
Wombat Day, August 25!!!
It’s hard to believe but summer has flown by and the beginning of the school year is just a couple of weeks away. That means it’s time to prepare for the orchestra’s annual team building day – WOMBAT!! For those of you new to the orchestra, Wombat is an annual event the orchestra holds at the beginning of the school year to allow everyone to get to know our new members and re-connect with old friends in a casual, outdoor setting. Wombat got its name years ago — long before any of the current seniors attended DSA — from a prior conductor who loved wombats. The name has stuck all of these years later.
Here are the Wombat details:
When? Saturday, August 25, noon-8pm
Where? Chatfield State Park, Marina Point Picnic Area
What? Wombat Day!! Food, games, paddle boarding, and fresh air
Who? ALL DSA students and as many parent helpers & chaperones as are willing and able to attend
Cost? $25/student, payable by cash or check to DPS
A few important additional points to keep in mind:
Chatfield State Park lies southwest of Denver, off E-470. Here is a map to help you get to the park: http://cpw.state.co.us/placestogo/parks/Chatfield/Documents/Chatfield-Direction-Map.pdf. Once you are inside the park, follow this map to Marina Point Picnic Area: http://cpw.state.co.us/placestogo/parks/Chatfield/Documents/ChatfieldAreaMap.pdf It’s a bit hard to read, but Marina Point is the picnic area near the tip of the peninsula that juts into the lake.
Because this is a Colorado State Park, there is a fee of $8 per car per day to enter the park. We recognize that not all families can afford to pay the entrance fee while others may not have the time to drive all the way down there to get their kiddos to the park. Therefore, as in years past, carpools will be leaving DSA promptly at 11 a.m. to take kids in need of rides to Chatfield, returning to DSA between 8:30 and 9pm. (Please note, return time to DSA is approximate, so check with your child or the driver for a more accurate arrival time.) If you are able to be a carpool driver, please click here to sign up: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c054ba9a92aa5f94-august5. If you are in need of a ride, simply sign up on the sheet in the orchestra room during that first week of school. All parents of students catching a ride to Chatfield will need to fill out, sign, and submit a permission slip or your student will not be able to ride with another parent. Alternatively, if you can get your child to and/or from Chatfield, but don’t want to drive to the picnic area or pay the entrance fee, we will have shuttle drivers at the Plum Creek (south) entrance on Roxborough Park Rd., which is the entrance closest to the Marina Point Picnic. Shuttle drivers will be stationed at the entrance from 11:45 to 12:15 to take kids to the picnic area; pick up at the entrance will be between 8 and 8:30pm. All children must be met and picked up by 8:30. And, of course, bringing your kiddo and donations all the way to the picnic area is always an option.
This year, we will be providing an afternoon snack and grilled burgers, hot dogs, and veggie options for dinner. If you are able to contribute food or other supplies to feed the hungry teens, please sign up here:
Wombat Day Food: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c054ba9a92aa5f94-august4
Wombat Day Equipment: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c054ba9a92aa5f94-august6
Please note that this year we’re asking students to either bring a lunch with them to eat at the park, or eat lunch before they arrive at the park. We will not be preparing lunch at the park for the kids because of the later start time.
We also need parent volunteers to chaperone our students at the park, prepare and lay out snacks and dinner, and supervise the activities. If you are available and willing to cover a shift or two during the day, please sign up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c054ba9a92aa5f94-august5
The seniors and juniors are in the process of organizing lots of fun activities, team-building games, and get-to-know-you interactions. There will also be paddle-boarding and/or kayaking on Chatfield Lake, a beach where you can hang out with your friends, and team skits presented at the end of the day by each team for everyone’s enjoyment.
The cost for the park reservation fee and all of these activities is $25/student, payable to DSP by check or cash. We’ll be collecting the fee at the back-to-school picnic on August 19, and also have waiver forms available for the paddle boarding. Please click here for the paddle-boarding waiver form.
Terrie Tyree will be also be collecting money and forms in the forms box in the orchestra room the first week of school.
To make this day as fun for everyone as possible, please consider leaving your pet at home. Parents, if you’d like to let your dog scamper around the park, please plan on staying at the park with your dog. Chaperones are not responsible for caring for your pet and your student will be too busy with activities to keep an eye on Fido. Thank you.
Wombat will be tons of fun and we’re looking forward to seeing as many orchestra members as possible at the park on August 25!!
Dr. Lasansky
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