FRESHMAN CORNER
GETTING STARTED
Kick-off Parent Meeting
About mid-May there will be a meeting for all incoming parents. Your student will receive a packet of paperwork at this meeting. This is a very important meeting so make plans to attend if at all possible! If you are unable to attend the packet will be sent to your student’s Junior High to take home. In this meeting Mr. Skembos will discuss uniform basics, fees, general information and volunteer opportunities. This is also an opportunity to meet the band directors, color guard director, officers, and chairpersons from the Conroe Tiger Band Booster Club. We know from experience that getting involved in the organization’s Booster Club truly benefits your child. This is a very active band and it takes many hands to make it possible. If you can help in just one area, it makes the load light for all.
Charms
REQUIRED for all band families: IT IS VERY IMPORTANT that you log onto Charms (charmsoffice.com) and update the personal information section (both student and adult). You must have your contact information current in Charms to continue receiving emails, and other communications from the band directors.
Every Sunday, you will get an update, notes and important information from the band directors and booster club committees. It is through this email that information gets sent to all of the parents and students.
The best source of planning your schedule is on the website calendar. There may be some occasional changes, but it is a good indication of what your schedule will be.
Show Shirt
Every year, the band directors design a logo with the current year’s marching show theme. After that, there is spirit wear (t-shirts, moisture management shirts, hoodies) sold with the logo. Many parents/siblings/grandparents wear these to competitions as a sign of support for the band program. You will see many other schools with their “show shirt” on as well. During Registration you can place an order for these items.
Physicals
Physicals are required to participate in Marching Band. You need to complete the CISD physical form as well as login to RankOne and complete all online forms. Please visit the CISD Athletics Website to get the correct year’s form and instructions for how to login into RankOne. Have a severe allergy or asthma? You also need to complete additional forms you can find here.
BAND App
The Band App is one of the primary ways we keep in contact with all of you! There is a student and parent page. We will post many videos, documents, and updates here. You can join the band app by visiting this page.
Money: What am I paying for?
There is a fee for high school band. Exact costs vary from year to year. Below is a summary of fees and equipment.
Registration Fee:
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This fee is non-refundable and is used to pay for deposits for designers to make sure that we have all of our show paid for! This fee is a commitment amount and will go to your total balance.
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Other payments will be on a schedule. This schedule is included in your registration packet.
Materials Fee:
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This fee covers such things like licensing for music, marching show design, marching and concert clinicians, contest entry fees (marching and concert), etc. This can be done with cash or money order only and made payable to Conroe High School Band Boosters.
Band Gear:
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These costs include the required equipment needed for marching season.
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New members will need to purchase 2 Gold Performance Shirts, 3 Practice Shirts, Black Performance Shorts, Personalized Garment Bag, Black Marching Shoes, a Show Shirt and a Water Jug Cover.
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Returning students only need to replace the items that are too worn to be suitable for another year.
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The first year this amount can be higher than future years since you are getting all of the equipment. As long as the shoes and bags, etc are kept in good condition, those will not have to be re-purchased each year. You will need to get, at the very least, a new show shirt in future years
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It is very important to make sure your student tries on the marching shoes. They fit a little differently than a normal athletic shoe. Also, the shoe sizes can be confusing. We have to order all the same type so we have chosen to order in Men’s sizes. Girl’s sizes are equivalent to 2 sizes bigger than the men’s size. For example, a men’s size 6 is a girl’s size 8.
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All of these items besides the shoes will be bought through an online store.
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Instrument Fee:
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This fee is for some instruments (French Horn, Tuba, Percussion, etc) that students take home for the year. This fee is paid to CISD.
Spirit Wear:
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Each year, there is a logo designed for the show. There are opportunities to buy spirit wear (shirts, hoodies) with the logo. We also have a Conroe Tiger Band logo, that we also sell spirit wear for. A lot of parents wear the show shirt at competitions to show support for the band/show. Spirit wear is completely optional. A table will be set up at registration to place an order for spirit wear. This is payable to the Booster Club.
Registration: Where it all begins!
You need to bring all of the completed forms from the packet you received at the parent meeting to registration. Don’t forget to have your student sign where indicated.
The times are staggered for the registration process to help move things along faster. If you have a conflict on the day or time listed, you may come at another time or on another day. The registration process is broken down into several “stations”.
Equipment ordered at registration should be delivered to your student on the first full day of summer band. Freshman (and new students) have a couple of camps prior to the full band returning. Since they will not have their water jug for those practices, please make sure they have another container for water.
Freshman Camp
There are two days that the freshman get together with just them and leadership. Freshman camp is attended by all incoming freshmen and the band student leadership. Over these two days they will learn basics such as how to step off, how to hold their horn while marching and how to march backwards. They can practice some of those basics over the summer.
Mr. Skembos will send emails regarding this, but make sure you send your student with a water bottle and they have on some good athletic shoes.
After First Day of Freshman Camp
Did your son, daughter, or grandchild come home exhausted today? That is VERY normal! Usually our students come home, raid the refrigerator and then spent the next several hours laying on the floor watching TV or napping in the nice, cool air conditioning! The physical activity will get easier. The kids do get used to the heat and once they start learning the marching show, practice is more enjoyable.
Hopefully your child knew one or two other students and met a few new ones...by the end of the summer they will know half the band or more.
Here’s a tip that has been passed down for years: put a scented dryer sheet in each tennis shoe when the kids get home. It helps to reduce the moisture and keeps them from smelling so bad.
Be sure to keep your child conditioned over the next month and a half until summer band starts. Whether it is swimming, jogging, biking, mowing the lawn or just being outside with friends, it will help when they return to summer practice at the end of July. These kids truly get a workout and you realize why the marching band counts for a PE semester credit!!