Month: August 2015

Instrument Night (6.1)

Good morning!

This is a quick reminder that our first of two sixth grade Instrument Nights is this afternoon from 5-8pm in the cafeteria. Please bring your checkbook, cards and/or cash tonight. Also bring some form of ID.

The prices vary each year, but the most expensive instrument will not be over $30 per month to rent. Last year they also had a deal where your first *two* months of rent cost only $15 total. For those of you  that are interested in potentially purchasing an instrument elsewhere, this is a great deal so that you can have more time to search while your child learns the basics on their instrument. You may cancel your rental with Music and Arts at any time without a cancelation fee. I believe that you all will be impressed with the prices, service and, quality just like I always have.

I look forward to meeting many of you tonight and I will see the second sixth grade class on Wednesday!

Sincerely,

Ms. Menendez

*edit. The first 2 months, not 3 as I previously posted*

Important Announcements and Handbook Sign-off
  1. 5th Grade Parents: The mouthpieces are in! Tomorrow we will begin learning about the embouchure, creating sounds and in a few classes playing on some instruments!
  2. Band Fees: The band fees for the year are $30 for 6th grade members and $15 for 5th grade members. *Cash or checks are accepted. Please make the checks written out to “CMS Band”.*
  3. 6th Grade parents: We are almost complete with the testing on instruments for your students. Mr. Carr and Mr. Huls have been very generous with their time and have been pulling out students one by one so that they can try out instruments. The forms that the two band directors filled out plus their Music Theory test on Thursday will be factored into determining their instrument selection. Your students will be notified of their instrument placement on Friday.
  4. Instrument Night: The first 6th grade connection class will attend the August 31st instrument night to rent/purchase their instrument, equipment and band books. The second 6th grade connection class will attend the September 2nd instrument night. These will run from 5-8pm on both nights. This is the night where you will purchase/rent the instrument for your student. We need all students and parents to attend an instrument night so that your student can begin learning their instrument the next day in class. *edit* A handout about instrument night and your child’s instrument selection will be given to them on Friday to take home. 
  5. A quick reminder about the band binders for 6th grade (1/2 inch preferred), sheet protectors, and the handbook sign-off that is due on August 28th. (The band fees are due that date as well but I will be leniant on that as we all have MANY fees due near the beginning of the school year. Please turn in that money as soon as possible). I have re-attached the handbook sign-off below for easy visibility. The handbook is located under the “forms” section of the website.
  6. Make sure the follow this website to get up-to-date information!

As always please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions that you may have!

M. Menendez

New Announcements

Good morning,

The response to our website has been great so far! Thank you for all of the comments and questions so far.

Below are a few important announcements:

  1. Band Binders: Both Ms. Menendez and Mr. Huls decided to use a binder this year to hold music instead of a paper folder like we have used in the past. The folders were not as durable as we had hoped and caused many students to lose their music throughout the school year. In the handbook I requested a 1 inch black binder with sheet protectors inside of it. On Monday, Mr. Huls and I realized that 1 inch binders are too large for our music storage cabinets in the band room at the Middle and Junior High school. We are asking that you purchase a 1/2 inch black binder for your students instead of the 1 inch binder. This reduction in size will not only weigh less but it will ensure that all 120+ members can store their band binders in a organized location in our band rooms. I apologize for the confusion and will update the handbook to reflect this change.
  2. Band Fees: The band fees for the year are $30 for 6th grade members and $15 for 5th grade band members. If you have multiple students in our program or in another Carrollton band program you may email me directly for clarification on the amount that you owe. *Cash or checks are accepted. Please make the checks written out to “CMS Band”.*
  3. 6th Grade parents: We will begin testing our students one-by-one for their instruments in class today. This process will continue until our Instrument Nights. The first 6th grade connection class will attend the August 31st instrument night to rent/purchase their instrument, equipment and band books. The second 6th grade connection class will attend the September 2nd instrument night. These will run from 5-8pm on both nights. More information will be sent home in the new few weeks on options for obtaining an instrument for your student.

The behavior and work ethic of your students has been fantastic so far this year. I look forward to teaching your students daily and making music with them. Please do not hesitate to contact me through email with any questions.

Sincerely,

Ms. Menendez

maria.menendez@carrolltoncityschools.net

WELCOME BACK!! New CMS Band Website!

Dear all,

Welcome back to school! I hope that you had a very relaxing summer with your loved ones. This is our brand new website designed specifically for our 5th and 6th grade band members and parents. Here you will find our calendar, social media links, photos and videos of our classes, forms, and our most up-to date information. If there is ever an emergency change please know that you will be notified through here and through a letter home. For our school we do not have any after-school rehearsals. We will only have two after-school concerts and possibly two in school. One of those will be to pump our school up for the Georgia Milestones Test and the other will be to recruit our future band members, just like you, to join our program next year. Information for all concerts will be sent home as we approach the date of the event.

I promise that you will enjoy your time being a part of our legendary Trojan Band program that begins here and concludes the day that you walk across the stage as a Carrollton High School graduate! Our incredible band staff, administration, facilities, and your contribution will do the unimaginable.

At the bottom of this post is a small section that states that you have read the handbook with your student. Please enter your name and email so that I can double check that you are “following” this website. When you “follow” the website every post on here is automatically sent to your email so that you do not have to periodically check this website for announcements. Your student will receive a grade for your completion of the form below to ensure that our regulations in our handbook have been reviewed. Thank you for your understanding.

Please do not ever hesitate to contact me through email at maria.menendez@carrolltoncityschools.net and make sure that you are subscribed to this website as soon as possible!

If you have another email that you would like to have notifications sent to, you may click on the “follow” button on the right side of the homepage and add it there. A screenshot is shown below:

Screen Shot 2015-07-18 at 10.11.10 PM

Welcome to the Trojan Band Program!

-Ms. Menendez