Hello everyone! I tend to be long winded and in light of all the emails you are getting, I will spare you the long preamble... This is ALL the marching band & camp information! PLEASE read this entire post and the links.........
HIGH SCHOOL ORIENTATION
- FRESHMAN - Wednesday, August 12th from 2:15 to 3:30 p.m. Students dismissed at 2:00 for orientation.
- 10, 11, 12th grades - Wednesday, August 12 from 3:15 to 4:30 p.m. Students dismissed at 3:00 for orientation. High school staff will be on hand until 4:30 to make sure you can get pictures taken, etc.
If you did not receive Mr. Schrock's latest update, please click here: PRINCIPAL'S VIEW This has information about parking passes, schedules, etc.
MARCHING BAND CAMP:
Here are the details for camp, which begins Sunday, August 9th for squad leaders and newbies (anyone new to marching band) and Monday, August 10th for EVERYONE!
Payment
Please put your payment form, Charms form (if applicable) and payment in an envelope with your student's name on it and have them turn in at check-in. IF you already mailed a check or paid via PayPal, you are all set!
Per current school district policy and MHSAA guidelines, students will be required to wear a
face mask unless they are playing their instrument, eating, or drinking. If a doctor's note
is furnished noting that a face mask cannot be worn, then a face shield must be worn.
Camp will be 100% outdoors, except in the case of emergency medical or weather conditions
(see severe weather plan below)
Students/Staff/Instructors/Chaperones will be required to fill out our online health form prior
to the start of activities EACH DAY - the health form must be filled out on the same day
that your student is checking in. You can't fill it out the day before.
.Just fill out the form and we can check it on our computerat school. No need to show us
Students/Staff/Instructors/Chaperones that show any signs of illness are expected to stay home
and alert us! Email Mrs. Allegoet at ALLEGOEL@HOWELLSCHOOLS.COM if you can't attend camp!
Restrooms will be available at the football stadium along with hand sanitizing stations around our
practice areas.
In every setting (field, sectionals, meals, etc..), we are expecting appropriate physical distancing
among our Students/Staff/Instructors/Chaperones. We have taken this into account with our drill
for the marching aspect of things as well. All members on the field are at least 3.5 steps
(approx. 6 feet) from one another during the entire field show. It will look VERY different from what
you usually see from our group.
Chaperones and staff will be on hand to assist with all stations and rehearsal areas.
We have divided our large group into smaller cohorts of individuals in order to abide by the
MI SAFE SCHOOLS plan for our phase. Students will check in for the day and practice
in their COHORT, instrument sections.
Students will not be sharing any instruments or equipment and should not handle any belongings
of others.
We will have a special area for first aid/isolation purposes. This area is being staffed by two
of our certified nurses on staff.
Should a student become ill while at camp, they will be isolated, and the parent(s) will be called.
According to the current district plan, we ask the parent to come pick up the student, or the
student to drive themselves home.
Multiple hand sanitizer stations will be available at each main rehearsal location.
The program we have designed takes into consideration that many of our students have been less
active for more than four months. We feel that everyone should be able to physically manage the
drill and music.
Each student should take all of their equipment home each day and bring it back the following day.
Meal time (lunch) at camp and water breaks WILL follow the same physical distancing and small
group restrictions as noted above.
We will have a designated area for parents to ask questions on camp days. Other than that, only marching band students, staff and chaperones will be allowed at band camp. No observers or visitors please!
Daily Plans
Sunday - Squad Leader Morning - check in begins at 7:30 AM at the auditorium loading dock (to the right of the band room). We will finish at 11 AM. Lunch is on your own.
Arrive at check in with your Google health form completed. Temperature checks required
which we will do at check in.
Sunday - Newbie Afternoon (anyone new to marching band) - check in begins at 12:30 PM at the auditorium loading dock (to the right of the band room). We will finish at 3:30 PM.
Arrive at check in with your Google health form completed. Temperature checks required
which we will do at check in.
Monday thru Thursday - check-in begins IN YOUR COHORT AREA at 7:30 AM.
Arrive at check-in with your Google health form completed.
Cohort areas for check-in Monday thru Thursday:
Trumpets - Auditorium loading dock (to the right of band room)
Saxophones - The Rock (next to the field house)
Percussion (Pit & Drumline) & Color Guard - Auditorium Entrance
Clarinets & Flutes - Senior Lot (Grand River side of building)
Low Brass & Horns (Mellophones) - Sidewalk outside band room
We kept everyone grouped by instruments so you may or may not be with your BFF.
We love you, but please don’t ask for changes. You can check your band group here:
CHECK-IN / COHORT GROUPS
- Daily Schedule - The schedule below is TENTATIVE and WILL be adjusted as needed to best serve our band members. Please do NOT arrive early to camp - arrive at the scheduled check-in time.
Daily Schedule - Monday thru Thursday
7:30 - Check in and temperature check at Cohort Stations
8:00 - Basics
9:00 - Sectionals
10:00- Drill
11:30 - Lunch
12:30 - Music rehearsal/Drill
2:00 - Sectionals
3:00 - Finish/Wrap-up/Dismissed by 3:30
Water breaks will be given regularly throughout the day!
School Owned Instruments
- If you need a school owned instrument, no problem! Students may check out a school owned instrument after check-in on their first day of camp.
- If you still have a school owned instrument, please check in with our instrument staff so we know that you still have it
Medications
We recommend that medications are dispensed at home, before camp. However, if they must
take medication during camp, they must be checked in with our head nurse, Sue Baker,
at the loading dock check-in area. All medications must be in their original containers, in a zip lock bag with student’s name on the bag.
Health forms were completed and turned in for each student with your original registration which
gives our nurse permission to dispense over the counter medication such as Tylenol, Motrin, etc.
Food/Water
Any food/drink items must not be shared.
Bring a water bottle, full of water, from home with your name on it. If students need to re-fill their
water bottle during the day, drink stations will be provided. These drink stations will be staffed
by 1 staff member only following school safety protocols. Students will NOT be allowed
to dispense their own water.
Lunch will be provided. Food will be provided in prepackaged containers (box lunches).
Our food coordinator has worked to try to keep our food sources with local businesses
as best they can while also following the current school district policy for food distribution.
Severe Weather
Please bring instrument cases for woodwind instruments, these will provide rain protection if needed.
We have SOME tolerance for rain. We monitor the weather ALL THE TIME (probably more than is
healthy). If it is deemed that the weather situation is unsafe, students will be moved inside the
high school building and then spread out to maintain appropriate distancing. WE WILL NOT BE
REHEARSING INDOORS. This is for sheltering purposes only. If the weather situation does not
appear as though it will pass quickly, we will ask students to call home to be picked up or drive
home if they have transported themselves to camp. Our goal is student safety first, and remaining
indoors for the least amount of time possible.
Please bring a raincoat with you each day and be prepared for temperature changes throughout
the day.
- Dress for the weather!
- Wear comfortable, school appropriate clothing - no short-shorts or offensive tshirts.
- Wear tennis shoes or other comfortable shoes.
- MASK! Put your mask on a lanyard of some sort...you don’t want that on the ground.
- Sunglasses and/or hat
- Hand sanitizer and sunscreen - we will have stations with these items but, if you want to have your own, please bring it along
Other Requests
Apply sunscreen at home in the morning.
Drink some water in the morning so you are not starting our time together with a hydration deficit.
PUT YOUR NAME ON YOUR WATER BOTTLE!
Your phone is one of the grossest things you have. Wipe it down every once in a while.
Put your mask on a lanyard or some sort...you don’t want that on the ground.
Wash your hands when you get home from camp, maybe even take a shower. Mark time while
you are doing it.
Wipe your phone down often.
Take showers
Show your love and appreciation for each other and our activity by giving each person their space
and not judging anyone for their level of comfort.
- The MHSAA has told us that they are making a decision on August 20th regarding the football schedule. It is possible that football and our marching band season will take place this spring. That's okay - having band camp now will insure that we are ready to go in the spring! IF marching band is cancelled entirely, unfortunately we cannot refund the cost of band camp as those expenses will already have been incurred. If the unthinkable does happen:
Please check the band blog each day. There will most likely be changes. Thanks to all parents involved in helping to make this happen. Thanks to Laura Allegoet, Christyne MacDermaid and Dana Sleder in particular. Thanks to the Hartland High School band program and their director, Brad Laibly for allowing us to shamelessly use their plan as a template (they just finished camp and their plan looks like it worked).
Thank you everyone for your patience, understanding and flexibility during this process. You are all very dear to me. Let’s give our children some sort of experience to remember positively in this on-going poopstorm while still being safe!
Jason Smigell
