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~AFM Weekly Newsletter~

October 4th, 2024

Director's Report

You are all invited to attend our Fall Band Concert on Tuesday October 8 at 7:00 pm in the Amador Theater. The concert is free and open to the public. The program features Jazz A and Wind Ensemble I and II. The program will run approximately 90 minutes and feature some fantastic music. We love playing for a full house and with a new theater on the way, a full house continues to demonstrate that there is a need for the multi-million dollar facility that we will be using in just a few short years!

Our VerticalRaise digital fundraising campaign is wrapping up its first week and we are just shy of $20,000 which is a great start! Thank you for spreading the word far and wide in your networks to help raise money for our band.

Lastly, our competition season is going to be here before you know it. Itineraries are sent out the Monday before the competition though for our first one on 10/19 we will send it out a bit earlier so families can get advance notice on how a show day works.

We appreciate all the volunteers who keep showing up to help at Football games, help the band take the show on the road and sign up to assist the Road Warriors at our competitions!

For Amador is our name,

Mr. Grantham & Mr. Fell

Why Donate to Amador Music?

Why do we donate?

What do we need donations for?

What happens when we don’t have enough funding to cover the expenses?

What can you do to lower your donation amount?

For answers to these questions, watch this short video Why Donate to Amador Music? made by our flute senior, Amy Yang.

Volunteer with the Road Warriors

No home game this week, everyone can relax this Friday!

Next home football game is coming up on 10/11 vs Campolindo. The sign up is here.

Most importantly, the competition season will begin on 10/19. The Road Warriors need volunteers like yourself!

Your band member children need you to help transport the equipment that the band needed to the competition site. There are 3 local competitions, within the Bay Area, and 2 overnight trips. Your participation is essential! Come help out and watch your children compete up-close.

There is a new webpage about the Road Warriors and the upcoming event sign-ups, please visit Amador Valley Music - Road Warriors

One More Request for Overnight RAs

Overnight sign ups for both Etiwanda and Clovis are still open -- because the best experience for our kids at these events will include having enough overnight RAs for them. If you are free and are interested in signing up for an overnight RA, click on the link below. It will be such a wonderful memory that our kids will always remember. Wouldn't it be fun to be a part of those memories too? Thank you and hope to also be able to share some fun times together

Click on this link to sign up: Champs Overnight Comps

Medication Form for Competitions - IMPORTANT!!!

Over the Counter and Prescription Medication Form

If your child needs medication, either life saving OR over the counter, you need to fill out a form. Now is the time to get all your medical paperwork completed and signed by your medical provider. You can hand the paperwork to Jen Gables on the dates listed above. You don't need to provide the really common meds, like Advil or Tylenol...just the paperwork. Contact Jen if you have any questions.

Contract to Carry Life Sustaining Medication

If your student requires to carry medication, you need to provide a copy of the Contract to Carry to Band as well as to the school. This is because we will be traveling off-site, and the paperwork must be carried with the student. Again, if you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact Jen and she can help you.

Anaphylaxis

If your student has food allergies and requires to carry an epi pen in case of anaphylaxis, you should also provide a copy of your students care plan.

All medication for students must be in the original containers, and will not be accepted without the corresponding signed paperwork.

It is helpful if you can place the medication and 2 copies of the paperwork in a Ziplock bag with the student's name on the bag.

Medication Collections:

Wed 10/9 8-9:30pm (in the stadium)
Sat 10/12 8:30-9:30am (near the color guard room)

Quick link to the forms to be turned in, if you have not already turned them in:

***BOTH forms need a DOCTOR's signature AND a parent's signature.***

Over the counter

Life saving medicine

Please do not hesitate to contact Jen Gable at avhs.ra@gmail.com if you have any questions.

Time to Wash the Bib Pants and Purple Lycra Shirts

With three hot football games behind us it is time to wash our uniforms (if you haven’t already washed). Please use the following instructions on how to wash the Marching Band Bib Pants and Purple Lycra Shirts.

Machine wash bib pants in cold water with mild detergent (Woolite) on gentle or permanent-

press cycle. (No bleach, no fabric softener). Place purple Lycra shirt in mesh bag (if available) machine wash in cold water with mild detergent (Woolite) on gentle cycle (No bleach, no fabric softener). Please hang bib pants and Lycra shirt to dry. Hand iron bib pant hems and crease using a cool setting; DO NOT DRY CLEAN.

MARCHING BAND JACKET/ OVERLAY AND HIP SKIRT/DROP

If your jacket/overlay and hip skirt/drop need cleaning, please take these pieces to VIP Cleaners, 1809 Santa Rita Road #F Pleasanton, CA.

VIP cleaners give our Amador Valley Marching Dons a discount to clean our uniforms with $6.50 for the jacket/overlay and $2.00 for the hip skirt/drop.

If you have any questions, please contact Sharon Beckley via e-mail at uniform@amadormusic.org.

Food Restrictions/Allergies?

Please fill out this food restrictions/ allergies form if your student is:

Vegetarian
Allergic to gluten, sesame, or soy

Our first competition is 3 weeks away, and we need to know about any food allergies or dietary restrictions that your student may have so that we can adequately prepare the meals they need during the competitions and overnight trips! Thank you!

Questions? Please contact Radhika at snacks@amadormusic.org.

Help Provide Clean Water for the Shows!

We still need help cleaning and refilling water bottles for football games and competitions!

This is a job that can be done without a volunteer clearance. Simply take home a cooler filled with refillable, squeeze water bottles (17 water bottles per cooler), wash them in the dishwasher, and fill them with fresh, cold water to bring back to the next football game or competition. The band will thank you when they're thirsty and can't get to their own water in their uniforms!

Questions? Contact Heather Koopmans at hjkoopmans@gmail.com

Choir & Orchestra Autumn Concert and Cake Auction

Monday, October 21st, 6pm

Everyone in our AFM community is invited to come out and enjoy our autumn concert event:

Moonlight Melodies & Harvest Treats 🍁🍂🥮🍪🎶

Come soak up fall vibes at our autumn concert pre-party starting at 6pm. Stay for an unforgettable performance by the choir and orchestra groups.

🍁 Enjoy delicious harvest treats & beverages at our snack bar

🛍️ Sign up to win amazing confections and gifts in our silent auction

🎃 Pick up a pumpkin from the patch and help us fund music excursions & supplies

🎁 Win exciting prizes

Date: Monday, Oct 21

Time:

6pm: Pre-party fall mixer

7pm: Concert

Where: Amador multipurpose room

Wear: Flannel or your favorite cozy fall accessories

Would you like to donate to our silent auction? Please contact ashwinickulkarni@gmail.com

All donations are tax deductible and we accept cash or card payments.

We really look forward to seeing everyone and spending time together!

By the way, if you haven’t already, please follow the Choir and Orchestra social media pages here:

Facebook: @avhschoirorchestra

Instagram: @avhschoirorchestra

Fundraising Team Update

Savers Collection Success!

We collected over 3,500 lbs for the Savers fundraiser. Thank you to all the volunteers who helped load and unload. Stay tuned for our spring collection.

Corsage & Boutonniere Sale – A Success!

Despite being last-minute, the sale was a big success! Special thanks to our ALUMNI parent Judy McHargue. Watch out for our upcoming sale for Junior Prom and Senior Ball!

Thank You, Alameda County Fair Volunteers!

Thanks to your efforts, we raised $1,800 for AFM! Your dedication made all the difference.

Come Watch the Practices!

Every Wednesday 8:30pm, Saturday 3:30pm

At 8:30pm on Wednesdays, and 3:30pm on Saturdays when there's practice, you can come to the football stadium to watch the band and color guards perform their final runs before you pick up your students. Don't miss these shows, as they allow you to:

See the band's progress and what your student has been working on.
Appreciate your student's hard work by giving them an audience.
Take note of your student's positions while they're out of their uniforms. In uniform, they're hard to tell apart.
Enjoy their performance without a ticket. You'd have to buy tickets later to football games and competitions.
Meet other parents and make new friends!
Get your Band Spiritwear so that you're ready with your purple for competition days!

So when you come to pick up your student from practice, don't just wait by the curb! Come join us at the stadium! Your student will be happy to see you there!

Freshmen & Sophomore Parents: Join the Board

We need parent volunteers to serve as At-Large Board Members or Nominating Committee!

We have a significant number of senior parents who volunteer a lot, which means that next year, we will need new volunteers to take over their duties. Parents with freshman and sophomores - please volunteer and/or serve on the AFM board to help sustain this amazing music program. Email Soojin Hwang, president@amadormusic.org, if interested.

General Member Meeting Notes:

Click here for the slide deck of the AFM General Member Meeting held on September 23, 2024.

Beer Pouring

We had a very productive beer pouring event this past Sunday, 9/29 with eight parent volunteers bringing in at least $1800 for one days worth of work! Not to mention the crowd was exhilarated with another 49er win. Each time you volunteer, you can lower your child's donation ask by at least $225. Ask me how to join by emailing funbpour@gmail.com - Susan Bowen.

Holiday Shopping while Doing Good

Buy Gift Cards Through RaiseRight and Raise Money for AFM -- it's Easy!

Get your gift cards here and raise money for AFM!

How it works: Buy gift cards at face value. Use on your everyday shopping and for gift-giving. A rebate from the merchant goes directly to AFM upon purchase. It's an easy way to earn money for our music programs.

For questions and to sign up, email Juliet Chia/Swati Raul, RaiseRight coordinators, at scrip@amadormusic.org.

Next physical gift card orders are due October 31st for pick up on November 6th.

Thank you for your support,

Enroll: https://www.raiseright.com/enroll

Shop: https://www.raiseright.com/shop