We are currently looking for someone to translate this letter into Spanish for our band families. If you are interested in helping us with this, please email Garett George at georgeg@fenton100.org

Dear Parents, Guardians, Friends, and Families:

Hello again from Fenton bands. We hope you are finding ways to enjoy the remaining days of your summer.

I know that at this time, some of us are excited to return to school and some of us are wishing there were a few more weeks of break left. Regardless of your position, we are ready to greet you on August 15th and begin the journey of developing "Great people making great music!" We are excited to start up the Fenton High School Band Program for this school year. We are hopeful that we will be able to meet the musical needs and wants of our students while continuing to keep their health and safety in mind. We hope that we can work together with you (parents) and YOU (students) to find new and creative ways to build on what we've already learned and share it with our community through a number of live performances.

While there are many things to look forward to (Bandarama, Marching Band, Holiday Concerts, Spring Concerts, etc), we are most excited about our Winter Break trip to DISNEYWORLD with the band from December 26-31. More information will be coming out later this month, so please keep an eye out.

Please read this entire newsletter as there is some important about how to get involved and what to expect this fall.

Sincerely,

Garett A George

He/him/his

Director of Bands

Fenton High School

1000 W Green Street

Bensenville, Illinois, 60106

O: 630.860.4944

C: 929.322.4944

F: 630.787.4093

music.fenton100.org

All band students are either enrolled in Concert Band or Symphonic Wind Ensemble. Regardless of what a student's schedule says, ALL of the Marching Band students should report to 4th hour band on the first day. All students NOT in Marching Band should report to 5th hour band on the first day.

Non Marching Band students will be in Bison Chamber Band for the first quarter of the school year. This group is still one of our bands and will perform band music as well as small ensemble music at the Bandarama concert in October.

Students will be assessed at the end of the first eight weeks and will then be placed into Concert Band or Symphonic Wind Ensemble at that time. Reminder to all new students that band IS a class during the school year.

Click here for some FAQs about high school band

See you on August 15th!

2nd Summer Marching Band Letter

I want to be sure that all band students and families have taken a moment to become familiar with our enclosed Band Calendar. Please note that some dates or events are subject to change depending on the changing environment that we live in. We will keep you updated if anything changes.

For those participating in the Marching Band, here is our Marching Band calendar.

I also want to encourage you to get connected with the FHS Bands on Facebook (@Fentonbands), Twitter (@bands_fenton), on Instagram (@fhsbisonbands) and through Remind. Remind offers students AND parents the opportunity to receive text alerts (and email) for the various activities and ensembles that they are a part of. Students and parents can connect with their Remind codes via the FHS Band Handbook.

The Fenton Band Handbook also has all of the information regarding band for the year. This includes attendance expectations, grading procedures, and more.

If your son or daughter needs to borrow a school owned instrument, please fill out the form here. We will be able to prep these instruments for pick up later next week.

Do you need a band locker and already have a Fenton lock? Then fill out this form. Need a band lock? See Mr. George when you arrive to school.

Parents, please accept this invitation to join us as a music booster! We meet the 2nd Wednesday of every month at 7:30 PM.

Our first meeting of the year is a special DISNEYWORLD TRIP meeting. That is scheduled for Wednesday August 24th to get things started and share important information regarding our Disney trip. After this meeting, we will then follow our 2nd Wednesday schedule.

We will be discussing many of the upcoming year’s events as well as many fundraising opportunities that are available for your “individual music account” which can be used for all music related expenses. Please feel free to contact a member of our exec board with any questions or concerns by contacting them here.

Remember, band parent volunteers make our band successful. We need and want you to help! Please volunteer to assist the bands sometime throughout the year by clicking here.

Our Bison Band goals are simple: "Great people making great music!"

Ideally, we can take these skills into adulthood and have memories to last a lifetime. I’m looking forward to starting this exciting musical journey with you soon! I hope the rest of your break is restful, relaxing, and recharging. See you in the fall!

Musically yours,

Garett George

georgeg@fenton100.org

630-860-4944

Follow the Bison Bands below:

Twitter: @bands_fenton

Facebook: @FentonBands

Instagram: @fhsbisonbands