spring trip – Charger Band

Orlando Trip 2019

We are very excited to announce that the Charger Band has received approval to travel to Orlando, Florida in January 2019! We will depart the evening of January 18 and return on the evening of January 23, 2019.

Our spring trips tend to be one of the most memorable events in a student’s lifetime and this one promises to live up to those expectations. Current plans include trips to both Wizarding Worlds of Harry Potter at Universal Studios, a couple of days at the Disney parks, and seeing an entertaining performance by Blue Man Group! While at Disney we will participate in a workshop where we will create the soundtrack to a film.

The 2019 Trip Letter has been posted in CHARMS and includes information on cost, payment schedule, and refund policy. It also includes a Letter of Intent form which must be completed and turned in by all band students whether or not you plan on going on the trip. Please follow these steps…..

Downloading Instructions:

1. Login at CHARMS
2. Download the 2019 Trip Letter from the 2019 Orlando Trip folder in the “Handouts and Files” section.
3. Print and read BOTH pages.
4. Keep the first page (trip letter). You will need to refer to this each month for payment information
5. Fill out and sign the second page (Letter of Intent)
6. Turn in signed Letter of Intent by Friday, June 8.

The all-inclusive cost of the trip is our best estimate at this time. It is our sincere hope that the cost will go down, however we will not know for sure until 2019 pricing is released. In addition, costs are based on airfare (and luggage fees) through United Airlines. Southwest will not release their January schedules until July or August. We will compare costs at that time and change airlines if necessary. Specific trip details (hotel, flight info, etc.) will not be released until the mandatory trip meeting on January 14!

Please keep in mind that travel with a family of 150 is very different from traveling with a family of 4. Lodging, transportation, and meals can be challenging with a large group. We require 40 hotel rooms, 3 buses, 2 planes (1 if we are lucky), and an entire restaurant. Our goal is to create the safest, most organized, and memorable trip possible. While the trip is not required of every student, attendance is highly encouraged. We do have money set aside to assist some students who may not be able to afford the entire cost. Information about this is in the trip letter. If you are able and willing to sponsor another student, please contact Mr. Williams directly.

At the bottom of the Letter of Intent is a link to register as a chaperone. If you plan to chaperone the trip, please indicate so on the Letter of Intent and fill out the requested information by clicking the link. Chaperone costs are the same as for the students and are double occupancy. If you want your own room, it will be an additional $300.

Please read and sign the Letter of Intent and turn it in on June 8, 2018 at the final day of Summer Band Jam Camp. The deposit/first payment is due June 8 via credit/debit online through Charms, or by cash, Money Order, or Cashier’s Check made payable to CSHS Band delivered to the band office. Personal checks are not accepted. Should you have any questions, please feel free to email Mr. Williams.

Band Update & Reminders 7/30/14

We have had a great start to the 2014-15 season learning (and re-learning) how to march. Thank you to everyone who took care of getting all of the forms signed and turned in on time. This will be very helpful as we get closer to the start of school. Here are a few announcements and reminders as we move into August.

The next trip payment is due this Friday. $200 for students and $150 for chaperones.
The Meal Plan payment is also due this Friday. Remember the $150 payment is required for everyone. The only exceptions are for those who have already visited with Mr. Williams. We are working on the final details of our Meal Plan. Information will be forthcoming in the next few weeks.
Be sure to download and print the stand tunes addendum and add them to your flip folder. These are the tunes we will be performing for the Silverados this year.
Students should have already downloaded the fundamental book and added them to a three-ring binder. You should be able to find good back to school deals on the binders. If you want to put them in sheet protectors, that is ok but it is not required.
Everyone should have already received their Equipment Night items with the exception of the shoes. The shoe shipment was delayed; however, they are now in and will be distributed to the students after rehearsal on Friday.

CHARMS Financial Statement Demystified

The CHARMS financial statement is an incredibly useful tool for both students/parents and directors. This statement gives students/parents a snapshot of exactly what has been paid and what has yet to be paid. It includes trips, equipment, uniforms, game meals, band dues, etc….

The statement consists of the trip ledger balance, the fixed payments due, the fundraising balance, and the miscellaneous balance, which are summarized at the top of the financial statement. We will occasionally email this statement, however, for your convenience it is accessible online 24/7 through CHARMS. For directions on how to access this statement, scroll to the bottom of this page or click here.

Quick Links:

Click the links below to skip ahead to the section that interests you or simply keep reading to read about all of the sections.

Trip Ledger Balance
Fixed Payments Due
Fundraising Balance
Miscellaneous Balance

Trip Ledger Balance:

The trip ledger balance will list any trips you will be attending and show each payment you have made and show how much you have left to pay. You may make an online payment with paypal by clicking on the button labeled “make trip payment” or you may make a trip payment by bringing cash, money order, or cashiers check to Mr. Brown. Personal checks are not accepted.

If you are not planning on attending any trips and a trip is still listed for you in the trip ledger, it is likely that you have not turned in the trip Letter of Intent indicating that you will not be going on the trip. For more information on the Letter of Intent and our 2015 Orlando Trip click here.

Fixed Payments Due:

This section will show equipment and uniform purchases, band dues, and game meals. The due date for each item is listed to the right of each item.

You may make an online payment with paypal by clicking on the button labeled “pay fixed payments” or you may make a fixed payment by bringing cash, money order, or cashiers check to Mr. Brown. Personal checks are not accepted. For more information about equipment and uniform purchases read the Equipment Night articles by clicking here and here. You can also find more information about equipment, band dues, and game meals by reading the Parent Survival Guide in CHARMS.

Fundraising Balance:

IRS rules and CCISD policy does not allow us to have individual fundraising accounts, which means that any amount that an individual fundraises cannot be applied to that individual. Instead, the amount that an individual fundraises must go into the general fund and benefit everyone.

However, the fundraising balance section of the financial statement is used to track how much each student has fundraised for informational purposes only. Any amount shown here cannot, per IRS rules and CCISD policy, have any effect on any other portion of the financial statement.

For more information on fundraising visit our fundraising page by clicking here or by clicking the fundraising link in the left sidebar.

Miscellaneous Balance:

As the name suggests, this area is used for any miscellaneous items or costs. E.g., if a student loses a required equipment item and needs to purchase a new one in the middle of marching season, the item will be listed here. This section may also include sales tax and shipping for equipment and uniform purchases if they were not purchased on June 3, our tax free day. If you paid for your equipment and uniform items on June 3 there will not be any sales tax or shipping charges. There is never any sales tax on band dues or game meals.

Also, CHARMS does not allow a single online payment to be made to multiple sections at the same time, e.g., making a trip payment and paying your game meals at the same time. To work around this, make a single payment in the miscellaneous ledger and once completed click the “request transfer” tab at the top of the financial statement page and make a request for the payment to be applied to specific areas and items.

You may make an online payment with paypal by clicking on the button labeled “make miscellaneous payment” or you may make a miscellaneous payment by bringing cash, money order, or cashiers check to Mr. Brown. Personal checks are not accepted.

How to access the CHARMS financial statement:

Click here or the CHARMS link at the top of the page.
Enter your student area password (this will initially be your CCISD student ID)
Click the “finances” icon

Dallas Trip Meeting

With our spring trip to Dallas fast approaching, please remember that we will be having a mandatory trip meeting for BOTH students and at least one of their parents/guardians.

Monday, April 28^th
7:00 PM
Clear Springs High School

We will be discussing important information about the trip, including but not limited to rules and expectation of student behavior, as well as what to bring, and our itinerary.