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Weekly Newsletter - July 19, 2026

Sent 7/19/2026, 4:00 PM.

Half-way there. Band camp is moving along great. It was great seeing everyone at the family picnic this past week! We still have our second week, which is full of uniform fittings, shoe sizing, and our parent meeting.

If you are looking to volunteer this year, I encourage you to get a jump on the background clearance process so you can hit the ground running once the season gets going. Instructions and the process are outlined on our How To Volunteer page.

Also, our summer fundraising campaigns are live. We've already raised $15,000+! But we still have a ways to go to hit our target. These are VERY important for our operating budget, and directly affect the shared costs that band families are asked to pay over the course of the year. We need everyone's help to make it happen - see the details below.

Let's dive right in.

What's in this newsletter?

Here's what I have for you all this week:

Summer Fundraising Campaign - we will kick off our summer donation campaign this Saturday with our call-a-thon
Physicals - remember to bring your students' physical paperwork to Mr. Sayre when you report to band camp
Band Camp - two weeks of intensive rehearsing, all you need to know. Remember the family picnic Thursday evening!
Volunteer Opportunities - Uniform fitting will be happening next week and we need your help! An existing, valid background clearance is required.
And a word from Mr. Sayre - always make time to read through this section

This week in band...

Monday 7/20

7:00 AM - 3:30 PM - Band Camp - All Members (Uniform Fitting for Juniors)

Tuesday 7/21

7:00 AM - 3:30 PM - Band Camp - All Members (Uniform Fitting for Sophomores)

Wednesday 7/22

7:00 AM - 3:30 PM - Band Camp - All Members (Shoe Sizing Day)

Thursday 7/23

7:00 AM - 3:30 PM - Band Camp - All Members (Uniform Fitting for Freshmen)

Friday 7/24

7:00 AM - 3:30 PM - Band Camp - All Members (Uniform Fitting for Freshmen, and anyone else not yet fitted)

Saturday 7/25

9:00 AM - Students report to marching field, parents meet in PAC for program meeting.
10:00 ish - Showcase on the marching field

Now on to the details...

Summer Fundraising Campaign

Our summer fundraising campaigns are extremely important to our operating budget. They raise the overwhelming majority of the funds that we raise for the year, and help pay for the most expensive part of our year, which is the marching season. They also directly affect the amount of shared costs that we ask families to pay over the year. Essentially, the more we are able to raise during these campaigns, the less we ask families to pay into the operating costs throughout the year.

We have raised just over $15,000 in just a few days, but we need approximately another $20,000 in Golden Booster donations, and are looking for about $10,000 in business sponsorships. How can you help us get there? Here's how.

Get the word out. Family, friends, colleagues... With a band of our size, if each student is able to gather just $200 in donations, that would total $40,000. If you have family or friends who own local businesses, ask if they would be willing to sponsor the band for this season - we even have a ready-made letter you bring or send to them.

Here are all the details:

Golden Boosters - all the details, including the link to donate, is located on our Golden Boosters page.

Business Sponsorships - if you are looking to sponsor, or know a business that may be interested in sponsoring the band this year, all the details are on the Sponsorships page. There is also a link to a letter from the boosters you can take or send to businesses that may be interested explaining how sponsorships work that is available on that page (I've also linked it here for your convenience)
Business Sponsorship Letter

Sponsorships must be submitted by August 15th. Additionally, August 15th is when we will be setting the shared costs for families, so any Golden Booster donations need to be made by that date in order for them to count toward that process.

Physicals

Make sure you get your physicals turned in to Mr. Sayre as soon as you are able.

NOTE: Do NOT send the packet to the boosters. This packet needs to be turned in to the Director.

Here is the link to the form: https://www.nmact.org/file/Physical_Form.pdf

If you have any questions, please reach out to Mr. Sayre at jordan.sayre@aps.edu.

Band Camp

Second week of camp is this week. Some reminders:

1. Make sure the students are wearing cool, light-colored clothing and athletic/tennis shoes (no sandals, boots, crocs, flip-flops). Bring LOTS of water (i.e., the largest water bottle you have) and sunscreen/hats. And of course, all the supplies they need to play and maintain their instrument.
2. During your uniform fitting day - bring a sack lunch as there wont likely be time to get food off-site.

DON'T FORGET! There will be a very important parent meeting at the end of band camp. While the students are rehearsing that morning, the boosters and parents will be meeting in the Eldorado PAC at 9 AM and will be going over EVERYTHING you need to know as a parent (not just new parents, but returning parents as well), including finances/fees, schedules, rules, chaperoning/volunteering, uniform care - literally everything. After we get done, we will go up to the practice field and watch the students perform what they learned over those weeks. Mark your calendars!!

Volunteer Opportunities

Here is a list of all our current volunteer opportunities. You can also see these anytime on the Volunteering page of the website.

Also, if your background clearance is expiring, or you are new to volunteering and want to get involved and need a new clearance, the process is easy. You can get started from our How To Volunteer page. Just follow the instructions there. The cost is $59 (which is reimbursable from the boosters, if needed) and only takes a few days to complete.

There are still a few slots available for volunteers to help with uniform distribution during band camp this week. A current, valid background clearance is required to volunteer.

Uniform Distribution Volunteer: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0D48ADAA2DA1FB6-64740310-marching#/

Go Eagles!

a word from Mr. Sayre...

Welcome!

Welcome to the second week of Band Camp 2026!

What a great start we had last week. It has been exciting to see our returning members welcoming new students and everyone working together toward our first performance of the season. Thank you to all of our students, families, and volunteers for helping make the first week a success.

This week we continue building the foundation for an outstanding season as we prepare for our demonstration performance on Saturday and begin bringing this year's production to life.

This Week

Band Camp continues Monday through Friday from 7:00 AM–3:30 PM.

All wind players, battery percussion, and color guard should report to the marching field by 7:00 AM each morning. Please arrive early enough to be completely ready to begin rehearsal at 7:00 AM.

Pit Percussion will report to the Performing Arts Center (PAC) each morning.

Please remember to bring:

Athletic shoes
Water jug (at least ½ gallon)
Sunscreen
Hat and sunglasses (recommended)
Instrument and all required equipment
Pencil
Lunch
Any music or drill materials distributed during camp

This Week at a Glance

Monday–Friday

Band Camp
7:00 AM–3:30 PM

Saturday, July 25

9:00 AM: Band members report to the marching field.
9:00 AM: Parents and guardians meet in the PAC for our Band Program Meeting.
Approximately 10:00 AM: Families will move to the marching field for a performance and educational demonstration showcasing what students have learned during the first two weeks of camp.

We will announce the performance uniform later this week once we have a better idea of Saturday's weather.

We are looking forward to another great week and can't wait to share our progress with everyone on Saturday!

Go Eagles!

Mr. Sayre

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