BAND PARENTS' UPDATE

This is the week! The 2021-22 season for the PRIDE OF GRANDVIEW HEIGHTS kicks off today, with the first meeting of the GHHS Marching Band's leadership team and

senior class! Welcome back, Bobcats - it's gonna be a great year!

1. PRE-CAMP REHEARSAL WEEK: as noted, the Marching Band season kicks off today, with the first meeting of the GHHS Marching Band Leadership Team (2-3pm) and the 2021-22 band seniors (3-4pm), in the band room of the OLD Middle School. The remainder of the schedule for the week is available on the web site calendar - please make sure your student knows when they are expected to show up and where. They should come each day in comfortable clothes for indoor/outdoor activity and comfortable shoes for marching, and of course don't forget those full water bottles! 
2. HEY, WHAT HAPPENS AT BAND CAMP? Since more than half of the band this year has never been to Band Camp, we realized there may be a lot of you out there wondering what the students will do all week. Well, wonder no more! The students' days are broken into four multi-hour blocks, separated by meals and sleeping, and a full day looks something like this:

• Wake-up/Breakfast
• Morning Block (Field Rehearsal; learn drills and practice marching, etc)
• Lunch
• Afternoon Block (Music Rehearsal; both full band and in sections)
• Dinner
• Evening Block (Field Rehearsal again)
• Social Block (different activity each night, examples include swimming night, movie night, etc)
• Bedtime!

Paid professional music instructors and nurses make up the camp staff that are with the students throughout the week, and additional parent volunteers (including many of you - thank you, thank you!) chaperone the social activities and stay overnight each night. The students work very hard but also have lots of fun and bond together as a group - which is a big benefit of Band Camp, especially for students who are just starting high school. It's great to have a support network of upperclass students already in place before day one!
3. PREPARE FOR CAMP CHECK-IN: check-in for Band Camp occurs on SUNDAY JULY 25 (less than a week from now!) in the OLD Middle School commons during the following times: freshmen 12:30-1:00pm, sophomores and juniors 1:00-1:30pm, seniors 1:30-2:00pm. ALL tuba players and percussionists should arrive between 12:15 and 12:30 pm to load their intstruments, and then may leave and return at their class's appointed check-in time. Click here for our brand new resource "TIPS FOR A SMOOTH 2021 GHHS BAND CAMP CHECK-IN EXPERIENCE," hot off the presses! And remember, you can find the Band Camp Newsletter in the same place - it contains a handy packing list, camp rules, and other Band Camp details. 
4. PARENT VOLUNTEERS: as noted, many of you have signed up to volunteer and help make Band Camp a reality, and we are very grateful! Please click here if you haven't signed up yet, as there are still a couple more slots to fill. Those of you who have volunteered will be receiving more detailed instructions via email this week. Thanks again!
5. MASKING GUIDANCE: per the most recent guidance from the State of Ohio regarding residential camps, students who are not fully vaccinated are encouraged to wear masks during indoor activities while at Band Camp. Students who are fully vaccinated are also free to do so if they prefer.
6. CONCESSIONS STAND VOLUNTEERING: the signupgenius is now available for fall concession stand volunteering as well. Remember that this is a significant source of funds for the Band Parents, and those funds benefit all of our students - so please sign up for as many shifts as you can. It takes a village to raise a band program! It's also really fun and a great way to make new connections with other band parents. Don't want to miss Junior's halftime performances on Friday night? No problem! There are lots of Saturday shifts available during JV football games, too. If everyone reading this message clicks and signs up for 2 or 3 shifts, we will fill the whole signupgenius in NO TIME. Please do your part!
7. DECAL DRIVE AND SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES: finally, don't forget that the Decal Drive is coming up soon, on August 22. We will need adult volunteers for this activity as well. And we also welcome any and all assistance in identifying family and business sponsors as well. Sponsorship details are available here, including a link to our online sponsorship form. Sponsorship levels from $100 to $1000 available - and every little bit helps, so please spread the word!