignments and projects. The Canvas Calendar will also be a resource used to help you keep track of upcoming events. To access the NACS Canvas Page, you will need to go to the NACS Web Page and click on Canvas. There you will find all the directions.
Another resource for retrieving important MC Singer information will be the Maple Creek Activities Web Page. This page will be updated several times a month to display what is going on with the group. To access this web page, follow the following directions:
Go to the Northwest Allen Web Pagenacs.k12.in.us
Open the Maple Creek Web Page (on the left side)
Click Activities Tab
Click MC Singer
Additionally, if you need to communicate with me any time throughout the year, I respond quicker to an e-mail () than I do by phone because of my teaching schedule. I check my e-mail several times throughout the school day but can only return calls after classes have finished for the day.
Being a Show Choir Member
This is an auditioned performance group meaning that the best of the best have been selected to be members. With that membership comes an expectation of commitment to the group just like any other team or squad. Everyone is important to the group and the group’s performance is not as effective if all its members are not present. With that said, I want to encourage each student to be at every rehearsal and performance. I have done my best to ensure our events don’t conflict with school-sponsored events and some outside events. Please make coming to show choir rehearsals and events a priority.
I ask that you pick up your student on time after every rehearsal and event. I cannot and will not leave until every participant in the group is picked up. When you are late, I lose time to spend with my family. If you can’t be here on time, please make arrangements with someone else to pick up your student. (another parent, grandparent, etc…)
If you have a conflict, I need to know as soon as possible in order to make adjustments in the show or event. Those students who repeatedly miss rehearsals and events will be dropped from the group. Three UNEXCUSED absences will indicate to me that the student does not want to be a part of MC Singers and they will be removed from the group at that time.
Financial Requirements
Just like many of the other activities your student is involved in, there is a monetary requirement for show choir. Most of the upfront costs are for outfit items. As the year progresses there will be travel costs and contest costs that need to also be paid (King’s Island Contest). I will try to keep costs down by choosing the best but yet lowest fees for transportation, contest admission, and outfit costs. Also, the members will be provided the opportunity to participate in several fundraisers to help offset the costs. Your help in the fundraisers will ensure success and lower your student’s overall cost.
I will space out payments so they are not due at the same time. If there is a problem with paying your student’s bill, please contact me at and I will work with you on the matter.
Outfits
The group will have different outfits this year. One will be an informal costume for traveling to and from the competitions and for performing at less formal venues and the other will be a formal costume (consisting of two different costumes) for performing at competitions.
- The informal outfit will be similar for all singers. It will consist of a
t-shirt (color is yet to be determined) with the MC Singer logo printed on the front and the student’s last name printed on the back. The rest of the outfit will consist of nice blue jeans and tennis shoes.
- The formal outfit will be:Yet to be determined!! More information will come to you as it becomes available.
Each student will also be asked to have a garment bag – which will be used to keep the formal outfit clean and all together. If the student does not own a garment bag, options will be provided for him/her to purchase one.
Parent Travel Shirt
All the parents/family members of a MC Singer, will have the opportunity to purchase a Travel T-Shirt to wear to the MC Singer performances. The price previously has been $10.00. The front of the t-shirt will have the MC Singer logo printed on it. (This will match the singer’s shirts) The back of the shirt can be blank or for an extra $5.00, your name or appropriate saying (MC Parent, Jack’s Mom, etc…) can be printed. Sign up and final price for the shirt will be communicated to you sometime the beginning of the school year.
Fundraisers
In order to help pay for outfit/travel fees/contest costs, there will be 7 fundraiser events spread throughout the school year.
The first: The group will be selling “Little Caesar’s Pizza/Mixed Bags” in
August. The profits collected for each will go towards the students formal outfit fees.
The second: The MC Singers will be selling Lollipops in October.Theprofits collected for each lollipop will go towards the groups contest fees, prop needs, and backdrops.
The third: The MC Singers will host the Fall Dance at MCMS in
October. All money collected will go directly to pay
various group expanses.
The fourth: The MC Singers will join with the Steel Drums and the Jazz Band to host the MC Coffee House Concert in October. All money collected will go directly to contest expenses.
The fifth: The group will sell Mike’s Car Wash Coupons in November. (Just in time forChristmas Stocking Stuffer Ideas). All profits will go directly to contest expenses.
The sixth: The group will be selling World’s Finest Chocolate Bars for
$1 each in January. The profits collected from each candy bar will
go towards each student’s contest fee and travel expenses to the
King’s Island Contest in April.
The seventh: The group will be providing automobile window clings to all students/parents at MCMS throughout the school year. The clings will be all in white, have the interlocking MC on it, the activity/sport symbol, and the option of the student’s first or last name on it. The profits collected from each cling will go towards contest expenses.
What can you do?
There will be opportunities throughout the year for you to be involved. E-mail messages will be sent out containing information of the help needed and when. If you know that you will be able to assist with the needs, please let me know. I thank you in advance for your support.
This year, a parent support group is being created to cover some of the most active activities of the year. These activities are the ones that I, Mr. Teeple, can’t do on my own. If you are interested and able to help with one or more of these activities, please sign up and you will be given more information.
Some of the needed help will be with: Coffee House Fundraiser
Costume Parent
Crew Parent
Locker Decoration Parent
Publicity
Other WaysTo Help
Sponsor the MC Singers
Many business owners are looking for ways to support local groups in the community. This partnership not only helps the local group in funding their many activities but also provides advertisement for the local business owner. If you are a business owner or know of someone who is that would like to select the MC Singers as their sponsor group, (sponsorship amounts need to be between $100 - $500) please contact Mr. Teeple by phone 338-0802 or by email .
What the sponsorship will do for you:
Recognition in the Concert Programs
Written Thank You from the group
The great feeling of knowing you have supported an awesome group of
students doing what they love!!!
Business name printed on the back of the travel shirt
MCMS Show Choir - Summer Camp
The singers in the group are asked to attend a Summer Camp which will take place at Maple Creek Middle. The camp is NOT mandatory but very important to the success of the group. The purpose for the camp is to have time for the students to get to know each other better before school begins, learn some of the vocal lines of the contest songs, and to begin learning the choreography for the Contest Show. Below is the information for the Summer Camp:
Date: Aug 9, 10, 11
Time: 8:30 – 2:00
Where: Maple Creek Middle School (Multi-Purpose Room and Choir Room)
Why: To build bonds within the group, learn vocal lines, learn choreography
Bring:1 case of water (no bigger than a 24 pack)
1 box of Kleenex
Sack lunch each day
Performance Opportunities
Coffee House – TBA
Winter Concert - TBA
Elementary Tours (Perry Hill, Oakview, Huntertown, Cedar Canyon, and Arcola) - TBA
Carroll Pre-View –TBA
Carroll High School Invitational – January 19, 2018
Northrop Invitational – February 2, 2018
Dekalb Invitational – February 9, 2018
Homestead Invitational – February 16, 2018
Huntington North Invitational– February 23, 2017
Churubusco Invitational – March 3, 2018
Bobcat Idol – TBA
Fine Arts Concert - TBA
Music in the Parks – April 28, 2018
(King’s Island Trip)
Directors
Gary Teeple II – 2
Stephanie Zee – Assistant
Holly Miller – Assistant Director/Crew
Loretta Parsons – Seamstress
Andrew Sherman - Choreographer