Hi everyone,

I hope that you are all making out ok after the storm. We still don’t have power where I live, and, as far as I know, the school does not yet have power either. Please check the PSB site for accurate updates about the status of schools for next week: https://psb.edu.pe.ca/hurricane-fiona-updates

There was a death in our family in Ontario, so I will be away from Monday, October 3rd to Wednesday, October 5th. Early morning band is canceled for Grade 7’s on Tuesday, and for Grade 8’s on Wednesday. I expect to be back for Grade 9 early morning band on Thursday.

Please take care, and just let me know if there is anything I can do to help or support your students when they return to school.

I will be in the band room this evening, and I would be happy to see anyone who would like to come in for a general information session about the band program.

During the session, I will be presenting the following slide show. If you aren’t able to stop by this evening, please take a few minutes to review it when you can. Thank you!

Meet the Staff: Band Program

The first two early morning band rehearsals of the year (grade 8 yesterday and grade 9 today) are in the books, and both bands are starting to make some nice sounding music already. Thank you to everyone who had to set their alarm clock a little bit earlier this week!

I have entered early morning attendance for Wednesday and Thursday in PowerSchool. Please send me an e-mail of there are any corrections that should be made. Also, please review this note which is posted in the description section of the assignment:

Early morning band is marked as an assignment in PowerSchool in order to facilitate good communication and record keeping.  These marks do not directly affect a student’s band grade. Important skill development takes place at these rehearsals, however, and not attending full band practices regularly will have a negative impact on a student’s overall progress in the band program. Students made a commitment to participate in early morning rehearsals when they signed up to be in the EWS band program. Please provide an e-mail or note when students cannot attend for unavoidable reasons and I will mark these as excused absences (exempt). We miss every player who is not playing their part in the morning, so hopefully the commitment to full band rehearsals will continue to be strong throughout the year.

Grade 7 students do not have to bring their instruments to school tomorrow as it is an orientation day. After their first day of school (Wednesday), Grade 7 students are asked to bring their instruments whenever band appears on their daily schedule.

Grade 8 and 9 band students do not need to bring instruments on their first day (Thursday) and they will also bring instruments on scheduled band days beginning on the second day of school.

Welcome Back to Band

I am looking forward to meeting all of the new grade 7 band students this week and to welcoming back the grade 8 and 9 band students!

Here are a few notes to refer to as we begin to get the band program back in full swing:

The school email address that I check on a regular basis is ampeters@edu.pe.ca

Band Blog: Students are always informed and reminded about upcoming band rehearsals and events, and they are responsible for being aware of the band schedule. In order to support students, parents can subscribe to the band blog to receive e-mail notifications about upcoming events, rehearsal schedule, updates, etc. (see pictures below).  The subscribe button is at the bottom of the home screen (scroll way, way down) on a mobile device. Students will also be asked to subscribe to the blog on chrome books during classtime in early September.

Laptop, chrome book, or desktop:

Google classroom is another tool that students will be using again this year to support their learning in the band program.  Every band class will have their own Google Classroom and every student will be given a code to join their classroom.  Assignments, due dates, and learning resources will be posted regularly in Google Classroom. 

Band Rehearsal Schedule (Fall 2022)

Please find below the weekly early morning  band rehearsal schedule for the fall term: 

Mondays, 7:45 a.m.  Jazz Band (First Rehearsal: Monday, October 3rd) 

Tuesdays, 7:45 a.m. Grade 7 early morning band (First rehearsal: Tuesday, Sept. 27th)

Wednesdays, 7:45 a.m. Grade 8 early morning band (First rehearsal: Wednesday, September 14th)

Thursdays, 7:45 a.m. Grade 9 early morning band (First Rehearsal: Thursday, September 15th)

Students are asked to be in the band room ready to play at 7:45 a.m. on early am band days. The doors to the school will be open at 7:30 a.m. Please send me an e-mail if your child is unable to attend a rehearsal so that I can record the absence as excused in PowerSchool. Thank you!

Thank you for your past and future support in providing transportation for your children to early morning band classes!

Band Fees

We will be collecting a $25 band fee from each student again this year to cover the cost of band supplies (reeds, valve oil, cork and slide grease, white shirts for uniforms, etc.). If paying by cheque or e-transfer, please indicate that the $25 is for band fees. I know that September is an expensive month, so the band fee will not be due until November 25th (parent-teacher interviews/the end of the first reporting period). 

Instruments

Students are responsible for the care and maintenance of their instruments throughout the year. Cleaning and maintenance protocols for each instrument will be reviewed with students in September. Students will be asked to adhere to safety guidelines by not touching or playing instruments other than their own, and by following the guidelines for cleaning their own instruments. 

Early Morning Band Cancellation Policy

There may be times when I have to cancel or reschedule extracurricular practices. I will always give you as much notice as I can when this happens.

East Wiltshire School daily announcements can be found here: https://eastwiltshire.edu.pe.ca/announcements

A detailed outline of the early morning band cancellation policy can be found on the blog: https://eastwiltshireschoolband.com/cancellation-policy/

Band Concerts

Participation in band concerts is a highlight of the band experience, and attendance at scheduled performances is a required element of the East Wiltshire band program; please note concert dates as they are provided, and mark them in your calendars. If conflicts arise, please contact me in advance and we will work it out together.

I am looking forward to another great year with the East Wiltshire band students!

It was fantastic to see so many East Wiltshire grade 7, 8, and 9 students making music together at band camp last week. We are off to a great start!

*If you have any more group photos to share, please feel free to send them to me at ampeters@edu.pe.ca

Camp Dates: Monday, August 22nd – Friday, August 26th, 2022
Camp Location: Colonel Gray Sr. High School              

175 Spring Park Rd Charlottetown

Parents are responsible for transportation to and from camp, carpooling is encouraged. Please note: students who arrive early are not supervised and will not be permitted to enter the building until staff open the doors at 8:55 am. Any campers who should be self-isolating or who are currently positive for COVID-19 will NOT be permitted to attend camp. If a camper develops symptoms during camp, parents will be contacted and the camper will be sent home immediately to be tested.
If your camper will be absent from camp, please email ktmaclaine@edu.pe.ca to let us know. If your camper will be no longer attending, we ask that you please inform their home school teacher asap. As the camp is planned based on current enrollment, we regret that there are no refunds should your plans have changed.

INFORMATION SPECIFIC TO CAMPER LEVEL:

BEGINNER CAMPERS (new to their band instrument, including saxophone/percussion)Your camp day begins at 9:00 am and ends at 11:30 am.Please use the main/front entrance of the school.Please bring a water bottle and a nut-free snack.Your instrument will be waiting for you at camp.A short concert, to showcase all you have learned, will be held in the Colonel Grey cafeteria on Friday, August 26th at 11 am. Family and friends are welcome to attend.

INTERMEDIATE/SENIOR CAMPERS (already have one or more years of experience on their band instrument)Your camp day begins at 9:00 am and ends at 3:00 pm.Please use the south student parking lot entrance to the school (side of school closest to Pond St.)Please bring a water bottle, a nut-free snack, and lunch. You will not be able to leave the school property to buy lunch.Bring your instrument, music will be provided at camp.A concert, to showcase all of the music you have learned, will be held in the Colonel Grey cafeteria on Friday, August 26th at 1 pm. Family and friends are welcome to attend.Additional information and contact email addresses can be found on our band camp website:

https://sites.google.com/cloud.edu.pe.ca/bandcamp/home
We look forward to making music with you at camp!

Kirsten MacLaine (she/her)
Band Camp Director, Band Director, Bluefield High School

I hope everyone is having a great summer! 

Please visit the Band Camp website for up-to-date information:

https://sites.google.com/cloud.edu.pe.ca/bandcamp/home

Instrument assignments for band camp (August 22nd-26th) are listed below. Please note that everyone was accommodated this year with their first or second instrument choice. Changes to instrument selections cannot, unfortunately, be made for band camp. I encourage students to keep an open mind, be prepared for new challenges, make new friends, and to have fun learning to play a new instrument next week! See you soon!

Grade 7 Beginners

Grade 8 and 9 Beginners

EWS Intermediate and Senior Camp

Band Camp begins on Monday, August 22nd! Instruments for beginners will be distributed at camp. Please check back here next week for a list of instrument assignments. Intermediate and senior band camp students are responsible for bringing their instruments to camp on the first day. I’m looking forward to seeing you soon!

Band camp website (general information for campers): https://sites.google.com/cloud.edu.pe.ca/bandcamp

Dates and Times: The camp will be held from Monday, August 22nd to Friday, August 26th at Colonel Gray. The schedule is:
Beginner Camp: Monday-Friday, 9:00 – 11:30 am
Intermediate/Senior Camp: Monday-Friday, 9:00 – 3:00 pm

Instrument assignments for beginners will be posted here on the EWS Band blog the week before band camp.

Please visit the band camp website for band camp dates and details: https://sites.google.com/cloud.edu.pe.ca/bandcamp

Have a great summer!