Fundraisers

Important announcements

Hello all,

Thank you very much for your hard work this semester. Below are a couple of important announcements.

Cookie Dough: Depending on the amount of boxes that your student sold, they may owe money towards their band performance polo. The goal was to sell 7 boxes to earn their band polo. Three dollars from every box sold goes towards their $21 band performance polo. This shirt is needed to perform at all CMS and CJHS Band events. Please contact me with any questions.

Cookie Dough Delivery: The cookie dough is set to come in on the second full week of October. It looks like Tuesday the 11th is our goal date to have the cookie dough delivered. If you would like to assist in organizing and counting the cookie dough I will need a lot of help during the school day. Please contact me if you are interested in volunteering.

Band Concerts: We finally have our two concerts set up for the school year. We will share with CMS Singers for both of these concerts. If your child is in both ensembles then they will be given plenty of time to change or transition as needed.

Our Holiday Concert is December the 12th beginning at 7PM.

     Our Spring Concert is May the15th beginning at 7PM.

    Report times for both concerts is 6PM at the Mabry Arts Center at the high school.

Playing Test: We had a very successful first playing test last week. A student may make up any test grade for me throughout the year. Please check their grade and encourage them to push for a 100. Also keep an eye on their practice log grade and their weekly participation grade. Students with great practice log grades and participation grades are more likely to excel on playing tests.

Please contact me with any questions: maria.menendez@carrolltoncityschools.net

 

Sincerely,

Ms. Menendez

FALL COOKIE DOUGH FUNDRAISER

On Monday we began our annual Cookie Dough Fundraiser by distributing materials out to the students. This sale will take place over 2 weeks and will be a great way for our students to help raise money for the band and also for their own personal band goals.

For 5th/6th graders they can earn money towards their band performance polo shirts ($21). For every box of cookie sold the student will get $3 toward their shirt. Each student will need a band performance polo shirt for our performances this year.

Students will sell boxes of cookie dough and collect the money. On September the 15th, the money will be due in class along with the order form taker and we will count the orders to send off to the company. The cookie dough is set to come in during the first two weeks of October. As soon as I know the date of the order delivery, you all will know. The students will simply grab their orders of cookie from school and take them home with them on the bus or in the car.

The money raised in all of our fundraisers goes directly to support our band account which is used for repairs of school owned instruments, supplies and music purchases, and to pay guest teachers and clinicians to work with your awesome children.

Please do not hesitate to email me with any questions or concerns:

maria.menendez@carrolltoncityschools.net

Sincerely,

Ms. Menendez

Band BBQ

Good afternoon,

Tomorrow the Carrollton High School band will have their annual Band BBQ.

BBQ will be served from 11:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. Walk-ups welcome!

Regular meals will be available for $8.00 and provide a BBQ sandwich, chips, dessert, & a drink. Double sandwich meals will be available for $12.00 and provide two BBQ sandwiches, a bag of chips, one dessert, & a drink.

This is a very important fundraiser for the high school band! Our flutes will perform at 12:00 for the customers and workers. Please consider having your lunch or dinner tomorrow behind the Away Bleachers at Grisham Stadium to support the high school band. It excites me to think that your students will be the students who we are buying BBQ from in the future. Can you believe that they are about to be seventh graders?!?!

Have a great day!

Sincerely,

Ms. Menendez

AYP CARDS and Donut & Juice Party

Good morning,

We are almost running out of AYP cards to sell! That is great news. You guys have done a fantastic job so far and we would like to finish strong. If you have any last minute people to sell to let me know. Once we have sold all of the cards then the fundraiser will end. I cannot thank you enough for your fundraising efforts not just for this fundraiser, but all year. It excites me that you support music education and specifically the education of your student.

 

We will have our donut and juice party tomorrow that I owe the students from the last fundraiser so we will not play in class.

Tomorrow afternoon we will have Instrument Club until 4:15 as usual which is when high schoolers come up play with the students and teach them about their instruments. I encourage all students to stay after and have fun on Wednesday afternoons. They may also get help, pass off scales, or make up grades if needed.

ALL STUDENTS MUST BRING HOME THEIR INSTRUMENTS THURSDAY AFTERNOON.

We will not play on Friday so I want for all students to make sure that they have a horn at home to practice on since we are out for Spring Break next week.

 

I teach some awesome kids thanks to you. Have a great week!

-Ms. Menendez

Long Weekend

Dear all,

Please make sure that your student brings their horn home today if they have not already. It is vital that they practice over this long weekend since we have only played one day this week. Their practice logs are due on Monday as usual and we will have our normal after school practices next week. Both end at 4:15.

We are doing a tremendous job on the AYP Card fundraiser. Use this long weekend to sell to people who have not been reached out to yet.  They are $15 and they are a fantastic deal (I even have my own!)

Have a fantastic weekend!

 

-MM

AYP Cards Fundraiser

American Youth Projects (AYP) Fundraiser Roll-Out

Good afternoon,

As of today we will begin our annual AYP Fundraiser. We will use the money to purchase and repair equipment, bring in extra instructors, and purchase new music and supplies.

Students are welcome to bring an extra order form to give to you to put in your break room or at church. 

Instructions for the fundraiser:

  1. Go out and show people all the deals the card gives them by using your order taker. Each card is $15 (a change from the past) and has unlimited uses up to a year at participating locations.
  2. Bring the $15 to Ms. Menendez  in a sealed envelope, and you will receive an AYP card the very next day to distribute to your buyers.  Cash is accepted, Checks made payable to CJHS Bands NOT CMS BAND. 
  3. Distribute cards to your buyers.

REWARDS:

  1. We will award $50 to the top seller of each grade level, 6th 7th and 8th
  2. For every 5 cards sold you will receive 1 free. (so try and sell 5 before you buy one yourself).

We will continue to sell AYP cards for the next few months as we have them, if we sell out we can always order more.  As always if you have any questions you can email me with any concerns or questions.

Time to get started and sell away!!

-Ms. Menendez

February Updates

Good afternoon,

I am just touching base with you all to give you any updates and reminders that I have.

Playing Tests: I am STILL grading these. I am giving each student individual feedback and watching their videos multiple times to make sure that I am catching anything that I can. I plan to have these finished and in the grade book by Wednesday evening. Your students were very flexible and patient through this trial process. We all learned a lot and can plan for our next playing test.

AYP Fundraiser Cards: I have received multiple questions about these AYP Cards and when we will begin selling them this year. We are waiting on the company to finish putting them together for this year. Once we receive them, you all will know and we can begin that fundraiser. It is my favorite fundraiser each year because it is an easy sale! More info soon!

Monday After School Practice Sessions: Tons of kids are making the extra effort to stay after on Mondays to play with their friends, pass off things, and get extra help. I love spending extra time with them and making music. Thank you for supporting that.

Wednesday Instrument Club: This week we will begin an instrument club on Wednesdays. This will run exactly like Mondays do (until 4:15pm) but we will split off into sections and have high school leadership down here teaching your students. This will give them info that pertains to their instrument, and a fun time with their section mates. It begins after school and ends at 4:15 pm as stated above. This is a new tradition so I cannot wait to begin!

Star Chart: We now have a star chart posted in front of the class. When a student learns a scale and is ready to pass it off, they can stay after school at one of our practice sessions, or come before school between 7:50-8:05am to pass it off for me. To pass it off they must Finger and Name the scale and then play it. A scale is when the students play up and down 8 notes of the scale with an arpeggio. Your students understand how to read these scales. Students who pass off all 12 scales will receive an award at the end of the year at our Spring Concert. Please encourage your students to become Scale Masters!

Remember that each Monday we check our practice logs from the previous week. Take a second tonight and sign your student’s practice log for last week so that they can get full credit please.

Have a fantastic rest of your Sunday and Happy Super Bowl!

(I’m not sure if that is a phrase or not… oh well)

Ms. Menendez

maria.menendez@carrolltoncityschools.net*

 

Chocolate Candy Order

Good afternoon,

  • Our chocolate candy order is set to be delivered Monday morning. The boxes are much smaller than the cookie dough boxes were. Students will receive their chocolate and their order form so that they can deliver their orders to their customers.
  • The chocolate is set to be here at CMS around 9:30am. I will need help at that point and in the afternoon during dismissal as well. Your support and help is very much appreciated!
  • If there are any parents who would like to volunteer you may fill out the form below:

  • The coat orders have been placed but are not ready yet. They will be ready before we get out for break.
  • I sent home a letter today to remind you of the concert attire and report times for the students (6:30pm at the Mabry Arts Center).
  • As we prepare for the concert please ask your students to perform the pieces for you so that we can monitor that they are practicing and preparing to do their best on Monday the 14th.

I hope to see some familiar faces at the Christmas Parade this evening here in Carrollton! Have a great day!

 

-M. Menendez

Upcoming Concert Reminders

Dear all,

I hope that this break has been as restful for you as it has been for me! Nothing beats spending time with those that you love.

Here are some reminders about our upcoming concert on Monday, December the 14th.

  • The concert begins at 7pm. Your students must arrive in uniform with their instrument at 6:30 to the stage. We will be seating your students and getting last minute details worked out. Please do not show up late. Students who are not in full uniform will not be allowed to perform.
  • Full uniform includes: black pants/dress, black socks and dress shoes (closed toed shoes for females), and your black performance polo. EDIT: Black dress was meant to say long black skirt. That way the band polo can be worn as the top half of the outfit. I apologize for the lack of clarity there. 
  • The band polos are set to be in on the first of December. Your students will be allowed to take them home.
  • I HIGHLY recommend that you take your student shopping NOW to make sure that they have their appropriate performance attire. Many students wait until the days before and “have no dress pants that fit me”. We want for the students to learn to be proactive and responsible so hopefully after Monday I will have them annoying you about taking them shopping. You’re welcome for that by the way 🙂
  • It is a formal concert that will last about one hour. Not only do we expect for you and your students to stay for the entire concert but we encourage it so that both you and your student can support the other grade levels and have something to aspire to.  It is one of our two after school concerts and we ask that you enjoy the whole thing! Attending the concert is a grade for your student!! Do not forget that.

The chocolate candy fundraiser was a success and I appreciate all of your hard work with that. I do not have a date where they will be delivered to the school but you will know that as soon as I do.

The jackets have been ordered and are being worked on. You will know about that date when I do as well.

Your students have a practice log that is due on Monday for the past TWO weeks. Please encourage them to get their horns out today and tomorrow and play out of their book. They can play old lines or even learn new lines! Either way it will get them into shape as we head towards our first concert!!

Contact me with any questions that you have.

-M. Menendez

maria.menendez@carrolltoncityschools.net

 

Chocolate Candy Due Wednesday 18th

1.) Chocolate candy orders are due tomorrow, November the 18th in class. We expect to get the chocolate back once we return from Thanksgiving break.

2.) If your student is interested in purchasing a band jacket those are due this Friday November the 20th. I am so excited to see our students showing off how proud they are of their program. They work extremely hard! These make great presents for holidays.

 *CHECKS MUST BE MADE OUT TO OZIER APPAREL* not CMS band

3.) The band polos have been ordered and are expected to come in on the 1st of December. Per each box of cookie dough that your student sold, they take $3 off of their band polo purchase. If your student sold 7 boxes then they get their $21 band polo for free. I will let each student know how much they owe tomorrow during class but if you have this total already then you may turn your money in.

Thank you!

-M. Menendez