We made it through Marching Season! Thank you to everyone who helped with uniforms, meals, chaperoning, roadies, snacks, concessions, seat covers, water, senior recognition, and everything else. Marching season certainly takes a village!

Our Band Aides West Parent Meetings for the next two months are scheduled a little differently than usual:

• Monday, November 1, 7:00 pm (because of Tuesday’s election)
• Tuesday, November 30, 7:00 pm (because we want to meet in advance of the busy-ness of December)

Your three VPs of Membership, Fundraising, and Events want to try something different for the rest of the school year. We’d like to set up 10 volunteer teams so that the responsibility of any given event/activity/fundraiser isn’t on one or two people. These teams are for planning, and we will still need all hands on deck at the actual events.

At tomorrow night’s meeting, please come prepared to join one or more of the following teams. (If you have to work or have other obligations tomorrow, please email me <vprez@bandaides.org> in advance.) I will also request that a few students join each team.

1. Events – Chili Supper (Feb 5th), Jazz on the Bridge (Apr 22), Band Banquet (May 17), Ice Cream Social (August). This team will manage the food, setup, and decorations for all of these events. (Not any fundraising, program, or recognition). Our VP of Events is Leesa Yates.
2. Fundraising – We’d like to re-imagine how we do fundraisers. We want a team of brainstormers and planners, and then when we come up with actual fundraisers, we’ll form teams. Ideas that have been thrown around include flower sales, candy sales, fruit sales, section competitions, silent auction, march-a-thon, car show, car wash, corporate sponsorships, clothes collection for Savers, Happy Birthday Grams, Caroling, Dine to Donate, Concessions, blankets, and others. Where can we get the most bang for our efforts? Our VP of Fundraising is Michelle Taylor.
3. Recognition, Awards, Scholarships – This team would manage senior recognition, the BAW Scholarship competition, Lettering, awards at the end of the year, etc. Belinda Hyland did a fantastic job with the football senior night and will continue helping with this team.
4. Uniforms and Spirit Wear – This team will work on doing a spirt wear sale, getting the marching uniforms dry-cleaned, tuxedo jackets if we use them, prepare for uniform sizing in August, and since we’re getting new uniforms next year, we assume there will be some management involved.
5. Recruiting – This team will visit the feeder schools’ Winter and Spring concerts, do a cookie reception at Westridge’s winter concert, be present at the West Area Band Festival, Viking View, fee payment day tables in the summer, and could also assist recruiting color guard members for next year if they need help. Dawn Lind has expressed interest in this group. If you have a band student at one of the elementaries or at Westridge – we need you.
6. Trip Planning – No idea when the next trip will be or where we’ll go, but we’d love to have a team of parents we can call on when we’re ready to plan.
7. Food and Beverage Team – Outside of the major events, we typically feed the band about a dozen times each school year including football games, summer band snacks, ice cream social, percussion ensemble pizza, breakfast on picture day, etc. 
8. Publicity and Marketing – All of these teams may need help with this throughout the year. We’d like to have a team we can call on when it’s time to let the community know. This can include the band Facebook page, this website, the band Instagram page, the band Smugmug photo page, the YouTube video page, and if someone is inclined, a Twitter page. Currently, Will England and Michael Morris are handling these – Will’s last Band student graduated in 2019, and Michael has a Senior so he’ll be promoted to Member of the Audience. Don’t worry – Will has it all docuemnted and can provide in-person and video based training. Addditionally, Will has been prioviding the majority of the photos for the band; if you have an interest in learning more about shoooting portraits, action and group photography, we’d love to have your help.
9. Transportation and Equipment – The Roadies! We can’t do marching band without you. We assume there will be other needs throughout the year, but we don’t know what they are, yet.
10. Administration – Data entry, fees/payments, manuals, forms, sign-ups, Charms, chaperones, etc.

We’re going to give this a try and may want to modify the teams as needed. Please let us know where you’d like to help. With about 80 families – wouldn’t it be great to have 8 people per team? This should also help with succession planning from one school year to the next.

Thanks!

Dawn Schnake, Michelle Taylor, and Leesa Yates