Extra Curricular Band! Starting this week!
Hello Band Families,
I hope that everyone has been adjusting well to the start of the school year and have remained safe and healthy. As we have been going through a lot of changes in such a small period of time, I want to say thank you for the flexibility and patience in making these adjustments as we continue to navigate forward. Since there are so many factors with outside of school rehearsals, it took longer than expected to get everything lined up with the other sports and activities. The good news is we are ready to resume in person marching rehearsals starting this Tuesday, September 15th!
The plan is to do 10 total rehearsals for the remainder of the marching season on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4:30-6:30 pm. The actual dates are below:
I’m excited to put this new show together! The first week will be mostly music and visual basics to get everyone on the same page, and we start learning drill on the 22nd to the new show. We will continue to work on this material in the remote learning setting and more through September, but I’m still not sure what the class is going to look like quite yet in the hybrid situation and am waiting on more answers. I do know that any students who do continue in the remote setting into October can still participate in all of these rehearsals through the end of the marching season.
All of the guidelines are below to reference. We as a staff are extremely committed to following these for the safety of the students and community:
Adams 12 Five Star Schools recognizes the impact that athletics and co-curricular activities have on the social-emotional well-being of our students. These guidelines are in effect for the fall semester AND are subject to change based on district and/or health department updates.
While Adams 12 is in remote learning, co-curricular activities are expected to meet virtually. The district recognizes that some co-curricular activities cannot meet virtually. Co-curricular activities should make every effort to meet virtually during remote learning.
In ALL scenarios described in this document the following guidelines will be implemented and followed:
● All workouts, meetings, gatherings, etc. will be conducted on Adams 12 property. The school Athletic or Activity Director must approve all exceptions.
● All gatherings, both indoors and outdoors, must take place outside of school hours.
● All CHSAA and Adams 12 blackout dates will be adhered to; Sunday contact is prohibited.
● For all athletics and activities programs, students will be placed in cohorts of twenty-five (25) or less and those groups may only change at the beginning of every month.
● Athletics & Activities cohorts will not cross over during this time. Students are limited to participation in one group. No exceptions.
● All outdoor groups are limited to 50 people per area.
● All indoor groups are limited to 25 people per area.
● All students along with coaches/sponsors will go through a home health screening before each workout/meeting. The Adams 12 screening document is here: Student Health Screening Log
● Virtual sessions are approved for all groups and are permitted on allowable contact days.
● Equipment can be used. All equipment, including but not limited to: balls, bats, rackets, drumsticks, theater props, sound board, etc. must be sanitized and disinfected between each group. Students may bring their own personal equipment, i.e. gloves/bats, but this equipment cannot be shared under any circumstances.
● No family members or guests will be permitted at workouts/meetings.
● Students will be required to depart the district facilities immediately after their scheduled workouts/meetings.
● All COVID guidelines must be followed, including but not limited to masks, daily COVID screening, space capacity limits, sanitation requirements, and social distancing guidelines.
Marching Band
● Must be voluntary- cannot be associated with a grade.
● For both woodwinds & brass instruments, players must wear masks with slit for mouthpiece while actively playing indoors.
○ Mask without slit must be worn when not playing
● Rehearsal space recommendations in order of preference are:
○ Outdoor- open air
○ Outdoor- tent/gazebo
○ Indoor (may open windows/doors); subject to social distancing requirements
● Active playing should not exceed 30 minutes while in the same space, if indoors allow the room to clear for 30 minutes prior to playing again.
● Students must maintain physical distance of 6 feet at all times; with 9 ft. apart for trombone.
● Guidance for Flutes: put the head-joint between their mouth and mask and use a “flute sock” attached to the foot
● Instrument cleaning guidelines: https://nafme.org/covid-19-instrument-cleaning-guidelines/
● Spit valves-
○ Empty away from others
○ Indoors, Have an absorbent disposable material to catch the condensation (i.e. puppy pad)
We will communicate with the students during class this week and post in Schoology exact meeting locations and procedures to keep our cohorts and process organized.
Thank you again for the patience and flexibility, the staff and I look forward to getting back to work with the students and creating a fun product to get us through this wacky season! Please contact me if you have any questions.
Tim DaileyDirector of Bands Horizon High School timothy.dailey@adams12.org (720) 972-4472