Good evening,

Tomorrow is the last possible day to turn in cookie dough. Thank you so much for your efforts and I will speak with the kids next week to announce the winners of our prizes. A delivery date will be announced once it has been given to me.

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Jazz Orchestra Opportunity:

The Carrollton Jazz Orchestra is opening up their next two rehearsals to the students!

Read below for a message from Terry Lowry:

Dear all,

We are gearing our October 18 and 25 rehearsals toward jazz education/appreciation. I’ll give introductions to the music and have handouts to help the students engage as they listen.  We’ll rehearse at the Amp from 3-5 on both days.  I hope to have a great turn out.  You need not limit the invitation to your jazz band members.  Invite everyone and maybe some non-jazz kids will be converted!  Parents are welcome, as well.

Tell your students to bring their instruments.  We’ll close the rehearsal with a tune the students can play with the CJO.  I hope you come and bring your instruments, too.  It will be a blast!

-Terry Lowry

I hope that some of our students participate the next two Sundays! I look forward to starting up our own jazz band in November. More information to come soon!

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Upcoming Schedule:

• October 22nd Trojan Band Game (Playoffs)
• October 29th Trojan Band Game (Championship)

I hope that you all have a great Friday tomorrow and a wonderful weekend.

Sincerely,

M. Menendez

Good evening,

The 8th graders have been extremely patient tonight! The rain is going to hold off just in time for our students to perform pre-game. Your students will be in contact after the pre-game performance to let you know of an updated plan. If the rain returns and is too heavy then we will send our 8th graders home to you. Thank you for your patience during this extremely trying night.

Please keep an eye out for a message or call from your students.

Go Trojans!

Sincerely,

M. Menendez

Good evening,

I am so excited for our 8th graders because this Friday is 8th Grade Night! This is a required event for all 8th grade band members. Students will stay after school with me to walk over to the high school around 3:45 PM. They can wear jeans and a T-shirt because we will provide them with a free T-shirt this Friday to change into that is made especially for them. I recommend bringing layers and a jacket since it will be cold as the sun sets.

Our students will live the life of a high school marching band member for one night and will perform the Pre-Game ceremony with us. In addition, they will get special access to the field during half time to get a front row seat to the band performance! This night is completely free to your students and they will be well fed and spoiled rotten by our high school band family.

Please read through all of the bullet points below for important information:

• Students will be required to wear their masks at all times other than when they are performing.
• 8th grade at home learners are also able to participate if they would like to.
• I highly recommend that students pre-order their food so that it is ready for them at the beginning of the 3rd quarter. The concession lines are long and there may be a shortage on certain foods.
  • Please fill out this google form and submit the money to Ms. Menendez before Friday. Cash only please!
• Would you like tickets to watch your 8th grader perform? Purchase them using the link below!
  • https://gofan.co/app/events/99075

Itinerary:

Home vs. Rome • 8th Grade Night! 

• 4:45pm Report to Band Field for Pre-game rehearsal
• 5:30pm Dinner provided by the boosters
• 6:30pm Uniform Check in Stadium
• 7:00pm Pre-Game
• 7:30pm Kick-Off
• Approx. 9:00pm Half-time
• 10:00 Optional Student pick-up time
• Approx. 10:30pm Game Ends for students who wish to stay the entire game.
  • *Students will be able to contact you during 4th quarter to give you a better estimate of what time the game will be ending. Hopefully most of our students will stay for the entire game so that they can participate in our very special Battle Hymn tradition at the end of the game!*

Friday is going to be an absolute blast!

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Cookie Dough:

Our students are doing a tremendous job selling cookie dough! We have over a week to continue selling as our fundraiser will conclude on Thursday, October the 15th.

Please click on the cookie dough fundraiser under the “fundraisers” tabs on our website for extra copies of forms, dates, and instructions for ordering online.

https://cjhstrojanband.com/fall-cookie-dough-fundraiser/

I hope that you all have a wonderful Sunday evening and I look forward to working with the students tomorrow!

Sincerely,

M. Menendez

Trojan Band game tomorrow:

Tomorrow will be our first Trojan Band game! I will hand out t shirts and hats to those who need one on Thursday in class. I have asked that any 7th and 8th graders who do not have a shirt wear school spirit clothing. Something white, black, or gold or something with “Carrollton” or “Trojans” on it would work. The t shirt company is going to try their best to get the shirts in on time but may not get them to us by the game tomorrow. This will be an appropriate back up.

Itinerary:

*At home learners may participate. Please have them check Google Classroom for more info*

3:30 PM Students may stay after school with me at the JH and I will walk them down around 4:15 to the high school if they do not want to go home and come back

4:45 PM students who choose to go home and return need to be dropped off at high school band room (behind away bleachers of Grisham Stadium).

5:00 PM Set up in bleachers

5:30 PM play at football game and cheer on the football team

6:30 PM (roughly) Half Time: students come to high school band room to eat pizza.

7:00 PM (roughly) Students picked up from high school band room to go home

I look forward to the game tomorrow and please continue selling cookie dough!

Sincerely,

Ms. Menendez

Good afternoon,

Our Cookie Dough fundraiser has begun! I will post some links below with information for you all.

A couple of things to remember:

• Sell 10 and get 1 free
• Sell 10 and have your student’s name put in a drawing for a $200 cash prize and a fast food lunch of their choice. Every 5 sold after that puts their name in twice!
• Checks written out to CJHS Band
• Online option available: read below
• 8th graders can earn $3 off of their end of the year trip per each box sold
• Due Date: October 15th

I am excited for this fundraiser and am thankful that we are all working together to fund our band program. The money earned will benefit your student directly!

Please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions or concerns.

Sincerely,

Ms. Menendez

maria.menendez@carrolltoncityschools.net

Good evening,

We have had an incredible start to the school year so far!

This week at a glance:

Tuesday: Cookie Dough fundraiser begins

Thursday: First Trojan Band Game *info below*

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Forms and Fees due October 2nd:

If your student still has not submitted their Handbook agreement form and their fees please do so by October 2nd. Info can be found under the “Fees & Dues” tab as well as the “Forms” tab on the website. I also have physical copies at school if needed.

Fees due for your child may include the following:

• Band fees (required for all students)
• School owned instrument fee
• Trojan Band fee

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Trojan Band on Thursday:

This Thursday will be our first Trojan Band game! Students will perform stand tunes in the stands and cheer on their JH football team. I will hand out t shirts and hats to those who need one on Thursday in class. Information is posted below.

*At home learners may participate. Please have them check Google Classroom for more info*

3:30 PM Students may stay after school with me at the JH and I will walk them down around 4:15 to the high school if they do not want to go home and come back

4:45 PM students who choose to go home and return need to be dropped off at high school band room (behind away bleachers of Grisham Stadium).

5:00 PM Set up in bleachers

5:30 PM play at football game and cheer on the football team

6:30 PM (roughly) Half Time: students come to high school band room to eat pizza.

7:00 PM (roughly) Students picked up from high school band room to go home

Volunteers:

If you would like to volunteer to serve food and drinks then we will need your help around 4:45 in the high school band room to get things set up for when the students come in at half time to eat.

Please email me at maria.menendez@carrolltoncityschools.net if you would like to volunteer.

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Cookie Dough Fundraiser:

This Tuesday we will begin our annual cookie dough fundraiser! Fundraisers are an absolute necessity in order for our program to run the way that it does. Money raised allows for instructors to teach your students privately and for instruments and music to be purchased. Nothing is more important to me than making sure that your students have the best music education possible.

Our cookie dough fundraiser will run from September 29th- October 15th. Cookie dough will be delivered late October.

Information will come home on Tuesday but I want to give you a heads up about two things.

• As of this moment we are not allowed to have field trips at CJHS. My plan is to have a trip in May for our 8th grade students who have worked so hard these past few years in band. Typically we travel to Charlotte, North Carolina for our annual Carowinds trip. No matter what, I will take the 8th graders on an end of year trip. 8th Graders will earn $3 towards their end of year trip for every box of cookie dough sold! If a student sells 10 boxes that would be $30 off of their trip. For now we will assume that this is still the Carowinds trip but I will update you all as needed once I know what the administrations decision is for traveling in May.
• All students will get their names put into a drawing for a chance of a $200 grand prize! This prize will be a shopping spree spent on a prize that Ms. Menendez and the winner’s family agree upon. This could be spent on fast food gift cards, toys, clothes, video games and more! Additionally, one student per grade will get a fast food lunch provided of their choice if their name is drawn.
  • Each student will get their name put in one time once they have sold 10 boxes of cookie dough. For each additional 5 boxes sold, their name will get added in two times! If a student sells 15 boxes then they would get their name put in 3 times for a chance to win!

I will send home the order forms on Tuesday with your students and post links online for a virtual version as well. Thank you for your help!

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Have a wonderful rest of your Sunday night and never hesitate to contact me with any questions that you have.

Sincerely,

Ms. Menendez

maria.menendez@carrolltoncityschools.net

Good evening,

My name is Maria Menendez and I am the band director here at Carrollton Junior High School. I am excited to have your student in the program. This website is a useful tool for us as we have many exciting events occurring throughout the year. This is my main source of communication to you all and is a great resource for those looking for copies of forms, payment information, important updates, and our calendar for the year.

Subscribing to the website: Please type in your email in the box that says “Follow” on this website. That will subscribe you and will send you my posts as I post them. This prevents you from having to periodically check the website and instead will notify you instantly once a post has been made. The post will send automatically to your inbox! A screen shot has been attached to help.

 

Forms and Fees: Copies of all forms that are handed to students are uploaded to this website. They are located under the “Forms” tab. Information about fees is located under the “Fees & Dues” tab. This reminds you of much things cost and also provides a link for our school’s online payment system called Revtrak.

Each student will need to sign and return the “Handbook Sign-Off Form and Trojan Band Form”. Trojan band is a pep band for our JH football team and is optional. The handbook form is for all students. If you have any questions about payments please let me know. The forms and fees associated with them are due October 2nd.

 

Band Class: Until further notice, all band programs on campus are playing outside for class when possible. Because of the size of the JH band room, I do not feel comfortable playing inside yet, even with masks and protective covers over our instruments. As things progress I will keep you all up to date. Students are able to dress out for band class and wear school appropriate athletic clothing, sunglasses, and hats for class. This will only be necessary for days that we play outside. If the weather does not permit us to play outside, we will stay inside the band room and learn about composition, music theory, music history, and more, but will not play. Students should be prepared to play outside each day.

After School Help: Students who are beginners or are looking for extra help may stay after school on Tuesdays until 4:00 with me. I will work primarily with beginners but will be happy to tutor any students who are seeking help. Please make sure that their ride is there at 4:00 PM.

I am excited for this school year and I cannot wait to share more information with you all soon as our calendar is finalized. Once our concert dates have been approved I will publish a calendar for the entire school year. Thank you for your support and your patience.

Please do not hesitate to contact me at maria.menendez@carrolltoncityschools.net

Sincerely,

Ms. Menendez

Good morning,

I know that this information was posted last weekend but I just wanted to make sure that everyone has read the precautions and guidelines before stepping foot on campus this week should you choose to do so.

You may contact Mr. Carr directly at christopher.carr@carrolltoncityschools.net

It is extremely important for you all to subscribe to the high school band website and that you follow their social media accounts.

Have you turned in your marching band forms?

You can access your forms in our student handbook

2020 – 2021 Band Handbook

Stay in communication – We need to be able to contact you, please sign-up

1. Subscribe to our website by entering your e-mail address in the upper right hand corner of this page.
2. Like us on Facebook
3. Follow us on Twitter
4. Subscribe to our Remind text the code below to 81010
   1. Classof2021 Parents: @6dffefa
   2. Classof2022 Parents: @89hc3gk
   3. Classof2023 Parents: @72ab42
   4. Classof2024 Parents: @ka2kded
   5. Students A-M: @6gaa92
   6. Students N-Z: 37ebaca
5. Follow us on Instagram
6. 
7. Access your account via Charmsoffice.com and update your info
8. Subscribe to our YouTube Channel
9. Sync our calendar to your phone!

It is important to stay in communication because although we are planning commencing some activities in June, if the situation does not improve then we will make decisions to alter the schedule. Our students’ health and safety will always remain our top priority. Some may think that the excitement to start activities may be to remain competitive, but honestly, it is to fulfill the social needs of our students. Our students thrive when working together and we want to be able to provide that for them as soon as it is safe to reconvene.

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Upcoming Camps – Items Students Need

All students need a mask for when they need to enter the band building and all students need access to personal water. We have limited the camps to 3 hours max and they will mainly be low intensity in activity. Visit the calendar for specificdetails on dates and times.

Safety Procedures for all camps – read first

• All camps in June are voluntary. Anyone who does not yet feel comfortable should not attend and will not face any penalty.
• Anyone who has knowingly been exposed to COVID-19 within the past 2 weeks should not participate.
• Staff and students will be screened upon arrival and throughout the camps for signs of illness, such as fever over 100.4 degrees Farenheit, cough, shortness of breath, or difficulty breathing, chills, muscle pain, sore throat, or new loss of taste or smell. It is important that if you have symptoms to stay home and monitor your symptoms and seek medical attention if they worsen or are severe.
• Students who may show symptoms after arrival will be quarantined on campus until a parent can pick them up. If the student drove to rehearsal, a parent will be contacted and the student will be told to return home.
• Unnecessary visitors are prohibited and parents should remain in their vehicles while dropping off or picking up students.
• Parents who need to visit the band room, should only visit the area closest to Ms. Dothard’s desk in the lobby.
• Staff and students who enter the building will wear a mask.
• We will limit groups to twenty (20) persons or less, including staff and children, in a space where all persons gathered cannot maintain at least six (6) feet of distance between themselves and any other person.
  • We plan on being outside for the camps and maintain a six (6) foot distance, except when we need to gather equipment or to use the restroom. The band room has been taped off in six (6) foot intervals to allow safe distancing while retrieving equipment, and one student will be permitted in the building at a time to use the restroom. We hope that with a 3 hour max, that many students may not need the restroom facilities, but they will be available to individuals if needed.
• We have designated days that we are rehearsing with different groups to allow the same staff and children to work with the same group for the duration of the camp.
• Students need to have personal access to water during the camp. Currently, the CDC recommends to not share food or to use communal drinking sources.
• The staff will clean and disinfect our classroom and high traffic areas before and after camp each day, and we will be outside during the actual camp.
• Our bathrooms will be cleaned and sanitized throughout the day.
• Students need to be prepared to be outside – wear sunscreen, athletic clothing, athletic shoes. Please do not allow your child to wear jeans, boots, or flip flops. Hats and sunglasses are also advisable.
• All CHS owned/stored equipment will be disinfected and wiped down daily before and after use.

I need your help with these last two

• Make available a surplus of hand sanitizer throughout the buildings.
  • Our school has installed an extra hand sanitizer station in the lobby, which will be available to our students. If you are able to donate hand sanitizer, Lysol, Lysol or Clorox disinfectant wipes we would greatly appreciate your donation. We have some sanitizer currently in stock, because we have always made it available for our students throughout the day, but we will be extra cautious considering the circumstances and will need more sanitizer/disinfectant materials.
• We may have students who are in need of a mask? If you have extra masks or are willing to make extra masks, we would be willing to disinfect them and be able to provide them for students who may need one?

Specific Instructions for Voluntary Guard Camps

• The following are in addition to our general procedures above
• Ramon and I will prepare all equipment on Monday, June 1 ahead of the start of camp on the 2nd.
• Equipment will be disinfected and assigned to each member of the guard. Students will not share equipment.
• All students should report directly to the band practice field (the field closest to Buffalo Creek in front of the Elementary School). If you want to drop your child off in front of the field, please be facing the Junior High while on Ben Scott Blvd, so that your child doesn’t have to cross traffic. The visitor’s parking lot is a great place to park and drop off/pick up your child as well.
• Before and after rehearsal still practice a minimum of six (6) feet spacing between you and others.
• We will rehearse Tuesdays and Wednesdays in June (beginning this Tuesday and ending on July 1) from 12pm – 3pm. Be prepared to be outside – sunscreen, etc.
• Rehearsal ends at 3pm, please do not congregate on campus after rehearsal.

Specific Instructions for Voluntary Rookie (Wind) Camps

• The following are in addition to our general procedures above
• We will not yet use instruments. Many of our school owned instruments are still in the shop being disinfected and repaired. It will be safe to assume not to bring your instrument until an announce is made otherwise. I hope that you continue to practice at home, please.
• All students should report directly to the band practice field (the field closest to Buffalo Creek in front of the Elementary School). If you want to drop your child off in front of the field, please be facing the Junior High while on Ben Scott Blvd, so that your child doesn’t have to cross traffic. The visitor’s parking lot is a great place to park and drop off/pick up your child as well.
• We will be focused on marching fundamentals. Wear athletic clothing with athletic shoes that are comfortable to move in.
• Before and after rehearsal still practice a minimum of six (6) feet spacing between you and others.
• We rehearse on Thursdays in June beginning this Thursday from 6pm – 8pm. Be prepared to be outside – the sun will still be out.
• Rehearsal ends at 8pm, please do not congregate on campus after rehearsal.

Specific Instructions for Voluntary Percussion Camps

• The following are in addition to our general procedures above
• Students will need access to their own drum sticks. Mr. Nelson made this announcement last month.
• Students need a mask for when entering the building to get equipment. The band room has been taped off in six (6) foot intervals to guide students in maintaining safe distance from one another. Students will enter the front of the building, progressing from tape to tape until it is their turn to access their equipment individually. The student will exit the back door and make their way to the practice field for rehearsal.
• Front ensemble equipment will be stored in the garage area so that students can easily access equipment and move it to the band parking area for their rehearsal.
• The visitor’s parking lot is a great place to park and drop off/pick up your child as well.
• This first camp is on Monday, June 8 and we will rehearse from 12pm – 3pm. Check the calendar for the following weeks because times will vary based on instrument.
• Since this group will be using equipment that is too large to send home, we will disinfect and wipe down all equipment multiple times throughout rehearsal and specifically before and after use of the equipment each day.

RECAP

• Students need access to their OWN water bottle, as we will NOT have access to water fountains
• Students need a mask for if/when entering the building
• Students need access to their OWN equipment — (Guard is being assigned at first meeting, percussion need sticks/mallets, and winds will not use equipment yet).

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Thank you for reading the post. We understand that individual comfort levels currently vary and reassure you that if you are not yet comfortable with allowing your child to participate that your child will not be penalized for not attending these camps in June. We are confident that with the procedures mentioned above that we will be able to minimize the risk and keep your child safe and in an encouraging and educational environment. We look forward to working with our students these coming up weeks as we begin building relationships that will prove to be important for years to come. We appreciate your assistance as we work together to provide this important educational, social, developmental, and creative outlet for our children.

Sincerely,

Ms. Menendez

Graduation on June 1 and Important Information posted about upcoming June camps. Guard will meet on Tuesday and Wednesday from 12pm – 3pm beginning on June 2 and ending on July 1. Rising 9th Grade wind players (brass and woodwinds) meet on Thursdays in June from 6pm – 8pm beginning on June 4, and percussionist meet on Mondays in June from 12pm – 3pm beginning on June 8. Procedures on how we will maintain safe health practices are also in the post. Students will need their own water bottle and a mask to enter the building.  […]

Please click on the link below for the full post –

Upcoming Events — CHS Trojan Band

Good evening,

This week at a glance:

Monday: Marching Band Payment and Forms Due  (see below) 

Due to the Carrollton City staff reporting to campus this week, no office hours or lectures will be held this week. 

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8th Grade Parents:

It is imperative that you subscribe to the high school band website at this time. We want to be able to communicate with you should any changes happen due to COVID-19.

Please read the post found on the high school website for information on the marching band payments, schedule, and important forms. This includes those that are interested in auditioning for colorguard. Subscribe, “like”, and register for Remind101 to stay up to date.

www.chstrojanband.com

I am always happy to help with any questions that you have but would like to encourage you to direct your questions to the high school directors as we move forward.

Mr. Carr: christopher.carr@carrolltoncityschools.net

Mr. Nelson: zachary.nelson@carrolltoncityschools.net

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7th Grade Chair Tests:

Due to the wide array of circumstances during this time, I have decided not to publish the chair test results. While I do enjoy seeing students pushing themselves and each other, I feel that it would not serve any purpose to publish the results with so many students who were unable to complete the assignment.  Students received a grade for completion of their assignment and I want to thank them for their hard work at home during the last 9 weeks. We will have a chair test in August upon our return to school. Thank you for your understanding.

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Return of School Instruments:

If your child plays a school-owned instrument they may return it this week between the hours of 8am-4pm. This will allow for me to clean and send them off for repairs for the summer.

School-owned instruments include:

baritone

tuba

french horn

bass trombone

bass clarinet

tenor saxophone

baritone saxophone

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I hope that you all are safe and enjoying the nice weather that we have been having. Please let me know if I can help in any way.

Sincerely,

Ms. Menendez