Band Trip to Hollywood

Nov 25-Nov 30 2009

 

The itinerary while in Los Angeles is now available.

Please check your email for flight itineraries

 

If you have any questions please contact Liz Kumar (894-6454) or email eakuk@hotmail.com

 

6819 Johnson Drive, Mission, KS

 Shawnee Mission Parkway & Pflumm

THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING THE MARCHING COUGAR PRIDE

 

UPDATE emailed on 8/17/09

Here we are 1st day of school, a new band room and yes the trip is fast approaching.  We will be having a trip meeting following the Band Booster Club meeting on Thursday August 20th in the cafeteria (starting at approximately 8pm) to go over any questions anyone may have at this time and also to discuss the budget, fundraising opportunities and sponsorship. 

The band students will also be in rehearsal on Thursday evening.  Members of the Trip Committee will be checking each student’s school ID/drivers license (Students who will be 18 OR OVER BY NOV 30TH MUST USE THEIR DRIVERS LICENSE FOR ID ON THE TRIP) at the start of their rehearsal to be sure it exactly matches our manifest.   We have to be sure that each student’s name is spelt correctly and is written on their plane ticket exactly as it appears on their ID.  Drill team members I will contact Kelly Horner to so we can find an appropriate time this week to check your id's also. 

Other important news to pass along is the budget for the trip.  The Trip Budget Committee has spent hours poring over the numbers since our final number of participants has been determined.   As discussed at the last Band Booster Club meeting, we have fewer students participating than originally expected.  As of today we have 131 students participating.  This is below the number that our original quote was based on so the price of the trip will have to go up as the expenses are being split between a smaller group. 

Meals
The original quote we had from the Tour Company included 2 evening meals (including Thanksgiving) and all breakfasts.  When the students were in the parks they were going to be on their own when it came to purchasing meals.  Having discussed this with several students, and the Booster Club Executive Board, we have decided to also include ALL meals in the up front cost.  This means we have added $135 to the price of the trip for meals.  The students will be given coupons each day that they can use in the parks to purchase food.  It was felt this was the best way to be sure that the students had enough money for meals and did not run out by the last day.  We also had concerns that some students may omit meals altogether so they could spend their money on other items.  This does mean that we will be collecting more money up front but you will only need to send souvenir money with your student.

Cost of the Trip

The Current breakdown of expenses is as follows:


 
Students
 
 
Tour expenses (air/hotel/buses in LA/breakfast/2 evening meals/park entrance Fees) 1414
Off set Chaperone costs (equivalent to $8.40 per day)
 		 50
Luggage (large instruments and Midwest surcharges)
 		 21
Bus and truck to airport 6
2 staff members & music 19
Misc items (1st aid kits/t-shirts/thank you/misc) 17
7 Meals in park ($15 coupons), 1 snack, 1 pizza lunch 135

 		 $1662

 
Chaperones
 
Tour expenses (air/hotel etc.)
 		 900
Luggage (Midwest surcharges) 8
Meals   (1 snack & pizza on arrival - meals in parks on own)
 		 15
misc/t-shirt 7

 		 $930

Therefore the current estimate for the cost of the trip is $1662 for each student and $930 for each chaperone.  We are working to make sure the price is kept down and unnecessary expenses are avoided.  Everyone has a vested interest in keeping the price as low as possible.  Although we have done our best to make our estimates for each expense as close close as possible, just in case we have overestimated any excess funds will be returned to all participating students when we return from the trip.

Payments
Your child should have $1150 in their account by August 15th.  We have already made our third payment to the tour company and the next payment to the them will be due in August.  Payments should be made out to "SMNW Band Trip" and mailed to Carol Keeney     13707 W 75th Pl, Lenexa KS 66216 (913) 962 7526carolk@bkeeney.com

What happens to the money that is collected for the trip?
We are only collecting money as it is needed to make payments to the Tour Company and other vendors.  This money is kept in a separate bank account from the rest of Band/Drill team Booster Club funds.  We have currently made 3 payments to the tour company (MCI) so far totaling $75,518.00.  The next payment is coming up.   As mentioned above if we do collect too much money then the excess will be returned to all the participating students. 

Canceling:
If your student has to cancel their trip we will try to work with you as best we can, but because non-refundable payments may have already been made (airline/hotel deposits etc) a full refund may not be possible. 

  • on September 1st the passenger manifest will be submitted to the airlines at that point the airline tickets will be non-refundable/non-transferable/non-changeable (canceling on or after Sept 1st will result in $450 penalty). 
  • *on or after October 1st  (50% of the tour cost - $830). 
  • *on or after October 20 (100% penalty) or the full cost of the tour that is non-refundable.


Insurance:
The cost of the trip does not include individual travel insurance.  It was decided that this is a personal decision that each family can make and determine for themselves if they wish to purchase such a policy.   This type of insurance would cover such things as if your student is unable to travel and has to cancel their trip for personal reasons.  A separate email will be sent out shortly concerning policy options.

Chaperones:
We are still in need of 1 more chaperone.  If you have been considering this then please join us, we need your help.  If you have volunteered thank you so much.  We are happy to say that we have an EMT as one of our chaperones (thanks Mrs. Voelker!), as well as a physical therapist (Mrs. Sestak), and several people with CPR training.  I will send out a separate email with more details to chaperones.

Families traveling to LA
If your family is planning on traveling to LA please let me know, particularly if you happen to have already booked on one of the flights we are scheduled to fly on.

Trip T-shirts
As per the band meeting it was agreed that a reasonably priced t-shirt will be included in the cost of the trip.  This will enable everyone to be quickly identified while traveling and also advertise our great program.

Room-mates:
In the coming weeks the students will be asked to give names of 3 students they would like to share a room with.  We will try our best to make sure that at least one person the student requests is in their room.

Fundraising/Sponsors etc.
If you have a fundraising idea that you would like to implement, please contact Barry Vonada.  The more sponsorship/group fundraising we can get the more it will reduce the costs for everyone.


Liz Kumar
(913) 894 6454

 

Update 5/9/09

May 15 Band Trip Payment due:

Incoming Freshman Marchers: $150 & commitment form

Chaperones: application form

Drill Team and Current marchers: $250 (if applicable)

 Payments, balance enquiries and forms to:

Carol Keeney     13707 W 75th Pl, Lenexa KS 66216 (913) 962 7526 carolk@bkeeney.com

Any Questions:         Liz Kumar            (913)894-6454 or eakuk@hotmail.com

June 15 Trip Payment Due:  $250 or $500 depending on May 15th payment

All trip participants must have $650 in their trip accounts by June 15th
July 15 Trip Payment Due: $250 (if applicable)
Aug 15 Trip Payment Due:  $250 or $500 depending on July 15th payment

All trip participants must have $1150 in their trip accounts by Aug 15th
Sept/Oct Final balance Due: amount TBA

Band Booster Student Accounts

If your student has ever participated in a band fundraiser, they probably have a Band Boosters student account that can be used to defray some of the costs of band or trip fees.  Here’s some information about how these accounts work.

Band and drill team students may participate in Booster-sponsored fundraisers  (sales of trash bags, decals, grocery coupons, frozen dough, etc.).  A portion of sales is credited to an account in the student’s name within the Band Boosters general fund.  The Band Boosters treasurer maintains the student accounts, which may be used to pay various band fees or make trip payments.

To check the balance in a student account, contact the Band Boosters treasurer.

 Bruce Bienhoff (bbienhoff@everestkc.net)

To use student accounts to make payments, contact the Band Boosters treasurer prior to the payment due date with the following information:  Student name, parent name, date, contact email and phone number, amount to be transferred.  To guarantee a timely transfer of band trip payments, please contact the Band Boosters treasurer at least one week prior to the payment due date. 

Student accounts are not eligible for cash payouts or refunds.  In the event of a cancellation that requires a refund, applied funds revert back to the student account.  Graduating seniors with unused funds in their account may designate a younger sibling currently enrolled in band at the elementary level or higher to inherit their account.  Non-designated funds will be transferred into the Angel Fund for need-based scholarships.    

 

 

 

Update 4/23/09

We will have a trip information meeting at 7:30pm in the cafeteria on April 28th

 

Note to Incoming Freshman:  Even if auditions have not been completed by April 28th incoming freshman parents are more than welcome to attend the information meeting on April 28th in the cafeteria at SMNW

 

Commitment form and first payment due NOW form all current band members

Incoming freshman and students still to audition: commitment form and first payment due May 15th

Want to help: Chaperone application form (due May 15th)

 

The itinerary while in Los Angeles is now available.  

Air travel itinerary will be available at a later date.   The tour company is still working on finding the most convenient flights available for this very hectic time of year for air travel.

The trip is expected to cost approximately $1662 (as of 8/16/09) and may be paid for in  installments.  The first payment for the trip is due now along with the commitment form.  A payment schedule will be worked out for the remaining balance after this initial deposit has been sent to the tour company.

 

We will have a trip information meeting at 7:30pm in the cafeteria on April 28th

If you have any questions prior to the meeting please contact Liz Kumar (894-6454) or email eakuk@hotmail.com

Air travel itinerary will be available at a later date.   The tour company is still working on finding the most convenient flights available for this very hectic time of year for air travel.

 
Any Questions? Updated 4/22/09

Question from parent 7/22/09: Which hotel will we be staying at?

Answer: Holiday Inn, Anaheim whose website is http://www.hianaheim.com

 

Questions from a parent regarding chaperoning: First, how many chaperones will be taken on the trip with the band?

We hope to have 1 chaperone to 11 or 12 students.  The chaperones will get to meet their students before the departure date so everyone will know each other.  Parents and their own student may select if they wish to be in the same group or not. We will probably mix grade levels in a group but keep the groups as either all boys or all girls. This way chaperones will have all their students on the same floor in the hotel.

 When they go to the amusement parks - what are the expectations for the chaperones, do they have a group they oversee or do they walk around the park and have groups check in periodically?

We do not expect that chaperones will keep their group together at all times while in the parks.  We however expect students to check in with their chaperone via cell phone frequently. It is also expected that the group should plan on meeting at certain times just as a physical check-in. Students are expected to be in their assigned groups when headcounts are required or changing venues. Students should always be in a group that has a working cell phone and never travel alone.

Also, at night when chaperones are watching the halls, is there more than one adult in the hall? Generally, how long are the "night shifts?"

There will be at least two adults in each hallway.  The actual "night shifts" will be determined by what works best for the group of chaperones and the number of chaperones we have (night on/night off may be). I do not predict that anyone will have to work a complete "night shift" but that shifts will probably be at most 4-5 hours. Students will be "duct taped" in their rooms at night - This means that a piece of duct tape will be placed between the door and the jam and if a student should leave their room in the night this tape will break indicating a problem.  We have also picked a hotel that does not have balconies.

other information about chaperoning. When flying students will be in their assigned groups.  Right now it appears we will be traveling on several different flights and airlines. The tour company is still working on improving this.  But this is when the chaperone is expected to keep all his or her students together at all times.

The chaperone and their group will travel on the same bus in LA between venues and the chaperone will be in charge of making sure all their students are on the bus.  Students will be given assigned seats on the buses so that a quick head count is possible but once the head count is complete the students will be allowed to change seats if they feel the need.

 If a student is sick they will remain at the hotel with a chaperone (not necessarily their assigned group chaperone).  We hope to have someone with medical experience in the group.

The students are expected to follow all school rules and Shawnee Mission District Policies.  If a student should break any rule they will be sent home at their or their families expense.

Penny has done many of these trips and can not remember having any issues with this.

The chaperone is expected to treat all students in their group as if they were their own, because for this week you are their responsible adult.

 

Question from a parent: .Do they have an estimate for the cost of the trip

Answer from Liz (4/7/09):The approximate price is $1400.  The final price will not be known until much closer to departure but this is a very reasonable estimate and it should not vary much from this amount.

 

Question from a parent:  Do we have flight information yet so I can book my own flight as I plan to go too?

Answer from Liz (3/6/09):  We do not have flight information yet but as soon as we do I will let everyone know.  On the last trip the band chartered a plane and the band all went together with Penny and the chaperons.   We are going to look into chartering again this time to see if this is an option as logistically it made things a lot easier on the last trip, but nothing has been decided yet.  We will look into the cost of both to make sure that the price is kept down.
 

Question from a parent:  Do you have any information on it, cost, payment schedule yet. 

Answer from Liz (3/6/09):We will not be collecting any money until the end of April or early May this will be after the incoming freshmen have auditioned.  The trip is expected it cost approximately $1400 and can be paid for in installments (one payment each month until the balance is paid).  We do not have an exact price yet.  The mode of transportation will effect the price slightly.   The dates are fixed but we are going to do a price comparison between commercial airlines and chartering a plane to see which works out better both price wise and logistically.
 

Question:  If my student is in pit will he get to march in the Parade?

Answer from Mr Haney:  All percussionists will be marching an instrument of some sort next fall for the trip.  We will start rehearsing the parade music as soon as football season ends, last time we did the music from the Wizard of Oz.  The battery might consist of 8 snares, 4 tenors, 6 basses, and 10 cymbals for example.  We have additional instruments in storage.  It really depends on how many students can work up the music and cadences.

Useful links

http://www.thehollywoodchristmasparade.com/

http://www.hianaheim.com