newsletter
august 12, 2023
Weekly Newsletter - August 12, 2023
Our first football game is this week! I am very much looking forward to seeing the kids' first performance of the year on Friday.
The beginning of the band season is a busy time, and once again, I have a lot to cover this week. Please take the time to read through everything. Lets get to it...
What's in this newsletter?
Here's what I have for you all this week:
Il Vicino Restaurant Night - it's a little late notice, but we've teamed up with Il Vicino for a restaurant night on Monday, 8/14
Band Fees Available - you should have received an email this past week, but band fees are up on the band store
Car Wash - the car wash is this coming Saturday - some details for everyone involved
Flea Market Update - flea market is coming on August 26th - we still have a few outstanding things and information for you
Spring Trip Commitment - if you are planning to, or interested in, attending the spring trip, some information for you
Volunteer Opportunities - links for open volunteer opportunities
Corporate Sponsorships/Golden Boosters - we are still taking corporate sponsorships through August and you can become a Golden Booster any time
And a word from Mr. Sayre - as always, make sure to read through this - notes and plan for the upcoming week and some member/section recognitions
This week in band...
Monday 8/14
4:00 PM - 4:45 PM - Woodwind/Brass Sectionals
11:00 AM - 9:00 PM - Il Vicino Restaurant Night
Tuesday 8/15
4:10 PM - 6:00 PM - Afternoon Rehearsal
Wednesday 8/16
5:30 PM - 6:30 PM PM - Color Guard Sectional
Friday 8/18
Football Game - Cibola (Away) - Community Stadium - Call Time: Immediately After school. Dinner will be served (make sure the food/fun team have your dietary restrictions)
Saturday 8/19
9:00 AM - 2:00 PM - Car Wash Fundraiser
Morning Shift Call Time - 8:45 AM
Afternoon Shift Call Time - 11:15 AM
Now on to the details...
Il Vicino Restaurant Night
Our first restaurant night of the season is this coming Monday, August 14th at Il Vicino (Heights location). It runs all day, and a portion of their sales goes to the band program. All the details, include the flyer download, are available on the Restaurant Nights page. Grab the flyer and some delicious lunch or dinner - and raise money for the band!
Band Fees Available
I sent out an email this past week letting you know that the band fees are available in the Band Store. You will need to create an account in the store and link your student to the account. All the instructions for paying fees in the Band Store are available on the Fee Management page, so please be sure to read them carefully. Couple of notes to clear up any confusion with this change from past seasons:
Fees are no longer paid in Charms - the Band Store now facilitates this function.
Your student's Charms ID is needed to link your student to your Band Store account. If you do not know it, you can look it up in Charms.
The fees listed are not all the fees that will be assessed this year. Currently available are uniform charges and the spring trip commitment fee. Performance fees will be assessed once they are finalized toward the end of August (get those corporate sponsorships in - *wink* *wink*)
If you have any issues getting setup, please let me know.
Car Wash
Our annual car wash is this coming Saturday, August 19th. Call time for morning shift is 8:45 AM. Call time for afternoon shift is 11:15 AM. The directors have assigned the students their shifts and they need to be there ready to wash cars and play pep tunes at these times. (Extra credit will be offered for students that do both shifts)
NOTE: Students need to bring a water bottle, as we will not have enough bottled water for everyone.
There are still some slots available for helping out, so if you can give some time, please consider grabbing one from the signup link below.
Car Wash Signup Link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f0d48adaa2da1fb6-carwash1#/
Flea Market Update
The Flea Market is coming up soon on August 26th. Again, this even takes a number of parent volunteers to be successful. We have a number of you signed up, but still need quite a bit more. There are still plenty opportunities for helping to setup and run it, cleanup, and to lend tarps/tents. Please consider grabbing a slot from our signup link below.
Flea Market Signup Link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f0d48adaa2da1fb6-flea1#/
Additionally, we have secured some space in the choir storage room to hold some donations. If you want to send your donations with your student, they can leave them in that storage room up until the event.
Remember - no mattresses, large appliances, or tube TVs will be accepted. See the Flea Market page for details.
Spring Trip Commitment
Now that the spring trip commitment fee is available in the band store, I want to make sure you have all the information on getting your commitment locked in. Again, the details:
When: April 17-21, 2023
Where: San Diego, CA
Cost: $950, with $150 commitment fee due by 9/15/2023 (commitment fee is part of the total balance) - this cost is worst case, and as you heard at the parent trip, our spring trip coordinator, JP, is working diligently to bring down the total cost of the trip. Once things get firmed up over the next few months, this number may go down. No promises, but we will try very hard. If the costs do go down, and you have already paid the balance, we will refund the difference.
If you are going to commit, I need 2 things for each student going:
1. Pay the commitment fee in the Band Store fee management - after paying this fee, I will add your student to a list of committed students, after which the remaining trip balance will become available in the band store.
2. Fill out the Spring Trip 2024 Commitment Form - this is a way for us to reinforce the requirements around spring trip commitment and ensure parental understanding
If you have any questions, please let me know
Volunteer Opportunities
Here is a list of all active volunteer opportunities. These are also always available on the Volunteering page.
Car Wash Signup Link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f0d48adaa2da1fb6-carwash1#/
Flea Market Signup Link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f0d48adaa2da1fb6-flea1#/
March-A-Thon Signup Link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f0d48adaa2da1fb6-marchathon1#/
Football Game Chaperone Signup Link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f0d48adaa2da1fb6-football#/
Corporate Sponsorships/Golden Boosters
Remember - the more corporate sponsorships we get, the lower the band fees will be for the year. On the link below is a letter you can print or send to any businesses you own, relative's businesses, businesses you frequent, etc. We will be taking these through August, after which I will be finalizing the fee schedule for the year.
Students - you can get involved as well. The section that raises the most ($ / student) will win a prize. Here are the current standings:
1st - Baritones
2nd - Trumpets
3rd - Saxophones
Corporate Sponsorships: https://www.eldorado.band/fundraising/sponsorships
Additionally, as we talked about during the parent meeting, becoming a Golden Booster is a way for you to directly support your band program. Thanks so much to those of you who have donated so far, but we are lagging in our goal for Golden Boosters. Please consider supporting the program through this campaign. See the Golden Boosters page for all the details.
Have a great week!
Go Eagles!
JD
AND a word from Mr. Sayre...
Greeting EHS Band!
Congratulations on a great first week of school. We achieved a lot this week and we will be moving on to learn the 2nd movement next week.
Speaking of next week. We have two big events:
Our first football game performance. We will meet at the band room directly after school. Food will be provided, students will get in uniform (band shirt, jeans, marching shoes), and hop on the bus to community stadium. Once there we will get into warm-up arcs and prepare for our pre-game performance. We will perform before the game since EHS is the visiting team. We will figure out the field entrance and exit during rehearsal next week. Our goal is to perform the 1st and 2nd movements (march as much of the 2nd as possible and play to the end of the movement).
The car wash fundraiser on Saturday. The band will be playing our pep tunes and trading off playing and washing throughout the day.
Download the plan for the week for Marching, Jazz, and Concert Bands. 1st period Concert band will need their Foundations for Superior Performance (blue book).
Congrats to these members and sections that were recognized for their contributions this week:
Most Improved
Ella Moss: Freshman clarinet player
For working with a positive attitude and demonstrating perseverance to get caught up with what was missed during band camp. Way to go Ella! You learned a LOT in a week and a half!
Best Silly Dance
Joshua Westphal: Senior Trombone Player
Because Joshua has some good dance moves.
Most Improved Section
Clarinets!
You have a lot of members that are getting caught up on some really important marching band skills.
Outstanding Section
The Battery!
For being prepared, professional, positive, and going above and beyond to make the band better. Thank you for being the first section to be ready to play your part AND march new sets. Congrats!
Most Spirited Member
Matthew Felock: Sophomore baritone player
For setting a positive example and leading the band from the best position he can.
Exemplary Member
Raven Smith: Senior saxophone player
She is always prepared, positive, communicative, early, friendly, musical, helpful, and most of all a nice person. Thank you for setting a great example!
Have a great week and Go Eagles!
Mr. Sayre