Welcome to the home of the Standard Middle School Bands

Friday, April 13 2007 @ 11:34 AM

Welcome page last updated 5/10/08

OOPS, sorry new CG members, I forgot to tell you to click on NEWSBRIEFS form the main menu to find audition results!

Spring Concert Thursday May 8th, was a HUGE SUCCESS!

HUGE CROWD! GREAT PERFORMANCES! GREAT COOKIES!

Thanks and CONGRATS to ALL!

You can also call our state legislators, Jean Fuller 395-2995 and Nicole Parra 334-3745 and ask them to remember that budget cuts hurt kids!

PLEASE HELP!

The Standard School District has announced a list of proposed budget cuts for 2008-09.( You can see the list here ) TWO ITEMS on this list could have a tremendous negative impact on the Standard Warrior Band.

First is SUSPEND ZERO PERIOD. Although it has been expanded in recent years (over my protests), zero period PE was originally created to protect Band after extra elective periods were cut. Band students are some of the best students in the school. Other teachers recruit them to be in classes such as yearbook, leadership and AVID. Without ZERO PERIOD band students could no longer choose to take one of these other classes and still remain in band. The negative impact on Warrior Band enrollment could be large! But Warrior Band is not the only music program that would suffer. Did you know that SMS has a unique music peer-tutoring program? In fact, I know of no other school in the county that has anything like it. Currently there are 15 Warrior Band members taking zero period PE just so they can serve as "Band-aides" and assist me in teaching the 6th grade beginners. Without ZERO PERIOD, this program would disappear! Band-aides are a vital part of our beginning band program and their absence would be a very great loss.

PROPOSAL: I have already told the SMS principal that I would be willing to give up our music equipment and supplies budget for 1 year in order to help pay for one zero period pe class for band members only. I also offered to give up my $1500 stipend. The band boosters have also offered to do extra fund-raising to help pay for a band-only zero period PE class.

The SECOND district proposal is SUSPEND BAND TRIPS. Many students are attracted to band in ther first place because of the opportunity to perform and/or compete in public in many different locations. If "band trips" include all performances off campus, that could mean NO honor band, NO CMEA Festival, NO community service appearances at nursing homes or in the Christmas or Veteran's Day parades. And of course, no more award winning Standard warrior marching band. Without zero period PE, and knowing that the band would be unable to go anywhere or do anything, how many students would make the choice to continue to be in band??? 

IMPORTANT NOTE: this would also mean the end of our color guard program. The CG program has existed for years with very little financial support from the district. In fact, in the last few years, the new ID Shileds were purchased for almost $5000 at NO COST TO THE DISTRICT.  In 2007, $7000 CG uniforms were purchased at NO COST TO THE DISTRICT. In 2006 and 2007, almost $3000 was spent on CG summer camp AT NO COST TO THE DISTRICT. All this money came from a combination of parent-student fund-raising and donations from the band director.

In fact, the band program as a whole has a record of helping out the district with costs whenever possible. Just this year $1200 from the band account was transferred to the district to help pay instrument repair costs. The current band uniforms were paid for with a 50% contribution from band fundrasing (approx $17,000), and the district pays NOTHING for upkeep on the uniforms! Over the last twenty years, ALL entry fees for EVERY trip to a competition have been paid from our band fundraising. this probably totals somewhere between $8,000 and $10,000!!! When discussing "band trips", It is also very important to stress that the band/CG has always paid its own way to KNOTTS without ANY district money.  The extra trip this year to the new Fresno State band Festival will be paid for by student fund-raising efforts and a donation from the band director.

Either one of these proposals alone would hurt the band. Both of them together could kill it. I am willing to undertake even more fundraising and do whatever else it takes to keep the Standard Warrior Band and Color Guard at the high level of excellence that I have fought all these years to attain. But I can not do it alone! There is another school board meeting Tuesday May 16th, 7pm. Please plan to attend. If  you can not  attend, then make phone calls! Call our new superintendent, call our school board members, call our principal!  CALL other parents and get them to call!! OR, go to www.standard.k12.ca.us and click on the superintendents blog and leave comments.  OR Email Dr Siberberg, the superintendent at  ksilberb@standard.k12.ca.us   Call our booster president Mrs White and let her know you want to help! 387-0488.

NOTE from Mr Walls 4/30/08.... Thanks to all those who have expressed their support in so many different ways. I believe that you have made an impact! We are now in the "home stretch". The school board will have to vote on a budget soon. The next school board meeting is Tuesday May 13, the same day as our WMB&CG trip to Knotts. Many of us will be unavailable to get to the meeting so we need those of you who are not going down to LA with us to attend the meeting and stand up for the BAND!!

Click Here to email Mr W   Please use this link if you are not on Mr W's email list and ask to be added !

School News

• Deadlines for paying for 7th and 8th grade trips are this week!
• Teacher Inservice Wed May 14, school dismissed 12;20 for everyone but WB!

WMB&CG News: (see NewsBriefs for message from our booster club president)(see Advance Planner for list of upcoming events)

Events for this upcoming week of 5/12/28

• LAST Morning  for all WMB&CG for KNOTTS trip is MONDAY
• Knotts May 13
• WB practice after school Wed 12:30-2pm May 14
• WB to Fresno STate May 15

Note to parents: Warrior Band will be practicing for the Fresno State Festival on Wed 5/14 12:30pm to 2pm (school dismissed 12:20 that day).

For a complete look at the WB and CG calendar and schedule for the entire year, please see our  Advance Planner. 

• Sore ankles and heels, which can progress to chronic conditions, including inflamed Achilles tendons and plantar fasciitis, inflammation of the connective tissue between the heel bome and the toes.
• Heel calluses (from the pounding)
• Hammer toes (from the gripping)
• Irritation of the toes (from the toe thongs), which can lead to nasty fungal infections

Of course, flip-flops aren't the only popular shoes that can hurt your feet. Pretty little ballet flats and sky-high wedges, if worn too often or in the wrong circumstances, can cause just as much pain as classic troublemakers such as stilletto heels, experts say. Even sensible, low-heeled, wide strapped sandals can harm your feet if you wear the same pair every day from June to September.

A few tips for making it through the summer with feet that look good and feel good, too:

• Spend most of your time in sturdy shoes that offer heel and arch support. "If you can take the sandal or ballet flat and twist it into a little ball, that's a sign that they can't take everyday wear and tear," Crane says.
• Stick to heels or wedges of 2 inches or less, except on special occasions. A wedge may feel more stable than a heel of the same height, but it can put just as much strain on your feet, knees, and hips.
• Wear the right shoes at the right time. "If you are walking all day, wear shoes that are made for that," says John Anderson, an orthopedic sugeon in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and spokesman for the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (www.aofas.org)
• Switch shoes daily, if possible, especially if you live in a humid climate. Even very comfortable, sensible shoes can grow fungus if they don't get a chance to dry.
• Buy shoes that fit and are comfortable the first time you put them on. "The concept that you just have to break in a shoe is a fallacy. If the shoe is not comfortable, don't buy it," Anderson says.
• Put some sunscreen betweeen those sandal straps. "People put it on their legs, completely forget their feet" and end up with badly burned feet, says Christian Robertozzi, a podiatrist in Newton N.J. and president of the American Podiatric Medical Association (www.apma.org) 

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