Orchestra updates for the week of Oct. 2
1. Our next Hauntcert combined rehearsal is this Thursday morning BEFORE SCHOOL, will be from 7:00-8:20 am, and will involve Chamber, Intermezzo, and Sinfonia orchestras. Students will need to bring their folding music stands from home to school that morning and cellists will need to bring their instruments to school that day as well. Equipment crews please plan to arrive 15 min early to help with set up (we cannot set up the night before due to Battle of the Bands).
2. We are getting down to Hauntcert crunch time and really need to complete the volunteer list - our most pressing need is to fill the spots for dry ice helpers for our mad scientist experiments. You can click here to volunteer for Hauntcert 2017.
3. The refreshment sign up list is also now available as we try to feed an army of over 800 at the end of the Hauntcert. Please consider helping us out and bringing some cookies or punch for the event! You can click here to donate refreshments for Hauntcert 2017.
4. We are now collecting various items to be used in the Hauntcert production - items can be donated or returned to you if you are willing to let us borrow them. We are in need of power strips, extension cords, and batteries (mostly AA and AAA but a few C's as well for stand lights - batteries will not be returned). We are also in need of any decorations pertaining to the this year's theme. As it is the year for "scary music", any Halloween decorations will work, but if you specifically have things related to a mad scientist/laboratory, we are especially interested! Please clearly label anything that you would like returned and send items to school by the end of this week so that we can begin planning decorations. We are also looking for unusual percussion instruments such as siren whistles, duck calls, slide whistles, bike horns etc. (if it makes a weird, loud sound, we'd love to consider it!)
5. Our first NY trip fundraiser is to work the concession stand at the October 13th football game. Please allow those students and parents going on the trip "first dibs" on the sign up sheet - after this Friday, remaining spots can be filled by anyone. Click here to sign up to work concessions at the October 13th football game. Don't forget if you are going on the trip, the October payment is now due!
6. Melissa Miles is looking for an interested parent to help coordinate some fundraising event for the New York trip. Please let Mrs. Siebenthal know if you would like to join her in our efforts to raise money for the trip!
7. Our next NCHS Orchestra Parents meeting will be Tuesday Oct 10 at 7 pm in the orchestra room (door J around the back will be open). This is our final meeting before Hauntcert and we would love to have a great turn out to continue planning the event. We are also still looking for three people interested in shadowing some of our NOPA executive board members so that they can take over those offices next year. The positions don't involve a huge amount of commitment, so if you are interested in the offices of president, treasurer, and refreshment chair, please let Mrs. Siebenthal know.
8. Parent teacher conferences are also looming on the horizon the week after the Hauntcert. As per the district's new initiative and restructuring of the process, parents must now contact each individual teacher if they wish to arrange a face-to-face conference. I will be available for conferences Oct 23-26 before school. Please keep in mind that even filling every available spot only allows me access to a little less than a 1/3 of the orchestra students. I humbly ask that you save the face-to-face conference spots for students who are struggling with the course and/or their grade and really need that time with me. If your student is not struggling with the material or grades and you would like to touch base with me, I would love to receive an email from you to check in on how things are going with your student! Hopefully this new structure for parent-teacher conferences will help us teachers reach those students who need it the most. Please contact me via email as soon as possible if we need to meet face-to-face, and sometime during the week of scheduled conferences if you would like to touch base and have a "mini-conference" via email. Contacting me during that week for an email conference will ensure that all of the grading is complete and ready to go so that I can provide you with appropriate updates.
Orchestra updates for the week of Sept. 25th:
1. Our next Hauntcert combined rehearsal is this Wednesday afternoon (Sept 27), will be from 3:30-6:00 pm, and will involve Chamber, Intermezzo, and Sinfonia orchestras. Students will need to bring their folding music stands from home to school that morning and cellists will need to bring their instruments to school that day as well. Students will need to again be picked up at door J around the back of the building. Please make arrangements to carpool if you are unable to pick your student up promptly at 6:00 pm.
2. Other than a few back ordered items, all uniform parts have now been distributed. Please make sure new items fit and that arrangements have been made to have them hemmed. Also please make sure that you have double checked the uniform policies in the syllabus and have provided the appropriate shoes, socks, etc.
3. We still have a number of openings on the Hauntcert volunteer list that we are looking to fill. You can click here to volunteer for Hauntcert 2017. A new position has been added to the volunteer list and we are looking for a couple of "dry ice wranglers" to help us with "mad scientist experiments".
4. We are also still looking for three people interested in shadowing some of our NOPA executive board members so that they can take over those offices next year. The positions don't involve a huge amount of commitment, so if you are interested in the offices of president, treasurer, and refreshment chair, please let Mrs. Siebenthal know.
4. If you have signed up for the NY trip, please make sure that you have your deposit in and that the next payment (Oct 1st) is on your mind. Our first payment to the travel agent is due at the beginning of October and we need to make sure that there is enough money in the account to cover the bill.
Some updates as we get back into the swing of things:
1. Hauntcert combined rehearsal on Tuesday night (Sept 19) will be from 6-8 pm and will involve Chamber, Intermezzo, and Sinfonia orchestras. All students must be dropped off and picked up at door J around the back of the building. Marching band will be using the faculty parking lot and pickup/drop off in the bus lane will NOT be an option. Students will also not be allowed to go through the building to the main entrance. Please make sure that your student is picked up promptly at 8:00 at door J.
2. Uniforms have been shipped and will be arriving any day (although we won't know whether or not any items are back ordered until we get the shipment). They will be sent home with your student next week. Please make sure that all pieces are checked for size and you have made arrangements to have pants/skirts hemmed.
3. Thanks to everyone who attended our first NCHS Orchestra Parents Association meeting this week! We are still in need of volunteers and would love to have you get involved. If you would be interested in shadowing for a position on the executive board, please contact Mrs. Siebenthal. The positions don't involve a huge amount of commitment and we have 3 parents of seniors who will be "graduating" with their kids at the end of this year. We are looking for people to shadow (and fill next year) the offices of president, treasurer, and refreshment chair. We still have a number of openings on the Hauntcert volunteer list as well that we are looking to fill. You can click here to volunteer for Hauntcert 2017.
4. Last call to sign up for the New York trip!!! Please visit the trip blog to get registered and put down your deposit. Reminder to everyone who has signed up all ready: please make sure that you have filled out the Google form to register in addition to making your deposit, and if you are on the payment plan the Oct. 1st payment will be due soon. If you have signed up to go on the trip, make sure to subscribe to the trip blog so that you receive all blog updates as an email. Once you enter your email address, you will need to click on the link that the blog sends to your inbox to activate your subscription.
A few reminders and updates as we get back into the swing of things:
1. Don't forget to add our first NCHS Orchestra Parents Association (NOPA) meeting to your calendar and join us next Tuesday night (Sept 12) at 7 pm in the orchestra room. The meeting is open to all orchestra parents and is a great low-key way to get involved in your student's high school experience. Come out and meet some other parents, get involved, and have some cookies! Door J around the back of the building will be unlocked.
2. Please consider helping us fill our Hauntcert volunteer list this year. We still have a number of openings and would love to have it filled by next week. Click here to volunteer for Hauntcert 2017 - "Halloween Spooktacular"
3. Student homework assignments are due by Friday, and include the course syllabus signature page, uniform page and fee, blog sign-up verification, and a survey that students can access through Google Classroom. If you have received this email in your inbox and have not sent the blog verification portion to school, simply print the email and send with your student!
Welcome back to another great year of music making in the NCHS Orchestra program! We are extremely excited this year to be adding a fourth orchestra to our music family, and now are home to the Concert Orchestra (6th hour), Sinfonia Orchestra (5th hour), Intermezzo Orchestra (4th hour), and Chamber Orchestra (2nd hour). We hope everyone has had a great start to their school year and are now back in the swing of things!
Our first project of the year is to take care of some administrative things. Lockers have been assigned and uniforms have been distributed - please check men's wear carefully for any missing buttons and let us know immediately if there are any missing! The remainder of the the administrative "stuff" can be taken care of by clicking this link for the NCHS Orchestra Syllabus 2017-2018. Please click on the link, read through the course information with your student, and complete the following steps:
1. Print, sign, and return page 7 of the syllabus indicating that you have received all of the information, calendar dates, policies, etc. and return to school with your student.
2. Print, sign, and return page 8 of the syllabus and return to school with a check for $15 (uniform fee) indicating that you are familiar with all of the NCHS Orchestra uniform policies
3. Follow all instructions on page 9 of the syllabus to ensure that at least one parent has signed up to receive the NCHS Orchestra blog updates. Return the proper verification to school with your student.
A reminder that we will be holding a kick-off meeting for the 2018 New York City trip on Tuesday, May 30 at 6:30 pm in the Auditorium. Anyone interested in learning about the trip, including incoming freshman for 2017-2018, is welcome to attend! We will present the tentative itinerary, and discuss costs, fundraising, and how to sign up.Please park in the faculty lot in front of the auditorium, and enter the school through Door E. The meeting should be 1 hour or less. If you can't make it to the meeting, check back to this website for more information.We're getting excited for an awesome trip in June 2018!
Reminders regarding the upcoming Spring concert and rehearsals:
Event: Rehearsal #1
Date: Wednesday, May 10
Time: 3:30-5:30 pm
Personnel: CHAMBER ORCHESTRA ONLY
Event: Rehearsal #2
Date: Monday, May 15
Time: 3:30-5:30 pm
Personnel: TBA (Chamber Orchestra and seniors will definitely be rehearsing, Sinfonia and Concert only if needed due to lack of preparation; seniors will rehearse the last part of the rehearsal, time TBA)
Event: Spring Concert
Date: Tuesday, May 16
Time: 7:00 pm
Call: 6:00 pm
Dress: Uniform (seniors will be formal attire)
**STUDENTS MUST BRING CLOTHES TO CHANGE INTO AS ALL UNIFORMS MUST BE RETURNED BEFORE STUDENTS LEAVE THE BUILDING**
Please consider helping us out with the post-concert reception and donate something for our refreshment table! Click here to view the SignUp Genius list. We are currently working to schedule our ice cream party honoring our seniors and sign ups will be available soon.
Reminders regarding the upcoming Unit Orchestra concert and rehearsals:
Event: Unit Combined Rehearsal #1
Date: Tuesday March 14
Time: 4-6 pm
Location: NCHS Cafeteria
Event: Unit Combined Rehearsal #2
Date: Monday March 20
Time: 6:30-8:30 pm
Location: Normal WEST High School
Event: Unit Orchestra Concert
Date: Tuesday March 21
Time: 7:00 pm
Location: Normal WEST High School
Dress: Concert Black (uniforms)
Call Time: 6:20 pm
**Please note that rehearsal times are what time tuning is to begin. Students are expected to be 5-10 min early so that they are seated and ready to begin before tuning starts. Students are expected to be picked up from rehearsal PROMPTLY at the time the rehearsal is scheduled to end.**
Unit 5 Orchestra spirit wear is once again available and can be ordered online. Products will be delivered to students at school and the deadline for orders is March 22nd at 8 am. Show your orchestra pride!!!
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE NCHS ORCHESTRA PROGRM!!!! We took 2nd in the STATE at the IHSA Solo and Ensemble contest this past weekend!!! There were 22 solos and 25 ensembles that participated, and all of those students contributed to our win! Congratulations to Ethan, Felicia, and Bradley on their piano trio's "Best of Day" at the event as well. Well done, Iron Strings!!!
The orchestra program would also like to congratulate Ethan on his 2nd place finish in the senior youth division of the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra's "Talent Among Us" competition last month. Well done!!!
No rehearsal for any ensembles tomorrow night!!! Students need to keep working hard at home so that they are ultra-prepared for the concert (and the playing portion of their final exam over the concert material the next day). The refreshment list is full, and the finish line is in sight. Info for the concert on Thursday is as follows:
Call Time: 6:00 pm
Performance Time: 7:00 pm
Dress: Full uniform
As this is a perfect time of year to reflect on all of those things that we are grateful for and that warm our heart, it's also the perfect time of year to express my most heartfelt thanks to all of our orchestra students and parents. What a blessing to have the privilege to work with such wonderful musicians every day, and to have a fantastic group of parents supporting us every step of the way. Warmest wishes for a joyous holiday season and a restful winter break!
Monday rehearsal will not be utilized for any class this week. There still remains the possibility that Concert Orchestra and Sinfonia Orchestra may need the Tuesday rehearsal, with the decision dependent upon preparation levels heard in class on Monday. Chamber Orchestra will not have rehearsal on Tuesday.
The sign-up for refreshments following the winter concert is looking good, but we still have a couple of spots available to help serve that night. You can click here to volunteer and help us out with your "mad cookie arranging skills" :-)
Rehearsals scheduled for next week are tentative at this point. There have been no combined pieces programmed, so the rehearsals will be utilized only if needed due to events such as snow days, lack of preparation, etc. Please continue to keep the time slots on your calendar, but we are hoping they will not be needed, that the weather will cooperate and that students will continue to put forth great effort both outside of class and within the rehearsals during the day to ensure a great concert. Hopefully the decision will be made by Friday.
The sign-up for refreshments following the winter concert is now available, and you can click here to volunteer and help us out with some tasty holiday treats.
Congratulations to five members of the NCHS Chamber Orchestra who have been selected as some of the top string students in the state!!!! Ethan, Emily, Felicia, Peyton, and Tommy will all be participating in the orchestras at the All-State convention in Peoria at the end of January. Way to represent NCHS!!!!
Thanks so much for everyone's help with the Spaghetti Supper Monday night - close to 1600 people were served!!!! The kids were so cooperative, helpful, and flexible; their great performance put the finishing touch on a hectic but successful evening!
Just a reminder that the Prep Freeze Cook fundraiser will be Thursday from noon-7 at their facility on Oakland Avenue near the airport. Click here to view the flyer for more information. The orchestra will receive 20% of all sales that day. These are fantastic, (usually) healthy, easy, no-fuss meals that taste great and feed a family of five all for $16. Stock up for the crazy month of December, load your freezer with soups and sides for the winter months, and encourage your friends, family, and co-workers to do the same!
Kris Gish and Anne Meysenburg, Hauntcert photographer and videographer, captured some great Hauntcert moments and they are now available through Google Photo. Click here to access the folder that they are stored in. Please use the video for your family's viewing only and do not upload to Youtube, etc.
Performance Time: 5:25 pm
Call Time: 4:45 pm
Dress: Orange Orchestra T-Shirt and Jeans
Don't forget our Prep Freeze Cook Fundraiser will take place this Thursday, Nov 17. Fliers are available through your students if you would like to hang some up at work or around the community. More information will also be available at the Spaghetti Supper. Click here to download the flyer.
We still have a number of students who have indicated that their family will be eating dinner at the Spaghetti Supper and they have not purchased tickets yet. If you and/or your student are planning to join us for dinner, tickets are $7 each ($11 for the gluten free option) and include spaghetti, bread, salad, a drink, and dessert. In addition to the gluten free option there are options for meat or marinara sauce. ALL TICKETS MUST BE PURCHASED BY FRIDAY NOVEMBER 4th. Only 150 tickets total will be available for purchase at the door that night (for $10 each and will not include any gluten free tickets). We are strongly encouraging any families who anticipate eating that night to purchase their tickets in advance at school before Friday. Students were sent home with an order form on the 28th, you may also click here to download and print the form at home.
We still have several slots that we need to fill to work a shift on the night of the Spaghetti Supper. Please click here to sign up to volunteer to work a shift that night. If all of the NCHS Orchestra spots are full and you would like to help out one of the junior high orchestras, I'm sure they would be very appreciative! Looking forward to sharing a night of good food and great music with you and your student!!
All students who were selected to perform with the ILMEA District III orchestra must have their forms and food money turned in by FRIDAY NOVEMBER 4th. It is essential for planning the buses that we have documentation a parent will be attending the concert at Olivet Nazarene and that they will be taking their student home. Students also need to include their $6 payment for lunch. Congrats to our 14 ILMEA musicians this year!!!!
