Competition Bus Chaperone/Room Parent Guidelines.

​Background Check - If you plan to be involved with helping NPHS Choirs and interact with our students in any way, such as competition chaperones, or parent crew, you much complete a CSCSHC background check.  The link to the website can be found by clicking   here.  Any parent not completing a background check will not be allowed to accompany our students, due to safety concerns.  In some instances it is found that the name is flagged, requiring further information.  We discussed this at the August Choir Booster Meeting.  The NPHS secretary will Email you if further background information is needed and there will be a fee of $12.95 that will need to be paid for processing. The   CSCHC Background Check link    indicates this information in the text at the top.
The Bus Chaperone/Room Parent role is one area where parents can assist either Crimson Heat or Diamond Sensations.  This role is assigned to one parent per show choir and is a very important function for the choirs as well as the booster board.  It is important that any parent chaperone read and agree to the information listed below.  Please be aware the Choir Director and several NPHS Choir Booster Board members will be on-site the entire day for all competitions, you will have other adults you can turn to for questions or concerns.  Responsibilities of a show choir chaperone for NPHS Choirs involves the following:
  1. You must arrive at the school on the morning of a competition and check-in prior to departure.  You will be with your student and their choir the entire day, and you will be responsible in this role from the moment we leave the school until we return to the school at the end of the day.
  2. You must be able and willing to ride the school bus to and from all competition sites.  It is important that we have at least one adult on each of the two buses, so the bus driver has an adult point-of-contact.  We request that you reach out to the specific bus driver on the morning of the competition, prior to departure and make sure they know you are the chaperone.  Each driver has their own specific bus rules, so speaking with the driver briefly will ensure that you are aware of their rules, and they know who to contact if there are any concerns.  Some of our competition band members are also adults and may be on the bus as well.
  3. You will be in-charge of your specific show choir and you will be their on-site “parent for the day”.  While you will have at least one student that is your child, you will need to assume the role parent for 30+ students.  If students need to get into the room for a lost/misplaced item (money, phone, etc.), they will need your help with this request. However, you should not be chasing after them all day.   If a choir member isn’t feeling well and needs to lie down, you will take them to the choir home room to be with them. 
  4. You need to help ensure the host school choir homeroom is not damaged in any way.  While we are on-site at a competition, we are responsible for the room in which we are assigned.  The host school will request that when we leave, the room is left in exactly the same condition in which it was when we arrived.  If there are concerns about the homeroom, we will turn to the chaperone for questions.  We recommend   the chaperone take a snapshot of the look of the room when we arrive and record another snapshot of the room when we depart.  The school hosting the competition will have a “student host” for the day assigned to each choir.  You need to make them aware of your role as chaperone and to determine contact information if you need to get into the room while they are not with you.  Most competition sites will lock the choir homerooms while the choirs are not present for reasons of security and safety for the students.  Choirs will primarily only need to be in the rooms prior to and just after their performance time.  Also, due to the number of choir members, plus the fact that Crimson Heat male and female members won’t dress in the same room, we may need access to both choir rooms to properly prepare both choirs at both performance times.
  5. You will need to plan to attend as many other choir performances as you can at the competition site. You need to also make sure the members of the choir in which you chaperone are also attending these performances.  Choir students should not spend their entire day in the cafeteria, in the hallways or in the competition homeroom.   The Choir Director will also emphasize this, but his day is split between a focus on Diamond Sensations and their performance, and Crimson Heat and their performance.  While he is not present, we need the chaperone to set the example and watch other performances, plus make sure choir members are also watching other choirs.  Observing other performances is a good way for students to see areas they may need to improve.
  6. You must help enforce the “no food” rule in the competition home room.  There is no food or drink allowed in the choir competition home room.  Please help enforce this rule.  Many schools will note that no food is allowed inside the competition home room.  This may be food purchased at the competition site or food brought-in from the bus.  The choir can be penalized in points if any member is caught by a host school official with food out and being eaten in the room.  This includes beverages.  If you see food in the room, please hide and/or dispose of it as quickly and discreetly as possible.  Students will have already been told this prior to the competition but they may need a reminder.

If you have any questions or concern regarding this information, please contact the Choir Director, an NPHS Choir Booster board member or send an Email to newpalchoirs@yahoo.com
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Thank you,  NPHS Choir Boosters