newsletter
SEPTEMBER 8, 2024

Weekly Newsletter - SEPTEMBER 8, 2024

Sent 9/8/2024, 11:00 AM.

I hope most of you got to see the band's first performance this weekend at the football game.  They looked and sounded great!  Thanks everyone for staying out of the circle drive and picking up your students promptly - it is very much appreciated.  Also thanks to all the parent volunteers - chaperones, hydration, spirit wear, etc  - we can't do this without YOU!

This is the last week to get your Spring Trip Commitments in - registration and commitment fees need to be in by the end of the day next Sunday.

This week is our first booster parent meeting - this is a chance for you as parents to come and meet with the directors and booster board to hear updates, as well as ask your questions.  We'll meet in the EHS band room at 6:30 PM.  Hope you all can make it!

IMPORTANT NOTE: a water bottle is REQUIRED for Tuesday afternoon rehearsals.  Those evenings are still warm, and it is important for your health and safety that you have plenty of water available to stay hydrated.  As always, we have extra water to provide at these rehearsals, but it is not feasible for our parent volunteer to provide enough water for 150 students.  So please bring those bottles and remember to fill them in the PAC before rehearsal.

Now, let's dig in to everything else I have for you this week.

What's in this newsletter?

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

• Spring Trip Commitment - Spring trip commitment is only open for 1 MORE WEEK!  You need to register and pay the $250 non-refundable commitment fee by 9/15 - NEXT SUNDAY!  You are NOT going to want to miss this trip!

• Uniforms - there are still a few uniforms that need to be picked up in the band room.  Please pick them up ASAP.

• Yearbooks - keep those pics coming in - the more pictures we get, the richer our band yearbook becomes

• Student Accounts - make sure you are paying those balances down - remember, they dont have to be paid all at once, you can make installment payments over the next few months

• Volunteer Opportunities - plenty of volunteer opportunities are open right now, including football game chaperones - take a look and consider grabbing a slot

• And a word from Mr. Sayre - make sure to read through this - some important information on assignments

This week in band...

Sunday 9/8

• 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM - Mattress Sale at Eldorado Cafeteria - see the Mattress Sale page for the details.  Get the word out!

Monday 9/9

• 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM - Woodwind/Brass Sectionals

Tuesday 9/10

• 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM - Tuesday Rehearsal

Wednesday 9/11

• 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM - Color Guard Sectional

• 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM - Monthly Booster Parent Meeting, EHS Band Room

Thursday 9/12

• Football Game vs. Los Lunas @ Wilson Stadium - 4:30 PM Report Time - same uniform as last week, and make sure you bring food if there is not time to go home and eat

Now on to the details...

Spring Trip Commitment

Spring trip commitment season is only open for 1 more week.  If you plan to attend spring trip, please pay the $250 non-refundable commitment fee at the link below by 9/15 - NEXT SUNDAY!

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.  If you are having issues with the payment system, please contact president@eldorado.band.

Uniforms

There are still a few uniforms that are ready to be picked up in the band room. These were uniforms that needed alterations. If you do not yet have a uniform bag with bibs in your possession, please check the rack in the band room to see if one of those uniforms are yours.  Please check on this ASAP.

Yearbooks

Please continue to send in your event pictures to our yearbook chair, Mrs. Whiston.  She is able to take a good amount of pictures, but she can't be everywhere all the time.  So please remember to send in your pictures from our events.  You can email your pictures to yearbooks@eldorado.band.

Student Accounts

Student accounts have been assigned appropriate fees in Cut Time.  Uniform direct charges, student performance fees, and spring trip balances (if applicable) are all live and assigned in the accounts.  You may begin paying down your student account balances.

These may not be the only fees assigned during the year - Jazz uniforms are forthcoming and any replacement/penalty fees may yet be assigned, if applicable.  The account balance is always available in Cut Time.

Don't forget, Cut Time provides the opportunity to "Share" the costs of these fees, if desired, with family or friends who might be willing to help out.  Use the share costs capability in Cut Time to take advantage of this capability.

Cut Time automatically charges card processing fees.  We do not have the capability to turn this off.  While we prefer payment in Cut Time, as it simplifies the process and ensures the correct amount is assigned to the correct account, we understand that you may opt to pay by check to avoid those processing fees (NO CASH PAYMENTS PLEASE).  Know that if you choose to do this, it may take 1-2 weeks for those payments to be received and credited to your accounts.  Should you decide to do so, please make sure you make the check out to Eldorado Band Boosters, you denote somewhere the student name and that it is for their student account, and either drop it in the gray safe next to Mr. Sayre's office, or mail to us at:

Eldorado Band Boosters
PO Box 14424
Albuquerque, NM 87191-4424

If you have any questions regarding fees assigned, or if you believe the fees are incorrect, please let us know.

Volunteer Opportunities

Here are the current active signups available.  You can also always see any open volunteering opportunities on the Volunteering page.

• Hydration Volunteers: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080F4BA4AD23A4FE3-50748878-hydration#/ 

• Football Game Chaperones: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0D48ADAA2DA1FB6-football#/ (UNSUPERVISED CLEARANCE REQUIRED)

• Spirit Wear Sales Help: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0D48ADAA2DA1FB6-51080557-spirit#/ 

Have a great week!

Go Eagles!

JD

Now, a word from Mr. Sayre...

Hello Eagle Band Community!

The students did an amazing job at the Homecoming Game!  You represented the band and made it look easy.  Students for whom this was their first game can now call themselves veteran marchers now.  It takes a lot of perseverance and work as a band to be able to do what you did at the game.  Your hard work and dedication since band camp makes what you did at the game look easy so breathe a sigh of relief and enjoy the rest of the process. What you have done has set us up for a great trajectory coming into October.  We still have to learn music and drill for the 3rd movement and add a bunch of bonus show content so be sure to keep looking ahead and making the most out of rehearsals.  

We are extremely proud of the work you have done!  Thanks also to the parents that volunteered at our first game and are going to volunteer at future games and competitions as well.  

A few items to keep in mind and know for the coming weeks:

Football Games: We are there to support our community and perform our class curriculum.  We don’t have control over the length of games.  On weeknight/school night games we will use our judgment and also defer to Eldorado Administration to get students home at a reasonable hour.  We will have a brief debrief after each game in the band room and we will ensure that this time is reflected in the message sent out from Mr. Dencklau.  There will be times when we need to unload the truck after games.  We have the largest band in the city and all this requires a great deal of logistical planning and getting the hang of things.  Thank you for understanding.  

Friday Zero Hour: We will have zero hour for the students that need to complete their 3rd movement test recording in Google Classroom.  Students that have turned it in will not need to come in Friday for zero hour and complete the assignment.  

Thursday Game Uniform: Same as the last game. 

Some Eagle Band Accolades:

Most Improved Student: Brennan Holley on snare drum

Outstanding Student: Caleb Hubbard for his incredible accordion skills!

Outstanding Section: Low Brass- great soli section in the 1st movement

Keep up the great work, band!

Go Eagles!

Mr. Sayre