Please read all the important information below and find attached the important documents, including:
- Student Packing List
- Updated final itinerary
- Family Contact sheet
- The scholarship application information for Gr. 12 students 

Trip preparation reminders/notes: 

1. Tour Band rehearsal Tuesday, April 30 @ 7:15 am
2. Tour Choir rehearsal Tuesday, April 30 @ 3:45 pm
3. Students will be assigned a chaperone group and their instrument/equipment they are responsible for on Monday during Conn3ct at an important student tour meeting. ALL students are required to attend! Thank you :) 
4. Please ensure you check the packing list for all items needed, and check the weather before deciding on items to pack

Packing List reminders:

• Students will be allowed one checked luggage (under 50 lbs). If students go over the size/weight limit of their luggage, they will need to pay this oversize charge at their own cost. Remember to please leave room/weight for things you purchase in Halifax
• Students will be assigned a second piece of luggage (either their large instrument or a piece of percussion/band equipment). Students are to take this home with them Tuesday night and bring this piece to the airport Wednesday. 
• Small instruments (trumpets/alto saxophones and smaller) will go as carry-on. Just waiting on confirmation of sizes
• Students are allowed one carry-on backpack or large purse, plus their small instrument/small purse. Confirming this.
• All students need their band/choir uniform. Please check for all parts and that everything still fits. 
• Please check the packing list in detail for information required 
• For weather appropriate clothing, be sure to check the weekly Halifax forecast when packing.
• Medication needed/possibly needed for your child must be packed by the student (please label with their name). We cannot give out any medication to a student.
• A reminder that students need their own money for all lunches, snacks, and any souvenirs they wish to purchase
• Water bottles are highly encouraged for the trip but must be emptied before we go through security at the airport
• All liquids in your carry-on must be under 100ml each and be put into one small ziploc bag. No exceptions or the airport security will ask you to throw them out.
• Please do not pack or purchase any peanuts/tree nuts on the trip. We have a few very severe allergies and wish to keep these students safe while traveling with us. We appreciate your help with this!

Airport Check-in Information:   

1. Students to meet at 7:30 am at the Calgary International Airport (students provide own transportation to airport)
2. Please meet on the Ground Level, by the West Jet group check-in counter
3. Parents/guardians, please accompany your child to the meeting location and sign them in with their assigned chaperone (given out this Monday at the student Conn3ct meeting).
4. We ask that everyone ensures they are respectful of the check-in time, location & keeping a path clear for other passengers to walk in the hallway without us blocking the entire pathway. Thank you for your help with this.
5. All students are responsible for their own luggage, instrument and/or assigned equipment!
6. Students must have all their luggage/equipment labelled and tagged (tags to be provided on-site at the airport)
7. Once signed in with their chaperone, students must stay with their chaperone for all airport check-ins, meeting times, and boarding the plane. Thank you for being safe together.

This is going to be a wonderful trip! We look forward to a wonderful week together. 
Please contact me if you have any concerns or questions. 

Mr. Whetton and Mrs. Waterbury would like to congratulate the amazing work done by the Performing Arts students this past week! 

This weekend the over 60 performing arts students participated in the Zone 5 One-Act festival. The zone festival hosted seven schools and 16 performances. The performances varied between comedy, drama, movement, musicals, devised theatre, dada theatre, period drama, etc. 

Cochrane High School presented four performances. 21 Chump Street, Misadventures, Who Loves Honour and Me, and 146 Point Flame. All four play walked away from the festival with recognition and awards. 

Honourable Mentions 
Award: Short Drama 
Title: Misadventures. 
Recipient: Nicholas Wickstrom.

Outstanding Achievement 
Award: Best Actress in a Musical 
Title: 21 Chump Street
Recipient: Devyn Byfield

Award: Best Directing Duo
Title:146 Point Flame
Recipient: Oakley Aram & Sydney Stene

Award: Best Stage Design 
Title: Who Loves Honour and Me
Recipients: Michael Fyfe & Jonah Wallisser

Award: Excellence in Playwriting 
Title: Who Loves Honour and Me
Recipients: Megan Ogilvie 

Award: Large Ensemble
Title: 21 Chump Street
Recipients: Devyn Byfield, Simone Eeles, Jason Rude, Sydney Stene, and Hannah Isinghood. (Cast & Pit band Members) 

Award: Presidents Award for Outstanding Technical Support 
Recipients: Emily Niccolls 

Award: Provincial Selection 
Title: 21 Chump Street
Recipients: Devyn Byfield, Simone Eeles, Jason Rude, Sydney Stene, and Hannah Isinghood. (Cast & Pit band Members) 

These students have worked extremely hard to produces these plays, and I am so proud of how they represented both our program and our school. These plays will be available to see during our 2019 SOAP Festival in May. The Festival will run from May 13,14,15,16 and is a combination of students talent from around the school and the One Act Performances from the last weekend's festival. The festival will showcase a different show, and I encourage you to come an see the tremendously talented students from the program.

21 Chump Street will be performing at Red Deer College during the Provincial One-Act festival May 9,10, and 11. Any Outstanding Provincial Forms need to be in by Thursday.

Lastly, I am looking for two parents to help me with the meal planning for provincial. Let me know if you are interested.

Time is flying by, and the tour is just around the corner! Please find attached our tentative itinerary and our confirmed flight information for the Halifax tour. Our travel agent has just confirmed a workshop for us during the 'performance' day, so the itinerary will change slightly that day. We will give you an updated one after the break once I have a chance to meet with their representative over the spring break. In preparation for the festival in Halifax, any help encouraging your child to practice is very much appreciated.

Please note the check-in time at the airport is much earlier than if you were personally flying out on a domestic trip. This is because we have a large group and many items to check in, that it will take a lot of extra time. It is very important all families help ensure their child arrives at the airport on time so we can check the group in together and start processing all the tickets and baggage. Thank you!

Some reminders for preparing to pack for the tour:

1. Please ensure you have your Black uniform parts washed, and set aside to pack. This includes Black Dress bottoms, Black Dress Shoes, Black Dress socks/tights, your black CHS long sleeve band/choir shirt, CHS vest, and the CHS red tie. It is very important we have all of these parts for every member, so we do not get deducted silly marks at the festival for nonmatching uniforms. We will not be bringing extras with us for forgotten items. Thank you for your attention to this!
2. Multiple extra reeds, cleaning supplies, cork grease, slide cream/grease, valve oil, etc. is imperative to have on the tour. The climate is different in Halifax and we need to ensure all instruments are in good working condition. 
3. Pack for the changing weather. A coat and a small umbrella is a good idea to have. Pack layers for both warm and cold weather. Students can choose to pack a swimsuit in case they have an opportunity to go swimming. 
4. You must have your proper travel documents/ID on you. Please see the note on the itinerary regarding what ID you need for the airport. 
5. All students will be assigned their own instrument and/or a piece of percussion equipment to take with them to the airport. We will have this sorted out next week, and communicate this with the students. For example, a student playing bari saxophone will be responsible for their own Bari saxophone to bring home and to their airport. A choir student who is not in the band, or a student with a small instrument such as a flute, may get assigned a percussion box or percussion instrument to take home with them on Tuesday, April 30, to bring to the airport as part of their personal second checked luggage on Wednesday, May 1. More details on this to come.
6. A detailed packing list will be given out prior to the tour (sometime next week) to help ensure you are packing necessary items.

Please help us out by checking your School CashOnline account and ensuring you have paid all of the trip fees. We cannot take a student on the tour who still has fees outstanding. Your attention to this is greatly appreciated. 

Looking forward to this wonderful trip together.