Oct 24 Rehearsal Time Change

The time has changed for the Monday, Oct. 24th rehearsal in order to fit with our percussionist's schedule.  The rehearsal has been moved from Monday afternoon to Monday evening and will be from 6:00-8:30 pm (Oct. 24).  Sincere apologies for the inconvenience, but this was the only time out of all of our scheduled rehearsals that our percussionist could join us. If you have any apps that support the iCal links, you can add our calendar using the following address:  https://calendar.google.com/calendar/ical/n2eoe7idhlcv29rm1f5jr4m6r8%40group.calendar.google.com/public/basic.ics

Our next NOPA (NCHS Orchestra Parents Association) meeting will be this Monday, Oct. 3 at 7 pm in the orchestra room.  Please consider joining us as we begin to hash through Hauntcert details.  Doors J around the back of the building will be open. 

Next week's combined rehearsal will be on Wednesday (Oct. 5) from 3:30-6:00 pm.  Please make sure that students have a ride waiting for them at 6:00 (freshmen may be done a little early).  There is no marching band rehearsal, so all students should be picked up in the bus lane following the rehearsal, NOT the main entrance.  Students should bring all of their materials with them as they will not be allowed back to their lockers - all of the hallway doors are locked at that time. 

With the exception of one jacket, all of the men's uniforms have now been distributed.  Please ensure that your son now has a jacket, pants, a shirt, and ESPECIALLY a bow tie.  Let me know asap if anything is still missing.  Women's uniforms are being specially made by the company as they no longer carry those items in stock, and should be in before the concert. Please double check whether or not the uniform needs hemming (it is almost a guarantee that new skirts will need hemming as they usually come extremely long).  Shirt and jacket replacement buttons will be sent home next week. All students must provide black dress shoes (no flip flops) and black socks/nylons.

We could still use a few more Hauntcert volunteers: one to help video the Hauntcert, one more stage manager, and someone to help coordinate the decorations.  If any of these play to your strengths, please consider helping us out.  Sign ups will be available soon for Hauntcert cookie donations and for the homecoming game concession stand workers.   Thanks for all you do to support our kids and our program!!!

If you still have not sent the blog verification email to school with your student, please print off this email (or have them take a picture of it with their phone) and send it with them.  We still have a number of Concert Orchestra students who are missing this assignment in addition to a few from the other orchestras. 

September 27th Rehearsal Reminder

A brief reminder and update regarding the upcoming Hauntcert rehearsal this Tuesday (September 27th). Tuning will begin promptly at 6 pm - students should plan to arrive at school in enough time to have their instrument out and be seated before that time.  Rehearsal will end at 8:30 pm and all students need to have a ride waiting in the parking lot so they are able to leave as soon as rehearsal is over.  Due to marching band practice in the faculty parking lot, all drop-offs and pick-ups should occur either at the front entrance or around the back of the building at the doors labeled "J" (use the farthest driveway closest to the construction on Raab).  No students or parents will be allowed to park in the faculty lot (the one adjacent to the bus lane) as the band uses that area for rehearsal. 

We still have a several volunteer positions to fill for the Hauntcert.  Please consider clicking here and donating a few hours of your time to the orchestra and getting involved in your student's activities!  

If you have not yet printed off a blog verification email and returned to school, please print off this email or have your student take a picture of it to complete the assignment that was due Fri Sept 23.

Welcome Back to the 2016-2017 NCHS Orchestra Program

Welcome back students and parents!  We're excited to be kicking off this school year in preparation of the 22nd Annual Hauntcert - "Heroes & Villains".  To that end, we still need a number of volunteers to help us with the Hauntcert production and would be so appreciative if you could click here to volunteer a few hours of your time.  Right now, we are planning a "parade" of local everyday heroes to recognize toward the end of the concert. Filling the "hero parade coordinator" volunteer spot as soon as possible is one of our top priorities at this point.  Please consider helping us coordinate the recognition of some everyday local heroes!

Please click here to view a note from NCHS's Iron Pride organization.  They are a group of parents dedicated to connecting parents, faculty, and NCHS administration and working towards providing quality opportunities for our students. They have asked teachers to share this information with parents.

Our next NCHS Orchestra Parents (NOPA) meeting will be Monday, Oct 3rd at 7pm in the orchestra room (rm 50). The doors labeled "J" around the back will be open.  Please consider putting this date on your calendar as this will be our Hauntcert "nuts & bolts" meeting where we will start creating and bringing plans together for the event.  All parents are welcome to attend and we would certainly love to get to know our freshmen parents!

Uniforms have now been distributed and new ones ordered.  Please make sure your student lets us know if there are any buttons missing from shirts or jackets this week.  Replacements will be sent home soon. 

Parents - as a final part of the email blog subscription process, please print this email out and send to school with your student no later than Friday, Sept. 23.  If you or your student prefers, you may also have your student take a picture of the email with their phone and use that as verification of the assignment.  Just make sure to include the header with your email address in the picture.

Pizza! Pizza!

You deserve a break from cooking dinner this week!!!  Come to the Pizza Ranch Thursday night, April 14th, from 5-8 and get a great meal while supporting our orchestra students!!!!  Pizza Ranch will donate a portion of each check in addition to allowing us a "tip jar" for our students busing tables.  Hope to see you there!

IHSA Solo & Ensemble Performance Event Times

Click here for all Solo/Ensemble NCHS event times

Pizza Ranch Fundraiser

Click on the link below to sign up for the Pizza Ranch fundraiser on Apr 14, 2016.  Tuesday and Wednesday only those students participating in the trip should sign up.  Thursday and Friday, if there are any open spots left, parents of students participating on the trip may sign up.  Next week, any remaining spots may be filled by an NCHS orchestra member.

Pizza Ranch volunteer sign-up - http://bit.ly/PizzaRanch16

IHSA Solo & Ensemble Contest Volunteer Information

Please click on the links below to sign up to help work the IHSA Solo & Ensemble Contest on Saturday, March 5th

Job descriptions for each shift are listed below:

Friday After-School Set-Up (students only)  – http://bit.ly/Contest16AfterSchool
Saturday Concession Stand (parents only) – http://bit.ly/Contest16Concessions
Saturday Morning Contest Shift – http://bit.ly/Contest16Morning
Saturday Afternoon Contest Shift - http://bit.ly/Contest16Afternoon

Job Descriptions

Friday After School Set-Up - STUDENTS ONLY

• A variety of jobs need to get done, including hanging signs, helping move digital pianos, setting up individual contest rooms, etc.
  

Saturday Jobs

• Room monitors - each contest room need a room monitor who remains outside the room, checks performers off as they perform, makes sure the door remains closed and no one enters during a performance, assists the judge as needed, collects all score sheets after the judge finishes so the runners may collect them, etc.
• Score sheet runners - one runner is assigned to each hallway and is in charge of collecting the score sheets from each room and bringing them to the office.  This is one of the most important jobs of the day, as performers get crabby when they have to wait a long time for their scores….
• Floaters - these people fill in whatever job is needed that day.  They could take the place of workers who need to leave their post to perform, could fill in for people who failed to show up for their assignment, be put to work in the office or cafeteria as needed, etc.
• Office workers - parent volunteers who assist in the contest office, entering and posting scores, sorting sheets, etc. Parents only please
• Technology table - monitors the scoring system and assists people with our digital posting system
• Information table - fields questions usually related to "what time/room is my student performing?", "where is room XX?", "where are the scores posted?" (we'll give you all the answers you need to field these kinds of questions!!!)
• Tear down crew - helps tear down individual contest rooms as they finish, setting classroom desks back up, moving digital pianos, resetting the music rooms, moving chairs and stands, etc.
  
• Concession stand - works with the parent group in charge to help set-up, run, and clean up the concession stand.  Parents only please