2025-26 Foothill High School Music Programās Newsletter
š„³Directorās Message:
As we continue to catch our breath after an incredible marching band season and a truly unforgettable championship weekend, I want to take a moment to extend my heartfelt thanks to all of our parent volunteers. Your dedication, encouragement, and behind-the-scenes support ensured that our students were always prepared and positioned for success on the field.
It truly takes a village to do what we do, and I couldnāt be more proud of the community we have here at Foothill High School. This year, our program made history, earning the highest score Foothill has ever received in WBA competition (83.575 at the WBA Regional Championships) and achieving our highest placement at the WBA Grand Championships (14th place). These accomplishments are a reflection of the incredible families standing behind our students every step of the way.
To our seniors: thank you for an exceptional season and for helping shape the culture that will guide this program for years to come. To all returning students and families: your continued participation in the Marching Band is essential to building on this legacy. Weāre already planning exciting things for next year, and we canāt achieve them without you. Thank you again for being such an extraordinary part of our Foothill community.
Mr. Fagundes
šPresidentās Message:
We will kick off December with our Downtown Holiday Parade this Sat 12/6 (see details below) and then our winter concerts are next week 12/9-11. Encourage your students to practice at home and double check for correctly fitting concert dress and shoes! We will hold our Nov/Dec General Board Meeting for all parents in the MPR from 6:00- 6:45pm; prior to the Honors Wind Ensemble Concert (12/9). Hoping to see lots of your smiling faces!
Our marching students started off their November break at WBA Champs in Fresno where they did well in both the 4A Division on Saturday and in the Grand Champs competition on Sunday. Congratulations to all of our hard working students, parent supporters, staff and our amazing directors, Mr. Fagundes and Mr. Nishimori.
Wishing all of you a great family filled conclusion to your Thanksgiving Break!
Warm wishes, Cheryl Goebel
Announcements:
šµ Fundraising
The Poptastic Holiday Gourmet Popcorn Sale is On! (11/14-12/5):
This holiday season we are raising money through a delicious gourmet popcorn sale. We are selling four varieties of gourmet popcorn that are delivered straight to donors’ homes. No delivery by students needed! This amazing 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! The sale will run through 12/5, so we only have 1 more week 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. Please see the flyer for instructions and how to work with your student to send out emails and text to friends, family and loved ones. Thank you for all your help to make the Foothill Instrumental Music Program great!
š¦The Winter Surf & Turf Sale (12/6-7):
The annual Winter Surf & Turf Sale is on for the weekend of 12/6-7 at Foothill High School. Come and purchase choice cuts of meats and amazing seafood to enjoy at your holiday feasts! Parents, Guardians and students, we need your help to put this event on! We have virtually no volunteers to man the stand and sell the goods. The Sign Up Genius is here: T&S SignUp Genius. You will be helping with point of sale, custom cuts, and bagging of products. Adult volunteers will be needed to set up at 9 am as well as close down at the end of the day. Please sign up for a shift. We are still short of our fundraising goal of $247,000 and every fundraiser counts! Thanks for your help and support of the music program! See attached flyer and spread the news.
Please reach out to Steve Haney, our VP of Fundraising, at Fundraising@foohillmusic.org with any questions, contacts, or ideas!
šļø Important Dates:
12/6 (Sat) Holiday Parade for Marching Band & Color Guard (Time TBD; approx. time 3:30-7pm; start@Amador; end by Gay 90sās Pizza) SEE DETAILS BELOW! š§āš
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! Please see volunteer details and sign up here: T&S SignUp Genius.
12/9 General Board Meeting for All Program Parents in MPR 6:00- 6:45pm; prior to the concert
12/9-12 (Tue-Fri) āļøReady for our Winter Concert Series at FHS!! 7pm MPR š
- Band Concert 12/9 (Tue)
- Orchestra Concert 12/10 (Wed)
- Jazz Concert 12/11 (Thr)
- Choir Concert 12/12 (Fri)
1/23 (Fri) Pasta & Crab Feed Annual Booster Fundraiser Dinner
- Save the date for an evening of music, food and fun together.Ā
- Held at the Veteranās Hall!Ā
- Honors Jazz & Jazz B perform; other small jazz, brass or string quartets/ensembles welcome to perform by advanced request to Mr. Nishimori
2/12 (Thr) PUSD Jazz concert
- Honors Jazz performing with AVHS
- Call time TBA
- Concert begins at 7pm
2/14 (Sat) Campana Jazz Festival
- Honors Jazz, Jazz B, Jazz Combo – Performance times TBA
3/11 (Wed) Sonoma State Band and Orchestra
- Honors Symphony Orchestra @ 3:00pm
- Honors Wind Ensemble @ 6:00pm
šø Photography & Media (aka the Band Click – Thanks Alex & Kristine!)
Presenting our videos from this Nov! To all of our marching band students across every grade levelā¦.we parents have truly enjoyed each and every moment of your season. Your humor, hard work, heart and performances have been such a joy to watch. To our incredible 8th grade students and families! We love having you here with us. We enjoy your presence, your energy, your talent, and our new friendships.
Foothill Awards at Fresno Competition Montage by Kristine Armstrong
WBA Championships Photos on Flickr:
WBA Championships Fresno Performance 11.23.2025
WBA Championships Fresno Performance 11.22.2025
Practice Run before James Logan
2025 FHS Senior Run and Full run in under 1.5 minutes:
Tuesdayās Practice Full Run:
Our amazing Click Team constantly updates Photos and Videos! You will find all amazing videos and photos from the Jazz competition, Bands performance, parade, practice etc. Many Thanks!!
- Photographs of all Band events can be found onĀ Flickr
- Videos will be uploaded to ourĀ Youtube PlaylistĀ 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, weāve 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 Ā½ way into joining the media team!
If you want to join the Click team, Please join our group chat via the Band app – and weāll tell you how to become a full member! Again, you donāt need a fancy camera to take great Photos or Videosā¦ the best ones are taken close up – with a cellphone!
š¶ Ensemble Classes
Honors Jazz – Practice your winter concert music; Be sure your concert dress clothes fit correctly
Jazz B – Practice your winter concert music; Be sure your concert dress clothes fit correctly
Honors Symphony Orchestra – Practice your winter concert music; Be sure your concert dress clothes fit correctly
String Orchestra – Practice your winter concert music; Be sure your concert dress clothes fit correctly
Honors Wind Ensemble – Wind Ensemble is working on winter concert repertoire. Practice your winter concert music; Be sure your concert dress clothes fit correctly. The concert is on December 9th, call time is 6:30pm in the band room.
Symphonic Band – Practice your winter concert music; Be sure your concert dress clothes fit correctly. The concert is on December 9th, call time is 6:30pm in the band room.
Concert Band – Practice your winter concert music; Be sure your concert dress clothes fit correctly. The concert is on December 9th, call time is 6:30pm in the band room.
Private lessons are encouraged for all of our students. If you need help finding someone for private lessons, please let either director know
š„ Marching Band and Color Guard
šPleasanton Downtown Holiday Parade 12/6 (Sat) Time TBD; approx. time 3:30-7pm; start@Amador; end by Gay 90sās Pizza
**š§āš**Students will march in drill masters with Santa hats (band has some hats to loan but feel free to bring your own; no shakos; wear black gloves); students decorate their instruments/flags with holiday lights, garland, and gift wrap paper before the parade meet up time. Many sections have a decorating party before the parade, if not, decorate on your own or with other band friends. Leave cases & personal items in your car with your family. We start and end at two different locations and cannot leave things at Amador HS. We will have a band truck to haul the uniforms, ID letters, flags, sousa/bari sax, quads/drums and other big stuff, BUT many of these are not in cases (due to decorations) so best if you bring what you can on your own, then we undecorate at the end and take everything back that night to FHS.
***Itās typically cold, so wear warm stuff under your uniform or get approved for something warm (looking unified) as ID or guard by Mr. Fagundes.
***Example Plan: decorate a sousa (or your instrument/flag) at home, put your empty case in your car if possible or big cases (sousa, bari) can go in the band truck (at FHS) and bring your instrument yourself (to Amador) to march, get in your uniform at Amador together, warm up, then undecorate your item at the end (near Gay 90ās Pizza) and pack your sousa (or your instrument/flag) in its case to go back to school (FHS) in your car or big items in the band truck.
š Parent and Guardian Volunteering
š¦The Winter Surf & Turf Sale (12/6-7) at FHS:
Next weekend is the Turf & Surf Sale and we have virtually no volunteers to man the stand and sell the goods. The Sign Up Genius is here: SignUp Genius form. We need your help with point of sale, custom cuts, and bagging of products. It is open from 10 am to 4 pm each day. I will need adult volunteers to help me set up at 9 am as well as close down at the end of the day. Please sign up for a shift so that we can raise some money for the music program. We are still short of our fundraising goal of $247,000 and every fundraiser counts!
FYI, our marching band students will be handing out flyers at the holiday parade to get buyers to come by Foothill High and purchase their holiday meats, so we expect healthy traffic. Let’s not waste this opportunity!
š£ Interested in leading our merchandising efforts? We are looking for a volunteer to step into the role of Merchandising Leadāa 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: 484-686-6369!
š£Other Band Booster Immediate Volunteer Needs:
- Communication LeadĀ – OPEN contact Mauli Desai:Ā communications@foothillmusic.org
- Merchandise Sales, contact Richa Malik:Ā merchandise@foothillmusic.org
- TruckersĀ – We need helpers to transport & move equipment at competitions andĀ away performances (Dec.6) Please contact Peter Goebel atĀ logistics@foothillmusic.org
Executive Board Positions needed for 2026-27
- Student Treasurer
- Communications Lead
- Secretary
š£ Check the Kick Off Meeting Slide Show This is updated regularly and has many important links and specifics for band students and families.
š£ 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!
š 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 directorās 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.
š 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 studentās 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 donāt 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 studentās 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 āMake a Paymentā, click the amount to pay, then fill in your debit or credit card information and submit the payment.
4) Pay with FutureFund (āāhttps://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 āOtherā 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!
Thatās it for The Falcon Beat this week ā thank you for your energy, time, and support in making Foothill Music thrive. Go Falcons! š¦
Email: president@foothillmusic.org to change or add contact information to our distribution list.