Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Hayfield High School Band Msg #4...Thank You In-Service Money Maker, Tag Days, South County Away Game, Island Creek Performance, &Paint the Drum Line Floor

Band Booster Family,

 

First of all, join me in thanking Atsuko Russell for leading the following volunteers: students: Bettina Dowell & Justin Russell; adults: Jocelyn Valdez, Sally Nicely, Leslie Bell, Bettina Dowell, & Dottie Andrews: )  Together, they made approximately $300 for the Band Boosters.  Outstanding way to make some money for our students!

 

Secondly, speaking of making money, Tag Days are coming up…our BIGGEST FUNDRAISER Saturdays: 10 & 17 Sep.  Please ensure your student is signed up for TAG Days & have an assigned adult driver.  Our plan is to have the following earned credit for TAG Days:

-       Since longer hours on Sat, 10 Sep = $45

-       Since shorter hours on Sat, 17 Sep = $25

-       Both days = $75

NOTE: Erin will let us know when we will need to meet prior to 10 Sep in order to put & staple pkgs together.

 

Thirdly, Mr. Burke mentioned sending a travel band to the South County game this Fri, 2 Sep.  Though no volunteer parents are needed, he wanted kids to volunteer to go to the game.  More details to follow.

 

Fourthly, next need for volunteers.  We have a performance at Island Creek next Wed, 7 Sep, right after school, and we need cars for transportation over there.  Please e-mail meJ

 

Fifthly, next next need for volunteers, Mr. Helm is asking to get some volunteers to paint the drum line floor on Tues, 6 Sep during band practice at 6pm. Wear old clothes as we will be spray painting. Mike Adams will be thereJ

 

Sixthly, since I’ve added new people to the e-mail list, I’m forwarding my previous e-mail #3 below to help them catch-up.

 

Seventhly, if you’re interested, first come, first serve, we still have 4 Band Booster spirit t-shirts: 1 small, 2 larges, & 1 2XL $10 each…just send me an e-mail & pay me for exchange of the t-shirt..  Additionally, if we get enough interest, we can put in another order, but I’ll need a volunteer to organize it.

 

Finally, Labor Day weekend is coming up.  Please have fun & recharge your batteries for this coming band year!  Come back home safely & we’ll see you all soon.

 

Humbly serving our kids,

Che Russell

Home (703) 405-9065

Cell (703) 963-4655

Work (202) 231-6273

 

From: Che, Atsuko, Jonathan, & Justin Russell [mailto:crussell82@cox.net]
Sent: Sunday, August 28, 2011 2:14 PM
Subject: Hayfield High School Band Msg #3...Need Volunteers for Wed Morning, 31 Aug 2011 In-Service Hayfield Band Money Maker & Sign-Up Genius is Available

 

Band Booster Family,

 

First of all, here are more details on needed volunteers for Wed morning, 31 Aug 2011 In-Service Hayfield Band money maker:

-       I’ll be out of town next week on business, & there is an In-Service event that my wife, Atsuko Russell will lead the morning of Wed, 31 Aug that will add approximately $300 to the Band Booster fund.  However, she could use some help getting danishes, donuts, coffee, and setting up the cafeteria.  If you need more info, please feel free to call Atsuko @ 703-405-9065.

-       Need someone with Costco membership to buy 3 dozen danishes and bring to Hayfield Secondary School prior to 7 am, Wed, 31 Aug & meet Atsuko Russell the In-Service Band Booster Coordinator...please bring receipt for reimbursement.

-       Need someone to pick-up 7 dozen pre-paid donuts from Dunkin Donuts on Frontier Dr. across from Springfield Mall and bring to Hayfield Secondary School prior to 7 am, Wed, 31 Aug & meet Atsuko Russell the In-Service Band Booster Coordinator.

-       Need someone to pick-up 6 pre-paid 5-gallon containers of coffee from Caribou Coffee in Lorton Market St. and bring to Hayfield Secondary School prior to 7 am, Wed, 31 Aug & meet Atsuko Russell the In-Service Band Booster Coordinator.

-       If you’re available, please send me an e-mail or use Sign-Up Genius.

 

Second, speaking of Sign-Up Genius, THANK YOU KELLEY JOHN for putting this together!!!  Please use the following link: www.SignUpGenius.com/go/hssband1 .  Sign-Up Genius does the following:

-       Allows you to see the many & various volunteer opportunities to support our kids, the Band Boosters, & our Hayfield community

-       After registering for an account (with username & password), you’ll be able to sign-up for these volunteer opportunities

-       Allows you to see who else is doing the same event you are

-       Most importantly, will send you a reminder e-mail approximately 2 days before the event

-       If you belong to another group other than Band Boosters, now you have a new tool that you might want to use;)

NOTE:  For various reasons, there may be some that either can’t or don’t want to use Sign-Up Genius; so, here’s what we’re going to do:

1.     Use Sign-Up Genius if you want

2.     Ask us to input your requests into Sign-Up Genius for you.  Please send us an e-mail (to Kelly John keljohn@cox.net and me crussell82@cox.net ) with date, event, & volunteer item/task & we’ll input for youJ

3.     Send me an e-mail with date, event, & volunteer item/task & I’ll input for you into the Band Booster Volunteer List Excel spreadsheetJ

4.     Bottom line: multiple ways to volunteer!

 

REMEMBER:  When I send out volunteer info, the kids can volunteer & earn credit for their various programs (ie Tri-M, Nat’l Honor Society, other classes, etc)  Additionally, it’s good volunteer work to put into their various college & scholarship applications.

 

Finally, based on the Hayfield Band website, just a reminder that the students will be providing a performance for the incoming teachers 7:30 am, tomorrow, Mon, 29 AugJ  Please keep the following links for future reference:

-       Hayfield Secondary School http://www.fcps.edu/HayfieldSS/

-       Hayfield Band webpage http://www.hayfieldbands.com/

-       Band Booster Blog http://www.hayfieldbandboosters.blogspot.com/

-       Band Booster Sign-Up Genius http://signupgenius.com/go/hssband1

 

Humbly serving our kids,

Che Russell

Home (703) 405-9065

Cell (703) 963-4655

Work (202) 231-6273

Crussell82@cox.net

 

From: Che, Atsuko, Jonathan, & Justin Russell [mailto:crussell82@cox.net]
Sent: Saturday, August 27, 2011 12:01 PM
Subject: RE: Hayfield High School Band Msg #2...Attached Volunteer Sheets

 

Band Booster Family,

 

I’ve taken all of the various volunteer sheets from last night & put the info in the attached Excel spreadsheet.  Please note that when you open the spreadsheet, each of the 3 categories: home football games, competitions, and All-District Band are tabs that can be found @ the bottom left hand corner.  Additionally, knowing that not everyone has Excel, I’ve attached 3 screen-captures of each tab.  I need your help with the following:

1.        For those that signed up last night, please review the sheets & ensure that I put your info in correctly.  If anything is wrong, please let me know

2.        For those that didn’t get a chance to sign up, please look @ the sheets & volunteer where you can.  Please e-mail me with that info.

NOTE: Kelley John has volunteered to put the volunteer schedule into Sign-Up Genius for those that would like to use it.  We’ll let you know when it goes live.  My intent is to use both e-mails & Sign-Up Genius for such a diverse Band Booster Family membership with differing needs, internet access, computer skills, and so on…

 

Just a reminder for those that haven’t done it yet, please send me the following info:

Last Name

Student

Father

Mother

Grade

Home Phone

Cell Phone

email address

Russell

Justin

Che

Atsuko

12

(703) 405-9065

(703) 963-4655

crussell82@cox.net

 

Miscellaneous:

-          Kyle Stefanik (sp?) still owe you $2 back from pool party

-          If anyone is in contact with Beverly Bootery (sp?) parents, Akwasi or Alice, please send me their e-mail or have them contact me

-          Mike Adams, could you please give me a call @ your convenience?

 

Ok, I better send this before Hurricane Irene hits us…stay safeJ

 

Humbly serving our kids,

Che Russell

Home (703) 405-9065

Cell (703) 963-4655

Work (202) 231-6273

Crussell82@cox.net

 

From: Che, Atsuko, Jonathan, & Justin Russell [mailto:crussell82@cox.net]
Sent: Friday, August 26, 2011 10:29 PM
Subject: Hayfield High School Band Msg #2

 

Band Booster Family,

 

First of all, what an awesome exhibition our kids put on this evening!  It’s hard to believe that they’ve only been practicing for 2 weeks.  Thank you to the students for putting on a great show that will get better with each practice, show, & competition: )  Please see vids that I posted on YouTube:

-       http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyTzDeZBXxQ

-       http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jM3YLBqPsc8

-       http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8JXeItocf0

-       http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJh4gTe4ezs

 

Secondly, thank you to Mr. Burke, Mr. Helm, Alison Andrews, & the others for working with our kids!  This is my 7th year with their program & have learned that they’re teaching our students more than just music.  They are instilling life skills: cooperation, confidence, & character.

 

Thirdly, welcome back to those that have been part of the Band Boosters & welcome to the new members of our family!  Thank you for bringing & sharing ALL of the delicious food;)  Additionally, just like any family, there is a lot of work that needs to be done & we each have a responsibility to take a role in some of the many areas of volunteerism (the same values we share with our kids).

 

The Band Booster motto is, “Treating every kid as if they’re our own!” followed by “Humbly serving our kids.”

 

Already our volunteer spirit is truly showing itself.  Two weeks ago, my #1 priority was finding a Treasurer.  Now, we have Rob Dowell as the primary with Ken Lichtman as the secondary.  Tonight I announced that my new #1 priority was finding a new Tag Day Coordinator to shadow Erin Fitzsimmons.  Now, we have Michele Booth & Jocelyn Valdez volunteering.  We are so blessed!  My new, new #1 is to convince Mr. Burke to have my Presidential pay doubled…since my #1’s are coming true, I might as well try…lol;)

 

So, I’m reviewing the volunteer sign-up sheets & we’re off to a great start.  Thank you to everyone that has already signed up.  I especially appreciate all of the new names of new Band Booster Family membersJ  There are still many opportunities to be proactive & positive in helping our kids.  Below were some of the items offered @ tonight’s potluck:

-       Sign-up for TAG Day fundraisers:  TAG Days are our #1 fundraiser of the year, with fruit sales second.  Erin Fitzsimmons is leading this effort.  This year’s TAG Days are 8 am to 4 pm, Sat, 10 Sep and 8 am to 12 pm, Sat, 17 Sep.  The students break-up into groups of 4.  We need a volunteer driver for each group.  Each group is assigned an area to go door-to-door asking for donations to the Hayfield Band. 

-       Sign-up for events (ie football games, competitions, All-District Band, etc)  This is the heart of the performances.  Dottie Andrews, Kelley John (who’s working on Sign-Up Genius that want to use it again), & I are leading this effort.  For each home game (Fri, 9 Sep; Fri, 30 Sep; Fri, 14 Oct; Fri, 21 Oct; & Fri, 28 Oct), we need help getting uniforms on students, bringing snacks/drinks, saving bleacher space, bringing out equipment, halftime show, & bringing in equipment.  For competitions (Sat, 24 Sep Herndon; Sat, 15 Oct, Oakton; & Sat, 22 Oct VBODA Battlefield HS), Bobby Otero has volunteered to drive the rental truck.  We need volunteers to help load equipment on truck, unload @ competition, place on field for show, take off field, load back on truck, & unload back @ school.

-       If you’re interested, first come, first serve, we still have 4 Band Booster spirit t-shirts: 1 small, 2 larges, & 1 2XL $10 each…just send me an e-mail & pay me for exchange of the t-shirt.

-       If you didn’t get a chance to fill out the Band Booster contact list spreadsheet tonight, please send me the following info: last name, your kid’s name, each parents’ names, grade, phone #, cell #, & e-mail address.  Thank you…this will really help me: )

-       Mr. Burke is still taking Marching Band shoe orders/payments.  Please feel free to either contact him directly or let me know.

 

Fourthly, just a few miscellaneous thoughts:

-       I’ll be out of town next week on business, & there is an In-Service event that my wife, Atsuko Russell will lead the morning of Wed, 31 Aug that will add $300 to the Band Booster fund.  However, she could use some help getting donuts, bagels, coffee, and setting up the cafeteria.  If you’re available, please send me an e-mail.

-       Mr. Burke mentioned sending a travel band to the South County game Fri, 2 Sep.  Though no volunteer parents are needed, he wanted kids to volunteer to go to the game.  More details to follow.

-       We had a family night out fundraiser @ UNO’s restaurant last year.  Again, Atsuko Russell ran this.  We had a lot of fun & made a few hundred dollars for the band.  If I could get a volunteer for this year, it would greatly be appreciated.  Please let me know.

-       Speaking of budget, Rob Dowell is still taking membership dues of $10 or patron contributions of $25 for this year.  Being a patron is not only helpful for the band, but your name will printed in the concert programs, which is really cool: )

-       During the band year, if you take photos, please send them to me.  We will post some on the Hayfield Band webpage.  Additionally, I will use them for the Marching Band Awards potluck slideshow, Wed, 9 Nov.

-       A couple items for parents of seniors.

o    It’s not too early to be thinking of the 3 pictures (baby, kid, & senior shots) you want to show of your student @ the end of year concert.  Especially because you may need to hunt & scan the baby & kid pics to send me later.

 

Finally, these are our kids & our Band Booster.  The kids will rarely, if ever, thank you for what you do, but I know they do appreciate it.  I’m very open to any & all ideas to improve the program.  This is just the beginning of an outstanding year.  We really need to work like a family to make it a total success.

 

Humbly serving our kids,

Che Russell

Home (703) 405-9065

Cell (703) 963-4655

Work (202) 231-6273

Crussell82@cox.net

 

Sunday, August 28, 2011

Hayfield High School Band Msg #3...Need Volunteers for Wed Morning, 31 Aug 2011 In-Service Hayfield Band Money Maker & Sign-Up Genius is Available

Band Booster Family,

 

First of all, here are more details on needed volunteers for Wed morning, 31 Aug 2011 In-Service Hayfield Band money maker:

-       I’ll be out of town next week on business, & there is an In-Service event that my wife, Atsuko Russell will lead the morning of Wed, 31 Aug that will add approximately $300 to the Band Booster fund.  However, she could use some help getting danishes, donuts, coffee, and setting up the cafeteria.  If you need more info, please feel free to call Atsuko @ 703-405-9065.

-       Need someone with Costco membership to buy 3 dozen danishes and bring to Hayfield Secondary School prior to 7 am, Wed, 31 Aug & meet Atsuko Russell the In-Service Band Booster Coordinator...please bring receipt for reimbursement.

-       Need someone to pick-up 7 dozen pre-paid donuts from Dunkin Donuts on Frontier Dr. across from Springfield Mall and bring to Hayfield Secondary School prior to 7 am, Wed, 31 Aug & meet Atsuko Russell the In-Service Band Booster Coordinator.

-       Need someone to pick-up 6 pre-paid 5-gallon containers of coffee from Caribou Coffee in Lorton Market St. and bring to Hayfield Secondary School prior to 7 am, Wed, 31 Aug & meet Atsuko Russell the In-Service Band Booster Coordinator.

-       If you’re available, please send me an e-mail or use Sign-Up Genius.

 

Second, speaking of Sign-Up Genius, THANK YOU KELLEY JOHN for putting this together!!!  Please use the following link: www.SignUpGenius.com/go/hssband1 .  Sign-Up Genius does the following:

-       Allows you to see the many & various volunteer opportunities to support our kids, the Band Boosters, & our Hayfield community

-       After registering for an account (with username & password), you’ll be able to sign-up for these volunteer opportunities

-       Allows you to see who else is doing the same event you are

-       Most importantly, will send you a reminder e-mail approximately 2 days before the event

-       If you belong to another group other than Band Boosters, now you have a new tool that you might want to use;)

NOTE:  For various reasons, there may be some that either can’t or don’t want to use Sign-Up Genius; so, here’s what we’re going to do:

1.     Use Sign-Up Genius if you want

2.     Ask us to input your requests into Sign-Up Genius for you.  Please send us an e-mail (to Kelly John keljohn@cox.net and me crussell82@cox.net ) with date, event, & volunteer item/task & we’ll input for youJ

3.     Send me an e-mail with date, event, & volunteer item/task & I’ll input for you into the Band Booster Volunteer List Excel spreadsheetJ

4.     Bottom line: multiple ways to volunteer!

 

REMEMBER:  When I send out volunteer info, the kids can volunteer & earn credit for their various programs (ie Tri-M, Nat’l Honor Society, other classes, etc)  Additionally, it’s good volunteer work to put into their various college & scholarship applications.

 

Finally, based on the Hayfield Band website, just a reminder that the students will be providing a performance for the incoming teachers 7:30 am, tomorrow, Mon, 29 AugJ  Please keep the following links for future reference:

-       Hayfield Secondary School http://www.fcps.edu/HayfieldSS/

-       Hayfield Band webpage http://www.hayfieldbands.com/

-       Band Booster Blog http://www.hayfieldbandboosters.blogspot.com/

-       Band Booster Sign-Up Genius http://signupgenius.com/go/hssband1

 

Humbly serving our kids,

Che Russell

Home (703) 405-9065

Cell (703) 963-4655

Work (202) 231-6273

Crussell82@cox.net

 

From: Che, Atsuko, Jonathan, & Justin Russell [mailto:crussell82@cox.net]
Sent: Saturday, August 27, 2011 12:01 PM
Subject: RE: Hayfield High School Band Msg #2...Attached Volunteer Sheets

 

Band Booster Family,

 

I’ve taken all of the various volunteer sheets from last night & put the info in the attached Excel spreadsheet.  Please note that when you open the spreadsheet, each of the 3 categories: home football games, competitions, and All-District Band are tabs that can be found @ the bottom left hand corner.  Additionally, knowing that not everyone has Excel, I’ve attached 3 screen-captures of each tab.  I need your help with the following:

1.        For those that signed up last night, please review the sheets & ensure that I put your info in correctly.  If anything is wrong, please let me know

2.        For those that didn’t get a chance to sign up, please look @ the sheets & volunteer where you can.  Please e-mail me with that info.

NOTE: Kelley John has volunteered to put the volunteer schedule into Sign-Up Genius for those that would like to use it.  We’ll let you know when it goes live.  My intent is to use both e-mails & Sign-Up Genius for such a diverse Band Booster Family membership with differing needs, internet access, computer skills, and so on…

 

Just a reminder for those that haven’t done it yet, please send me the following info:

Last Name

Student

Father

Mother

Grade

Home Phone

Cell Phone

email address

Russell

Justin

Che

Atsuko

12

(703) 405-9065

(703) 963-4655

crussell82@cox.net

 

Miscellaneous:

-          Kyle Stefanik (sp?) still owe you $2 back from pool party

-          If anyone is in contact with Beverly Bootery (sp?) parents, Akwasi or Alice, please send me their e-mail or have them contact me

-          Mike Adams, could you please give me a call @ your convenience?

 

Ok, I better send this before Hurricane Irene hits us…stay safeJ

 

Humbly serving our kids,

Che Russell

Home (703) 405-9065

Cell (703) 963-4655

Work (202) 231-6273

Crussell82@cox.net

 

From: Che, Atsuko, Jonathan, & Justin Russell [mailto:crussell82@cox.net]
Sent: Friday, August 26, 2011 10:29 PM
Subject: Hayfield High School Band Msg #2

 

Band Booster Family,

 

First of all, what an awesome exhibition our kids put on this evening!  It’s hard to believe that they’ve only been practicing for 2 weeks.  Thank you to the students for putting on a great show that will get better with each practice, show, & competition: )  Please see vids that I posted on YouTube:

-       http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyTzDeZBXxQ

-       http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jM3YLBqPsc8

-       http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8JXeItocf0

-       http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJh4gTe4ezs

 

Secondly, thank you to Mr. Burke, Mr. Helm, Alison Andrews, & the others for working with our kids!  This is my 7th year with their program & have learned that they’re teaching our students more than just music.  They are instilling life skills: cooperation, confidence, & character.

 

Thirdly, welcome back to those that have been part of the Band Boosters & welcome to the new members of our family!  Thank you for bringing & sharing ALL of the delicious food;)  Additionally, just like any family, there is a lot of work that needs to be done & we each have a responsibility to take a role in some of the many areas of volunteerism (the same values we share with our kids).

 

The Band Booster motto is, “Treating every kid as if they’re our own!” followed by “Humbly serving our kids.”

 

Already our volunteer spirit is truly showing itself.  Two weeks ago, my #1 priority was finding a Treasurer.  Now, we have Rob Dowell as the primary with Ken Lichtman as the secondary.  Tonight I announced that my new #1 priority was finding a new Tag Day Coordinator to shadow Erin Fitzsimmons.  Now, we have Michele Booth & Jocelyn Valdez volunteering.  We are so blessed!  My new, new #1 is to convince Mr. Burke to have my Presidential pay doubled…since my #1’s are coming true, I might as well try…lol;)

 

So, I’m reviewing the volunteer sign-up sheets & we’re off to a great start.  Thank you to everyone that has already signed up.  I especially appreciate all of the new names of new Band Booster Family membersJ  There are still many opportunities to be proactive & positive in helping our kids.  Below were some of the items offered @ tonight’s potluck:

-       Sign-up for TAG Day fundraisers:  TAG Days are our #1 fundraiser of the year, with fruit sales second.  Erin Fitzsimmons is leading this effort.  This year’s TAG Days are 8 am to 4 pm, Sat, 10 Sep and 8 am to 12 pm, Sat, 17 Sep.  The students break-up into groups of 4.  We need a volunteer driver for each group.  Each group is assigned an area to go door-to-door asking for donations to the Hayfield Band. 

-       Sign-up for events (ie football games, competitions, All-District Band, etc)  This is the heart of the performances.  Dottie Andrews, Kelley John (who’s working on Sign-Up Genius that want to use it again), & I are leading this effort.  For each home game (Fri, 9 Sep; Fri, 30 Sep; Fri, 14 Oct; Fri, 21 Oct; & Fri, 28 Oct), we need help getting uniforms on students, bringing snacks/drinks, saving bleacher space, bringing out equipment, halftime show, & bringing in equipment.  For competitions (Sat, 24 Sep Herndon; Sat, 15 Oct, Oakton; & Sat, 22 Oct VBODA Battlefield HS), Bobby Otero has volunteered to drive the rental truck.  We need volunteers to help load equipment on truck, unload @ competition, place on field for show, take off field, load back on truck, & unload back @ school.

-       If you’re interested, first come, first serve, we still have 4 Band Booster spirit t-shirts: 1 small, 2 larges, & 1 2XL $10 each…just send me an e-mail & pay me for exchange of the t-shirt.

-       If you didn’t get a chance to fill out the Band Booster contact list spreadsheet tonight, please send me the following info: last name, your kid’s name, each parents’ names, grade, phone #, cell #, & e-mail address.  Thank you…this will really help me: )

-       Mr. Burke is still taking Marching Band shoe orders/payments.  Please feel free to either contact him directly or let me know.

 

Fourthly, just a few miscellaneous thoughts:

-       I’ll be out of town next week on business, & there is an In-Service event that my wife, Atsuko Russell will lead the morning of Wed, 31 Aug that will add $300 to the Band Booster fund.  However, she could use some help getting donuts, bagels, coffee, and setting up the cafeteria.  If you’re available, please send me an e-mail.

-       Mr. Burke mentioned sending a travel band to the South County game Fri, 2 Sep.  Though no volunteer parents are needed, he wanted kids to volunteer to go to the game.  More details to follow.

-       We had a family night out fundraiser @ UNO’s restaurant last year.  Again, Atsuko Russell ran this.  We had a lot of fun & made a few hundred dollars for the band.  If I could get a volunteer for this year, it would greatly be appreciated.  Please let me know.

-       Speaking of budget, Rob Dowell is still taking membership dues of $10 or patron contributions of $25 for this year.  Being a patron is not only helpful for the band, but your name will printed in the concert programs, which is really cool: )

-       During the band year, if you take photos, please send them to me.  We will post some on the Hayfield Band webpage.  Additionally, I will use them for the Marching Band Awards potluck slideshow, Wed, 9 Nov.

-       A couple items for parents of seniors.

o    It’s not too early to be thinking of the 3 pictures (baby, kid, & senior shots) you want to show of your student @ the end of year concert.  Especially because you may need to hunt & scan the baby & kid pics to send me later.

 

Finally, these are our kids & our Band Booster.  The kids will rarely, if ever, thank you for what you do, but I know they do appreciate it.  I’m very open to any & all ideas to improve the program.  This is just the beginning of an outstanding year.  We really need to work like a family to make it a total success.

 

Humbly serving our kids,

Che Russell

Home (703) 405-9065

Cell (703) 963-4655

Work (202) 231-6273

Crussell82@cox.net

 

Saturday, August 27, 2011

RE: Hayfield High School Band Msg #2...Attached Volunteer Sheets

Band Booster Family,

 

I’ve taken all of the various volunteer sheets from last night & put the info in the attached Excel spreadsheet.  Please note that when you open the spreadsheet, each of the 3 categories: home football games, competitions, and All-District Band are tabs that can be found @ the bottom left hand corner.  Additionally, knowing that not everyone has Excel, I’ve attached 3 screen-captures of each tab.  I need your help with the following:

1.        For those that signed up last night, please review the sheets & ensure that I put your info in correctly.  If anything is wrong, please let me know

2.        For those that didn’t get a chance to sign up, please look @ the sheets & volunteer where you can.  Please e-mail me with that info.

NOTE: Kelley John has volunteered to put the volunteer schedule into Sign-Up Genius for those that would like to use it.  We’ll let you know when it goes live.  My intent is to use both e-mails & Sign-Up Genius for such a diverse Band Booster Family membership with differing needs, internet access, computer skills, and so on…

 

Just a reminder for those that haven’t done it yet, please send me the following info:

Last Name

Student

Father

Mother

Grade

Home Phone

Cell Phone

email address

Russell

Justin

Che

Atsuko

12

(703) 405-9065

(703) 963-4655

crussell82@cox.net

 

Miscellaneous:

-          Kyle Stefanik (sp?) still owe you $2 back from pool party

-          If anyone is in contact with Beverly Bootery (sp?) parents, Akwasi or Alice, please send me their e-mail or have them contact me

-          Mike Adams, could you please give me a call @ your convenience?

 

Ok, I better send this before Hurricane Irene hits us…stay safeJ

 

Humbly serving our kids,

Che Russell

Home (703) 405-9065

Cell (703) 963-4655

Work (202) 231-6273

Crussell82@cox.net

 

From: Che, Atsuko, Jonathan, & Justin Russell [mailto:crussell82@cox.net]
Sent: Friday, August 26, 2011 10:29 PM
Subject: Hayfield High School Band Msg #2

 

Band Booster Family,

 

First of all, what an awesome exhibition our kids put on this evening!  It’s hard to believe that they’ve only been practicing for 2 weeks.  Thank you to the students for putting on a great show that will get better with each practice, show, & competition: )  Please see vids that I posted on YouTube:

-       http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyTzDeZBXxQ

-       http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jM3YLBqPsc8

-       http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8JXeItocf0

-       http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJh4gTe4ezs

 

Secondly, thank you to Mr. Burke, Mr. Helm, Alison Andrews, & the others for working with our kids!  This is my 7th year with their program & have learned that they’re teaching our students more than just music.  They are instilling life skills: cooperation, confidence, & character.

 

Thirdly, welcome back to those that have been part of the Band Boosters & welcome to the new members of our family!  Thank you for bringing & sharing ALL of the delicious food;)  Additionally, just like any family, there is a lot of work that needs to be done & we each have a responsibility to take a role in some of the many areas of volunteerism (the same values we share with our kids).

 

The Band Booster motto is, “Treating every kid as if they’re our own!” followed by “Humbly serving our kids.”

 

Already our volunteer spirit is truly showing itself.  Two weeks ago, my #1 priority was finding a Treasurer.  Now, we have Rob Dowell as the primary with Ken Lichtman as the secondary.  Tonight I announced that my new #1 priority was finding a new Tag Day Coordinator to shadow Erin Fitzsimmons.  Now, we have Michele Booth & Jocelyn Valdez volunteering.  We are so blessed!  My new, new #1 is to convince Mr. Burke to have my Presidential pay doubled…since my #1’s are coming true, I might as well try…lol;)

 

So, I’m reviewing the volunteer sign-up sheets & we’re off to a great start.  Thank you to everyone that has already signed up.  I especially appreciate all of the new names of new Band Booster Family membersJ  There are still many opportunities to be proactive & positive in helping our kids.  Below were some of the items offered @ tonight’s potluck:

-       Sign-up for TAG Day fundraisers:  TAG Days are our #1 fundraiser of the year, with fruit sales second.  Erin Fitzsimmons is leading this effort.  This year’s TAG Days are 8 am to 4 pm, Sat, 10 Sep and 8 am to 12 pm, Sat, 17 Sep.  The students break-up into groups of 4.  We need a volunteer driver for each group.  Each group is assigned an area to go door-to-door asking for donations to the Hayfield Band. 

-       Sign-up for events (ie football games, competitions, All-District Band, etc)  This is the heart of the performances.  Dottie Andrews, Kelley John (who’s working on Sign-Up Genius that want to use it again), & I are leading this effort.  For each home game (Fri, 9 Sep; Fri, 30 Sep; Fri, 14 Oct; Fri, 21 Oct; & Fri, 28 Oct), we need help getting uniforms on students, bringing snacks/drinks, saving bleacher space, bringing out equipment, halftime show, & bringing in equipment.  For competitions (Sat, 24 Sep Herndon; Sat, 15 Oct, Oakton; & Sat, 22 Oct VBODA Battlefield HS), Bobby Otero has volunteered to drive the rental truck.  We need volunteers to help load equipment on truck, unload @ competition, place on field for show, take off field, load back on truck, & unload back @ school.

-       If you’re interested, first come, first serve, we still have 4 Band Booster spirit t-shirts: 1 small, 2 larges, & 1 2XL $10 each…just send me an e-mail & pay me for exchange of the t-shirt.

-       If you didn’t get a chance to fill out the Band Booster contact list spreadsheet tonight, please send me the following info: last name, your kid’s name, each parents’ names, grade, phone #, cell #, & e-mail address.  Thank you…this will really help me: )

-       Mr. Burke is still taking Marching Band shoe orders/payments.  Please feel free to either contact him directly or let me know.

 

Fourthly, just a few miscellaneous thoughts:

-       I’ll be out of town next week on business, & there is an In-Service event that my wife, Atsuko Russell will lead the morning of Wed, 31 Aug that will add $300 to the Band Booster fund.  However, she could use some help getting donuts, bagels, coffee, and setting up the cafeteria.  If you’re available, please send me an e-mail.

-       Mr. Burke mentioned sending a travel band to the South County game Fri, 2 Sep.  Though no volunteer parents are needed, he wanted kids to volunteer to go to the game.  More details to follow.

-       We had a family night out fundraiser @ UNO’s restaurant last year.  Again, Atsuko Russell ran this.  We had a lot of fun & made a few hundred dollars for the band.  If I could get a volunteer for this year, it would greatly be appreciated.  Please let me know.

-       Speaking of budget, Rob Dowell is still taking membership dues of $10 or patron contributions of $25 for this year.  Being a patron is not only helpful for the band, but your name will printed in the concert programs, which is really cool: )

-       During the band year, if you take photos, please send them to me.  We will post some on the Hayfield Band webpage.  Additionally, I will use them for the Marching Band Awards potluck slideshow, Wed, 9 Nov.

-       A couple items for parents of seniors.

o    It’s not too early to be thinking of the 3 pictures (baby, kid, & senior shots) you want to show of your student @ the end of year concert.  Especially because you may need to hunt & scan the baby & kid pics to send me later.

 

Finally, these are our kids & our Band Booster.  The kids will rarely, if ever, thank you for what you do, but I know they do appreciate it.  I’m very open to any & all ideas to improve the program.  This is just the beginning of an outstanding year.  We really need to work like a family to make it a total success.

 

Humbly serving our kids,

Che Russell

Home (703) 405-9065

Cell (703) 963-4655

Work (202) 231-6273

Crussell82@cox.net