Monthly Newsletter - November 2008

President's Message

Dear Parents,

The temperature has dropped and the leaves have begun to fall off of the trees and I have taken my PMK flag inside. A sure sign that marching season has come to an end. And what a great season it was. Congratulations to everyone! But with the end of the season comes good-byes to our seniors and their parents. I extend to all seniors a heartfelt wish for success in whatever path in life they choose to follow. To our outgoing parents thank you for your years of support. You will be missed.

Thank you to everyone who made the marching season possible. It is impossible for the band to succeed without you. I applaud each and every one of you for your dedication to your children and the band.

I want to congratulate Joan Szabo on the success of Knight of Champions. What a perfect day it turned out to be. The weather was just wonderful and the day ran smoothly. Thanks Joan for all your hard work. Thank you to everyone who gave of their time to help in making this day the success it was.

With senior parents moving on to new chapters in their lives we will have a number of positions to fill in the coming year. Please read further in the newsletter for a current list. I will update this list as needed. Please consider taking on one of these positions to be a part of this wonderful organization. We need your help; your student needs your support.

The December Meeting/Christmas Party will be held on Wednesday December 3rd at Bogie's Ale House, 303 E. Kensington, Mount Prospect from 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM .   The cost is $20.00/person which will include a buffet of all you can eat pizza and pasta as well as appetizers.  This includes all beverages (except liquor).  There will be a cash bar.  Please RSVP to Eileen Henquinet , henq320@msn.com  or Kim Banks , kmb4023@aol.com if you plan to attend, by Friday November 28, 2008 .

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Director's Report

The competitive season is now over for our marching band, and all I can say is THANK YOU. To our band boosters, supporters, alumni, school administrators, marching band staff, and most importantly, the students…thank you. We had a great season and it was thanks to the hard work and support of so many people. I truly hope you were able to make a trip to ISU, St. Louis , or U of I for one of our last three weeks of competition. Band-o-Rama was a great end to our season and was a great success thanks to the work of our students and band boosters.

Despite our busy marching season, a number of our individual students earned places in the IMEA District VII ensembles. Congratulations are in order for Tim Holl (trumpet, orchestra), Andrew Hajduk (trumpet, band), John Magnino (euphonium, band), Michael Sullivan (bassoon, band), Julia McGehee (flute, band), and Matt Kania (percussion, band). These students will join other students from Northwest Illinois on Saturday, November 15 for a day of rehearsals with a concert at the end of the day.

Auditions are just about ending, and the Concert Band and Symphonic Band are busy preparing for the Music Department Winter Concert. We hope you'll join us on Sunday, December 7 at 3:00 PM in the Field house. You'll have the opportunity to hear both bands, the orchestra, as well as all of our choirs. This is always a fun event, and a great way to begin the winter season.

The marching band is keeping sharp for our upcoming performances also. On Saturday, December 6 th , the band will take part in the Mount Prospect Winter Parade. Of course, we are also gearing up for the big trip to London , England over winter break. We will be having a few rehearsals through the end of November and December to prepare. The trip is continuing to take shape and looks to be a truly memorable event for all involved.

See you all soon!

~ Chris Barnum , Director of Bands, chris.barnum@d214.org

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Treasurer's Update

If you want to save for other fine arts activities (including private lessons) for the remainder of the school year, or save for next year's band fees, you can continue to make contributions to your student account.  When you want to use your funds, please email us at pbbtreasurer@yahoo.com and let us know how you would like the money to be used.

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Concert Wear Update

Students were fitted for their dresses and tuxes during the school day on November 13. If your student missed school that day and does not have a dress or tux for the concert season, please have him or her to come for a fitting in the uniform room November 18 th , from 6-8 pm. If your student's concert wear no longer fits, be sure to send it back to school with your child.

Publicity Committee

Congratulations PMK on a Fantastic Season! Here are some achievements that can be viewed on our website.

University of Illinois Marching Band Festival: Governor Trophy Winner Class A/AA; Grand Champion Class AA - Field Show; Winner of the following Captions AA:  Auxiliary - Field Show, Drum Major - Field Show, Percussion - Field Show and Parade

Band of America Super Regional's-St. Louis: Preliminary 4th Place , Finals 6th Place

The State of Illinois Invitational Marching Band Championship: Preliminary; 2nd Place in Class 5A, Auxiliary 1st Place , Percussion 2nd Place . Finals;  3rd Place

Wheeling Greater Chicago Land Marching Band Completion: Class AAA: 1st Place; Winner of the following Captions AAA: Auxiliary. Music. Percussion, Grand Champion

Thanks to Bonnie for reminding us that Jolesch photography was at Illinois State (on 10/11), Bands of America in St. Louis (on 10/17) and at University of Illinois (on 10/25). So you can log onto the Jolesch website for PMK photos. Go to http://www.jolesch.com/category.aspx?Type=Marching%20Bands

And you can order a DVD of the Prospect Marching Knights and all the bands from the U of I festival by filling out this form - please visit -

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Current Events

Knightline is currently offering window clings (see a sample below). They are made to adhere to the outside surface of glass, so whether you put it on your tinted rear window or your bathroom mirror, it will be easily visible.  They do not even come off at the car wash, yet are removable (of course why would you ever want to take it off?!)  We are taking pre-orders to know how many to have made, so email us now at  KnightlineGear@hotmail.com  if you are interested in obtaining one.  Currently, we are going to be selling them along with a bonus matching sticker for a combined price of $6.75.  If you want just a sticker, they are on clearance at $1 each.

We are also now on FACEBOOK to better reach current and previous Knightline members so they can see our products year round.  Visit our Face book group "Knightline Merchandise" to see pictures of our items and add us to your groups to get announcements on products.  The page also features forums for product suggestions and a few videos.

~Your friends at Knightline Merchandise KnightlineGear@hotmail.com

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Volunteers Needed!

Volunteers are needed to help chair the Borders Gift Wrap fundraiser . The Spirit Wear Committee is looking for additional volunteers to help co-chair next year. Anyone interested should email Alison Stahl at als308@wowway.com or if you have questions call Alison at 847-414-4919 . At the moment we have 3 size large and 1 size medium Spirit wear PJ pants w/knight logo & Music notes available at $20 each. First come first served. Nice Holiday Idea for any students who may have missed out last summer.

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Do We Have Your Correct E-Mail?

Please give the Boosters the e-mail address you or your spouse uses, not the one for your student, so that we can effectively keep in contact. And please make sure that we are in your address book. That's the best way to ensure all of our messages reach you. Without this precaution, we can look like spam to an overzealous e-mail filter. If you are not sure, please send an e-mail with the subject “This is My Correct E-Mail.” to Laureen Kaczmarek at lfkaczmarek@sbcglobal.net .

End Notes

Please email contributions, comments or suggestions to Brian Allen at – katnbri3@comcast.net.

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