From the Director
Dear Orchestra Parents,
Welcome to the 2008–2009 Westfield Orchestra Program. We are looking forward to
an exciting year with at least four concerts and a Spring Trip (TBD). We also
will be hosting the District XI VBODA Orchestra Festival again this March—an
event that will require all of our parents and students helping in order to make
this 3-day Festival run smoothly. We hosted Festival last year and it was a
tremendous success because of our dedicated families. Thank you in advance for
your continued support!
There are many areas where parent volunteers are vital to the success of the
Orchestra Program. I encourage all of you to volunteer in at least one activity
this year. It’s a great way to meet other parents and your students certainly
benefit from your participation.
Registration for All Orchestra Students
As always, we begin the year issuing uniforms and rental instruments, taking orders for orchestra polo shirts (required for Tag Day), preparing for Tag Day, and doing lots of paperwork. Orchestra registration will take place online. Additionally, you’ll have the option of paying for your uniform rental fees, orchestra shirt, spirit items, and booster membership by credit card through PayPal . . . or you may still pay by check.
Either way, follow these simple steps to complete your orchestra registration:
- Go to www.westfieldorchestra.org and click on the link for “Orchestra Registration Packet.” Fill out sections 1–9 of the Registration page.
- Click on, fill out, print, and sign the WHS Orchestra Uniform Rental Agreement.
- Click on, fill out, print, and sign the FCPS Emergency Care Form. (Yes, we require one for Orchestra in addition the one you fill out for the school.)
- Click on, fill out, print, and sign the Tag Day Field Trip Permission Form.
- Click, fill out, print the last page, and sign the FCPS Participation Policy for Extracurricular Activities.
- Continue to the Registration Confirmation Page. Print this page and sign.
- If paying by credit card or e-check, continue to the PayPal checkout.
- If paying by personal check or money order, please make it payable to WHSOBC.
- Return all 5 printed documents (Registration Confirmation, Uniform Rental Agreement, Emergency Care Form, Tag Day Permission Form, and FCPS Participation Policy for Extracurricular Activities Form) with your student. No student will be issued a uniform until the forms are signed and returned along with any fees.
The deadline for submission of forms and fees is Friday, September 5, 2008! Please be sure you AND your student have signed all the documents where indicated.
Bulldog BBQ
As Westfield kicks off the school year with the 9th Annual Bulldog Family
BBQ, we are in need of volunteers to help
with food sales at the BBQ on Tuesday, August 26th. Thank you in advance for
volunteering your time for this school-wide event! Orchestra will be joining the
rest of the Music Boosters in selling drinks along side the food vendors,
who donate the proceeds back to the Music Boosters. This year we are looking
forward to several great local
restaurants participating in the BBQ on the behalf of the music department. Your
time and efforts to help with the
drink sales will be greatly appreciated. Please contact us at
Orchestra_at_WHS@aol.com if you can help.
Tag Day
I would like to take a moment to explain “Tag Day” to those who might not know about it. On Saturday, September 20th, the entire Westfield High School Music Department (band, chorus, guitar, and orchestra) will be going door to door to every home in the Westfield community asking for donations. Last year we raised a tremendous amount of money that benefitted the music department. This money is used to buy new instruments, music, pay for clinicians, defray the cost of the Spring Trip, etc. I expect every effort to be made by the students to participate in this fundraiser. It truly is important to our program! The students are required to wear Orchestra polo shirts in order to identify them as Westfield music students when they participate in Tag Day. The shirts may also be worn on other performance occasions during the year. The same shirt may be worn all 4 years your student is in the program, so if your student is new to the program this year it is a required purchase. This is another event where parent participation is vital. Please consider volunteering to be a driver for Tag Day, assist with driver and student check-in, or help serve breakfast to the 800+ attendees that morning.
Orchestra Booster Membership
I’d like to encourage you to join the Orchestra Booster Club this year. Our goal is 100% membership. Membership dues provide the funding to support the quality programs your students expect and deserve. Through your generous donations, the Orchestra Boosters are able to provide music, clinicians, competitive scholarships to deserving orchestra seniors, equipment, and many other items necessary to run a first-rate orchestra program. Fairfax County Public Schools depend on booster support as the county budgets very little on an annual basis for the music programs compared to our overall expenses. While the county’s focus is on academics, ours is on our own students in WHS Orchestra. It’s a win-win situation for the students when the parents support the boosters!
The Westfield High School Orchestra Booster Club, Inc. is recognized as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to the support of the Westfield High School Orchestra programs. Contributions to the orchestra programs, including memberships and sponsorships, may be tax deductible as provided by law. Please consult your tax advisor for details.
Remember, REGISTRATION FORMS and PAYMENT ARE DUE SEPTEMBER 5—uniform rental is required and so are orchestra polo shirts. If you already own an orchestra polo shirt, you do not have to purchase another one. Please feel free to contact me with any concerns or questions (phone: 703-488-6434, email: Gregory.Rupert@fcps.edu).
I look forward to seeing you at Back-to-School Nights:
- 11th & 12th Grades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tuesday, September 16, 7 P.M.
- 9th & 10th Grades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tuesday, September 23, 7 P.M.
Musically yours,
Greg Rupert, Director of Orchestras
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Updated: 20 Aug 2008