Happy Halloween! I hope you having a great fall and will have an enjoyable Halloween evening. We have a lot going on, so here is our most recent newsletter
Farmer’s Market a Success!
Our first attempt at having a booth at the Alpharetta Farmer’s Market last Saturday was a huge success!! I would like to send a GIANT “thank you” for our board member’s hard work, especially Ms. Nguyen, Ms. Yoo, Ms. Day, Ms. Chhabra, and Ms. Baker for a getting there super early and setting up in the dark. Ms. Day made hundreds of mini pecan pies that were SOLD OUT, served coffee and hot chocolate and put together flower bouquets. Mr. Day saved the day with the fire extinguisher that we didn’t know we needed until the fire marshal made his rounds. 😬 Ms. Yoo decorated the booth beautifully and had hundreds of balloons strung together. Everyone commented on how our set up was so beautiful. Ms. Yin pan-fried hundreds of dumplings and passed out tons of samples. Ms. Baker and Ms. Chhabra worked the booth and encouraged people to buy/ donate etc. Needless to say, we have an amazing team of parents who work hard to give our students the best! All profits will directly benefit those attending the trip to Orlando in March.
Special thanks to leadership members Nathaly, Ashley, Joseph, Ava, and Devyn for waking up extra early to help with set up! Lindsay made the flyer for the event that was posted on several social media outlets and many of you supplied ice, ice chests, canopy, and chairs. Kudos to everyone who performed! You represented AHS very well, and all of your efforts are recognized and appreciated. We know several of you came in as early as 7:00 am to practice with your group and put in many hours over the past 2 weeks to be ready for the performance. All of you helped lower the cost for everyone who will be going on the trip to Florida. Thank you! If you signed up to perform but didn’t get a chance to due to rain, there will another time for you to perform — we have been invited back for the Holiday Market on December 7th. Please save the date!
KSU Orchestra Invitational
Our performances at the Kennesaw State University Orchestra Invitational is next Friday, November 8, 2019. Philharmonia, Sinfonia, Symphony, and Chamber Orchestras have been working very hard preparing programs to perform for this event. Our itinerary is below:
- 9:00 AM – Leave AHS for Kennesaw State University
- 10:15 AM – Philharmonia warm-up
- 11:00 AM – Philharmonia performance
- 11:45 AM – Sinfonia warm-up
- 12:30 PM – Sinfonia performance
- 1:15 PM – Lunch at KSU dining facility, The Commons & Campus Tour
- 2:15 PM – Watch KSU Symphony Performance
- 3:30 PM – Symphony warm-up
- 4:15 PM – Symphony performance
- 5:15 PM – Leave KSU to AHS
- 6:30 PM – Arrive back at AHS
Students were issued a permission form and that form is now two weeks overdue. If you have not turned it in, please do so immediately.
The cost of lunch at KSU is $10. Included is a Las Vegas-style buffet with offerings for every appetite and dietary restriction. Students should pay the lunch fee via cash or check made payable to AHSOA and put in the Orchestra dropbox or it can be paid online at http://www.alpharettaorchestra.org/paypal. This payment is overdue, so please remit your payment immediately.
Chaperones Needed for KSU
We need 10 parents to help chaperone next Friday. This is a great opportunity to enjoy the day with our orchestra students, meet other orchestra parents, and listen to local area orchestras perform.
Please use the following link to sign up as a chaperone:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080549a9a628a46-november
Chaperones must have completed the Fulton County Schools volunteer training and be cleared before the field trip: https://www.fultonschools.org/volunteer
We appreciate the extra help to make this KSU Invitational experience fun and memorable for our musicians! If you have never been to the Bailey Performance Center at KSU, we highly recommend that you attend. You will be amazed with their state of the art performance hall. It is definitely worth the trip to experience the students performing at such a venue. This opportunity is made possible through your Student Participation Fee (SPF) contributions. Thank you for supporting our program!
Phone Holders for Recording Playing Test
Because we record a large number of videos for class, students may wish to invest in a device that holds their phone safely and allows for best positioning for playing tests. Amazon has a huge selection of clamp-style holders, goosenecks, etc. Please read the reviews.
Google Classroom/Grades
Our conversion to Google Classroom has been a huge time saver! Students easily understood how to submit assignments and I have seen a larger number of playing tests turned in on time – congratulations! It is also easier for me to track student work and those who have/have not turned in assignments. I will be updating the grade book in Infinite Campus this weekend.
Student Emails
Students should have an email client for school email, like Microsoft Outlook, installed and set up on their device(s) so they can stay in touch with all that is happening on in their classes. This is helpful for students to receive assignment reminders, notifications when new assignments are posted, and confirm that their assignments have been turned in. In addition, when using the Google Classroom app, a pop-up notification reminder is displayed.
FCS Honor Orchestra Auditions
Auditions are coming up quickly. Those students who have signed up and paid for an audition will do so next Thursday, November 7 at Centennial High School. Audition times are first-come, first-served and students can arrive beginning at 4:00 PM.
Orlando Trip Deposits due November 15
Please do not forget that the first non-refundable deposit of $125 is due by November 15 to lock in your spot for the Orlando trip! Our trip is scheduled for March 12-15. Our students will NOT miss any school days for this trip!
Upcoming Events
- Thursday, November 7 – FCS Honor Orchestra Auditions
- Friday, November 8 – KSU Orchestra Invitational
- Friday, November 15 – Harry Potter Movie Night, 6:30 PM, Orchestra Room
- Monday, November 18 – FCS Honor Orchestra Rehearsal, 6:30-9:00 PM, Centennial HS
- Tuesday, November 19 – FCS Honor Orchestra Rehearsals (all day) and Concert (7:00 at Centennial)
- Tuesday, December 10 – Winter Concert, 7:00, AHS Auditorium
