Week of October 19th, 2026

OTHS Bands Newsletter

Week of October 19th, 2026

• Parent Pick up information link for those wanting to pick their students up after certain events out of town for marching season (link to the direct google form found within this document or later in the newsletter):
  • https://docs.google.com/document/d/1mGUlXWy3ihuRiu8jNLSQE1UzLpCld9vOxzVemsHWfGw/edit?usp=sharin

LONDON TRIP INFO: for those that could not attend the Friends and Family meeting here is a link to the PDF for the information shared at the meeting.

• https://drive.google.com/file/d/1pzf-WhVn_YQA6HkEMuX7gD86zlxd9_I8/view?usp=sharing
• Craft Fair Bake Sale Information – CLICK the Link for information

Parent Meeting Locations, Dates and Time

2026 – All Meetings are at 6:30 PM in the MPR unless otherwise noted.

• Nov. 4th
• Dec. 2nd

*Stay tuned for more information on upcoming meetings!

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Upcoming Events/Important Date

• Oct. 23-24 – St. Louis Bands of America Marching Band Competition
• Oct. 30th – Fall Band Concert – Milburn

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Director’s Notes

Moving forward the newsletter will post on Mondays each week on the OTHSbands website. https://othsband.com/

Website Member Hub – top righthand corner

Log-in information:

Username: bandmember

Password: 25OTHSband26

The math question will change every time

Congratulations to the Marching Panthers on their Grand Champion placement at the Illinois State University Marching Band Championships.  We are thankful to our instructional staff and support parents for all your efforts this week and on the day.  Thank you to our O’Fallon Families and Fans who supported us in the stands.

I plan to have the trophy engraved with our name this week.  When it comes back, we will have it available for pictures.

Week of October 19th

Monday – Class Concert Band

MB Rehearsal 6-8pm – Wear athletic gear

Tuesday – Class Concert Band/Marching Band

Wednesday – Class – Marching Band – outside

MB 5-9pm – uniform tops

Thursday – Class – Marching Band – 

MB 5:30-9:00pm – outside, wear section gear/similar colors

STL BOA Super Regional – Friday, October 23 – Saturday, October 24

America’s Center & The Dome

801 Washington Ave.

St. Louis, MO 63101

STUDENT SCHEDULE:

Friday, October 23, 2026

Students must bring everything they need for performance at the beginning of the school day on Friday, October 23rd.  

• Milburn students will attend classes as usual and should bring all of their items to that campus in the morning.  When Milburn students arrive at Smiley, we will have a place in the band area, designated for their backpacks and personal belongings. 
• The directors will be sending out a notification for ALL students that they will be missing class at the end of the day.  Students are RESPONSIBLE for this missed work.
• Students should wear what they will wear under their uniform to school (under their clothes if they want).  Shorts of choice and the navy rehearsal shirt.  
• Pack:  Black socks, black gloves, band shoes, water bottle, snack, money for concessions (cashless), inhaler (if that is your student), items for hair to be up – “show hair”, a place to put jewelry.
• Students should not keep any valuables on the yellow busses when we are traveling to STL.

Milburn students will be bussed over to the Smiley Campus at 10:30 am via an activity bus.

All Smiley students will be released from class after 3A

11:00 am – 1:15 pm – Rehearsal at OTHS – weather will determine attire (follow protocol listed above).  We will bring cases to 

1:30-2:00 pm – Eat lunch

2:00 pm – Load trucks and change into bibbers with uniform tops in garment bags; guard will be in full uniform

2:30 pm – Busses arrive by North lot

3:00 pm – Load busses – bring water, garment bag (hanger)

3:30 pm – Depart OTHS

4:00 pm – Arrive Dome At America’s Center

4:15pm – Official time to enter lot

4:10 pm – Unload Blue

5:00 pm – Head to Warm-up

5:05 pm – Prop to staging area

Warmups – Winds

    5:10-5:25 pm – Physical Warm-up – Warm up B

    5:30-6:00 pm – Music Warm-up – we will leave early to go to props

    5:05 pm – Band report

Warmups – FE

    5:15-5:45 pm – FE Warm-up

    5:50 pm – FE report

6:05pm – Band Report time

6:15 pm – Performance

6:35 pm – Picture after performance

7:10 pm – Depart picture area – go to busses, take off uniform top, put in garment bag

8:00 pm – Load and Depart from STL Lot

8:40 pm – Arrive back to OTHS- put away uniforms upon return – unload truck when we get back. Leadership assists

Saturday, October 24th, 2026

Students must bring everything they need for rehearsal at 8:00am 

7:50am – Arrive and prepare for rehearsal – eat before you arrive, please bring a snack and water.

8:00am-11:30am – Rehearsal at OTHS in show shirt (or warmer attire depending on weather)

11:30am-12:15pm – Load truck, meet in section to go over the evening

12:15pm-2:45pm – Lunch Break; students must leave campus. Entrance F will open at 2:45pm. Return with everything you will need for performance (all attire, materials for instruments, SACK DINNER, etc.).

2:45pm – Leadership meeting in Small Band Room.

2:45pm – Meet in the Band Room wearing performance attire (Revolution show shirt and black athletic shorts) for results. We will watch Broken Arrow, SEMO, and prelims awards livestream together. BOA will announce our performance time along with the evening schedule within the hour. Be ready to leave OTHS as soon as possible.

7:00-10:30 pm – Finals Competition 

10:45pm – Presentation of Awards

11:45pm – Stadium Cleared 

12:45am – Back at OTHS 

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**NOTE: The concessions stand at the Dome is cashless.  

Please send your student with a prepaid VISA or Debit Card/Credit.

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PARENT/FAMILY INFO

Tickets:

St. Louis Super Regional

Spectator Parking and Information 

• Most venues operated by BOA have gone cashless. This includes ticket booths and concessions.

 • Spectators may park in any number of parking garages in downtown St. Louis.

 • There is a charge for spectator parking. 

• Outside food and beverage are NOT allowed in the Stadium. Please share this with your parents and boosters in advance. 

Bag Policy 

• Bands of America encourages spectators to not bring bags into venues. Only clear bags and emergency bags will be permitted.

 • Bag policies are effective to expedite entry into venues and provide additional safety.

 • Spectators will be allowed to bring items such as cameras, provided they are not in cases that would violate the bag policy at that venue. 

• Tripods, Monopods and similar equipment are not allowed. 

Photography 

• Use of cameras of any kind is NOT ALLOWED on the field (field, sidelines, stadium floor) for any BOA event. Please communicate this to your parent/booster group. 

• Still cameras (digital or film, professional or otherwise) are allowed in the stadium and may be used from stadium seating, but not on the field. 

• Tripods, Monopods and similar equipment are not allowed. 

• The issuance of a “Field Pass” or other non-Media BOA Credential does not include the right to use a camera on the field. Pass holders must go into stadium spectator seating to use their camera. 

• See the BOA Official Media Policy here. 

Event Merchandise 

• PepWear is the official Bands of America merchandise provider and will be on-site at each BOA Fall Championship. 

• Online shopping is also available at https://shop.musicforall.org/ 

• Championship Patches are available for pre-order at the online store. Live Streaming of all Bands of America Championships

 • All Bands of America Regional, Super Regional, and Grand National Championships will be live streamed, powered by BOX5 Media, the leader in scholastic marching band streaming video. 

• Subscribe to the whole season or watch by event at BOALive.tv.

NOTE: For all marching band rehearsals – members should arrive on campus 10 minutes early. Leadership should arrive 20 minutes early.

*The Band App will continue to be our fastest way to update Band Camp info.

ABSCENCES: If you need to report an absence from band camp, please email OTHSband@oths.us

Upcoming Dates for Fall 2026 

Non Marching Band Dates

Date	Event
October 30	Band Concert – Featuring Carol Brittin Chambers
November 6	Craft Fair
November 7	Craft Fair/ILMEA Jazz
November 8	Craft Fair
November 21	ILMEA District Festival
December 4,5,6	Madrigals
December 9	Christmas in O’Fallon
December 11	Band Dance

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Halpin Music

We’re excited to continue our partnership with Halpin Music, who will periodically bring their instrument repair truck right to our school this year.

This is a great opportunity for our band students to get their instruments repaired without ever leaving campus!

Students – Fill out this form to participate: https://halpinmusic.com/serv…/oths-instrument-repair-plan/

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Student Accounts

Regular Information:

1. Trapshooting credits will be in CutTime in the next 10 days. We received the check, and all screenshots of hours worked are being verified against the ATA spreadsheet to make sure students are credited correctly. 

2. For families on payment plans, please continue to review due dates in CutTime. If your financial situation has changed, please feel free to reach out to me to modify your plan. 

If you have any questions, please contact me at pantherbandstudentacct@gmail.com.
Payment Options:
1. Gold drop box in the band room — label envelope with student’s name
2. Venmo: @ofallonbandtreasurer (last 4 digits: 1152)
3. Mail: Katie Stump, 704 E. 3rd St., O’Fallon, IL 62269
Cash payments: Call or text me (Katie) at 618-402-9914 to arrange a hand-off.

If you have any questions, please contact me at pantherbandstudentacct@gmail.com.
Payment Options:
1. Gold drop box in the band room — label envelope with student’s name
2. Venmo: @ofallonbandtreasurer (last 4 digits: 1152)
3. Mail: Katie Stump, 704 E. 3rd St., O’Fallon, IL 62269
Cash payments: Call or text me (Katie) at 618-402-9914 to arrange a hand-off. 

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Boutique

Stay tuned for more information!

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New Fundraising OppORTUNITIES – STUDENTS

Hello band families!

First off I would like to thank all of the students and families that have participated in student fundraising so far this year. Our student fundraising will pick back up after the holidays. Check back in the general fundraising section for our Trivia night upcoming on 23 Jan!!

Perfect Pastry credits have been loaded to participating students’ CutTime accounts. Credit amounts for the Charleston Wrap fundraiser will be deposited soon. I’ll update when those credits have posted.

Please feel free to reach out to me (317-610-9863)/casiemonto@yahoo.com if you have any questions or concerns. Thank you!

General Fundraising

Dine to Donate

Mark your calendars now for the Band Fundraiser Dine to Donate Nights (a percent of the total sales will go back to the band.

Drakes – November 17th

Sugarfire – Dec 15

La Casa – March 18

Continued Fundraising

Soda Cans

We collect them! They must be tied in garbage bags and dropped off in the back of smiley near the dumpsters.

Goodshop

Similar to amazonsmile but you can pick your stores to use. Follow the link to sign-up!

Does your company match gifts?

Does your company/business do match gifts? We currently have a family enrolled in a gift matching program through CarMax where if you donate time or money CarMax will match the monetary gift or hours given. So, CarMax pays $15 an hour for every hour that they volunteer up to $5000 a year for matching donations, if we donate an amount of money CarMax will match that also up to a certain amount. Check with your company and see what they offer. Every little bit helps!

Raise Right Gift Card Program

For any questions you can contact Stephanie Pierce at 618-406-7960 or email at marchingpanthersraiseright@gmail.com

                   RaiseRight Gift Card Program                  ;
EARN FUNDS THAT GO DIRECTLY BACK TO YOUR STUDENT
  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  

Sign-up for Marching Panther Earnings >> Click Here

Enrollment Code  DBAAECD217989
*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

Questions? Email Stephanie Pierce @ marchingpanthersraiseright@gmail.com

It’s As Easy As >>>>>

>  Purchasing Gift Cards for your daily/regular purchases and earning from 1-20% back

>  Family Members can sign-up also to add to your students account earnings

Watch these videos to learn more: The #1 Online Fundraiser | RaiseRight6 Everyday Ways to Earn with Gift Cards | RaiseRight

TIP #1 – Order Gifts Card throughout the month to take full advantage of bonuses.
        There is no limit to your number of orders you place in a month.

TIP #2 – Download the RaiseRight App to buy eGift cards in real time as you make purchases. {Going out to eat? Wait until you get your ticket and buy the eGift card to cover the meal PLUS tip….Buying supplies for a project at Home Depot or Lowes? Buy an eGift at the checkout….Military Family shopping at Old Navy? Request the discount AND buy an eGift card to cover the cost of your purchase – big savings!)

TIP #3 – Questions on how you can make the most of your earnings? Call the Raise Right Coordinator, Stephanie Pierce 618-406-7960 or email me at marchingpanthersraiseright@gmail.com .

Physical Gift Card Orders Are Due:
15th of Every Month

*****We highly encourage you not to purchase physical gift cards, but instead purchase E-cards. There is an $11.00 shipping charge to ship physical gift cards, and that is evenly split between RaiseRight participants who order that month. This greatly reduces or even negates your student’s profit for cards that you ordered.*****

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Important Links and Reminders

Link to the Visual Calendar

Click here to view

Link for FamilyID

Reminders

link to the visual calendar

Medical Records

Parents please add updates to your student’s medical records for permission to give over the counter medication’s if needed during a rehearsal or competition.

*Nurse (Physicals) Bandphysicals@oths.us

Student Pick-Up Event Form

Student Pick-Up Event Form

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSef084SX4sq5BpNf1k14bdaaypLiia8_YxfXNV6k1F18IUTfg/viewform?usp=header

This link can be used for any event which has parent pick-up

Pictures

Log into SmugMug to access band photos

Password (case-sensitive): Tarp

Spiritwear

O-Band Store – spirit wear not offered in our boutique

Varsity Spirit Wear Items
PIN=BAND (case sensitive) Unable to access your My Varsity account? CLICK HERE to RESET your password using your existing email.

Miscellaneous

Amazon Wish List Items

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Communication Sources

CutTime

Website Link

Amanda Partl is our POC for this program.

You can email her at: ampartl2010@gmail.com

**All absences need to be emailed to Dr. G at OTHSBand@oths.us from a parent/guardian email address with absence in the subject line.  This is a temporary solution. Stay tuned for further information.  

Band Website

Website Link

Member Hub
Password: 25OTHSband26

Choose Current Families for: FamilyID Link / Student Music / Etc.

Band App

Get the App

Used to communicate quick messages.

Absences

**All absences need to be emailed to Dr. G at OTHSBand@oths.us from a parent/guardian email address with absence in the subject line.

This is a temporary solution. Stay tuned for further information.

Facebook

🎶 Join Our Band Booster Parent Facebook Group!

Band Booster Parents, we’d love for you to join our Band Booster Facebook Group — it’s a great space to:

• Get up-to-date information on events and rehearsals
• Ask questions and connect with other band parents
• Stay in the loop on volunteer opportunities and updates

Important Reminder:

When requesting to join, please make sure to answer all the security questions. For the safety and privacy of our students and families, we’re unable to approve requests without completed answers — they’ll be automatically declined.

We’re excited to have you involved and connected — it truly takes a village, and this group helps us stay strong and organized.

Click here to request to join

Thank you for your support!

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Band Together Leads

Incoming and current families of ALL bands: listed below are your Band Together Leads. They are a great source of information, and you should connect with them for all your band questions. Also, if you haven’t joined our Parent Booster Facebook page, you can access that HERE. We ask that you please answer the security questions to gain access.

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Upcoming Volunteer Events

Additional Volunteers Needed

Parents with Medical Background

Notes from our Medical Team:

If you have basic CPR training, any medical certification such as nurse, AED training, EMT, medic, physician, etc and want to be on the medical team, please contact Karen Holzum at karen-nurse@hotmail.com.

Please list your name, number and medical background certification. She needs to start scheduling her medical team for our first competition of the year on September 13.

ILMEA Audition Information

Band /Wind Orchestra Auditions 

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1e278fMkE76s2TwD64sGwU9TC3wO0zFYnQgC_pNi6rdk/edit?tab=t.0#heading=h.jr45jk2g9x2n

Jazz Auditions

https://docs.google.com/document/d/10SG2sTNhFbvowdnwimp6aJ_cZtvzFIoWrDu5gGHJ1vs/edit?tab=t.0#heading=h.jr45jk2g9x2n

Composition Contest

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1t1iuJdchnKfdMhLj3c5sCAbTwNKQn6grOyLGRvWm1Dc/edit?tab=t.0

FMES – students interested in music education

https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5a8b48df32601edf3b51de66/t/5b4e6abb03ce641364bebe95/1531865787798/2019+FMES+Instructions.pdf