Recap: Disney trip meeting – Wednesday, January 6, 2016

Actual Cost

As had been previously reported, the actual costs for the Disney Trip could not be calculated until we had the final number of students and chaperones. We now have that number. The only way this will change is if five more people join the trip. Currently, the numbers stand at:

128 Students
14 Chaperones
4 School Staff (Noelle Ostrowski, Megan Kovach, Gina Caroscio and Kim Deanovic)

Based on the attendees and which workshop the student will be attending, the cost is:

BAND MEMBERS: $705.00
EAGLETS: $713.00

If a Band Member has not earned any fundraising credit to their student account, their last and final payment (due February 5th) will be $225.00.

If an Eaglet has not earned any fundraising credit to their student account, their last and final payment (due February 5th) will be $233.00

Before the final payment is due, you (the parents) will be notified of exactly how much you owe. This information will also be available in Charms under the Finances tab.

Fundraising

There have been a number of fundraising opportunities available starting last summer and continuing through the end of January. Those opportunities allowed students to earn credits to their student accounts to pay down some of their fees and trip expenses. Any funds raised in those accounts go to their fees first and then the trip. If they have more funds than needed for the trip, the funds can be reimbursed to the parents, saved for future expenses or, if a student has a younger sibling currently in the Band or planning on joining, be transferred to a siblings account.

Some of these fundraising opportunities include St. John Medical Center Festival of the Arts parking, 4th of July fireworks at Great Northern, Soccer Finals concessions, Cedar Valley Days, Dave and Buster’s Power Cards, and Malley’s Candy Sales.

Malley’s Candy Bar Sale:

The Malley’s Candy Bar Sale started in November. Since it started, the students have sold almost $7,000 worth of candy bars, earning almost $3,500 for their accounts. The top candy bar seller has earned $342.00.

Because January 4 through January 15 is our designated “in school” sale period, students can sell candy bars in school, at school functions, at lunch, etc. After January 15, the students will be limited to selling the candy bars elsewhere and not during the school day. More candy has been ordered and will be available from Mr. Kalish on Monday, January 11th. If you have candy outstanding, you cannot get any more until your “stock” has been paid for. We have approximately 120 boxes of candy in circulation that needs to be paid for.

While the candy bar sale will continue through the school year, the cut-off for the trip fundraising is January 31st. At that time, final calculations will be made and we will let each family know exactly how much they will owe for their final payment. NOTE: If your candy isn’t paid for by January 31st, it will not be included in offsetting your trip costs. The profit will go to your student account (when the money is turned in) but not for this trip.

As the candy sale will continue through the school year, we will be adding any earned monies to the students’ accounts. As mentioned above, these funds can be used to offset any future expenses the students may incur.

Dave & Buster’s Cards:

The final date to purchase the Dave & Buster’s Power Cards is Friday, January 15th. Those cards purchased will be available at the school on Wednesday, January 20th. The students earn 50% of the cost for their student accounts. For every $100 worth of cards sold, the student will earn a free $10 card. Over $3,000 in cards have been sold.

C&G Tour Company Scratch Cards:

The tour company has provided Mr. Kalish with Scratch Cards. Each card has the potential of earning $100 for the student. Each oval to be scratched off is worth $1 to $4 with the idea being that the student will ask people to support his/her trip and those individuals get to pick which oval they want to scratch off and make a donation based on what is revealed.

The student and/or parents can decide whether to send the money earned to NOBOB for application to the student’s account or retain the funds to help offset what they have already paid for the trip or to use for spending money for their student on the trip.

Mr. Kalish has the cards.

Itinerary

The itinerary is still tentative. You can view details here. However, we do know what we are going to be doing most of the time.

The University of Dayton will be holding clinics for each group, providing a campus tour and lunch.

The times for the Disney Workshops for the various groups have been set for Sunday, March 20th. Eaglets will be participating in their Workshops at 9:00 a.m. The musicians will be enjoying their Workshop at 8:45 p.m.

On Monday, March 21st, the entire group will march down “Main Street USA” in the Magic Kingdom at 9:50 a.m.

As to the rest of the performances (Jazz Band, Symphonic Band, and Wind Ensemble), the location and times have not been determined and we will go wherever Disney puts us.

Everything will be confirmed (times and locations) three weeks before the trip. Once the itinerary is confirmed, Mr. Kalish will set a MANDATORY meeting for the students and parents, hopefully for the first week of March.

Meals

Some meals are included in the price we are paying or are complimentary (University of Dayton is providing lunch and Lunch at the Hard Rock on Tuesday is included). The hotel provides a breakfast buffet. Other than those meals, the students are responsible for paying for their own meals. They will receive $15 from their chaperones on Saturday and $15 on Monday to help offset the cost of meals on those days.

When figuring out how much your student will need to cover his/her meals on the trip, please keep in mind the following:

On the bus trip there and back, we will be stopping to eat and for breaks. Meal stops will probably include dinner and breakfast on the way down and breakfast and lunch on the way back.
At the Disney Parks, they will need to pay for six meals, with $15 given to them for two of those meals. At Universal, they will have to pay for dinner.
Look at Disney’s website under Dining to see what the costs are for most meals. The $15 offset will barely cover a meal at many of the restaurants and will make a dent in the cost at other restaurants. https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/dining/
You can use Disney gift cards to buy meals and beverages at the Disney Park. getGo and Giant Eagle sell them.

If your child has dietary restrictions and is having any issues with the food, they should talk to their chaperone for assistance. Except for the buffets, students will be ordering the food themselves. Disney and Universal are both accommodating to any dietary restrictions.

Safety

All of this information will be gone over in greater detail at the mandatory meeting with parents and students.

The driving time will be restricted by what is regulated by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). The FMCSA is a division of the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT), which governs all transportation-related industries such as trucking, shipping, railroads, and airlines. Because of the regulations imposed, the bus drivers have specific limitations on how long they can drive without a break and/or sleep.

One of the advantages of going to Disney is safety. The medical clinics at each of the Parks will have our students’ medical records available. Disney has undercover security at each of the Parks. There will be check-in times in which the students will have to check-in with their chaperones. If they don’t check-in within at the specific time, there will be consequences. The students cannot leave their designated Park. (i.e., students cannot purchase ‘Park Hopper’ passes and go to another park.)

Boys and girls will be able to sit together on the bus during the daylight hours. When bus lights are turned out, boys and girls will be separated.

Under no circumstances will boys be allowed in girls’ rooms. Likewise, under no circumstances will girls be allowed in boys’ rooms.

Room List

The students will be working on room assignments in the next few days. Each student will be guaranteed one person with whom they wish to room. They will also be able to choose two others to be with to make up a four room assignment. In most instances, they will get their preferred room assignment. There can only be four students in a room.

Eaglets will be getting the forms and information from their Coaches.

Once we have all the room assignment requests, every effort will be made to accommodate all their requests. However, keep in mind that each student is guaranteed one match.

Uniforms

The students will be wearing their band uniforms, tuxes and formal dresses. They will not be wearing their summer uniforms.

Your student should find all of their pieces and parts for their various uniforms, sooner than later. If items needs to be cleaned or replaced, now is the time to do it. Check the spats and gloves. They need to be white, clean and free of any rips or tears. If your students leaves their marching shoes in their locker, they need to be taken home (after our pre-Contest Concert) so they are available for the trip.

If your child is going to need new shoes (they should try them on now), the shoes will need to be ordered. Please contact Karen at 440-716-9480 or email her at [email protected] if you need to order shoes.

At the mandatory meeting we will have spats, gloves, bowties and cummerbunds for sale.

The boys’ dress shirts and girls’ gowns need to be washed and pressed before the trip.

Students will not only need their marching shoes but also shoes to wear with their tuxes and dresses.

AccuWeather Forecast for late March 2016

The AccuWeather average for Orlando during the week we are there ranges 58 to 78 degrees. This is an average but just something to keep in mind when your student is packing.

Payments

If you aren’t sure whether the tour company has received your payment, please contact:

Lori Shigo
724-864-7415, Ext. 203
[email protected]