Welcome to our new Color Guard director Jayme Canavera, and good luck to our previous director Jackie Duckett, who has left to pursue graduate studies!

Notes From The Director

Mrs. Klek would like to thank everyone for a fantastic Band Camp. We were able to get through all four songs, making it one of the most productive band camps ever!

Also, thanks go out to all the parents who volunteered their time to help with technical issues, drinks, pizza, sets, the car wash, and the rest. You're great and the directors and students appreciate your effort!

Band: Keep practicing and memorizing your music. Don't fall behind in the next two weeks! Keep up the amazing work!

Shoe orders go in this week. If you need new shoes and haven't given your shoe size information to the directors, please email Mrs. Klek at jklek@hamilton.k12.nj.us. Band shoes and Drill team boots are $25 and Color Guard shoes are $15. Payment must be made by Friday and can be left in Mrs. Klek's mailbox in the main office.

Remember: All band members must wear a band camp shirt under their uniform and have black socks and band shoes at ALL performances.

Forms and Online Practice

Parents: please check your students' folders for information and forms that need to be filled out. If you didn't turn in the forms at the picnic, send them in with your student. If you need additional copies of the forms, you can download them from our our Contacts page. The forms were updated at 10 pm on August 14.

Forms for the NYC trip will be distributed during the first week of school. The trip will be Wednesday, April 22, 2009. The approximate cost will be $150 per person, which includes coach bus transportation to New York, ticket to the show (expected to be Young Frankenstein), and dinner after the show. Your fundraising monies can be used to offset the trip cost. A non-refundable deposit of $100 per person is due October 1. Marching Unit students will be given first priority for tickets, and then tickets will be available to Marching Unit families. If you have questions, please contact Mary Ann Hann at 584-8612.

Drill and practice the field show online! Students can use IPAS practice tools online with account ID 39703, account name Nottingham High School. Email Mrs. Klek at jklek@hamilton.k12.nj.us for the password. Drills for all four tunes are available. You can compete against other unit members and print out personal drill sheets. For $29.99 you can unlock all the features of IPAS.

The field show tunes are online here, too: you can listen to and practice with the band, as recorded at band camp: check our music page.

Upcoming Events

• Saturday, September 6: Car Wash, 10 am to 4 pm -- earn your service hours (four hours per student and parent needed during '08 - '09):
  • Advance ticket sales from the postponed June car wash will be honored
  • Students -- sign up to help on the service form in your band camp folder and the Director's sheet; help wash, rinse and dry
  • Adults -- sign up on your student's service form; help wash, rinse and dry, or help sell food and handle receipts
  • We need the following donations for the carwash:
    • Old towels
    • Sponges
    • Brushes with extension handles for taller vehicles
    • Carwash soap
    As for food and drink, we still need all-beef hot dogs, rolls, condiments, Pepsi products, ginger ale, Sprite, iced tea, lemonade, gatorade, and a few more cases of water. If you can donate any of these items, please contact Alex Monteleone at moodswng@optonline.net.
• Saturday, September 13: first field show of the year at Princeton High School. The Marching Unit performs prior to the game since we're visitors. Plan to be in the stands by 12:30
• Sunday, September 14: Septemberfest at Veterans Park, 9 am to 4 pm. Volunteer to help staff the NMUPA booth, and / or donate individually packaged drinks or snacks. Download the Septemberfest signup form, fill it out and return it. The remaining open time slots we still need volunteers for are:
  • Noon to 1 pm: 2 spots
  • 1 to 2 pm: 2 spots
  • 2 to 3 pm: 2 spots
  • 3 to 4 pm: 2 spots
  And we can use donations of any individually packaged drinks, chips and candy.
• Thursday, October 30: The "Electric" Nightmare Before Christmas, presented at NHS by students from the Marching Unit. Showtime is 7:30 pm. Tickets will be available in advance; arrive at 7 pm if purchasing tickets the day of the show. Tickets are $5, proceeds benefit the Marching Unit.

Membership: If you haven't already completed and turned in your membership form for 2008 - 2009, please do so at your earliest convenience. Membership only costs $7.50 per parent or guardian and it gets you free admission to all home games!

Fall dining: when November rolls around, be sure to use this coupon at Massimo's Restaurant, all day on November 10 through 13, dine in or take out, at the Foxmoor or Hamilton Avenue locations. When you use the coupon the Marching Unit gets a percentage of the sale.

Jazz Festival: the festival will be on January 30. You can download the ad book letter and forms now and begin selling ads. You earn 50% of your ad sales towards your trip account. More information is on our Jazz Festival page. Please be aware that the back cover of the ad book has already been sold.

Selling old jewelry or precious metals? Contact Joe Gernhardt at 609-587-5474. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to NMUPA.

Chairpersons Needed

We need volunteers for the following positions:

• Refreshments Committee Chair
• Student Fundraising Committee Co-Chairs (two positions; these are parent positions for the committee that coordinates fundraising for student trips). One of the biggest fundraisers for those who participated in it last year was selling ads for Jazz Fest: students get 50% of the ads they sell! This is a fun and rewarding way to help pay for your trip.

Please contact Gary Sabik at 588-9761 for more information or to express interest in this position.

The Nottingham Marching Unit Parents Association (NMUPA) supports the Nottingham High School Northstar Marching Unit. The marching unit includes the marching band, drill team and color guard. The unit performs at Nottingham varsity football games and in competitions, exhibitions, and Hamilton Township parades.

Unfortunately, Zingaros is going to have to close its doors. They helped with fundraising for Nottingham Post Prom and supported the musicals over the years. If you stop in while they're still in business please thank them for their support.

The 4th Annual Jam for Life is on Sunday, September 21 at Katmandu, featuring our own Charles Laurita! Check out the event flyer front and back. For more information, visit Papa Carl's organ and tissue donation site.

The Marching Unit Hall of Fame features student names painted on the walls of the music hall at Nottingham. You can have your student's name painted on a brick or block by filling out the Hall of Fame block order form. Small bricks cost $5.00, cinder blocks cost $20, and proceeds benefit the scholarship fund.