Southern Star Music
Festival 2012
Dear Chorus Students and Parents,
It’s time to starting looking forward to our big spring trip to the Southern Star Music
Festival on Friday April 27th & Saturday April 28th! This letter contains some very
important information. Please review it carefully and return the signed permission
slip/medical release form, completed order form, and payment by Friday March 23rd. If
you have any questions or concerns about this, please contact Mrs. Steinberg at
(678) 965-5010 x. 381262 or asteinberg@forsyth.k12.ga.us.
This trip serves three purposes:
1.
Education: We spend the first part of the day participating in an
adjudicated performance. The chorus’s performance will be scored and
afterwards, we will receive verbal comments from the judges. We will find
out at the end of the day if we sang well enough to win a trophy! All
chorus students who go on the trip must perform.
2.
Reward: This is an optional trip intended to be a reward for excellent
behavior and grades. Students must avoid the following to remain eligible
for the trip:

Commit any two discipline infractions that result in ISS between
Monday February 27th – Friday April 27th.
Commit any discipline infractions that results in OSS between
Monday February 27th – Friday April 27th.
Commit any act that is deemed egregious by the administration.


Due to the fact that the Southern Star Festival Sponsors only issues
refunds to Piney Grove after the trip, money will be returned to the parents
of disqualified students after April 28th.
3.
FUN: Yes, we will have fun! We will spend most of the day at Six Flags
riding the rides and having a blast! It will be a great opportunity to kick
back and have fun bonding with your chorus friends!
Bel Canto Information Sheet
Schedule for Friday April 27th (Bel Canto ONLY):
Remember:
This is an Inclement Weather Day so students may not be in school this day!
1:00 PM – Meet in the PGMS Chorus Room
1:30 PM – Bus departs from PGMS
2:15 PM – Arrive at Doubletree Hotel Northwest Atlanta - Marietta
2:30 PM – Bel Canto warm up
2:50 PM – Bel Canto performs
3:30 PM – Depart for PGMS
4:30 PM – Arrive back at PGMS
What to wear:
Bel Canto will wear their full uniform (dress, pantyhose, briefs, and character shoes) as
well as full performance hair. Students should arrive at PGMS dressed and ready the
day of the performance.
Price Information:
Student:
Includes:
$85 – price included in Bel Canto fees
Bus
Festival Fees
2 meal tickets for use inside the park
A two day admission pass to Six Flags Over Georgia
(1 day will be used on April 28th, the other will be yours to
use at any time during the summer.)
Parent Chaperone: $70
Includes:
Bus
2 meal tickets for use inside the park
A two - day admission pass to Six Flags Over Georgia
(1 day will be used on April 28th, the other will be yours to
use at any time during the summer. )
***Parents and Students: Please do not let the cost of this trip keep you from
participating. Should any financial issues arise, please contact Mrs. Steinberg and
special arrangements will be made. No student should miss this trip due to lack of
financial means. ***
Competition Chorus Info Sheet
Schedule for Saturday April 28th (Competition Chorus):
8:45 AM – Meet in the bus loading area behind PGMS. Find your chaperone and
group to check in before boarding the bus.
9:15 AM – Buses depart from Piney Grove
10:10 AM – Arrive and unload at Doubletree Hotel Northwest Atlanta - Marietta
10:25 AM – Performers go to warm up room, audience members remain in the ballroom
10:45 AM – Chorus Concert
11:15 AM – Load buses and depart for Six Flags
11:45 AM – Arrive at Six Flags. Have fun!
7:00 PM – Meet at the front gate to return to the buses.
7:30 PM depart from Six Flags
8:30 PM – Arrive at PGMS. Parents, please pick students up at the bus loading area.
Price Information:
Student:
Includes:
$85
Bus
Festival Fees
2 meal tickets for use inside the park
A two day admission pass to Six Flags Over Georgia
(1 day will be used on April 28th, the other will be yours to
use at any time during the summer.)
Parent Chaperone: $70
Includes:
Bus
2 meal tickets for use inside the park
A two - day admission pass to Six Flags Over Georgia
(1 day will be used on April 28th, the other will be yours to
use at any time during the summer. )
***Parents and Students: Please do not let the cost of this trip keep you from
participating. Should any financial issues arise, please contact Mrs. Steinberg
and special arrangements will be made. No student should miss this trip due to
lack of financial means. ***
What to wear:
Students will wear concert black for the performance – 7th and 8th graders will need to
wear their regular chorus uniforms and 6th graders will need to wear all black (boys may
wear a white collared shirt). Students should arrive at PGMS dressed and ready for the
morning performance. Students will have the opportunity to change into other clothes
after they perform. After the performance, all students must wear a Piney Grove Middle
School Chorus shirt or another Piney Grove Middle School shirt for the entire day. This
will make our group easier to pick out of the crowd. Wear pants / shorts and shoes that
will keep you comfortable in hot weather. Comfortable shoes are important because
you will be doing a lot of walking! If you choose to wear shorts, remember that they
must fit the school dress code and can be no shorter than finger tip length.
Absolutely no bathing suits allowed!
What to bring:



Clothes to change into after the performance and a bag to keep your change of
clothes in.
Money for snacks and souvenirs, if desired ($20 at most – remember, 2 meals
are included in the cost of the trip).
Sun block, sun glasses, hat, camera – if you like.
What not to bring:

I-pods, MP3 players, CD players, or anything else that is valuable and breakable.
Parents and teachers will not be held responsible for any item that is lost, stolen,
or broken on the trip.
Chaperones:
Students will get to choose a buddy group of 6. One parent chaperone will be assigned
to each group and will remain with the students for the day. Should a group decide to
separate, the chaperone will set a specific time and place to meet up at least every two
hours. Students must be accompanied by at least one buddy from their group at all
times. Should a student arrive late for a meet up with their group, they will be required
to sit with an administrator for two hours. Any student who is found on their own,
without a buddy, will be required to stay with the chaperone for the remainder of the
day.
Great chaperones are the ones who make this trip work! If we do not have enough
parents to go with us, we may not be able to take the trip. With one chaperone for
every 6 kids, we will need at least 20 parents. Please check your schedules and let me
know as soon as possible if you will be able to come along! There will be a brief but
mandatory parent meeting for all chaperones in the PGMS Chorus Room on
Thursday, April 26th at 6:30 pm. Please remember that this is a Piney Grove Middle
School Chorus trip. No sisters, brothers, family members or friends who are not
members of the PGMS chorus will be able to accompany parents on this trip.
Rules:
The Forsyth County Schools Code of Conduct and rules and expectations for Piney
Grove MS students as prescribed in the PGMS Student Handbook are in effect for the
duration of the trip. Students must also adhere to the rules of the park and serve as
shining examples of Grizzly Green and Gold while at the festival sight and Six Flags.
Always remember that this is a school trip and we are representatives of Piney Grove.
All students must be on their best behavior and listen to and follow the instructions of
their teacher and chaperone. Parents may be called at any time to pick their child up
from the Doubletree Hotel or Six Flags if they refuse to follow instructions or cause a
dangerous situation while on the trip. If a parent has to be called to pick up their child,
that student will also be referred to an assistant principal for disciplinary action upon
returning to school on Monday.
Morning Rehearsals:
Piney Grove has earned high ratings from the judges every year that we have
participated in the Southern Star Music Festival, and we would very much like to
continue that tradition this year! To help us achieve our goal, there will be several
Competition Chorus rehearsals for all participating students who are going on the trip
to the Southern Star Music Festival (See attached rehearsal schedule). It is very
important that all students attend all of these rehearsals as they are the only
opportunities that the entire group will have to sing together. Should a student miss 3
rehearsals, they may not be eligible to go on the trip. Parents, please be sure that your
child can be in the chorus room, ready to rehearse on all of these mornings.
Parent Consent and Order Form
Please return with payment by Friday March 23rd 2012
You may contact Mrs. Steinberg at (678) 965-5010 x 381262 or
asteinberg@forsyth.k12.ga.us if you have any questions or concerns.
Parent
I understand that my child,______________________________________, has an
opportunity to go on the chorus trip to the Southern Star Music Festival as long as
he/she is passing chorus, maintains good behavior in chorus class, and avoids ISS or
OSS from Monday, February 27th until Friday, April 27th. I have read and understand all
of the above information, including the required rehearsal schedule, and will allow
my son/daughter to go on this trip.
Parent’s Signature________________________________________________
Student
I will uphold all of the rules of Piney Grove Middle School as outlined in the PGMS
Student Handbook and the FCS Code of Conduct and follow the instructions of my
teachers, administrators, and chaperones while on this trip.
Student’s Signature______________________________________________
Please fill in the blank with the number of items being ordered and add up the total at
the bottom of the page.
__________ Student Tickets @ $85.00 each
__________ Parent Chaperone Tickets @ $70.00 each
__________ I would like to make a donation to assist families who are unable to cover
the full cost of this trip. I have included a donation of $___________.
__________ Total amount paid
Please make checks out to Piney Grove Middle School.
__________ YES! I want to be a chaperone!
Full Name_________________________________________________
Email Address _____________________________________________
Cell Phone Number__________________________________________