October 2, 2007

Greetings from the band office!

As always there’s lots of news so I’ll get right to it.

Band-Aides Meeting TONIGHT at 7:00pm. We need EVERYONE to attend if at all possible. We have our biggest fundraiser of the year in a week and a half and we have a lot of loose ends to take care of. Please join us at 7:00 p.m. in the band room.

Bravo to the Marching Band and Dance Team for Fridays THREE Performances! We marched the Overland Park Parade and represented West if fine fashion and then high tailed it to Blue Valley High School and performed our show twice for judges and fans. In the preliminary show we won the Individual Music and General Effect Music Captions. Unfortunately it wasn’t enough to win our division. We came back in the Finals performance and actually performed MUCH better but so did our competition so again we were second in our division. I was very pleased with the professionalism our kids displayed that day. We will now take the comments we got from the judges and make our show better prior to our next two competitions.

Thursday is the Homecoming Parade starting at 1:45pm from West to the park in Old Downtown. Come one come all. What a great tradition of fun and excitement West H.S. enjoys; and our band gets to lead the parade… You know it’s not really a parade without a band, right? The students will return to the high school in time to catch their busses or rides for the afternoon. We will return to West in a few hours, to dress and prepare for the evenings football game at South. Call time is 5:15 in the band room. The students should plan on eating dinner on their own prior to returning to dress and prepare for the game. Immediately following the conclusion of the game, stay around as we will perform our show in its entirety so you can see the fruits of their labors. You will be proud.

Please turn in your Instrument Rental Forms. We are catching LOTS of heat from the central office about school instrument rental forms NOT being turned in. Most everyone has paid their fee, but we must also have the rental form signed by the student and parent and returned to complete the process. Please help us by returning those forms tonight at the BAW meeting or have your student return it on Wednesday morning.

Spaghetti Dinner Details – Biggest fundraiser of the year… Say this out loud – “The Band needs ME to help.”

A question that new folks have is “Do I need a ticket if I am working?” The answer is yes. Everyone (student or parent), who eats purchases a ticket. Purchase from your student or purchase at the door. Everyone needs a ticket to dine for the evening.

Be sure to check out the Band-Aides, West website for a sneak preview of the highlights of the October 13 Spaghetti Dinner/Auction sale items. The auction will include an incredibly wide variety of merchandise. There will be something for everyone -- from fun jewelry, creative art, and useful gift certificates for stores and restaurants that parents and students customarily frequent. Band sections will be competing with one another through the auction of various theme baskets compiled by the sections and a raffle will be held for a grand "Mystery Basket" sure to delight all. Remember that this is the band's biggest fundraiser and your participation in the auction is important to the band's continued success!

This year we are trying something new at the Spaghetti Dinner and Auction. We will be having direct sales merchants in the gym showcasing their goods. Tastefully Simple and Silpada Designs will offer their merchandise at the Auction. Check out their web sites

Tastefully Simple- “The Food You Love, The Time You Deserve”
Tastefully Simple is a dynamic direct sales company that offers a wide selection of convenient, easy-to-prepare gourmet foods designed to help people spend less time in the kitchen and more time enjoying the rest of their lives. Easy to make, and delicious, you will find products that will make entertaining, especially during the busy holiday season a breeze. Stop by Kelly’s booth at the Auction and see how easy it can be. Our Tastefully Simple representative Kelly Margheim will donate 25% of sales to Bandaides West. www.tastefullysimple.com

Sign-up sheets have been posted in the band room for the students to sign up to help serve at the dinner or help with the auction and games. The students will receive lettering points (numeral points for freshmen) for their time and effort. EVERYONE is expected to contribute to this event. It is part of who we are and what we do. We each give a little so we all have the tools and resources to continue to grow and do the activities we are accustomed to. Parents, we will have sign-up sheets available for you tonight at the BAW meeting. If you can’t be at the meeting, please call Nancy Allen. We need you and can and will use your time and talents.

Dinner tickets should have been turned in today. If your student did not bring them, please remember them tomorrow (Wednesday). If you still have a few people to sell to get it done quickly or tell them they can also purchase at the door. We need a head count for dinner. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE turn in your envelope with all the money (and unsold tickets) accounted for.

Sign Up sheets are posted by the band office for students to sign up for auditions for District Honor Band. This must be taken care of by next Tuesday, Oct. 9.

I hope marching band parents are making plans to attend the Shawnee Mission Marching Festival on Wednesday, October 17 at 7:00 at South Stadium and then again at K-State on October 20 at 6:45 p.m.

Until next week…

___________________________

Bill Thomas

Director of Bands

Shawnee Mission West High School

email: wethomas@smsd.org

voice: 913-993-7852