March 1, 2010

Minutes from Kailua Intermediate School Band Booster Meeting
March 1, 2010    KIS Band Room

The meeting was called to order at 7:09 p.m. Present were: Kristi Kusunoki, Cheryl & Steven Sonoda, Bill Tiffany, Loreen Farr, Stacye Gallo and Carolyn Hawpe. 

President Laura Sueda was unable to attend, so Vice President Cheryl Sonoda conducted the meeting. 

The Secretary’s minutes from the Feb. 1 meeting were reviewed and approved by the board on Feb. 19 via e-mail. They were then e-mailed to the members and posted on the band website. 

Treasurer’s Report: 

Bill reported that the booster club will have $10,543 in the account after final payments are made to Seawind Tours & Travel for the Anaheim trip. He pointed out that we will need to subtract about $104 to cover the 4.5-percent sales tax on our earnings. We are “looking good” as we head toward the end of the school year, he said, noting that we still have a few more fund-raisers planned. 

In a new development, Bill and Kristi explained that the students who are going on the trip each paid $10 for a backpack. In the meantime, Vickey Paul was able to get the backpacks donated, so each student will receive a refund. Bill said the simplest thing would be to give each traveling student a $10 bill as soon as possible. The board agreed by unanimous vote.  

Upcoming Events:

• McDonald’s Night—Friday, March 5, from 5 to 8 p.m., 406 Kuulei Road

Sales will benefit the KIS Band. Parents and students are needed to assist with set up and clean up. Two shifts are scheduled: 5-6:30 p.m. and 6:30-8 p.m. Cheryl suggested that the students make banners and posters to promote the event. They could hang a banner in the restaurant that night, and stand along the street waving posters. A parent will need to chaperone the students outside. Students can assist with taking orders but not with food preparation. So far, 2-3 families have volunteered for each shift. But we could still use more. Also, the band officers will be there to help. We need to boost our advertising. Steven noted that Kailua High School band did not do that well with their McDonald’s Night because they did not advertise enough. Carolyn volunteered to make some flyers and give them to Kristi to distribute to the students. A final note: This event will include orders from the drive through. (At the Feb. 1 meeting it was reported that drive-through orders would not be included in the fund-raiser.) Customers must mention that they are supporting the KIS Band. 

• Windward Mall Concert—Thursday, March 11, 2:15-6:30 p.m.

Kristi reported that we will not be able to get the bus to transport the students. As a result, quite a few parents will be needed to drive the students to the mall. In addition, we will need to rent a U-Haul truck to move the instruments and music stands. The challenge is that we need someone to agree to drive the truck, which will include picking it up, keeping it overnight and returning it the next day. The truck can not be stored overnight on the school campus because the next day is a Furlough Friday and the campus gate will be locked. Cheryl suggested that if enough parents attend the concert and are willing to transport all of the students and instruments back to the school, the driver might be able to return the truck in Kaneohe that evening. In that case, it would have to be returned before the truck rental company closes. Cheryl said you do not need a special license to drive the 17-foot truck. The rental will cost $49 plus $1.09 per mile.  

• HI-5 Recycling Day & Rummage Sale--Sat., March 27, from 8 a.m. to noon 

This date was selected to accommodate the Easter weekend (April 2-4), the Advanced Band Parade of Bands (April 10) and the Select Band Concert (April 17). Helpers are needed Thursday, March 25, from 3 to 6 p.m. to sort, organize and price items. Many tables are needed along with tents to shield workers from the sun. Goodwill is now closed, so Laura should call another organization to pick up unsold items. Vickey can ask Midweek to post the event on its calendar. In addition, we should send a notice to the school newsletter editor. In these announcements, we must be sure to include the date, time, location and purpose (raise funds for the KIS band) of the HI-5 Recycling Day and Rummage Sale. 

Old Business:

• Penalty for Trip Cancellations--Kristi checked with Seawind Tours & Travel, and they lost $600 for the airline cancellations because so many people from the KIS band dropped out of the trip. Since we had allotted $550 for the Disney Concert Hall excursion, but the agent was able to secure a free tour, the price of that outing dropped by $197. (We will still pay $353 for the bus charter.) So, the travel agent asked if we would be willing to contribute the $197 in savings toward the travel agent’s airline cancellation penalties. Steven made a motion that we approve the payment to Seawind, since the board had already approved a total expenditure of $550 for that outing. It was also noted that we want to stay on good terms with the travel agent since they have done such a good job and we may want to use their services again in the future. Loreen seconded the motion, and the motion was passed by a unanimous vote.

• Harold K.L. Castle Foundation Windward Youth Leadership Fund—The band did not receive approval for the grant. The letter stated that the foundation did not have enough funds this year. The organizers suggested that the students apply next year and consider restoring a reef for their service project.

New Business:

• Chartering Buses--Kristi requested the board’s approval for funds to charter buses for the following upcoming events: 
• Advanced Band Parade of Bands (Pearl City Cultural Center)
• Beginning Band Parade of Bands (Kaiser High School)
• Aloha Concert (Castle High School)

The cost is $175 for each bus charter. The board unanimously approved the expenditures. 

• Hosting Honolulu Wind Quintet—Kristi said that Scott Janusch, an oboist with the Honolulu Symphony, asked whether we would like to host a woodwind quintet performance during class time. She said this would be most beneficial to the Advanced Band students. The quintet is requesting a $100 stipend to contribute to the cost of performing at KIS. The event would include a live performance as well as a Q&A session. Steve made a motion that we approve the $100 expenditure. Bill seconded the motion. The board unanimously agreed to fund the event. 

• Electing New Officers—The board discussed ideas for enlisting support for the booster club next year. Everyone agreed that although we had a busy and successful year, we could have done even more with additional support at the board meetings and during the fund-raising activities. More parent participation is needed. The board agreed to invite and encourage all parents to attend the April meeting. We could discuss the positions that will be open and the benefits of volunteering, and encourage parents of rising 8th-graders to jump in and help out. We could organize sign-up sheets for the different fund-raisers, including a chair, co-chair and helpers for each committee. By getting positions filled in April, the new officers will get a head start on band activities for next year. Also, they can attend the final meeting in May and receive helpful documents, such as the By-laws, Secretary’s notes, etc. To create a more festive atmosphere, the board agreed to organize a potluck for the meeting in April. One idea was to ask the parents of outgoing 8th-graders to each bring a plate of pupus as a farewell gift to the band. In addition, name tags will be used to help folks get better acquainted.  

• Reviewing & Approving By-laws—Cheryl has very kindly prepared a set of by-laws for the KIS Band Booster Club, which include the purpose of the club and descriptions of the officers’ duties. She will be sending this document via e-mail to the board members for their review and approval. 

• Finding a Good Home for Ono Cookies—Since we still have seven boxes of cookies, a pan of cinnamon rolls, and a loaf of banana bread remaining from the Auntie Ono’s Cookie fund-raiser, Cheryl recommended that we share the treats with the students at several of the upcoming events. The sweets were paid for but not collected by customers. She suggested that we serve the cinnamon rolls and banana bread to the students at the early morning rehearsal on Wed., March 3. For the Windward Mall Concert on Thursday, March 11, we could bake and serve two boxes of cookies. The final five boxes could be baked and bagged up for the chaperones to hand out to the students during the trip. The board agreed by unanimous vote to use the treats for these events. 

Other:

• Adding Agenda Items—If you have an item you would like to add to the agenda, please call or e-mail President Laura Sueda four days before the meeting. Her number is: 714-743-1088, and her e-mail address is [email protected]
• Next Meeting—Monday, April 5, at 7 p.m. in the band room. 

The meeting was adjourned at 8:30 p.m.

Minutes taken and respectfully submitted by Stacye Gallo