Southern Star Music Festival 2011
Dear Chorus Students and Parents,
It’s time to starting looking forward to our big spring trip to the Southern Star Music
Festival on Saturday, April 16! 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 Tuesday, March 15th. If you have any
questions or concerns about this, please contact Miss Writtenhouse at
(678) 965-5010 x. 381262 or awrittenhouse@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
after, 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 March 14th – Friday April 15th.
Commit any discipline infractions that results in OSS between
Monday March 14th – Friday April 15th.
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 16th.
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!
Schedule for Saturday April 16th:
9:45 AM – Meet in the bus loading area behind PGMS. Find your chaperone and
group to check in before boarding the bus.
10:15 AM – Buses depart from Piney Grove
11:20 AM – Arrive and unload at Doubletree Hotel Northwest Atlanta - Marietta
11:40 AM – Performers go to warm up room, audience members remain the ballroom
12:00 PM – Chorus Concert
1:00 PM – Load buses and depart for Six Flags
1:20 PM – Arrive at Six Flags. Have fun!
7:30 PM – Meet at the front gate to return to the buses.
7:45 PM depart from Six Flags
8:30 PM – Return to PGMS. Parents pick students up at the back of PGMS.
Price:
Student:
Includes:
$80
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 16th, 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 16th, 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 Ms. Writtenhouse
and special arrangements will be made. No student should miss this trip due to
lack of financial means. ***
What to wear:
All performing 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 will have the opportunity to
change into their “street clothes” after they perform. All other 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
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:
“Street 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 – 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 majority of 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 each
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 14th at 6:00 pm. Please remember that this is a Piney Grove Middle
School Chorus trip. No sisters, brothers, 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:
In 2009, the Piney Grove Festival Chorus placed 1st Over-All in the Choral Division of
the festival and we would very much like to continue that tradition this year! 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 by 8:00 AM on all of these mornings.
Parent Consent and Order Form
Please return with payment by Tuesday, March 15, 2011
You may contact Miss Writtenhouse at (678) 965-5010 x 381262 or
awrittenhouse@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, March 14th until Friday, April 15th. 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 @ $80.00 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__________________________________________