08/17/14 Upbeat Updates (Uniform Help, Picture Days, Why Fundraising?, Tag Day, Mattress Sale, Spirit Wear, New Bylaws)

Uniform Help: Help is needed on Wednesday, August 19 starting at 10:45am at the Lakota West High School Band Rood for individual and group pictures.  Volunteers should contact Cindy Schubart at uniforms@lakotawestbands.org to sign-up.  Please remind your students they need long black socks and black t-shirt to wear with their uniform.

Marching Band Pictures:  Individual Photo Button pictures will be taken on Tuesday, August 19 from 11:00am till 1:00pm for any students interested.  Cost of each button is $5.  Students should bring cash or check to purchase buttons.  On Wednesday, August 20 a full group photo and individual photo packages of your student in marching band uniform will also be available for interested families. Individual portraits will be taken beginning at 11:00am, with the full group photo taken at 12:30 in the stadium!  Students should pick up an order form at practice on Tuesday if they did not obtain one last week.

Why all the fundraising?:  Do you have questions about why Upbeat is doing so much fundraising this year given parents are paying a significant cost for the Rose Parade trip directly to the district?   Upbeat Club fundraising target for this year is $88,750 for Lakota West Band support(Concert, Jazz, Color Guard and Marching Band).  Please join us Tuesday night at our Upbeat Club meeting to learn more about our fundraising efforts.  This year our Fundraising efforts will go to support:

1)      Rose Trip Support:   Upbeat has budgeted more than $250/student to cover costs that directly support each Band Student traveling on the Trip!

  • $100.00/student donation to the district to reduce each student’s trip costs.
  • Rose trip jacket for Marching band students, directors and chaperones.
  • Transport of all uniforms and equipment to Pasadena, CA for Rose Parade
  • Transportation of all student, chaperon and director luggage for the Rose Trip
  • Chaperon background checks

2)      Provide ongoing recognition, support, and great experiences to our students and families.  This includes merit and financial need based scholarships, recognition items like flowers and plaques for Senior Night and Band Awards Night, honorariums for guest conductors for our student’s musical development, and things that make our band program fun – like Skyline for the marching band when they score over 280!

3)      Uniform Reserves:  Our marching band and grade 10-12 concert band uniforms require replacement every 5-10 years.  Upbeat Club spent over $150,000 in 2012-2013 to fund new Marching, Red, and White band uniforms for the 2013-2014 school year.  We build this fund up over multiple years, canvassing the community on Tag Day and building our savings so we can replace the uniforms when they start to wear out – and purchase new sizes or replacement parts as needed. 

Half of our parents are rookie parents this year – and we need the help of both upperclassmen and rookie parents to achieve our fundraising goals.  We hope that identifying where our fundraising dollars are spent will help everybody understand the importance of each person providing volunteer support that benefits all band programs. The Upbeat Club provides support to all students within all band programs and depends on the support of all band parents for our ability to carry out our mission of providing both financial and physical support to the Lakota West Bands. Please watch for volunteer opportunities in the weekly e-mail blast and sign up to help – to drive for Tag Day, to work a shift at the Uno’s Dough Raiser, Trivia Night, sell Cruise Raffle tickets – whatever you can do – so we can support our kids.


TAG DAY:  Please Click HERE to sign up to drive for Tag Day on Saturday, September 6!  Proceeds go to our uniform fund and band support.  We
currently have 30% of the ~80 needed drivers signed up with about 2-1/2 weeks to go before routes need to be assigned.  Home neighborhood priority
is given to those who sign up earliest – so sign up now for best chance to get assigned your own street!

MATTRESS SALE FUNDRAISER: Seventh Annual Mattress Sale will be held on Saturday, September 20:  Click HERE to see and print the Mattress Sale Flyer.  Copies will be available at the Upbeat Club meetings and at Silvers on Thursday nights between now and the Mattress Sale on September 20 for anyone who wants to distribute.

SPIRIT WEAR:  Rose Spirit Wear is in the final logo approval process and will be available soon!  Click HERE to access the online shoppe and order
spirit wear!

NEW BYLAWS/ARTICLES OF INCORPORATION:  Click HERE for the new Articles of Incorporation and Click HERE for the new Bylaws for the separate Lakota West Upbeat Club Inc. as approved at last meeting.  We continue to operate as the West division of Lakota Upbeat Club Inc. until our new non-profit status has been approved and the old corporation dissolved.

MEETING REMINDER:  Upbeat Club meeting will be Tuesday, August 19 at 7:30pm in the Lakota West band room.  Click HERE for key information and agenda for Tuesday’s meeting.