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~AFM Weekly Newsletter~

September 20th, 2024

Director's Report

Next home game this week and our first competition just a little over a month away. The marching band is doing well on their show and we are proud of the progress of the students. Thanks to all who came out to cheer on the band at the Fall Family Preview on Saturday.

Reminder that you are welcome to attend the last 30 minutes of our Wednesday and Saturday practices if you'd like to see the show progress and figure out where your child is on the field before they get into uniform!

We hope to see many of you in the audience at our fall band concert on October 8 at 7:00 pm in the Amador Theater. Both Wind Ensembles and Jazz A will be presenting a diverse and eclectic set of music. The concert is free and open to the public.

For Amador is our name,

Mr. Grantham & Mr. Fell

Football Game Itinerary

Friday Sep 20, 2024

This is the itinerary for today's home game for Amador Valley vs. Liberty HS.

Mr. Grantham has already shared the itinerary with the students.

Road Warrior Volunteers Still Needed!

We still need more RWs for our football game TONIGHT! Only 65% of the slots are filled so far. We really need you! Please sign up here.

Football Game Snack Sponsor

The Snacks Team is looking for snack sponsors for the football games. For details, please contact Radhika or Rajani at snacks@amadormusic.org.

Come Watch the Final Runs!

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. These shows are incredible opportunities not be missed, because they allow you to:

See how much the band has progressed since last week. It's often quite astonishing!
Appreciate your students for their hard work by cheering as loudly and wildly as you want.
Take note of your student's positions while they're out of their uniforms. In uniform, it's often hard to tell who's who, even with their instruments, so you might want to mark your student's positions before the shows.
Enjoy their performance without a ticket. You'll have to buy tickets to football games and competitions, so why not enjoy these free shows when you can?
Meet other parents to talk about marching band life! Senior parents often have a wisdom or two to share!
Get your Band Spiritwear, buy cool items made from upcycled old MB uniforms and color guard flags, and check out other fundraisers going on at the stadium area!

So the next time you come to pick up your student from practice, don't just sit in the car and wait along the curb! Park the car, walk towards the music and lights, and you will see a community of welcoming parents and hardworking students, ready to knock your socks off! We look forward to seeing you there!

Notice: Food Restrictions/Allergies

Our first competition is less than a month away, and we're starting to do meal-planning in earnest for the competitions and overnight trips. If your student has allergies or dietary restrictions, please fill out this food restrictions/ allergies form ASAP to let us know, so we can plan accordingly. Thank you!

Questions? Please contact Radhika at sradhiks@gmail.com.

Wednesday Night Snacks

THANK YOU to all the families who have been bringing snacks to share on Wednesday nights! The kids really appreciate these rewards after a hard night's work! Please keep them coming!!

Signup here.

Questions? Contact snacks@amadormusic.org.

Water Bottle Team

Volunteer Opportunity! No volunteer clearance necessary!

The RA team is looking for volunteers to join the Water Bottle team. We need parents to take home a cooler filled with refillable, squeeze water bottles. There will be 17 water bottles per cooler that need to be washed in the dishwasher and then filled with fresh, cold water for the band to drink at football games and competitions. Right now, we have a sign up genius to bring water bottles to the football games. We will add a sign up for competitions later. Please take a look at the sign up genius and consider helping the band.

Questions? Contact Heather Koopmans at hjkoopmans@gmail.com

Overnight RA's Welcomed!

"LIFE IS MEANT TO BE EXPERIENCED, PUT YOURSELF OUT THERE, DO THINGS YOU'VE NEVER DONE, LIVE A LIFE WHERE AT THE END YOU WILL HAVE NO REGRETS" - unknown

We still have spaces for anyone interested in being an overnight RA at the gyms in Etiwanda and Clovis! Grab your sleeping bags and blow up mattresses and don't miss out on a memorable weekend with your kids!

Please sign up by 9/23 so the district has enough time to get your certification/training to you. Reach out with any questions to Susan Bowen, smbowen8@yahoo.com.

Click on this link to sign up!

Beer Pouring

Need help with your donation ask? Join the beer pouring team and earn at least $225 towards your ask for every event you volunteer for! Remember, this season's Marching Band ask is $1400. Learn how to get certified/trained by contacting Susan Bowen at funbpour@gmail.com.

Final Savers Collection

September 21st, 3-4pm

Don't miss our last Savers collection of the semester!!!

We collect all soft goods - clothing, shoes, belts, handbags, stuffed animals, backpacks, sheets, towels, linens. (Sorry, NO toys, books, housewares, or furniture.)

We still need parent volunteers for this donation collection. No parents have signed up yet for this week. If you can help, please sign up here.

Note: AP book sales are on hold for now but will come back stronger in the spring, alongside the Savers collection.

Question? Please contact fundraising@amadormusic.org

Thank You for Fall Preview

THANK YOU to all the families who came out on Saturday for the Fall Preview and brought desserts to share at our International Dessert Potluck! What a treat it was to be able to see the performance, then enjoy a wonderful spread of international desserts while meeting old and new friends!

Also, a huge THANK YOU to all the amazing parents for your incredible support for the Indian Food Fundraiser —we raised nearly $1,000! Thank you to...

All the families who ordered Indian food raise funds for our band!!
Our vendor Dosa Biryanizz for their generous support over the years!!
All the snack team and fundraiser team members for their help!!

Mooncake Festival Snack Night

Thank you to our Chinese families for fundraising, baking, and preparing a special snack night, serving homemade mooncakes (made by band alumni moms) and hot pizzas to our band and color guards in a magical, lantern-filled setting this past Wednesday night! You gave the students full bellies after their practice, and made them very happy!

Thank you also to the Snacks Team for always looking out for all the kids every Wednesday night! We so appreciate your hard work!!

AFM Nomination Committee Member - serve!

Help the AV Music community by helping find next year's board members! The AFM Nomination Committee looks for qualified and excited AFM members who can serve on the board next year. Use this online self-nomination form to be a committee member. Form closes Sunday, September 22, 2024. Floor nominations will be taken at the AFM General Meeting on September 23, 2024. The Nomination Committee will be elected at this General Meeting.

AFM General Meeting

Monday Sept 23, 7 pm via Zoom!

Mark your calendars! Our first AFM General Meeting is coming up next Monday, Sept 23, 2024, 7pm-8:30pm via Zoom.

At this meeting we will:

*Get updates from our music directors

*Ratify the 2024-25 AFM Budget

*Ratify At Large Board Members

*Elect the Nomination Committee for next year's AFM Board

More information closer to the date of the meeting!

Check Out Our Spirit Wear Online Store

Pre-order your spirit wear and pick up every Wed after practice in time for competition!

To ensure you get the size you need, place order using the link below and support our Big Purple Band!

https://form.jotform.com/242156691178160

Volunteer Clearance

New AND returning volunteers are required to submit a volunteer clearance application each school year. If you are planning to volunteer during the 2024-25 school year, please submit a volunteer clearance application asap.

Returning volunteers: When completing the application, please enter your name exactly as it currently appears in the Raptor system. If you aren’t sure how you should enter your name when applying, please email volunteerclearance@pleasantonusd.net.

TB clearance is required for all volunteers. Returning volunteers may upload the same file that was submitted last year as long as the document was issued by a licensed healthcare provider within the last three years.

Volunteers who will be transporting students as a driver for field trips, extra-curricular activities and/or athletic events must upload a completed driver transportation form and current auto insurance coverage declaration page(s).

For more information, visit https://www.pleasantonusd.net/families/volunteers

Questions? Please email volunteerclearance@pleasantonusd.net