Volunteering is a great way to stay involved with your students, get to know your students’ friends, and meet new friends yourself!
 
We need volunteers to help with chaperones, concessions, loading and unloading the trailers, and lots of little things that come up during the year! You can help a little – or you can help a LOT! We need you! You know the saying “It takes a village . . . “? – well in our case it takes a small metropolis!! Look out for volunteer notices on the Band App.
 
To ensure safety for all students, please follow the directions below to become an approved volunteer or renew your volunteer status. You must be a Duval County approved volunteer in order to chaperone and/or volunteer. Please help us keep our campus and all children safe!


 
Fill out the application and submit it
Send email to marchingsaints123@gmail.com once completed

Applicants must be at least 18 years of age. (Current DCPS students under 18 who wish to volunteer must have their parents complete the Student School Volunteer Information Form which is a parent consent form for students to volunteer. They DO NOT need to go through the normal volunteer application process. That form can be found by clicking HERE. The form should be given to the point of contact for Sandalwood. Call the school for more information.) A social security number is required to apply. All required information must be entered in order for the application to be submitted.

 

The Sandalwood Band program could not function without the involvement of parents. For as long as we’ve been a band we have been blessed to have a dedicated parent base full of the most amazing people. If you have any questions about specific ways you can help the band, please reach out to any parent or the directors. This is the parent’s band as much as the kid’s.

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Signing up as a volunteer does not mean you are committed to being at every contest and game. These committees will work with your schedule and are flexible. Each of these committees has several people signed up, which helps in making sure everything is taken care of by someone.

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Volunteer Position Descriptions

Band Aides

• Band Aides are needed at the school before and after football games/contests to assist the band directors and students with loading and unloading the equipment truck. Band Aides also travel to the destination of events, football games/contests where they help move the props and percussion equipment on and off the field for the performance. Signing up to volunteer as a Band Aide does not mean you have to be available for every contest and game. An email is sent outlining the volunteer needs each week.

Prop Construction

• Each of our marching shows have a variety of props that are built to compliment the theme of the show based upon the director’s specifications. The work for the marching show props happens over the summer around the time that the students start Summer Band and can extend into the marching season. The props are made with a variety of materials and require people to not only design, cut and build them but also paint and decorate. Our winter activities, Winter Drumline and Winter Guard also use props for their shows. The prop construction team also works with the directors to create props as needed.

Chaperones

• Chaperones ride the buses to football games, stay for the game, and then ride the bus home with the band. On contest days, they ride buses to the marching contest, stay with the band all day helping out where needed, and then ride the buses home. You do not have to chaperone every football game and contest. There are usually enough chaperones so that the schedule is flexible.

Fall Dinner

• It's a great time to relax with other families following a hectic marching season. Volunteers are needed to decorate the commons, donate desserts, help with setting up tables and then clean up.

Fundraising

• Help is always needed to work on our various fundraisers. Money raised is used to reduce our band fees and help the Band Directors purchase things that the district is not able to fund. There are several fundraisers during the year so you can volunteer to help with all of them or just one.

 

Performance Plumes and Flip Folders

• In the years they are used, plumes are stored separately from the shakos (hats) to prevent damage. When the band warms up right before a performance, they leave their shakos on the ground and volunteers walk around placing a plume in each one. Plumes are collected and stored again after the performance.

• They will also stand behind the Band during Celebrity Block with baskets to collect flip folders.

• Volunteers should not miss the band's performance by volunteering for this job. We take care of the plumes and flip folders then hurry back to the stands to watch the performance before returning to collect and store the plumes.

 

Promotional Items

• Our promotional items or “Spirit Wear” includes Sandalwood Band branded shirts we sell to families, window decals, show shirts (a t-shirt specifically designed for the current year's marching show and is available to both students and families), and other items. Volunteers are needed to help the Promotions chair sort/fulfill orders and distribute orders when they are ready. Volunteers are usually needed to help distribute at the school after a practice or before a football game.

 

Concessinos

• During football games during the year the school allows Booster Clubs to come to sell food. The Concessions Coordinator will choose which type of food we will be selling (usually fast food) and place an order for a bulk amount of food. Volunteers are needed the day of the sale to help setup, ice down drinks, collect money, hand out food and when the sale is over clean up and count money made. This is a fun and fast- paced hour and a half of working with the entire student body of the school.

 

Hair Brigade

• Depending on the theme of the show, the directors will have the Color Guard and pit (non-marching percussion) girls have a consistent hairstyle. Volunteers are needed to help style the hair based on the directors’ specifications. This can include various types of braiding or up-dos.

 

Uniform Fittings

• The students will be fitted for their marching uniforms beginning the first week of August. This task takes about 1 week. We work at the school while the students are at summer band camp. This committee works as a group to find the right size of each of the marching band uniform parts for each student. NO sewing is required on our marching uniforms. Once marching season ends, we fit the students for their concert attire. For boys, this is a tuxedo jacket and pants. For girls, a dress. We hem the pants and dresses, so we need help with that task in addition to fitting.

 

Competition (Travel) Meals

• Part of the fee you paid to the booster club includes lunch and/or dinner at marching contests and a variety of events in between, PRE MPA, MPA ... Volunteers are needed to help setup and hand out food and clean up.

 

Equipment Truck Drivers

• The booster club has two vehicles that need to get to each performance. The semi-truck is used to transport all percussion equipment, props, and larger instruments (like the Sousaphones). We also have a trailer that is pulled behind a pickup truck. This  trailer holds overflow items from the semi-truck. For the semi-truck, drivers are volunteers who either already have a commercial driver’s license (CDL) or the booster club has helped them earn one. For the trailer, drivers are volunteers who can attach and pull the trailer with their truck. All volunteer drivers for the band must be cleared through the district specifically for this role before the first football game.

 

 

Uniform Check-In

• The Brook Band uniforms stay at the school so students must check them out before each performance and turn them in when they return to the school. Each band student will be assigned a specific uniform that they will use all season. Volunteers are needed at the school after students return and unload the equipment truck to ensure the students hang the uniforms and that all uniforms have been checked in and accounted for.

 

Uniform Washing

• As you can imagine, the uniforms get very smelly after the students have worn them a few times. Several times each marching season, volunteers take home marching uniforms, wash them, and hang to dry. Washing instructions will be provided to washers.