NEWSLETTER - OCTOBER 2015 (The second Newsletter of the Autumn term) Firstly, welcome to all those that have joined the Orchestra this term. We hope you have an enjoyable time with us. Children in Need 2015 The Senior Section of the Orchestra will be performing at The Meadows Shopping Centre in Camberley on Saturday 14th November between 10.00am and 12.00noon to raise funds in support of this years BBC Children in Need appeal.. If you are a parent of an Orchestra member and are available to help at some time during that morning by holding a collection tin, blowing up balloons, or making and serving a hot drink and biscuits to the Orchestra members during a break in their performance, then please get in touch with Sandra Kay via email to sandra.a.kay@btinternet.com. She will be delighted to hear from you. Christmas Concerts 2015 Tickets for the Orchestra’s Christmas Concert programme at High Cross Church Camberley on the nights of Friday 11th and Saturday 12th December are now available to order from Linda McNaughton by email to cywo_tickets@yahoo.co.uk or at Saturday morning rehearsals from 7 November 2015. The Senior and Intermediate Sections of the Orchestra will be performing both nights, with the Christmas concert programme being the same each evening. The concerts will start at 7.30pm and conclude by 10.00pm. There is no restriction on the number of tickets that can be purchased by families for this very popular event. The concert ticket price is £8.50 and a free ticket is available for all Junior Section members. The ticket price includes an interval mince pie and hot/cold drink. We are also seeking parent volunteers to help with supervision, refreshments and raffle ticket sales at both concerts and, if you are available on either of these evenings, and are willing to help, please email the orchestra secretary, Sandra Kay on sandra.a.kay@btinternet.com. Thank you. The donations of a raffle prize would also be appreciated to help with our fund-raising. Please contact David or Kathy Pearson at dandkpearson@yahoo.co.uk if you have a prize to donate, or bring your donation to a Saturday morning rehearsal. Thank you. Christmas Coffee Morning - Saturday 12th December We will be holding a ‘Christmas Coffee Morning’ for parents, grandparents and friends of our Junior Section members at Cordwalles School on the morning of Saturday 12th December, commencing at 11.00am and finishing at 12.00noon, with coffee and a seasonal mince pie served. The purpose of the morning is to give parents, grandparents and friends the opportunity to watch our Junior Section members in rehearsal, both in sectionals with their specialist instrument tutors and also as a group with their Musical Director. This year we have a number of relatively inexperienced young musicians in our Junior Section and we are sure that parents, grandparents and friends will be interested to see the progress our Junior Section has made during the short time that they have been rehearsing together in the Autumn term. Rehearsals for Junior Section members on 12th December will start at the normal time of 9.30am. Rehearsal Attendance Can we remind our members that rehearsals start at 9.30am and therefore they should aim to arrive at Cordwalles School early enough to be ready to play at that time. Rehearsal for the remainder of the Autumn Term 7th, 14th, 21st & 28th November. 5th December. Performance dates for the remainder of 2015 and for the beginning of 2016. Saturday 14 November 2015 - Children in Need, The Meadows Shopping Centre - Senior Section. Friday 11 December & Saturday 12 December 2015 - Christmas Concerts at High Cross Church, Camberley - Intermediate & Senior Sections. Saturday 12 December 2015 - Christmas Coffee Morning at Cordwalles School - Junior Section. Friday 20 May & Saturday 21 May 2016 - Spring Concerts at Camberley Theatre - All Sections. Logistics Team We are seeking some additional support for the current members of our Logistics Team, who do such a valuable job on behalf of the Orchestra. This additional support is required before and after rehearsals on a Saturday morning and it entails the movement of percussion equipment and chairs within the school from our storage cupboards to the rehearsal facilities we have for all 3 sections of the Orchestra. The time commitment from a parent can be as little as 15 minutes at each end of rehearsals, starting at 9.00am and then again at 12.00noon, although length of time required will be determined by the number of helpers that are available on any particular morning.. We are not asking for a guarantee of availability every rehearsal morning, because we know that parents often have other commitments on a Saturday. Therefore, the more volunteers we have, the less need there will be for any parent to feel under pressure to be available on any particular Saturday. If you can be available to help the Orchestra, please ‘report for duty’ on Saturday 7 November at 9.00am and a member of the Logistics Team will give you an introduction to the work required on a Saturday morning. You can then make a decision regarding ongoing availability. Thank you. Tuck Shop Rota We are still looking to recruit new parents to our tuck shop rota team. The duties involve registration of Orchestra members as they arrive on a Saturday morning and organising the setting up and service of tuck during the sectional breaks. Help with other activities may also be requested during the morning, so a commitment to attend for the full rehearsal session, starting at 9.00am for registration, would be a preferred requirement. There are a total of 3 parent helpers undertaking registration/tuck shop duties each Saturday morning and, once we have a full staffing of the role, parents can expect to be asked to attend a maximum of twice, each term. If you would like to be part of the Orchestra support team on a Saturday morning, please contact Sandra Kay, the Orchestra Secretary, who organises the parent rota. Her contact details are:- sandra.a.kay@btinternet.com or cywo_contacts@yahoo.co.uk (tel: 01276 25356). Alternatively, you can speak with Sandra when your son/daughter attends for rehearsal on a Saturday morning. Brian Hopper (Chairman) 18 October 2015 Email: brian.hopper@cywo.org.uk