We are officially closed for Summer Break! Mr. Wheelock looks forward to seeing everyone back next school year!

Upcoming Events

April 22nd: Science STAAR (8th Grade Only) 📚
April 23rd: Social Studies STAAR (8th Grade Only) 📚
April 29th: Math STAAR 📚
April 30th: Epic Waters Field Trip 🌊
May 1st: Solo/Ensemble Contest 🏅

Did you know that you can access the choir website at any time by going to bessiecolemanchoir.com?

Thursday, May 1st: Solo Contest

The annual CHISD Middle School Solo/Ensemble Contest will take place for BCMS Choir Student during their choir class period on Thursday, May 1st. All students will be required* to perform their solo for our guest judge: Mr. Foster (CHHS Choir Director). Students who earn the highest rating will receive a CHISD Solo/Ensemble Medal.

This contest performance will also serve as a the test grade and will conclude our solo unit that we have been working on for the past few weeks.

End of Year Field Trip: Epic Waters

Now that MP5 grades have posted, Mr. Wheelock has handed out Permission Forms for the Epic Waters Field Trip. If you student did not receive their permission slip, they can pick one up from Mr. Wheelock in the choir room.

(Reminder: if a student had any grades below a 70 on their MP5 report card, they are ineligible to attend the field trip per state educational policy)

Our end of year field trip to Epic Waters is coming up on Wednesday, April 30th! For this trip, our students get to miss a day of classes and travel to Epic Waters in Grand Prairie for a day of fun. While there, we will perform for a guest judge and if we do well we can earn a trophy. Lunch will be included and of course we will enjoy the water park attractions.

You don't want to miss this fun experience. Please be aware that the following expectations must be met in order for a student to be eligible to attend this field trip:

Every attending student must maintain a Passing Grade at the conclusion of MP5
Every attending student must have fully paid their $20 Choir Fee*
Every attending student must have Zero Discipline Referrals in MP6

Additionally, Mr. Wheelock may block any student for attending the choir field trip at any time due to behavior.

*the choir fee can be paid on MyPaymentsPlus or with Cash; no personal checks are accepted

Choir Grading Policy Reminder

This is just a gentle reminder that Mr. Wheelock updates grades on a weekly basis every Monday morning. Any work completed during the week will be graded on the following Monday.

The only exception to this policy is that Mr. Wheelock will also update grades one final time on Friday afternoons prior to a grade check (progress reports and report cards) immediately following the end of the school day.

Additionally, Mr. Wheelock does not deduct any points from assignments for them being turned in late, however, assignments cannot be accepted past the end of a marking period, per district policy.

Website Updates - "Members Area"

The Choir Website has been recently updated with a brand new "Members Area". This section of the website is devoted to hosting resources specific to student members of the BCMS Choir program. To access this part of the website, look for the menu link titled "Member Login" at the top of the choir website. If viewing the website on a mobile browser, you might need to click the 3-lined menu icon to display the menu links.

Students can find resources on the Members Area such as:

CutTime account troubleshooting
Practice Tracks
Examples of fully marked Sheet Music
Sight-Reading Factory Login
All-Region Choir Resources
Solo & Ensemble Resources
The Choir Handbook

It is important to note that you will only be able to access the Members Area if you are logged in to google via your CHISD student google account. To check if you are logged in to google with the correct account, simply go to www.google.com and check the upper right side of the screen for you logged in account. See the screenshot below for an example of your google log in location:

Choir Fee

All Choir Students are required to pay a supply fee of $20 as part of their membership of the BCMS Choir Program. This modest fee helps to offset the cost incurred by the choir program for supplies and services for each student. This fee also covers the cost of the choir t-shirt.

This fee is tracked in your student's CutTime account, and can be paid in Cash or online at MyPaymentsPlus. (Please note that MyPaymentsPlus payments may not be available until the spring semester.)

If you have additional questions or concerns regarding the choir fee, please email Mr. Wheelock at christopher.wheelock@chisd.net

Reoccurring Reminders

Goodbye MakeMusic Cloud... Hello Sight Reading Factory

Starting last week we switched the sight reading software used for recorded assignments. The new website being used is called Sight Reading Factory. This system better meets the needs of our singers and will allow for more accurate feedback for each student.

Students are being shown how to access this tool in choir class. There is a link to the website on their choir schoology page, or they can simply navigate to SightReadingFactory.com and log in from there. If a student forgets their log in information they can email Mr. Wheelock and he will reset it for them.

Moving forward, students will no longer need to log in to MakeMusic Cloud for assignments. All assignments will be hosted on Sight Reading Factory's website.

Introducing... CutTime

Exciting news - our Choir program is moving over to CutTime! Welcome to modern simplicity in managing your student’s participation in our program.

Stay informed without login hassles
Get reminded without inbox clutter
Expand your giving circle with a personalized touch

Please take 3 minutes to watch this awesome introduction video and see what’s in store for you.

What Happens Next - Your New CutTime Magic Link is On the Way

Be on the lookout for an SMS welcome message from CutTime via +1-844-385-8463. The message will come to your mobile device phone number we have on file for you via a ‘Magic Link’, which is uniquely personalized to you and secure. Once you receive the message with your CutTime Magic Link, you will gain access to your CutTime Portal Page where you can:

View Announcements
View and Subscribe to Events (such as rehearsals, games, performances, etc.)
View and Sign Up for Volunteer Opportunities within events
Check and Pay Account Balances
Solicit Donations and Fundraise
View and eSign Documents
View Inventory Assignments (instruments, garments, library, or equipment pieces)

If you do not yet have a mobile phone number on file with us (or if your number has changed) - please fill out this form to get your number added or updated: https://forms.gle/APPdXr1ZXtbG86eS7

Missed / Can’t Find Your CutTime Magic Link?

No worries, you can go to: https://app.gocuttime.com/guardian/resend-magic-link to resend it to your device on file. (Note - your student must use a different spot to resend their magic link which is: https://app.gocuttime.com/student/resend-magic-link)

Hit ‘Stop’ and Opted Out of CutTime Magic Link Messages by Mistake?

No biggie, you can go back to your last message from CutTime and reply with ‘UNSTOP’ to resume the messages whenever you want.

CutTime is a Game Changer for Our Program

Over the next year, we will see continuous new features, enhancements, and new services all hand crafted by a passionate team of former fine arts educators and booster leaders with incredible tech know-how. For more information on what this change means for you now and what is coming next visit their Welcome Parents-Guardians page here.

Thanks for all your support for our program! Feel free to get in touch with me if you have any other questions or feedback.

Choir Calendar

With our shift to CutTime, our previous calendar will no longer be used. All dates and events will be located on the CutTime calendar which can be accessed in your CutTime account. This calendar will show you only the specific events that are assigned to your singer. A public version of the calendar with all public events can be viewed on the choir website here.

Bessie Coleman MS Choir

Christopher Wheelock, director

Email: christopher.wheelock@chisd.net

Phone: (972) 293-4505 x8365

www.sites.google.com/chisd.net/colemanchoir

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