2025-26 Foothill High School Music Program’s Newsletter 🪶
💌President’s Message:
Congratulations to our phenomenal Marching Band and Colorguard for a amazing performance at WBA Regional Championships-James Logan High school yesterday. They earned a well-deserved Second Place finish against 8 schools. Great job 👏👏👏
As we wind up the last few weeks of our fall marching season, we once again thank our village of volunteers for your many hours given to the students and our program. Hoping to see many of you in Fresno for Champs on Nov. 22-23. We have launched our Winter popcorn fundraiser, Turf & Surf Sale, AND our Winter concerts will be taking place in the beginning of December. Lots of great things are still coming…Happy upcoming Thanksgiving to all of our strings, band, and guard families, may you find much to be thankful for in your lives.
Cheryl Goebel
Announcements:
💵 Fundraising
🍿Winter holidays fundraiser gourmet popcorn (11/14-12/5):
This year, we’ll be selling four delicious varieties of gourmet popcorn that will be delivered straight to donors’ homes. No delivery on the part of students needed! Gourmet popcorn not only makes a great snack with a cup of hot chocolate on chilly winter nights, but it makes a fantastic gift to give loved ones over the winter holiday. Flavors on offer are: Cookies & Cream Pop, Cake Pop, Caramel Cashew Pop, and Peanut Butter Pop. YUUUUUM!
We will once again be partnering with fundraising platform Vertical Raise, using their e-commerce platform to sell these wonderful treats. The program starts November 14th, and will run through December 5th. That’s three weeks for our students to reach out to friends and family, sell some popcorn, and raise money for the music program! Your participation working with your student is vital to the success of this program. Thank you for all your help and all you do to make the Foothill Instrumental Music Program great! *Please see attached flyer for instructions. *
🦐The Winter Turf & Surf Sale (12/6-7):
The annual Winter Turf & Surf Sale is on for the weekend of December 6th & 7th. This semi-annual food sale (formerly “The Meat Sale”) will be held at Foothill High School. Come and purchase choice cuts of meats and amazing seafood to enjoy at your holiday feasts! Parents, Guardians and students: please see details and sign up: SignUp Genius form to help with point of sale, custom cuts, and bagging of products. Please reach out to Steve Haney, our VP of Fundraising, at Fundraising@foohillmusic.org with any questions, contacts, or ideas!
✍️Foothill Band Review Feedback:
Thank you for putting on such an amazing band review this year! We exceeded so many of our goals and none of it would have happened if it wasn’t for you and your efforts. Yet despite this amazing success, there is always room for improvement! We all stand on the shoulders of the giants who came before us and we work to do better so that our kids have the best musical education possible. To that end, the Band Boosters need to ask one more favor of you: Could you spend some time filling out the feedback survey below? It will not only help us understand how we did on October 25th, but will make the band review better for the boosters who come after us! Thank you. Survey form: https://forms.gle/Te5MwEUSDj5J5Zmy7
🗓️ Important Dates:
11/20 (Thr) Friends & Family @ AVHS for Marching Band & Colorguard; No Entry Fee & ALL ARE WELCOME! (Senior student arrival time 5pm, other grades arrive 5:30pm; Senior family pictures 5:30pm; performance 7pm)
11/22-23 (Sat/Sun-overnight) WBA Championships @Fresno, Marching Band & Colorguard
12/6 (Sat) Holiday Parade for Marching Band & Color Guard (Time TBD; approx. time 3-7pm; start@Amador; end by Gay 90s’s Pizza)
12/6-7 (Sat & Sun, 9am-4 pm) The annual Surf & Turf Sale! Come buy high quality cuts of meat for your holiday feasts! Offerings and prices coming soon. All proceeds go to all music programs!
12/9-12 (Tue-Fri) 🧑🎄Ready for our Winter Concert Series at FHS!! 7pm MPR 🎄
- Band Concert 12/9 (Tue)
- Orchestra Concert 12/10 (Wed)
- Jazz Concert 12/11 (Thr)
- Choir Concert 12/12 (Fri)
📸 Photography & Media (aka the Band Click)
Our amazing Click Team constantly updates Photos and Videos! You will find all amazing videos and shots from the Jazz competition, Bands performance, parade, practice etc. Many Thanks!!
- Photographs of all Band events can be found on Flickr
- Videos will be uploaded to our Youtube Playlist for each performance.
Please note that most videos will be marked private, and are unsearchable on the platform until the band season is over.
If you were able to grab a few images or videos of our students (or volunteers) having a great time, we’ve made it easy to share your media with our community! Simply upload to this Dropbox (thanks Mrs Jenkins!), and the Click team will make sure it gets to Flickr or YouTube (note, this also puts you ½ way into joining the media team! If you want your photos properly attributed, come talk to us – and we’ll make you a full member!)
Again, you don’t need a fancy camera to take great Photos or Videos… the best ones are taken close up – with a cellphone!
🥁 Marching Band and Color Guard
🎉Friends & Family Show on 11/20 (Thr)
Friends & Family @ AVHS is the last local show. Friends and Family is free, open to everyone! No Entry Fee & ALL ARE WELCOME! Seniors arrive at 5pm, other grades arrive at 5:30pm. Senior family photos will be in the AVHS Orchestra/Choir room at 5:30pm. Field shows to follow after warm up, around 7pm. Order of performance: Emerald, Dublin, Foothill, then Amador Valley.
🧳The WBA Marching Championships will take place at Buchanan High in Clovis on Saturday & Sunday, Nov. 22-23, 2025. Students and staff will be staying at the Piccadilly Inn in Fresno, for 1 night on Saturday, Nov 22, 2025. Parents, both volunteers and others, are welcome to book rooms at the same hotel with a group rate.Hotel Address: Piccadilly Inn, 5115 E. McKinley Avenue Fresno, CA 93727. Boosters are covering the Bus, hotel costs for the students and directors only.
🙌 Parent and Guardian Volunteering
📣 Interested in leading our merchandising efforts? We are looking for a volunteer to step into the role of Merchandising Lead—a position that’s not only incredibly fun but also a fantastic way to get involved with the band program and support our amazing students. If you’re interested or want more information, please reach out to Richa Malik (merchandise@foothillmusic.org) or call/text: 484-6866369!
🦐The Winter Turf & Surf Sale (12/6-7):
** Please see details and sign up: SignUp Genius form to help with point of sale, custom cuts, and bagging of products. Thank you!
📣Other Band Booster Immediate Volunteer Needs:
- Communication Lead – OPEN contact Mauli Desai: communications@foothillmusic.org
- Merchandise Sales at football games, contact Richa Malik: merchandise@foothillmusic.org
- Truckers – We need helpers to transport & move equipment at competitions and away performances (Nov 20, 22-23, Dec.6) Please contact Peter Goebel at logistics@foothillmusic.org
Executive Board Positions needed for 2026-27
- Student Treasurer
- Communications Lead
- Secretary
📣 Check the Kick Off Meeting Slide Show This is updated regularly and has many important links and specifics for band students and families.
📣 Stay informed by reading these weekly newsletters, installing the Band app, and visiting our Foothill music program website! Please install the Band app (iPhone or Android). This is the best way to get fast and live communications from our band program community!
👔 All Band and Orchestra Concert Attire
Students in String Orchestra, Honors Symphony Orchestra, Concert, Symphonic & Honors Wind Ensemble will need concert attire for performances this year.
Tuxedo: Black Tuxedo, Black Bowtie and cummerbund (or vest), White shirt (wing collar is a good choice), Long black socks, Black dress shoes (pants will need to be hemmed) Tuxedo Link OR ANY tuxedo works fine – MUST BE ALL BLACK with a WHITE SHIRT
Concert Dress: Long black dress, Black dress shoes (dress will need to be hemmed) Dress Link
- Students may choose EITHER option
- Plan ahead for ordering, delivery, and alterations!
Concert Attire is required for all performances.
Jazz Attire is per the director’s request (varies from the above concert attire):
Dark Colors; Long ties only; Coats for everyone wearing a collared shirt and tie; Dark Color Shoes/Black (NO WHITE SOLES); tall Black socks; Shirt should be either white, or dark.
📊 Treasurer of Student Accounts Information
Getting monthly reminders for your Student Share Donation? Pay what you can as you go. Installment Plans are Available. Our program DEPENDS on this money to function. Your voluntary Student Share donation is how your family supports your student’s music goals and ensures they get the best music program possible. Please strive to meet or exceed the requested amounts, but any amount helps.
There are four easy ways to make your Student Share donation:
1) Write a check. Then give it to your student to drop in the locked band box in the band room.
2) Pay with PayPal (https://paypal.com/). Use your PayPal account (or set one up if you don’t have one) to pay your Student Share in the app. Here is how it works: open the PayPal app, click the menu in the upper left corner, scroll down to Donate and tap, search for Foothill Band Boosters and select it, click the Donate button and select the Other category, input your student’s Student Share amount (see table below*), follow the payment instructions and you’re done!
3) Pay with CutTime (https://app.gocuttime.com/). CutTime is the Foothill Band Boosters management platform. Just login with your CutTime account, click below your students name, then click on the Payments link at the bottom of the list. Click on the green button that says “Make a Payment”, click the amount to pay, then fill in your debit or credit card information and submit the payment.
4) Pay with FutureFund (https://foothill.futurefund.com/). FutureFund is the PUSD sponsored platform that you signed up for when you registered your student for the school year. Just login to the site, click the Store button at the top of the webpage, click on the Band Boosters oval button below the page title, then select the Donation square designated for your students ensemble. Select your donation amount, fill in your students name, click Add To Cart, then proceed with the checkout process.
*When using PayPal, here are the Student Share donation amounts for each ensemble to insert in the “Other” field:
- Fall Marching Band & Color Guard Students: $900
- Wind Ensemble Students: $225
- Concert & Symphonic Band Students: $150
- Orchestra Students: $100
- Jazz Ensemble A and B Students: $200
- Winter Guard Students: $900
- Winter Percussion Students: $900
Please reach out to Monica Fey, our Treasurer of Student Accounts, at treasurer.student@foothillmusic.org with any questions, contacts, or ideas!
That’s it for The Falcon Beat this week — thank you for your energy, time, and support in making Foothill Music thrive. Go Falcons! 🦅
Email: president@foothillmusic.org to change or add contact information to our distribution list.