WEEKLY UPDATE #2
Congratulations on great 1st week of school! We had a busy week with after school rehearsals, band uniform fitting, and our first Saturday practice. A HUGE THANK YOU to the parents who helped with uniforms, organizing merchandise, prop building and painting, and donating, making, and serving lunch!!
Our Kick-Off Parent Booster Meeting is this Wednesday 8/31 at 6:30PM in the Band Room! We would love to see you there and need your help so we can have a fantastic marching season. We will be going through important information for Friday’s “home” game, upcoming fundraisers, and the Gahr Invitational Field Tournament. We will also have a new batch of field show shirts in that day, so you will be able to pick up your t-shirt if you haven’t received it yet.
Eat at the Habit Burger this Wednesday 8/31 from 4-9PM and support the band and color guard! Make sure you show this flyer on your smartphone and 20% will be donated back to the program.
We have our first “home” football game this Friday 9/2 at Artesia High School! Please see the itinerary below. PARENTS: We will be sending out a Sign Up Genius for parent volunteers to help with our home game concession stand! This is one of the ways you can help raise money for the program. Wear your 2022 field show shirt and get into home games FREE when you volunteer for concessions. Thank you!!
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1) “HOME” FOOTBALL GAME THIS FRIDAY 9/2 — This Friday is our first “Home” Football Game at Artesia High School! STUDENTS: PLEASE WEAR YOUR FIELD SHOW T-SHIRT TO SCHOOL ON FRIDAY. We will have a rehearsal/run-through after school and then we’ll load equipment into the trailer and uhaul. The boosters will be providing pizza during the dinner break. Call time is 5:30PM in the Band Room wearing the same as the Band Camp Sneak Preview Concert — Winds/percussion wear the field show t-shirt, jeans, and athletic shoes. Color Guard wears the field show t-shirt, black leggings, and black athletic shoes. Students will bus to Artesia HS at approximately 6PM, then help unload the trailer and uhaul. For this game, the band will perform the Star-Spangled Banner at 6:45PM, pep tunes and cadences throughout the game, and Movement 1 of the field show (standing still) at half-time. THE GAHR MARCHING GLADIATORS STAY UNTIL THE END OF THE GAME TO CHEER AND SUPPORT OUR SCHOOL AND THE TEAM!!
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2) THE HABIT BURGER THIS WEDNESDAY! — Eat at the Habit Burger Grill on 183rd this Wednesday 8/31 anytime from 4-9PM! Make sure you show this flyer on your smartphone and 20% will be donated back to the music program. Spread the word by posting it on your social media and we’ll see you there!
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3) ASB CARD & TRANSPORTATION FEE CLARIFICATION — All students need to purchase an ASB card and pay for transportation. When you buy these together should only cost $120 total. If you already purchased these on the Gahr High School website and overpaid, the school should be issuing you a refund for the difference. Your student can pay for this at the finance window by the front office during school hours. If you pay with a check or cash, they will not charge you the credit card processing fee.
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4) MARCHING BAND SCHEDULE UPDATE — Rehearsals start on time, so please use the restroom and change immediately after school. Make sure you bring dinner or have a plan to eat before evening practices. This is the 7th period marching band practice schedule:
MONDAYS
3:30-5:30PM Winds and Front Ensemble
6:00-8:30PM Battery onlyTUESDAYS
Homework time during class period
5:30-8:30PM Everyone (we are testing out some portable lights)WEDNESDAYS
6th Period-5:30PM Color Guard onlyTHURSDAYS
3:30-6:00PM Everyone
**If we have a football game, we typically have rehearsal and a run-through after school. Please note that some games are on Thursdays and some are on Fridays.
***Rehearsals start and end at the scheduled time. However, please allow up to 15-20 minutes after practice for students to put away equipment and walk back from the rehearsal location.
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5) REQUIRED ITEMS — ALL WIND AND PERCUSSION STUDENTS WILL NEED A BLACK SLEEVELESS COMPRESSION T-SHIRT, BLACK COMPRESSION SHORTS, AND LONG BLACK SOCKS. Use those links or you can also get these items at Big 5 Sporting Goods. ALL WIND PLAYERS NEED A FLIP FOLDER & MUSIC LYRE FOR THIS FRIDAY’S FOOTBALL GAME. A shipment will be coming in mid-week and you can get this from Mr. Loney for $10-20 depending on the instrument you play. Just a general reminder that all students must wear a hat, athletic clothes, athletic/tennis shoes (no sandals or converse), sunscreen, and bring a 1-gallon water jug to ALL rehearsals. You may keep these items in your cubby during school. Make sure you're continuing to hydrate 24 hours ahead of time, eat breakfast & lunch, and get plenty of rest.
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6) FUNDRIVE CLOTHING & SHOE DONATION EVENT 9/17 — Clean out your closets for a good cause! We’re collecting men’s, women’s, and children’s clothes, shoes, coats, scarves, ties, belts, bedding, comforters, blankets, towels, linens, pillows, and more! Place donated items into 13-gallon kitchen trash bags. All items must be clean and in sellable condition. We’re asking each family to donate a minimum of three (3) bags.
DROP-OFF: Please drop off bags at Gahr High School on Saturday, September 17th from 9AM-2PM. SHOES MUST BE BAGGED SEPARATELY FROM CLOTHING.
BONUS: We’re raffling off a $40 Amazon gift card! Each student who donates three full bags will receive one (1) raffle ticket.
7) 2ND DONATION PAST DUE — The 2nd donation of $150 was due on Monday 8/22. We accept checks payable to “Gahr Band Boosters,” cash, or you can pay online. It is critical that all donations are turned in on time. We cannot pay our instructional staff, purchase materials for props, or register for competitions without your contribution. Please communicate with Mr. Loney if you have any issues.
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8) MARCHING BAND & GUARD ORDER FORM PAST DUE — There are several required items you will need to be in the marching band. Many of these items should be a one-time purchase that can be reused year after year. If you are in the winds or percussion sections, you will need a Gahr Marching Gladiators Hoodie and Black Drillmasters Marching Shoes. If you are in the color guard section, you will need ALL of the items listed on the color guard order form. Any color guard members who already have warm ups do not need to purchase new ones.
9) FIELD SHOW PROGRAM ADS — Advertise in our event program for the Gahr Invitational Field Tournament, held on Saturday, November 5, 2022! The deadline for all advertisements is Friday, October 7, 2022. We cannot accept late ads once the program is sent to the printer. Click here to download the form. See Mr. Loney for a sample program booklet.
Many local businesses are looking for ways to advertise to the community. This is also a great opportunity to put a "shout-out" for your son/daughter in the program! Best of all, students earn 90% of profit from program ads! You can now also purchase a program ad through our website. Just make sure you email the ad to Mr. Loney at darren.loney@abcusd.us.
SENIORS — PLEASE SEND MRS. VARNEY A BABY PHOTO! SHE IS PUTTING TOGETHER A PAGE FOR YOU IN THE PROGRAM. Her email address is dvarney15@gmail.com.
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10) HAWAII PERFORMANCE TRIP! — Click here to download the itinerary and payment sheet. The performance trip includes accommodations for 6 days and 5 nights, a performance at the USS Missouri in Pearl Harbor, a clinic at the University of Hawaii, a visit to Diamond Head State Monument, a dolphin and snorkeling excursion, a luau, and more. All participants should have signed up on WorldStrides and have paid the $269 Registration Fee. All payments at this point should be made directly to WorldStrides. Your initial deposit of $100 is applied to your final balance (last payment). The next payment of $267 is due on September 1st. Please follow the instructions below if you still need to register and get caught up with payments:
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11) STUDENT SPONSORSHIP LETTER — The Student Sponsorship Letter is a great way to raise money for marching band, Winter Drumline, Winter Guard, or even the Hawaii trip! 100% of the money sponsorships goes directly to your student account. These may take a few hours to complete and mail out, but you can raise upwards of $500 if done correctly! Click here to download the instructions and letter.
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12) ATHLETIC CLEARANCE PAST DUE — All new AND RETURNING STUDENTS must complete their athletic clearance to be admitted into the band or color guard. Here are the steps to complete athletic clearance:
STEP 1 - Get a physical exam. You need to bring a print out of Gahr’s Physical Evaluation Form for the doctor to fill out. It is highly recommend to use a walk-in clinic instead of scheduling this with your primary care physician. If you are looking for a clinic, this one is available for $30 cash but you must call ahead for an appointment:
Sheila Weddle, DC, CCSP
Phone: (562) 866-8384
Address: 5687 Woodruff Ave, Lakewood, CA 90713
SETP 2 - Take a photo of the form. Click here for instructions on how to use your iPhone as a document scanner.
SETP 3 - Register and upload your form on the Family ID website: https://www.familyid.com/gahr-high-school
When you complete the clearance, it will ask if you would like to purchase an ASB card and pay for transportation. You can do this on the FamilyID website, the Gahr High School webstore, or in-person at the finance office.
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13) GET YOUR OFFICIAL BOOSTER MEMBERSHIP — Become an official Gahr Band Booster Member! You’ll receive a high-quality embroidered lanyard and a 2022 field show t-shirt. You can wear your shirt to home football games and get in free when you volunteer at our concessions stand! Membership is just $25 per person.
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14) INSTRUMENT/EQUIPMENT DONATION — There is a $35 Instrument/Equipment Donation for all members of the battery, the front ensemble, the color guard, and any wind players who are using a school instrument. For color guard this helps pay for school equipment including flag silks, rifles, and sabers. For percussionists, this helps cover drum heads, sticks, mallets, etc. Thank you!
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15) SIGN UP FOR REMIND ANNOUNCEMENTS — If you’re not getting Remind text messages, please take a moment to sign up now by your student’s grade level. This is our primary method of communication.
FRESHMEN: Text "@music2026" TO: 81010
SOPHOMORES: Text "@music2025" TO: 81010
JUNIORS: Text "@music2024" TO: 81010
SENIORS: Text "@music2023" TO: 81010
If you are a student, please also sign up to use “Slack” for important rehearsal communication:
https://join.slack.com/t/gahrband/shared_invite/zt-1a9al3s2v-mqytQ9nRPPVnRnZgaE86kQ
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THIS WEEK:
MONDAY 8/29
7:20am Jazz Band
3:30-5:30PM Winds/Front Ensemble
6:00-8:30PM Battery only
TUESDAY 8/30
7:20AM Jazz Band
Study Hall during class
3:15PM Do HW and eat dinner
5:00PM Set up for practice / jog/stretch
5:30PM Full Ensemble rehearsal
Bring dot book and pencil
WEDNESDAY 8/31
No Jazz Band
7:30-8:30AM Band Room open to practice
STAR-SPANGLED BANNER MEMORIZATION TEST
3:15PM Optional Sectionals / Make Up Tests
6th-5:30PM Color Guard
4:00-9:00PM HABIT BURGER FUNDRAISER!
6:30PM Kick-off Booster Meeting in Band Room!
THURSDAY 9/1
HAWAII PAYMENT DUE $267 TO WORLDSTRIDES
7:20AM Jazz Band — Pep tunes!
3:30-6:00PM Rehearsal
FRIDAY 9/2
WEAR YOUR SHOW SHIRT TO SCHOOL
1ST HOME GAME (AT ARTESIA HS)
No Jazz Band (get ready for game)
6th Period — Set up at practice field
3:30pm Rehearsal/Run-through (Mvt. 1 standstill)
4:00pm Percussion load equipment on blacktop / Winds run Star-Spangled Banner
4:15pm Finish loading / Pizza dinner (provided)
5:30pm Pep tunes in band room / battery run cadence
5:55pm Start loading busses
6:05pm Bus to Artesia HS — 12108 East Del Amo Boulevard, Lakewood CA 90715
6:20pm Bus arrives, unload ASAP, set up drumset/bass/podium, winds warm up
6:45pm Star-Spangled Banner
7:00pm Home Football Game vs. Heritage Christian HS
8:00PM Half-time performance
9:45PM Approximate load busses
10:00PM Bus back to Gahr HS
10:15PM Unload ASAP — Everyone helps
10:30PM Approximate dismissal*
*The end time of a football game varies. The Gahr Marching Gladiators always stay until the end of the game to support our school and team. Please have your student call you for pick-up time or check Remind for updates.
3-DAY WEEKEND
Make sure you continue to practice and review