19 Days to Go

Rehearsal locations and times for Monday are as follows

50 Points and less- Practice Rooms C and D at 7:45 with Mr. Hughes

51 to 100 Points- Stage 3 (Under the Large Aud.) at 7:50 with Mr. Clemens

101 to 159 Points- Large Aud at 7:55 with Mr. K

160 Points and up- Multi Purpose Room at 8:00 with Mr. Deep

Percussion- Band Room at 7:45

Here are a few travel reminders

Protecting Your Luggage and Valuables
-Protect and carry valuables such as your passport copy, e-ticket receipts, traveler’s checks, debit-cards, credit cards and cash in the zippered ‘Shaker Bands’ neck pouch.
-All checked luggage must NOT be locked unless you have purchased a special TSA approved lock. Make sure you have your Macy’s and Shaker Band luggage tags attached to your bags at all times. It is wise to also include identification inside your suitcase in case a tag is destroyed or removed.
-Do not pack items such as your money, ticket receipts, or other travel documents in your checked luggage.
-Lost or damaged luggage must be reported before you leave the airport. The airlines will not be responsible for unreported loss or damage. See your tour guide if you need help with lost or damaged luggage.

Time Difference
Germany, Italy and Austria will be 6-hours ahead of Cleveland. When it is 9:00 a.m. in Cleveland it is 3:00 p.m. in Europe. EDST will be in effect on March 14th. DST will go into effect in Europe on March 28th.

Inoculations and Medications
Special inoculations are not required to visit Europe. We encourage you to check with your physician as a precautionary measure. DO NOT pack medication in your checked luggage. We suggest you obtain a duplicate of your prescriptions and inhalers. Please inform a teacher or administrator of any illness immediately so that you can receive treatment.
Prescription medications will be collected and disbursed by our medical staff. Please let us know if a student needs to keep certain prescription with them. All medications must be in the original container with the pharmacy label intact.

Weather and Clothing
The entire trip is casual so please dress for comfort. You can expect average high temperatures from 50-60° F during the day with nighttime temperatures about 10 degrees cooler.

Phoning Home
We recommend that you contact your long distance provider and obtain an international calling card that includes a list of country access codes. You can also deposit coins into pay-phones, or use phone cards that can be purchased in Newspaper or Tobacco Shops. We do not recommend dialing home from your hotel room as heavy surcharges can be applied, for which you will be responsible. Be aware that the use of personal mobile-phones may carry substantial voice/data roaming charges. Check with your individual provider prior to departure for these fees.

Electricity
The electricity in Europe runs at 220 volts, 50 cycles. You will need to bring an adapter and converter in order to use a U.S. hair dryer, curling iron, razor, or travel iron. Some appliances now are able to accommodate both 110 and 220 volt current. Please review your device information before departure. Converter and adapter kits can be purchased at Target, Walmart, REI, etc.

U.S. Customs
You can now bring back into the United States $800.00 of personal and household goods duty free. Anything above this amount and you will have to pay duty.

Identity Theft
Please contact your credit card company prior to departure to advise them that you will be using your credit/debit card in Europe. This should insure that your card can be used hassle-free during the trip.

Currency
1 US Dollar = .73 Euro 1 Euro = 1.36 US Dollar

Money and Credit Cards
We recommend you bring a combination of cash and some type of credit/ATM card for the tour. Traveler’s checks are also acceptable, but often have a commission to the agency that redeems the checks. MasterCard and Visa are accepted in most major souvenir shops. Local currency can be withdrawn from ATM Machines with cards on the Plus and Cirrus systems. You must have a PIN for these cards to work and they will carry a standard ATM charge when used. You generally receive the Interbank rate of exchange. It is essential that you contact your credit card company prior to departure to inform them that you will be using the card out of the country. You can get a student credit card at www.visabuxx.com, or at select local banks, for use on the tour.

Tipping
Gratuities are included in the tour and no tipping will be necessary for students.

United Airlines Luggage Regulations To Avoid fees:

International Checked Baggage:
http://www.united.com/page/article/0,6867,52482,00.html

Carry-on Baggage:
http://www.united.com/page/article/0,6867,1032,00.html

Delta Airlines Luggage Regulations- Avoid fees:

http://www.delta.com/traveling_checkin/baggage/baggage_allowance/index.jsp

3-1-1 rule for Carry-ons

TSA and our security partners conducted extensive explosives testing since August 10, 2006 and determined that liquids, aerosols and gels, in limited quantities, are safe to bring aboard an aircraft. The one bag limit per traveler limits the total amount each traveler can bring. Consolidating the bottles into one bag and X-raying them separately from the carry-on bag enables security officers to quickly clear the items.

3-1-1 for carry-ons = 3.4 ounce (100ml) bottle or less (by volume) ; 1 quart-sized, clear, plastic, zip-top bag; 1 bag per passenger placed in screening bin. One-quart bag per person limits the total liquid volume each traveler can bring. 3.4 ounce (100ml) container size is a security measure.

Be prepared. Each time TSA searches a carry-on it slows down the line. Practicing 3-1-1 will ensure a faster and easier checkpoint experience.

3-1-1 is for short trips. If in doubt, put your liquids in checked luggage.

Declare larger liquids. Medications, baby formula and food, and breast milk are allowed in reasonable quantities exceeding three ounces and are not required to be in the zip-top bag. Declare these items for inspection at the checkpoint.

20 Days To Go

Remember, we will be in Verona just three weeks from now. There are only six rehearsals left, plus testing week.

A Message From Dr. Mawhorter

A fabulous opportunity awaits! I am privileged to support the band as a volunteer physician. I trust all the medical forms are handed in. They provide excellent basic information that will help me effectively meet your needs. We want your trip to be as hassle free as possible.

Realizing each person and their situation is unique, I want to know if there are any particular details you think I need to know that are not captured on the form.

Students or parents may contact me. Yes, I am Jenny and Mike’s Dad; but as I care for you each conversation is personal and private.

I can be reached at mawhors@ccf.org or 216-445-2412. If appropriate a typed summary can be given to Mr. Deep in a sealed envelope.

Flight Information

Flight information can be found in two PDF files. Here is an alphabetical list of names with flight pattern numbers. Find you pattern number, then look here to find your specific flight information.

The Plans for the 150+ Club

Next Monday it will become the 160+ club, Tuesday- 170+; Wednesday- 180+, Thursday-190+, and Friday it will become the 200 club. Rehearsals will be in the multi-purpose room starting at 8:00 a.m.

The Zero Points Club begins tomorrow (Friday)

It will meet in the practice rooms C and D at 7:45 a.m. Next Monday it will become the < 50-club; Tuesday < 70; Wednesday < 90; Thursday < 110 and Friday < 130. This is a performance tour. This is not the minimum expectation, this is far behind the pace.

Important Dates

-March 11 – Chaperones meeting, 7:00 p.m. at Dr. Grant’s House
-March 17- Final trip meeting. Mandatory attendance (every household must be represented)
-March 22- Trip Preview concert- No excuses. 100% attendance. (Packing will follow the concert)

Medical Forms and Liability Forms are past due (only 72% in). PLEASE HELP!!!

22 Days Until the Alps

With the trip just over three weeks away, we are coming down to the wire.

7 rehearsals remaining, plus testing week
There have been several early rehearsals called. We will have rehearsals during testing week. There will be more info soon.

Music Testing
Here is the daily message, ask your son or daughter to explain: The travel clubs are posted. No student should have less than 50 points. If you do, you are far behind the pace. Anyone over 150 is close. You are not eligible to test first period until you have begun your testing before or after school. If you have questions see Mr. Deep and he can check your scores in the database.

The 150+ rehearsals begin Wednesday at 8:00 a.m
These rehearsals are for the band members who have earned at least 150 points on their playing tests. 150 points is expected from all band members by March 5th at 4:30 p.m. The score everyone must achieve is 200 points. Keep in mind that the 150 point cut-off will be raised periodically.

Important Dates

-March 5- Staff Flight Leaders meeting- 9:30 a.m.

-March 11- Chaperone meeting- 7:00 p.m.

-March 17- Final Document trip meeting in the Middle School Auditorium. (Mandatory attendance- every household must be represented)

-March 22- Trip Preview concert in the North Gym at the High School- Mandatory- 100% student attendance. (large instrument packing will follow the concert)

-March 24- Depart

-April 1- Arrive home

Medical Forms and Liability Forms are past due
Only 56% of forms are in. Please do your part. We have 512 forms to collect and copy (multiple times). There are still 228 that we are waiting for.

Passports
12 still to be collected. If this involves you, email Mr. Deep and update him on your situation.

If you are missing music...
Copy someone else’s music who has the same part. Do not root through the band office or ask a director to replace your lost music.

Uniform Buddies
Flute and Clarinet players will either have a band office case assigned to transport (carriers, tools…), be assigned to assist a sousaphone or quad player, or have a second ‘uniform suitcase’. Find four non-flute/clarinet playing band members and tell them you can be their ‘uniform buddy’ to Milan and home from Munich. Give a list to Mr. Deep and you will be one of our uniform transporters. We need about half of the flute/clarinet players to transport uniforms. On return to Shaker, you will need to bring your suitcase to school the first day school resumes and turn in the uniforms.

Marching practice will happen outside
Be prepared. Hope for warm weather.

Flight Information
Information will be released soon. We are waiting for updated numbers and times. Airline mergers have slowed our updates.

VISA card options
There are two that have been recommended at the band booster meeting. Both families have had good luck with these.

-AAA travel VISA card

-VISA bucks card (To sign up, just go to usbank.visabuxx.com. There are several other banks that may offer the same program. It is easy for a parent to keep track of all transactions and add money to it online.)

History Lessons

John Murphy is continuing to gather some history on the towns that we will be visiting on the the trip. Here is some information on Innsbruck and Venice.

On a different note...

We have a new member of the Shaker Band family. Please join Jason and Heidi Clemens in welcoming their daughter Elizabeth Marie. Libby was born at 4:36 PM on Saturday, Feb. 27, weighing 7 lbs, 7 ozs. and measuring 19 inches long. Mr. Clemens has taken a couple days off, but will be back at rehearsals in the middle of this week.

Three and a Half Weeks Until the Alps

As discussed in previous posts, medical and release forms are now available. Click below for the appropriate form.

Student Medical Form

Chaperone Medical Form

Release Form for Students and Chaperones

Please fill out the appropriate medical form and the release form and return them both as soon as possible to the Band Office.

As far as other announcements, we are still waiting for 15 passports to be turned in, 10 students and 5 adults. We are also still missing 5 "Six Weeks To Go" Questionnaires, 3 student and 2 shadow trip participants. Both of these items are due immediately.

Music checks are being conducted, but only 10 out of the 220 students going have checked off more that half of their music with a director. 40 students, or 5 groups of 8, have yet to sign up as part of a trip group. Please check with your student concerning whether or not they have signed up as part of a group. This posting is also the last call for roommate groups that would be interested in combining to form the triple rooms needed for several nights of the trip. Triples will soon be assigned if there are no volunteers.

Lastly, for those of you who travel on a regular basis, we would like to make you aware of a special phone offer from "Wireless Traveler." For more information, click here.

4 Weeks To Go

While there are no new announcements this week, we continue to ask parents to check in with their students regarding their progress on music checks. If students have not checked any of their trip music off with a director, they are behind. Rehearsals for the trip will begin on Wednesday, following Tuesday night's concert. Student and chaperone passports should already be turned in to the band office, and Six Week Questionnaires are due from all participants immediately. Final reservations for meals are already being made, and the information on that sheet is important for making those decisions. Be watching for the Trip Medical Form that will be posted on this website shortly. Once posted, we ask that all trip participants fill them out and return them as soon as possible. Remember that the final document meeting is scheduled for March 17 at 7 PM in the Shaker Middle School Auditorium for all trip participants.

To whet you appetite, read a brief history of Verona, Italy, one of the stops on the trip, here.

5 Weeks Until the Alps

Here's another update regarding "Shaker Crosses The Alps." These announcements have been made during morning band rehearsals, and the band staff is asking all parents to echo them at home as well as the window of time until the trip closes.

Passports
Student and chaperone passports are due IMMEDIATELY. We are still waiting on 33 passports. The copying and sorting process described in the previous post is already occurring because we cannot wait any longer.

Marching Instruments
All marching instruments are prepared for pick-up and should have been signed out by now.

Music
Students have received 18 of the 20 pieces of music we will be performing on the trip (the Austrian and Italian national anthems will be coming soon), along with flip-folders and lyres. Flip-folders should be loaded with the music in the order that was passed out, and pages should be taped on each side to avoid losing music. Trumpet, trombone, snare drum, and bass drum players need to stop by the band office to pick up extra windows and heavy-duty rings. Testing has already begun and students who have not checked off at least some pieces from the list with a director are behind. Students should be prepared for some early rehearsals (before 8:05) in the month of March.

Six-Week Questionnaire
The questionnaire is still available here. We are still waiting for 46 student, 12 chaperone, and 21 shadow trip participant questionnaires. Those questionnaires contain important information regarding dietary restrictions and preferences that are necessary for planning meals. The order for the clothing printer will be placed soon, and students who do not return this form by Tuesday morning will not receive their trip hoodie. Medical forms will be coming out soon, please be on the look out for them and return them as soon as possible.

Finally, remember that the very important Final Document Meeting has been scheduled for March 17 at 7 PM in the Shaker Middle School Auditorium.

Audio and Video Pages Updated

Taking a break from trip updates, the "Audio" and "Video" pages under the "Downloads" heading have been updated with tracks and videos from the High School concerts on December 14 and 15. You can click on the links to watch or listen online, or you can right-click on the link, select "Save Target As," and assign a name to the file to save it to your own computer. More audio and video to come!