newsletter
January 8, 2024
Weekly Newsletter - january 8, 2024
Welcome back! Happy New Year! It's January, and we are jumping right back into band... All-State/Jazz All-State is coming up the next couple weeks, and we are right in the middle of Jazz Festival planning.
Take a look at what I have for you as we get back into the swing of things...
What's in this newsletter?
Here's what I have for you all this week:
Jazz Festival Sponsorships - We only have TWO sponsors! We need more help with sponsorships...
Yearbook Update - update on the band yearbook, including information on Senior pages for the yearbook
Charms Retirement - We'll be switching to CutTime very soon - get your Contact Information Form in if you haven't already done so. Welcome text messages coming soon.
Student Accounts - Stay on top of those band payments - especially if you are going on spring trip
Volunteer Opportunities - No current signups available - Jazz Festival signups coming soon...
And a word from Mr. Sayre - as always, make sure you read through this section.
This week in band...
Wednesday 1/10
5:30 PM - 6:30 PM - Color Guard Sectional
Thursday 1/11
4:30 PM - 6:00 PM - Percussion Sectional
Now on to the details...
Jazz Festival Sponsorships
Jazz Festival is an annual event hosted by Eldorado High School and UNM, and involves dozens of jazz bands from all over the city and state. As such, it takes a ton of planning, volunteers, and financial resources to pull it off. One of the main ways we raise money for this event is through sponsorships. Note that this is different than our full-seasons sponsors that we get over the summer - this is sponsorship of this specific event.
So far, we only have 2 sponsors, so we have some work to do...
All the details, including a sponsorship letter that can be provided to potential businesses and a form they can use to be a sponsor, are available below (and always on the Jazz Festival site):
2024 Jazz Festival Sponsorship Letter
2024 Jazz Festival Sponsorship Form
Please go to your dentists, orthodontists, auto shops, favorite restaurants, family and friend owned businesses, etc. and ask them if they would be willing to sponsor this event. With students and family members from 40+ schools attending over 3 days, its a ton of great exposure. Provide them the letter and form, which gives them all the information they need to support this great community event.
The deadline to sponsor this event is Jan 26, 2024.
Don't have a business, but still want to donate? You can provide a general donation via the same form.
If you have any questions, you can ask our Jazz Festival chairs, Beth and Liz, at jazzfestival@eldorado.band. THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT!
Yearbook Update
Seniors and senior parents, you should have received an email with information about senior pages in the band yearbook. If you did not receive this information, please reach out to Beth Whiston at yearbooks@eldorado.band .
AND don't forget to order your 2023-2024 Band Yearbook! It will be 90 full color pages filled with all things BAND. To order, visit treering.com and enter passcode 1016667234694117.
Charms Retirement
Our Charms switch-over to CutTime is coming very soon. I still have not heard from a good number of families validating your contact information... If your family has not yet, please fill out the Contact Information Form as soon as possible to ensure that your contact information is correct and you wont have any delays in communication from us over the next couple weeks.
Very soon I will be sending out welcome text messages from CutTime. Before I do so, I will be sending an email with instructions on what to expect once that happens.
Note - this change will not affect fees this school year. You will continue to pay your fees in the band store for the rest of this school year.
For more details on this change, and to keep on top of everything related to this migration, see the Charms Retirement page.
Student Accounts
We are only 2 MONTHS away from the 3/6/24 deadline to have ALL fees paid. Please make sure you are staying on top of your student accounts.
A couple of reminders regarding accounts and fees:
The majority of the performance fees we charge are expensed during marching season, so the booster program fronts those costs but allows you to pay them over time as a convenience.
If you are attending spring trip, ALL fees - spring trip fees, performance fees, direct charges (uniforms, all-state fees, etc.) - must be paid by March 6, 2024 to remain eligible.
Any unpaid balances at the end of the school year do rollover to the next year.
Volunteer Opportunities
No current volunteer opportunities available. Lots of opportunities to help with Jazz Festival coming soon...
Have a great week!
Go Eagles!
JD
AND a word from Mr. Sayre...
Happy New Year!
I hope you had a restful break! I certainly did and it was nice to unplug for a few days over the break and get back to some basics. This next semester represents a profound opportunity for our band! If you haven't looked over the calendar for this semester yet be sure to hop on over and look at our performance and rehearsal schedule at www.eldorado.band. This week we have Concert Allstate at UNM and the following week we have Jazz Allstate in Las Cruces. Here is the itinerary for Jazz Allstate (next week)
Lots of activities are coming up and once we get through Allstate season the rest of the semester will pass a lot quicker than you might realize.
The Wind Ensemble has been offered an opportunity to perform on Popejoy Stage on March 6th before the UNM Wind Symphony. It is my hope to get a stellar recording of some music literature that highlights the best qualities of not just the Wind Ensemble but also the Eldorado Band Program. We're excited to get to work for these performances!
The Plan for this week is to have Zero Hour on Wednesday but not on Thursday or Friday. All other classes will meet normally.
GO EAGLES!
Mr. Sayre