Welcome, Lightridge Chorus Families -
It has been such an exciting start to the school year! I have had such an incredible time reuniting with students and building relationships with my new students as well. Not many teachers have the privilege of watching students grow from year to year. I feel nothing but gratitude for having the opportunity to teach your children. For those of you who are new to Lightridge Chorus … WELCOME!
As many of you know, building a strong relationship with the families of my students is a priority of mine. The Lightridge Sings Newsletter at lightridgechorus.org will share updates with you about the Lightridge Chorus Program! Information will be quickly shared through Remind - and was at the beginning of the year for August deadlines. If you have not downloaded that app, please do so!
Parent Action Items
Please read the Handbook and Calendar in its entirety - write down all of the important dates. All conflicts were due via email to me by Friday, August 29th.
Sign the Handbook and Calendar Acknowledgement - Permission Click.
Pay Course Fee for your child based on what ensemble they are in. If you have any questions or concerns, please email me at helai.rutan@lcps.org and I would be happy to discuss this with you! Below are the respective links for the course fee:
All course fee payments and handbook acknowledgements were due on Friday, August 29th.
MANDATORY Parent Meeting
Chorus is a co-curricular class that requires the support of students and families to have our program succeed. Lightridge Chorus is one of the strongest choral programs in the state of Virginia and we could not continue to grow without parental support! We will be hosting a mandatory parent-student meeting to go through the calendar, student expectations, parent involvement, department needs, the spring trip, etc. on Wednesday, September 18th at 6:30 PM - 7:15 PM in the Lightridge Auditorium. Students will not be eligible to receive the 0.5 Honors GPA Boost for their class without a parent present to sign the Honors Acknowledgement Form. Students are encouraged to attend this meeting, while parents are required.
Honors Chorus
The purpose of honors music ensemble classes is to challenge students to enrich their overall musical understanding and provide deeper learning. Successful completion of requirements will result in an additional 0.5 credit for the ensemble your student is enrolled in.
Four different tasks must be completed throughout the year in order for a student to receive credit. Students have been given a list of tasks that count for honors points and are to share that information with you. Students who have shared intention for signing up for Honors Chorus will be bringing home an application form to be filled out by the student and parent in order to officially sign-up for the course and turned in at the Student-Parent Meeting. This Application Form is due Wednesday, September 18th. Forms will only be accepted at the Student-Parent Meeting. Students will receive a paper copy of this form to bring home prior to Wednesday.
Honors Ensembles Auditions
These are groups that students can audition for in addition to the ensemble they are in during the school day, such as All-District Chorus, All-State Chorus, VMEA Senior Honor Choir, and ACDA National Honor Choir. For more information regarding these opportunities, please check the link below to see what is required for preparation. Students have had this information since the first week of school and can access it through Schoology. Encourage your student to audition for honors ensembles!
If your student is looking to audition for ACDA National, please have them student sign-up for the SLYC Workshop on Saturday, September 21st. The ACDA National Interest Meeting will be on Wednesday, September 18th during Club Time. Students should sign-up for recording timeslots and pre-screens on this spreadsheet. If your student intends to receive the 0.5 GPA boost through Honors Chorus, they are expected to audition for at least one Honors Ensemble.
11 and awaaz a capella Groups
Open-Mic Fundraiser and Boosters Meeting at Lark
We will be hosting our first fundraiser of the year THIS Thursday, September 19th from 5:30 PM - 7:00 PM at Lark Hospitality! We'd love for students and families to join us! Our first annual boosters meeting will start at 7:00 PM following the student’s performances! Even if you have not signed up to be a boosters parent yet - stop by!
Lightridge Chorus Apparel
Lightridge Chorus will be selling apparel until September 22nd! Visit the website through Cheer Sports to purchase apparel. Students will receive one t-shirt as a part of their uniform covered by their course fee. All ordered apparel will be available for pick up by the end of October in the Chorus Room.
I am blessed to be at Lightridge and cannot wait to see what we accomplish this year as a department. I am beyond ready to have students make memories and grow as musicians. Go Bolts!
Best,
Helai Karim Rutan