Welcome to MCHS Choir Info! MCHS Choirs are Concert Choir, Treble Choir, Mixed Choir, Women's Chorale, Varsity & JV Madrigals, Jazz Transit and Essence Choir.
The MCHS Choirs are directed by Mr. Randy Benware. Please come and support our participants whenever possible and enjoy their performances!
Good evening Choir parents,
Happy New Year everyone!
A new procedure is in place at MCHS this year for releasing students to their parents following a choir event (competition, festival, IMEA etc). You no longer need to fill out a paper form and return it to the office at school! Simply follow the link below to fill out an online form. The other bonus to this process is that it can be completed up to one day prior to an event (rather than 3 days prior with the old system).
This link is also found here on this page.
If you have trouble viewing or submitting this form, you can fill it out online:
Please follow this new procedure for all “away” choir events this season/school year. Thank you for your help!
Mr. Benware
Good evening parents,
As you all know by now, our Spring Choir tour was approved almost 2 weeks ago, so we need to get some things moving here right away to get some deadlines secured. As you know, at the tour meeting I gave out an agenda with dates and deposit deadlines, so I have some updates and reminders below that may help in some tour and financial planning.
TOUR DEPOSIT DEADLINE!
Our first tour deposit and commitment letter deadline is coming soon (Wed. Sept. 17)! As of now I have received about 10 commitment letters, so I am encouraging families and students to move ahead and turn in their forms to commit to the trip as soon as possible. This deposit goes toward our plane seats and our tour company needs as close to the number as possible we are hoping to travel with us. If we don’t have enough commitment letters signed and deposits turned in, we will not be able to travel. Thank you for getting these forms turned in early next week (even at our Sept. 16th Booster meeting night!). I have attached a list here of all the students who have enough money in their accounts right now to cover their deposit if you wish to use their account now for that purpose.
COMPANION TOUR OPTIONS
Some of our parents expressed interest in a program that was offered to the Band last year on their tour. It is called the Companion Tour option. Here is what is being offered to our families if they choose to try this!
The companion trip would include various sites like Disneyland 2-day Park Hopper (what choir is doing) and tickets to Motown the Musical. Katie, our rep from Bob Rogers Travel, would put together a sheet (similar to the Band trip) and parents would need to turn in their check for those venues/sheet to me by a certain date. We would make the deadline right after the first of the year (January something). We would want an ‘estimate’ before then though, so Katie hold’s enough
tickets, especially for Motown. Please start e-mailing me number of family members (and names) and I will start a Google Doc and put their names on it. Please get me a number and name estimate by our Oct. 15th deposit deadline if you are interested.
TRAVEL SCHOLARSHIPS FOR OUR STUDENTS
1)Students traveling with their school or educational program on a future trip with Bob Rogers Travel may apply for BRT’s Moments That Matter Grants, which award up to $500 each to a limited number of deserving students with financial need. The application deadline is October 24; students must complete an essay, application and receive a signature from their teacher. View complete rules and download an application at: http://bobrogerstravel.com/
2)Students are also eligible for the SYTA Youth Foundation’s Road Scholarship Program, which awards funds to youth who are unable to afford the cost of their group’s travel. Students must be nominated by their teacher through a brief web-based form. View complete rules and access the application here at:
http://sytayouthfoundation.
The SYTA Youth Foundation is the philanthropic arm of the Student and Youth Travel Association, of which BRT is a proud member and benefactor.
CHAPERONES
Lastly, parents who are interested in chaperoning choir tour…due to the delay of trip approval and the fact that our fingerprinting form was not found on any of our MCHS information, I have extended the chaperone deadline to Sept. 30th. I have attached the CBI Fingerprint form for you take to the Grundy-Kendall County Regional Office of Education to have your fingerprinting done so the school can receive those results by the deadline. I have attached another Chaperone
Survey, as well, if you need another, as all chaperone candidates need to fill this out and return to me by the end of the month to to be considered. Thanks so much!
Please e-mail me any questions you may have and I will be happy to help!
Thanks! Enjoy you weekend! I hope you enjoyed Blast-of! The students sang and competed so well!
Mr. Benware
SEPTEMBER NEWSLETTER
Attached is our September 2014 Choir Newsletter with important information for upcoming events and forms for filling out to volunteer. Please mark down important times and dates as well and please e-mail me if you have any questions. Thank you to Paula Maglica for putting the newsletter together this month!!
Here are some other important additions to our upcoming events:
CHOIR TOUR 2015
1. Our trip was officially approved Tuesday and so we are excited to move forward with the planning of our tour to LA!!!
2. I have attached the itinerary, agenda with payment schedule and commitment letter (due Sept. 17th) for the parents and students to read and sign. Chaperone surveys are also attached and due Sept. 17th if you wish to come on the tour.
3. Medical forms for the tour will be sent out in the next week and deadlines will be set for those in the near future.
4. First deposit ($150) is due on Sept. 17th and can be taken out of student’s account or by check.
AUGUSTANA COLLEGE CHAMBER FESTIVAL-SUN. OCT. 12, 13
1. Our trip to our festival was approved on Tuesday, so a separate e-mail will go out with our schedule for the weekend and medical forms.
2. A MANDATORY MADRIGAL MEETING for one parent and one student will need to happen on TUES. SEPT. 17 (after Booster meeting) to turn in medical forms, go over the logistics for the weekend, and cover the responsibilities of the overnight with the student.
CAR WASH REMINDERS
A reminder about our CAR WASH this SATURDAY, SEPT. 6 at Minooka Ace Hardware (Ridge Rd.) OR Resurrection Lutheran Church in Channahon (on Rte. 6) . We have 2 shifts for the day and I have attached the list of students who have committed to come work. We are asking that all students bring extra towels and any other “Car Washing” materials (hoses sprayers, etc.) and to arrive 15 minutes before their scheduled times! Thanks!
The issue of of “Can my student wear a swimsuit or bikini” came up and they were told that they had to be covered up at the sites. Girls can wear shorts and a t-shirt and Guys can wear swim trunks but have to be covered on top as well. Everyone should have some sort of shoes to wear that they are willing to get wet. Our school policy is to be adhered as we all represent MCHS and MCHS Choirs as this is a school function.
Students need to bring food or some sort of lunch if they are staying all day. It is not fair to leave while others are working to go get food, since they are there to work and are being paid such to work all the hours signed up for. It is also our parent chaperone’s responsibility to know where your student is at all times.
Lastly, students are being given flyers in class to promote the Car Wash. Please pass these along to anyone you think would enjoy getting a car wash from choir! Thank you!
Thanks so much! See you soon at our upcoming events!
Mr. Benware
Good evening Concert Choir parents,
Tuesday evening marks our first meetings of the year for your MCHS Choir student.
Here is our schedule below:
6:00pm New Choir parent meeting-Career Center
6:30pm Social Time for parents-Gym lobby
6:30pm Varsity and JV Madrigal Mandatory Parent Meeting-Career Center
7:00pm Choir Booster meeting-Career Center
8:00pmish! Tour Meeting-Career Center
Also attached here is our Craft Fair Basket Raffle Letter from Wendy Anderson who needs everyone’s help this year to make our famous Craft Fair Basket Raffle a huge success. Thank you for reading and responding to her request!
Lastly, Open House will be held on Thurs. Aug. 21st at South Campus from 6:15-8:00. I hope to see you there as I will be available in the South Cafeteria and Varsity Madrigals will be singing.
Thanks so much! See you tomorrow night! We are off to a great start!
19th-Annual-Madrigal-Dinner-Reservation.docx