Incoming Freshmen

Welcome to the Grove City Band!

Congratulations! Your child has made it past the audition process and has been accepted in one of the best band organizations in the country.  You are about to embark on an adventure that you and your child will remember for the rest of your lives. Whether your child is entering the program as a freshman or an upperclassman, you can benefit from the information on this page.

Below are some steps you can take to maximize the benefits you can get from the band. These include how to stay informed, how to participate, how to make money for your family account, and much more.

Hierarchy of how to get information

Follow these steps to get information pertaining to band and the start of the season. Please do not email the directors until you have followed the steps below. 

1. Always check the band calendar first.
2. See the Parent Handbook.
3. Check your email for any director or booster communication if your question pertains to a certain event. 
4. Talk with your child as many important details are first communicated to them at school.
5. Contact your mentor. If your mentor doesn't know, they will contact the mentor chair for you. (See below)
6. Check the booster contact information for specific contacts and reach out to the chair with questions. (Fundraising, Bazaars, Uniforms, etc.).
7. The Facebook Group is not an official source to find out information or dates. However, committee chairs announce events or fundraisers on Facebook.

Also, this website has lots of information on it. See the "Parents" section above and more! Feel free to use the search box if you can't find something.

Charms is becoming CutTime!

For the past 10 years, Charms has been our online tool designed to improve communication, submit online secure payments, and store records for the program (like Infinite Campus, but for band). Charms is shutting down services this summer and as such, we will be moving to a new provider called CutTime. Once the new service becomes active, you will receive an email with further instructions on how to access your account.

All freshmen accounts are now active. The first time you login you will use the student's SWCSD Student ID number (NO leading zeroes...4-6 digits) and it will then prompt you to change your password.

After your account is active and you have received the notification email: Please login and check that the contact information for you and your child is accurate (especially email and phone!). Please update and add missing information for your children as well as all parents/guardians. Please make sure student information goes in the student fields... use their email, cell phone, etc. 

Important note about CutTime:All Director communication for program wide information will be distributed through CutTime, this includes itineraries. Be sure your account has the correct email addresses for students and guardians so that you receive this vital information. 

Join the Booster E-mail Group **Important!**

This is one of the most important things (apart from Charms). The Booster E-mail Group is how you find out about uniform information, booster events, requests for volunteers, and Fundraisers (Including Invites to the concession stand events). If you are not on the Booster E-mail Group, you will often not have the latest updated information. Here are the instructions for joining the Booster E-mail Group.

Join the Band Boosters Organization

The Booster Membership Application is online. Membership in the band boosters is $5/person/year. The Parents of a child in band would be considered Active Booster Members; relatives such as aunts, uncles, grandparents, or even friends, are Associate members. Associate members are not eligible to vote on Booster matters.  

Access Booster Membership

All parents are strongly encouraged to become a Booster member. This is a great way to your student and make their band experience the best it can be.  For insurance reasons, all who participate in any Booster activities, including chaperoning and all fundraising activities, must be Booster members.

Submit your Booster Application ASAP so you are eligible to start participating:  Online 

Interested in chaperoning?

There is a separate application for chaperoning and we are always looking for great parents to assist in this area. Please see here to fill it out and turn it in to the This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..  Chaperones are managed and selected by the band directors and chaperone coordinator.

Subscribe to the GCHS Band Calendar

Click HERE to access the Google Calendar for confirmation of major events and general booster meetings. This is a calendar that you can subscribe to on your phone or computer. There are instructions on the page for you to do that. This is extremely helpful for keeping up with activities months in advance.

FUNDRAISING

Fundraising is not always easy, but the band provides a variety of ways that you can raise funds for the band and for your own family account. It is no exaggeration that many in the organization pay NOTHING out of pocket because of the opportunities that are provided to the organization (including 2020's $2,500 trip before it had to be cancelled). For fundraisers that are designed for student assistance, you receive 80% of the profits and 20% goes to the general fund.

The Types of Fundraisers

• General Fund - These are most-often restaurant nights but there are some others that only benefit the band organization. These are very important to manage our budget. It takes a lot to put on a program like this and your help in these areas goes a long way.
• Benefiting Family Accounts - These are things like selling flowers, sub sandwiches, pies, etc. 
• Levy Concessions - This is the biggest set of fundraising tasks that we have. By working concessions at events like soccer, baseball, basketball games, and concerts, you can make a great deal towards your family account.  Talk to any upperclassman parent and they will tell you the amount they have raised in their time. It is astonishing.  This is not super easy work (sometimes it is), but it is rewarding in many ways.

Please see our Fundraising page for information on fundraisers. See the Levy Concessions page for very important and useful information on working those events. Lastly, check out and subscribe to the Fundraising Calendar which is just like the Band calendar. You can look ahead at what events are coming up and free up your calendar.

Mentoring Program

Lastly, our mentoring program is great at helping make all this stress of joining such a large organization just that much easier. As a new member of the band (Freshman or upperclassmen) you will be assigned a mentor that you can contact day or night with questions or updates. They will help walk you through what you need to make this first year a smooth one. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. is in charge of the Mentoring program and she will be letting you know who your assigned mentor is later this spring/early summer. 

Reach out to your mentor and ask questions. They may not realize you have questions and they are happy to help you get going. If they can't help you, they will find out someone who can. Also, see the Booster Info page above and you can find who is in charge of what activity. This is very useful and easier than posting questions on Facebook. Some committee members are not on Facebook or don't monitor it.