This Week's Highlights

Upcoming dates and important changes that you need to know about:

February 28th - Concert Band Pre MPA performance - 7:00pm @ ERHS Auditorium (Symphonic band required to attend)

March 2nd - Symphonic Band Pre MPA @ University High School Auditorium. Report time 6:45pm.

March 7th - Symphonic Band rescheduling of rehearsal. March 8th is no more. The UCF associate director of bands, Scott Tobias will be in to work with our group. Rehearsal on Wednesday the 7th starts at 2:00pm and ends at 4:00pm.

Week of MPA - All rehearsals will remain in place!

It is that time to start thinking about getting physicals for next marching season! Physicals are required for ALL band members next year. To make it really easy on you, physicals can be done right here at East River HS during Physical Night.

When: Monday, April 30 at 5:30 pm
Where: ERHS gym
Cost: $20

Proceeds from Physical Night go to the ERHS sports medicine program. Don't miss this opportunity to get your required physical!

Parents:

This is a reminder that on Tuesday the 7th at 7:00pm, we will have our monthly parent meeting. At this meeting we will be accepting final nominations for board positions and voting on positions for the parent board members. Other items to be discussed are: Fundraising, Lunch cart rules, gate rules, bylaws, and shaping the parent group. Please plan on attending. Your participation in this group is crucial in the forward progress of our program. Looking forward to seeing you there!

February 7th is the band parent meeting where we will discuss the way we handle lunch cart and gate rules. If you have any issue with any of the below statements, please bring them to the meeting. Your input is wanted!

Parents and Students,

It seems as though my email a week or so ago drew many questions and some were most upset by the email I sent. I want to clarify some of the misunderstandings regarding Fundraising, Lunch Cart and Athletic Gate earnings. Thank you very much for your continued assistance with fundraising. We have a long way to go though!

Best Wishes,
Mr. Sall

This misconception has led to some being very upset. Let me clarify, what was stated previously. In an attempt to be constant with rules from years past, I stated that any who worked the lunch cart and gate will not earn any money toward their account and it would all go toward the sponsor account. That was a misunderstanding on my part. Apparently, it was only the Lunch Cart that this rule was for. Please reference below for specific mandates for the lunch cart.


All gates, fundraisers, and lunch cart money earned will go toward the winterguard member's account. Once the money is earned, they will fall into the category of paid off and the Lunch Cart/Gate Rule will apply.

Here are the specific rules that will apply to each area of fundraising:

Lunch Cart: Students in debt will be given priority for signing up. Parents who would like to volunteer and work, can work lunch cart at any time. If you reach a zero balance, a parent can work still. They can earn up to $100.00 towards next year. Once that amount has been reached, that parent can still work but will then have the money transferred into the Sponsor account. Winter guard students can work lunch cart at any time and get credit towards the winter season. We make close to $15,000 each year from lunch cart. This band would not be able to afford half of what we have spent if we do not have lunch cart any more. Please help, even if you already have a zero balance. Parents, we need you.

Gate: This is for adults only. Any time an adult works, they will earn towards their student's account. If you reach a zero balance, a parent can work still. They can earn up to $100.00 towards next year. Once that amount has been reached, that parent can still work but will then have the money transferred into the Sponsor account. Winter guard students can work gate at any time and get credit towards the winter season.

All Other Fundraisers: Anything else that the band does (pizza cards, door-to-door, candy sales, etc.) goes directly towards your account. You can earn as much as you want for next year!

*Please note that the Gate and the Lunch Cart are not the property of the band. The Lunch Cart belongs to the cafeteria manager and the Gate belongs to Athletics. We are fortunate enough to have the opportunity to fundraise through these two amazing opportunities. They can be taken away at any time!

On Thursday, January 5th at 7:00pm, we will host a band parent meeting in the auditorium that I urge all of you to come to. What will be discussed is a different look at parent volunteering and a new distribution of responsibilities. It is important that if you are a volunteer or ever plan on volunteering that you attend this meeting. Your involvement in the future of our program is welcomed and very much needed!
Have a wonderful and blessed holiday break!

Musically Yours,
Joshua Sall

Falcon Vanguard Families:

This is an exciting week for everyone! We will be premiering our first ever Prism Concert featuring the entire Performing Arts Department! I am very excited for everyone to see the final product. It will definitely be entertaining!

The schedule for this week is as follows:

• Tuesday - 2:30-4:30pm Practice (*Extra time for ensembles until 5:30*)
• Wednesday - 1:30-2:30 Ensemble Practice time 2:3-4:30 Prism Practice*
• Thursday - 2:30-4:30pm Prism Practice 4:30-5:30pm Dinner Break 6:30pm Dress Rehearsal. All families that are not capable of attending Friday night are welcome to attend the Dress rehearsal that night.
• Friday- 2:30-4:30pm Prism Practice 6:00pm Report Time for the Concert 7:00pm Prism Concert

*Certain groups struggling with performance may be asked to stay later.

STATEMENTS:

Financial statements were emailed out yesterday. Please understand that even though the Marching Band season is finished, our financial responsibilities are still present. We set a goal for $5000.00 before State marching competition. We received $3500.00 toward that goal. We still have many bills due to our staff, show design, and many other things.

Many of you have worked the gate at many sporting events. Please note that your accounts will be credited the amount you worked once the Athletic Department transfers over the funds to us. They will transfer those funds at the end of each semester. If you have been working gate, please keep track of what you should have earned.

Fundraising is a must. We are anxiously planning many fundraisers to come and your involvement is crucial! Please participate in all activities that we do.

Thank you for your continued efforts in support our students!

Have a wonderful week!
Mr. Sall

Vanguard Family,

I hope your Thanksgiving Break is off to a great start! I know it is great to sit back and relax (or catch up on house chores). The Falcon Vanguard celebrated a fantastic season on Saturday evening. We never expected to get as far as we did Saturday, but somehow our group did. What a memorable weekend. If you could have seen our Semi-Final performance, you would have been very impressed with the level that they performed. I know that staff and I were extremely impressed and very emotional about the day. We finished top 5 out of 16 in our class (3-A). That semi-final performance granted us the opportunity to have one more performance and it was a great one. Your children were able to perform and compete on the amazing field that is Tropicana Field/Dome in St. Petersburg, Fl. With an 82.5, the Vanguard finished 5th in the State. What a great accomplishment for our very young school and program. We should all be proud.

Unfortunately our weekend did not go without issues. You all may have heard that we had an unfortunate and untimely departure from State Finals. Our students were unable to participate in the finals retreat. Only a few captains and drum majors were able to participate in the retreat. Unfortunately, I was put in a situation that required making a very difficult decision. Our bus company made a claim that we did not provide them with a proper 8 hour break throughout the day and that they had not received ample time to rest. This dilemma caused for the bus company owner to angrily threaten leaving our students at Tropicana Field right in the middle of retreat and the middle of the night. If we stayed, the students would be without proper transportation for 8 hours. With threat of no transportation back to Orlando that night, I made the decision to load the buses and head back to school. At the last minute we were able to bring together our drum majors and captains to attend retreat as the bus drivers threatened to leave us at the stroke of midnight. Instead of having 108 students leave retreat unexpectedly, I decided to represent our school with our drum majors and captains and quietly exit the stadium as they announced 4A champions. This was a difficult time for everyone involved.

In no way should we blame anyone for this situation. Myself, staff, parents, and chaperones all did what was planned and discussed with the bus company as we gave ample time for rest that day. The first time I or a chaperone was notified of this issue was only when the bus company was threatening to leave us. This led us to the choice of leaving early.

We all have experienced a situation that puts us in unfortunate decision making rolls. It is never easy and sometimes we have to make a difficult decision, whether it is or isn't what we or our students want. Last night, for me, I had the unfortunate task of making one of those decisions. I ask that we all respect this and discontinue any further negative statements being made about the situation. I trust that all of us have a maturity to understand the issues and will halt further negative discussion that will only breed further negativity. Remember, we weren't even expected to afford and go to state 4 weeks ago. We weren't expected to qualify for finals. We weren't expected to have the season we did with one month full of rainout practices and performances. This program should relish in the success that we have experienced together. No matter what. I was taught at a young age about perseverance. I ask that we take this opportunity to learn that lesson and see that we all have persevered this season. Our band has shown strength in very difficult times and the unity that we built from it, only shows how much of a family WE are.

So remember, speak positively about Saturday, because it was AMAZING to be there and get that far. Be proud of yourselves. Be proud of your program. Thank you for a great season. I am honored to have served you as your band director this year and I look forward to future endeavors from all of you.

Have a blessed and Happy Thanksgiving!

Musically Yours,
Joshua Sall

Here is the schedule for FMBC State semi-finals and finals competitions on Saturday, Nov 19. Semi-finals for class 3A will be held at Braden River High School in Bradenton. Finals for all bands will be held at the Tropicana Dome in St. Petersburg. For those who would like to come watch the Vanguard perform in competition and who are not chaperoning, we are selling extra seats on the charter buses that we are taking to the competition for $20 each. Please get the money to Mr. Sall ASAP. They are first-come, first-served and once they fill up, that's it. So reserve your seat NOW.

Semi-finals tickets can be purchased at the site for $14.00. Finals tickets can be purchased at all sites for $20.00. Ticket sales are CASH ONLY. No credit cards are accepted. We know it isn't cheap, but this is what the Vanguard has been working toward all marching season, so you don't want to miss this!

4:45am (SHARP!) - Arrive at ERHS

5:15am - Depart for Braden River HS

7:30am - Arrive at Braden River HS

8:56am - Performance

9:00am - Full band picture

9:35am - Breakfast/snack time

10:00am-1:30 - Watch bands

1:36pm - Retreat (Finals announcement)

1:45pm - Leave for Tropicana Field (site of Finals)

2:45pm - Arrive at Tropicana Field


If we make finals

1:30pm - Relax time/snacks

3:15pm - Warm-up music/visual/stretch

4:14pm - Performance

4:30pm - Changing/dinner time

5:20-11:00pm - Watch bands perform

11:00pm - Finals retreat

Midnight - Depart for ERHS

2:30am - Arrive at ERHS

If we don't make finals

1:30-4:00pm - Nap time/relax time/dinner time

4:15pm - Watch bands perform

9:00pm - Depart for ERHS

11:30pm - Arrive at ERHS

Congratulations Vanguard on receiving straight superiors at MPA! The video of your performance is now up for you to watch.