Week of October 5th, 2026

OTHS Bands Newsletter

Week of October 5th, 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

Parent Meeting Locations, Dates and Time

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

• Oct. 14th
• Nov. 4th
• Dec. 2nd

*Stay tuned for more information on upcoming meetings!

---

Upcoming Events/Important Date

• Oct. 9th – Football Game – Senior Night
• Oct.10th – Fort Zumwalt – River City Showcase Marching Band Competition
• Oct. 17th – Illinois State Marching Band Competition
• Oct. 23-24 – St. Louis Bands of America Marching Band Competition

---

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

Week of Monday, October 5th

*We are ramping up for “Bandtober”.  Lots going on in marching band and concert band.

Monday

Class – Concert Band Music

& Part 5

Free sectional time at the Marquee Field – 3:15-4:15pm – Review your sets or get ahead!

Tuesday – Class – Concert Band

Executive Board Meeting – 6:30pm

Marching Band 5:30-7:30pm

Wednesday – Class – Part 5/Concert Band – outside

Marching Band 5:00pm-9:00pm – We will start rehearsal at 5:45pm – We will be wearing our uniform show tops.  

Thursday – Class – Marching Band – outside

Halpin Repair Truck

Marching Band 5:30pm-8:00pm

Friday – Class – Marching Band

Football Game – Senior Night

Leadership Arrival – 4:30pm

Membership Arrival – 5:00pm

Senior Parents/Family Members – meet your senior on the track at 6:30pm.  We will line up in Alphabetical order by last name

Saturday –

Fort Zumwalt North High School

1230 Tom Ginnever Ave., O’Fallon, MO 63366

Admission – Admission to the River City Showcase is as follows: $10.00 – Adults, $5.00 – Students, $5.00 – senior citizens, Children 4 and under are admitted for free.  Admissions will accept cash and credit card.

7:30 am –     Arrive at Band Room for check in – Wear Revolution Shirts – 

7:45 am – Rehearsal – 

10:00 am-    Load Blue

10:15 am     Get uniform

All performance attire including  black gloves Rehearsal Shirt under the uniform – performance hair ready and all their clothing items, no jewelry (we will check upon arrival) garment bag!! Students may keep their personal belongings in the school.  Students will need money for dinner.

10:45 am –   Load Buses – be in half uniform.  Busses are assigned by instrument – Bring a sack lunch for the bus and a disposable water bottle.

11:00 am –   Depart for Fort Zumwalt North

12:00 pm –   Arrive Fort Zumwalt North

12:00 pm –  Unload Blue

12:15 pm –   Change into full uniform

12:45 pm –   Line-up and head to warm-up

1:00 pm –     Warm up area B

1:45 pm –     Leave warm up

1:50 pm –     Ready at the gate

2:00 pm –     Performance – After performance, put all equipment away and change in to OTHS clothing and go back inside the stadium for awards.  No concessions!

3:15 pm –     Awards –

*We will eat dinner at the concession stand. Students will be in small groups with chaperone check in times.

You will need to bring $20 to cover your dinner cost and you should be on your best behavior and be professional at all times.

6:00 pm –     Finals – TBD – details will be given as needed

9:20 pm –     Awards

10:15 pm –   Depart for OTHS

11:15 pm –   Arrive OTHS

Week of October 12th

Monday, October 12th – No School

Tuesday, October 13th – 

Tuesday – Class – Concert Band

Marching Band 5:30-7:30pm

Wednesday – Class – Part 5/Concert Band – outside

Marching Band – 5:00pm-9:00pm – We will start rehearsal at 5:45pm – We will be wearing our uniform show tops.  

Band Booster Meeting 6:30pm

Thursday – Class – Marching Band – outside

Halpin Repair Truck

Sub sectionals – 3:15-4:30pm – winds

Friday – Class – Marching Band

5:00pm – 9:00pm – Marching Band – We will be wearing our uniform tops

Saturday – Illinois State University Marching Band Championship

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

---

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/

---

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. 

---

Boutique

Stay tuned for more information!

---

New Fundraising OppORTUNITIES – STUDENTS

It’s time to start holiday shopping now with Charleston Wrap

Shop online for a variety of holiday Treats, Gifts, Decor, Holiday Wrapping, and More!

Fundraiser Dates: Sept. 30th – Oct. 16th

*Students will receive a percentage back of their total sales. The more sold the higher the return!*

I will be outside the main entrance tomorrow (9/28) after rehearsal handing out Catalogs and Online registration instructions. 

If you have any questions feel free to contact me- Casie Monto- (317) 610-9863

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.*****

---

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

---

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!

---

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.

---

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