Westview Wildcat Band & Auxiliary Parents, Inc

	*Westview Band and Performance Ensemble*

	Parent Group

Westview Wildcat Band & Auxiliary Parents, Inc., is an Oregon nonprofit, tax exempt organization that exists to provide moral support, funding, and volunteer assistance to make this wonderful band and performance ensemble experience possible for our students. Support and involvement from every parent is required to make a successful program. In addition, it’s a lot of fun – for involved parents as well as the students.

Each parent or guardian of every student in the band program is automatically a member of the parent group. Each and every parent is welcome and encouraged to attend meetings and take part in volunteer activities to support the program.

Click here for Westview Band and Auxiliary Program FAQs

Forms Click link to print copies of forms for registration, expense reimbursement, SCRIP, scholarship applications, etc.

Meetings. The parent group holds monthly meetings at Westview, generally the third Tuesday evening of each month from August through May. The meetings are a forum to share information about the band and performance ensemble program, upcoming events and schedules, budget and fundraising status, and volunteer needs. The band director and other staff provide reports to the parents and are available to answer questions. All parents are welcome, and are encouraged to attend the meetings. Meeting reminders are distributed by e-mail and posted on the band/performance ensemble website.

Minutes. The secretary records minutes of each monthly parent meeting. The minutes are posted on the band web site so that parents can keep up to date on information and decisions when they are unable to attend.

Officers and Elections. The parent group is led by four volunteer officers (president, vice-president, secretary, and treasurer). The officers are chosen in open elections at a general parent group meeting each spring. Any parent may run or volunteer for these positions, and all parents are eligible to vote.

President - Pat Kelly 503-617-9982 pkelly1979@msn.com

Vice-President - Ross Simmons 503-629-0125 simmonspdx@comcast.net

Treasurer - Brett Carn 503-690-3422 brettngina@verizon.net

Secretary - Lynette Donnelly 503-533-5791 shaknzmom@verizon.net

Volunteer Standing Committees. Each year, parent volunteers coordinate several very important committees that support activities and performances of our student musicians and Guard members. Each committee consists of a team of several parents. Additional volunteers in each group are always needed and welcome. New committee chairpersons with experience in the specific work area must be recruited each year as existing parent volunteers move on when their students graduate from high school.

Uniforms.

Our band's uniforms are an important part of the quality look of our performances, and they are a substantial financial investment for the organization as well. A number of parents work very hard throughout the year to make sure the students look sharp and to care and maintain the uniforms in good condition. The uniforms include formal black dresses and tuxedos for Symphonic Band members, cummerbunds and bow ties for the Freshman and Concert Bands, marching uniforms and hats for the Marching Band.

Uniform committee responsibilities include:

Fit and assign uniforms at the beginning of the year
Check out concert uniforms to students at beginning of year
Check out marching uniforms to students before each marching band performance at football games, parades, or competitions
Check in marching band uniforms after each performance
Coordinate cleaning and mending of uniforms, as needed, between performances.

To assist with Uniforms, contact Gina Carn 503-690-3422 ginacarn@verizon.net

Chaperones.

Our chaperones accompany the band on trips to parades, concert competitions, marching competitions, and anywhere else we travel. Chaperone responsibilities include:

Confirming the presence of students on busses before departure
Assist with minor first aid
Be a resource for student questions or concerns during trips

To volunteer as a chaperone, contact Katherine Lewis kmlewis_pdx@yahoo.com .

Pit Crew

The "pit" (marimbas, chimes, large cymbals and drums, synthesizers, and other large non-marching percussion instruments) are a key part of the marching band field show. Loading, transporting, and staging of these instruments is the responsibility of the "pit crew." Parent volunteers in the pit crew have the following responsibilities:

Maintenance of two storage sheds behind the school for much of the equipment
Pick up and drive rented equipment truck to school for loading, to the performance site, and back to school after the performance
Move equipment into the end zone area before home football games
Move equipment onto the field before halftime or competition performances, then off the field afterwards. (Remember, the competitions are timed, so efficient set up and tear down of the Pit is a critical part of the band's competitive success.)
Perform similar roles for the WinterGuard and Winter Percussion ensembles.

To help out with the Pit Crew, contact Mike Surprenant, 503-466-1163 dsurprenant@yahoo.com .

SCRIP Program.

The SCRIP program is an important source of funds to support Westview's band program, and a way for families to earn a portion of the program fees each year. The SCRIP chairman is crucial to maintaining this program. Responsibilities of the SCRIP chairman include:

Receiving SCRIP orders from band families
Maintaining a stock of the most popular SCRIP items for sale to band families
Submitting the band's combined order periodocally to the SCRIP organization
Arranging for pickup of the SCRIP order from the SCRIP center in Tigard
Distributing orders to the band families

For more information about the SCRIP program, or to find a SCRIP order form, click here.

Food

The Food committee prepares and serves meals to the marching band on competition days. The objective is to provide a healthy, hot meal for the students during the long competition days. Responsibilities of the food committee include:

Menu planning
Shopping for food and supplies in the few days before the competition
Loading and transporting food and equipment for cooking and serving to the competition site
Preparation of food at the competition site and buffet line set up
Food and equipment cleanup after the meal

If you are interested in helping with the food team at competitions, contact Wendy Simmons 503-629-0125 simmonspdx@comcast.net.

Garage Sale

The garage sale, held each August for 3 days in the Westview parking lot, is the largest annual fund-raising project for the Westview band program. It requires a short-term, but intense effort by parent volunteers to solicit donations from band and community members, set up of tables and canopies, pricing and merchandising of sale items, cashiering, and clean up. A small committee begins planning for the sale in late spring; during the sale, a large team of volunteers shares the burden of work on the sale days.

Westview Winter Classic

Each winter, Westview sponsors and stages this competition for WinterGuard and Winter Percussion groups from throughout the region. In addition to showcasing the performances of our outstanding winter ensembles, the Classic is also an important fund raiser for the program. The success of the Classic requires a large crew of parent and student volunteers for:

Greeting and hosting visiting ensembles
Directing traffic and parking
Coordinating staging and movement of ensembles during warm-ups, before, during and after performances
Selling tickets and programs
Concessions
Transporting hired judges between the airport, hotel and school
Preparing the program, including ensemble bios, advertising, and other information

Volunteer Coordinator

The Volunteer Coordinator fills an important role to recruit and schedule parent volunteers for major events such as the Garage Sale and the Westview Winter Classic.

Budget and Fees. The Beaverton School District pays the salary of the band director and provides the band room facility. Virtually all other costs must be covered through other sources. In addition to basic costs covered by the District, the total annual budget for the band program is more than $85,000. This amount is funded in part through volunteer fundraising activities. The remainder must be paid through “Fair Share” participation fees for each student. The fees are similar to those charged by other top band programs in the Northwest and are analogous to typical fees for participation on elite sports teams.

The budgeted expenses for the 2009-09 school year cover many areas, including for example expenses for concert season and specialized classroom instruction from area musicians (~$9,500), Rose Parade (~$2,300), fall marching season (~$37,000), winter percussion (~$10,800), Winterguard (~$12,900), various fundraising expenses (~$10,800), and operating expenses (~$1,900). The parent group also uses funds raised through each family’s Fair Share to purchase and maintain certain large instruments, uniforms, equipment, and other items necessary for the entire program. Through various fundraising programs, the parent group attempts to defray as much of the program expense as possible. In fact, for every $2,500 raised through general fundraisers, each student’s Fair Share is reduced by about $20. Unfortunately, the fundraising efforts can cover only part of the expense involved, so fees must be charged for each student’s Fair Share for participating in the band and performance ensemble programs. For questions or additional information about planning and management of the annual program budget, feel free to contact any of the officers of the parent group.

It is understood that the required fees create a burden. No student will be excluded from the band and performance ensemble program because of the fees. There are a number of fundraising programs available that allow the student or parents to “earn” a portion of their Fair Share fee. In addition, a limited amount of scholarship funding may be available to assist in part those students who are simply unable to cover the entire fee. To inquire about scholarship funds, please contact the band director or the parent group president or treasurer.