newsletter
August 4, 2024

Weekly Newsletter - AUGUST 4, 2024

Sent 8/4/2024, 6:33 PM.

School starts this week.  And along with that, our band season begins to ramp up.  I have a number of things for you this week, so please read through everything.

Good luck to all the students as you get settled into a new year and new schedule.

What's in this newsletter?

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

• Parent Handbook Acknowledgement - please take this week off to read through the handbook and sign your acknowledgement in Cut Time

• Activity Fee - Please pay your $80 activity fee ASAP in our band store

• Spring Trip Commitment - Spring trip commitment is open.  You need to register and pay the $250 non-refundable commitment fee by 9/15

• Car Wash Update - The Fall car wash date has moved.

• Mattress Sale - The mattress sale is a month out - get the word out today!

• Slice Parlor Restaurant Night - Our first restaurant night of the season will be Slice Parlor, scheduled for after our March-A-Thon on August 24th.

• Fundraising Update - we have done great!  Keep those donations and sponsorships coming in until 8/15 - after which I will be setting our performance fees for the year

• Volunteer Opportunities - nothing this week

• And a word from Mr. Sayre - always make time to read through this section

This week in band...

Tuesday 8/6

• SOAR Day - 7:40 AM Report Time

Wednesday 8/7

• First Day Of Classes - Zero Hour is 7:40 AM, in your spot, ready to go

Now on to the details...

Parent Handbook Acknowledgement

You should have already received a message via Cut Time that there is a document you need to sign.  The document contains some highlights and links to various pages on our website and handbook and guides you through the content.  Please take some time to read through everything that document asks of you before you sign your acknowledgement.  Note that there are a couple of elements in the handbook that are yet to be determined, like the fee schedule for the year (waiting on the fundraising campaign to complete), but at least you will know where to find it when it is finalized.

If you have not yet done so, please read and sign that document in Cut Time as soon as possible.  We need at least one parent or guardian of each student to sign this acknowledgement.

Activity Fee

The band Activity Fee funds the Activity Fund with APS for our band director.  This fund is REQUIRED and pays for various class-related expenses, including buses, music, and other class-related fees.  The activity fee is like a "lab fee", but for band.  The fee this year is $80 and can be paid online using the link below.  If you have already paid, thank you - if not, please pay this fee ASAP.

• https://eldorado-band-course-fee.cheddarup.com

Spring Trip Commitment

Spring trip commitment season is officially open.  If you plan to attend spring trip, please pay the $250 non-refundable commitment fee at the link below by 9/15.

Some things to remember regarding spring trip...

• We are going to Washington, D.C. on April 15-19.  The total cost is $1200.

• ALL fees, including direct charges, performance fees, and spring trip costs must be paid by 3/6/2025.

• The $250 commitment fee goes toward the $1200.  Once you have committed to going on the trip, the remaining balance will be added to your student's account in Cut Time.

Spring Trip Commitment Link: https://ehsband-spring-trip-registration.cheddarup.com 

All the details are on the Spring Trip 2025 page.  If you have any specific spring trip questions, you can contact our trip coordinator JP at springtrip@eldorado.band.

Car Wash Update

We have finalized the fall car wash date.  We had tentatively had it scheduled for August 17th, but there was a conflict at the Firestone location.  The new date is August 31st.  The calendar has been updated to reflect this change.  See the Car Wash page for details.

Mattress Sale

If you were at the parent meeting last weekend, you'll remember we heard from Cliff who runs our annual Mattress Sale.  At this point, we are about a month out.  Remember, there is NOTHING to buy for this fundraiser - all we need is for you to spread the word to your family and friends.  Hand out the flyers that were provided at the parent meeting, share the Facebook event, and tell your family, friends, co-workers and neighbors.  Statistically, about 1 in 10 families need a new mattress.  If everyone in the band spreads the word to 10 families, that's about 150 sales!

See the Mattress Sale page for all the details, the flyer, and the Facebook event link.

Slice Parlor Restaurant Night

We have scheduled our first restaurant night for August 24th, scheduled for after our March-A-Thon.  See the Restaurant Nights page for all the details and the flyer.

Fundraising Update

Thanks again to all who have donated to our fundraising campaigns.  Keep those donations and sponsorships coming in.  We are REALLY close to hitting our $30,000 goal for the Golden Booster and $15,000 in Corporate Sponsorships by 8/15!.  Remember, the more we raise during this campaign, the lower your band fees will be for the year (and remember - we have a fall trip this year!).  I will be settings the fee schedule based on the total amount raised as of 8/15.  Here are the most current fundraising numbers:

• Golden Boosters: $29,283.69 out of $30,000

• Corporate Sponsorships: $12,650.00 out of $15,000

Here are the fundraising links in case you need them:

• Fundraising page: https://www.eldorado.band/fundraising

• Golden Booster Campaign: https://golden-booster-campaign.cheddarup.com/

• Corporate Sponsorship Campaign: https://golden-eagle-sponsorships.cheddarup.com/

Volunteer Opportunities

There are currently no active signups.  You can also always see any open volunteering opportunities on the Volunteering page.

Have a great first week of school!

Go Eagles!

JD

Now, a word from Mr. Sayre...

Hello Eagle Band Community!

Congrats again on a spectacular band camp.  Together we were able to lay a strong foundation for the upcoming school year and the work you have done will pay dividends many times over as the band goes through the school year.  Here are a few items to help you prepare for the week and our performance on Tuesday:

SOAR DAY is on Tuesday August 6th! We will meet in the band room at 7:40AM (like it’s a normal school day), warm-up, play through a few pep tunes, run the National Anthem, then head over for SOARD Day.  A few things to know:

• Wear your NEW band shirt.  Your uniform is the band shirt and nothing should cover the new band shirt - meaning the band shirt needs to be your outermost layer of clothing. I have the extra band shirts for the people that did not get theirs at band camp.  

• Freshman will perform with us.  When we complete the band portion of the event freshman will go to their respective groups after they put their instruments away.  

• All band members will perform.  Like all performances, wind, percussion, and color guard will perform.  

FIRST DAY OF CLASSES is on Wednesday August 7th.  We WILL have Zero Hour like it is a regular school day.  7:40 AM is when you need to be in your spot and ready-to-go.  We will start in the band room and go over the handbook where students will acknowledge band policies and procedures.  You will need a device for this.  Students also need to make sure they are a member of the Golden Eagle Marching Band Google Classroom.  Students can join with this LINK using their APS email address.  

Please continue to report absences using the ABSENCE REQUEST and DOCUMENTATION form.  

CLASS LISTS are still being finalized so if you are able to view your schedule it may still have mistakes on it.  Double check that you are registered for the correct jazz band.  If you are not in a jazz band and would like to be in Jazz Band, I can register you for Jazz 3.  Let me know if you would like to be enrolled in Jazz Band!

We are looking forward to seeing you on Tuesday morning at 7:40 AM!!!

Go Eagles!

Mr. Sayre