Band Information

September 1, 2017

Dear Grade 4 Parents,

As we begin a new school year, I would like to take this opportunity to invite your daughter to participate in the St. Catherine’s Band Program! My name is Ben Court, I am the Band Director at St. Catherine’s School, and I am excited to meet the girls and help them to love playing an instrument while gaining the numerous skills that develop through playing in an ensemble.

In Grade 4, band instruction is provided in small group lessons, as well as in full ensemble rehearsals. This format is designed to help students understand the basic technique of their chosen instrument and enjoy speedy progress throughout their first year! Small group lessons are scheduled during Grade 4’s recess times. Each participating student will miss one recess period per week to attend her band lesson. The full ensemble meets during the Friday afternoon Activities period alongside the Ecology, Outreach, and Inclusion clubs, giving the girls an engaging and enjoyable end to the school week!

The following instruments will be offered in the Grade 4 class: Flute, Clarinet, Saxophone, Trumpet (or Cornet), Trombone (or Baritone), and Percussion. These are the most accessible instruments for young students, but if your daughter already studies another wind or brass instrument and would like to participate in the band, we would love to have her join us! We also have a fantastic private lesson program at St. Catherine’s that is available to all students. Individual instruction can greatly enhance any student’s learning experience, so I highly recommend this option if your daughter enjoys her chosen instrument.

I suggest renting an instrument at first rather than purchasing one, particularly if your daughter is unsure as to what she might enjoy most. Renting allows for some flexibility in switching instruments if after a few weeks she finds that she would be happier with a different choice. Music & Arts (Locations on Broad St, Midlothian Turnpike, and Quioccasin Road) have a well-established rental program and carry both the book (Sound Innovations for Band, Book 1) and cleaning supplies that your daughter would need to participate in the class.

I will be giving an introductory presentation on Friday, September 8, then will be running introductory classes during recess periods of the following week: Tuesday - Flute; Wednesday; Clarinet & Saxophone; Thursday - Brass instruments; Friday - Percussion. Interested students should have an instrument that is ready to play no later than Friday, September 22.

I hope that your daughter is interested in this exciting opportunity! If she is, please reply to this message with her name and the name of the instrument that she would like to play. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at bcourt@st.catherines.org

Many thanks,

Ben Court

Music Teacher and Band Director, St. Catherine’s School

Grade 4: Beginning Band

What You Will Need:

1. Your chosen instrument

2. Cleaning supplies for your instrument

3. A music stand

4. Sound Innovations for Band, Book 1 (for your chosen instrument)

5. A metronome (these can also be downloaded from the app store on most mobile devices)

6. For saxophone and clarinet players: A box of Rico #2 reeds

For Percussionists

Full Percussion Learning Kits are heavy and cumbersome, so I recommend renting a Bell Kit and buying a Practice Pad. We have a number of snare drums in the band room that your daughter can play at full volume to her heart’s content, but a Practice Pad will enable her to practice successfully at home without waking every person in the neighborhood!

Swimming Information

                                                                                                September 11, 2017

Dear Parents,

         On Tuesday, September 19^th, our class will begin swimming instruction at the Kenny Athletic Center.  The schedule is listed below. Your daughter should be dropped off at the Lower School.  During that time, the girls will NOT have regular P.E. classes.

The following equipment will be needed for each child on swimming days:  a one-piece swimsuit, a latex or silicone swim cap, a towel, goggles (optional), healthy snack, and a bag other than a backpack to carry swim equipment.  Please label your daughter’s supplies. 

Tankinis and bikinis are not allowed.  The swim cap is required to help keep hair relatively dry and to keep the pool clean.  All swim equipment will be taken home each day and brought back to school the following day.  If your daughter has long hair, please put it in a ponytail or braid for ease in putting on the swim cap.  The girls should NOT wear tights on swimming days, as they are hard to put on damp legs.

SWIMMING SCHEDULE

Tuesday, September 19                     Tuesday, September 26

Wednesday, September 20                 Wednesday, September 27

Friday, September 22                        Thursday, September 28                            

Thanks so much,

                                                  Tara DiGiacomo and Laurie Marshalek

Come To Parents' Night! New Information About Time

The girls are so excited that you are visiting our classroom tonight.  NEWS FLASH!  McVey at 6:00.
Jim Astrove, tech guru of gurus, will speak.  I highly recommend that you go to listen to him.  He will give you valuable information.  Apparently, this will last only 15 minutes!  Dr. Kapetanis would like classroom teachers to start at approximately 6:20ish.  The "ish" part is from me!

We're in the learning mode of how to do EVERYTHING, so this has been a fun week, but not what the week will look like once they learn Google Classroom and Drive, etc.!  Everybody take a big breath!  I know that I am!  It's all going to be fine, and in a few weeks, you won't believe what your girls will be able to do!


A few of the girls wanted to tell you a little about what they have done the past few days, and what they have loved so far!



" I loved making the iPhone, and learning to do Buncee."  Madalyn

"It was fun doing Wordly Wise.  I think it is fun trying to figure out which words go with which definition."  Paxton

"Buncee is fun because I like being creative, and you can use pictures as your background instead of plain colors."  Mary Mac

"The math videos were a fun way of doing math, and I loved that they were funny.  It made math really fun."  Emma

"I really like reading, and I like Number the Stars!"  Jane

"I really liked making the iPhone because it was good experience learning how to insert my picture and the textbox."  Violet

"I love going to Dance because we do fun things like making capital letters with a partner." Anna

Parents' Night and Lots of Learning

Reminder!  Parents' Night   6:00 - 8:00    Welcome Back! McVey Theater 6:00

Classroom Visit when McVey program ends   M06 Lower School

Has it only been a few days since we began school?  The girls have already learned a lot, and there is a lot to learn.  They have been introduced to new websites while using their assorted new log-ins and passwords.  Today they learned how to take a picture, insert the photo and do a textbox, so we are on our way!  Technology is a way of life and a great tool, but you have to learn how to make it work for you. These first few days are really setting the foundation for the year...how to write a vocabulary card and how to do Wordly Wise in an effective way, so that you learn the words, and they become part of your working vocabulary, along with math vocabulary and concepts.  These girls are fortunate because there are many innovative ways to learn!

New Fourthies Rush to M06

Really?  Am I really going to meet my new class of Fourthies?  You think you are excited....well, I can't wait until Monday, but that is only the beginning!  Once we have ORGANIZED all of our stuff, in between surprise breaks, then we can finally start our year.  Of course, your teachers have been meeting and plotting, I mean planning, some great activities for you....such as FIELD TRIPS, and cool, new websites to use, and fun projects.  It's going to be a great year!  I will probably see many of you on Monday between 1 and 2 when you can drop by M06, your new "pad" for a year.  By the way, that's a Decade word, but you'll learn more about that later.

Don't forget!  The first real day of school is Tuesday beginning at 8 AM and ending at 3:25 PM.

Bring your assignment pads and supplies, and we'll get going!  See you on Monday!