March-a-thon 2025 is in full swing!

Blast- July 30, 2025

08-04-25

Squadron Briefings

Your weekly updates from Directors, Booster Leadership and support teams:

Flight Deck – A message from Mr. Ary, Head Band Director

I just received the teachers' in-service schedule for next week. After tomorrow morning's rehearsal, we'll make the decision if we feel like we need to add any rehearsal next week to make up for the time we lost this week.

The students have been working hard. We are now working on moving and playing simultaneously! Today we had a music ensemble rehearsal where we stood and played through the front half of our first production. Tomorrow we'll work on the msuic for the back half of our first production. Tomorrow we are going to learn how to learn drill, so your student will need their piece of chalk. Every student no matter their ability will learn the test drill tomorrow and learn the rehearsal procedures of marching drill. Friday morning we'll start learning the drill to our show.

Tomorrow the students will learn if they have a "spot" in our show. As I've been telling them and have told you all before, this is never set in stone. The analogy I use is if we were a sports team, this is our starting line-up for the opening day game. That line-up changes throughout the season depending on abilities, injuries, academic eligibility due to grades, absences, and other factors. If your student earns a spot tomorrow, great keep working hard and fighting to keep that spot. If your student doesn't earn a spot tomorrow, it's ok they need to keep showing up and proving to us that they deserve a spot in the show based on their abilities.

Mike Ary

Director of Bands

NOTE: Required forms such as physicals, the commitment form, etc can be found on our Summer Band page: https://jetband.org/about/11349

A Message from Booster President Liz Johnson

Dear JET Band and Color Guard Families,

Thank you to everyone who came out to join us last night at Tutti Frutti! It as so great to see such an amazing turnout!

We’re kicking off the season with something BIG — and you’re invited! Our first BIG Event is coming up!

🎺🔥 JET Family Barbecue & Preview Night 🔥🎺

is just around the corner, and we couldn’t be more excited to bring our community together for a night of music, celebration, and smoky-good eats!

📅 Date: Friday, August 8

📍 Location: Taylor High School Football Field & Freshman Commons

🕖 Showtime: 7:00 PM sharp — arrive early for great seats and good parking!

🎶 What to Expect:Get a first look at this year’s show, Beautifully Broken, performed by our incredible JET Band and Color Guard students. You’ll be amazed at how far they’ve come since Day One of Summer Band!

🍽️ Dinner Details: After the performance, join us inside the Freshman Commons for a delicious Rudy’s BBQ dinner — available by pre-order only.

👉 Order your meal here: https://jetband.org/store/11134/27611

Can’t stay? No problem — grab your meal to go!

🍰 Sweet Extras: DONATIONS NEEDED! Store Bought OR HOMEMADE!

Each section will contribute desserts or drinks to round out the meal. Sign up on our Volunteer Pages to donate! We also need drinks!

❄️ Cool Treats:Kona Ice will be onsite for a refreshing treat — available for purchase.

🏆 Awards & Recognition:

During dinner, we’ll celebrate student achievements with special awards presented by our Directors and Section Leaders. It’s a moment you won’t want to miss!

💙 Why This Matters:

This event is more than just fun — it’s also a fundraiser that helps power our season. Your meal purchases and donations make a real difference!

🙌 Volunteers Needed:

We’d love your help! Visit BoosterHub to sign up and support the event.

NOTE: This event replaces our traditional Food Truck Night — and we think it’s going to be even better! With a cool indoor space, reliable catering, and plenty of seating, we’re creating a welcoming, comfortable experience for all. Remember food is available for pre-order only.

Let’s come together to celebrate our students, connect as a community, and kick off the season with pride and applause!

See you there,

Liz Johnson

Booster President

Updates from Vice President and Volunteer Coordinator - Rachel Duerringer

Thank You Volunteers! Your time and energy are the heartbeat of this program. We’re so grateful for everyone who’s stepped up recently—you make the magic happen!

Parent Volunteers Needed: We’ve got exciting opportunities for you to jump in and make a real impact. Your support fuels our success!

Check out the latest volunteer openings using the link below:

Uniform Fittings - August 4^th - August 8^th
Preview Night – August 8
We’re looking for support with donations and event prep to help make this a fun and memorable night for everyone.
March-A-Thon – August 16
Volunteer spots are open and filling up fast! We love to see this! Loading Crew opportunities have been added for this event and JET Fuel will be within a few days.
Mums - We will be in full swing as soon as we can get back into the school - Stay Tuned!
Link to view ALL Volunteer Opportunities: https://app.boosterhub.com/volunteer
More opportunities are added almost daily so please continue to check back!

As a reminder, Katy ISD requires all volunteers—whether serving on or off campus, during or outside school hours—to renew/create their registration each school year through the Raptor security system.

To stay active or become active as a volunteer for the upcoming school year, please take a moment to renew your registration by clicking the link below:
English: https://apps.raptortech.com/Apply/NzAxOmVuLVVT
Spanish:https://apps.raptortech.com/Apply/NzAxOmVzLVVT
NOTE: If you sign up to volunteer but do not register you will not be able to attend the event.

MarchAThon Update

MarchAThon is in FULL SWING!

We have collected $15,649 within the first week! The top ten raised 40% of this Total!

19 Students have met/exceeded their goal of $250 already! You all are absolute Rock Stars and we appreciate you effort!

TOP TEN

Parker Smith $1000
Ethan Nguyen-Loi $885
Aidan DuBois $800
Robert Alcazar $580
Nicholas Johnson $535
Oliver Edwards $525
Harper Martinez-Burdette $500
Autumn Palmer $500
Angelica Rodriguez $450
Jordan Debose $425

We still have students who have not filled out their personalized fundraising page. This task was delivered Thursday last week with a due date of Monday. It has now been a full week so there is no reason why this step should not be completed - it takes no more then 10 minutes to complete!

Next Update will be sent to the Directors and Leadership on Friday, August 1st.

Full transparency - many of the high schools surrounding us have recently had to raise their dues to $1,400–$2,800 per student due to poor fundraising participation. Multiple schools have even reached out asking how we run a successful MarchAThon so they can create something similar in efforts to bring their dues back down. That’s not us. With your energy and commitment, we’ll continue to protect the affordability and excellence that define JET Band. It’s critical that we don’t downplay this effort or give the impression that fundraising is optional or unimportant. Every student participating wholeheartedly—whether they raise $100 or $1,000 -contributes to something bigger: keeping our program affordable, inclusive, and exceptional.

View Full Itinerary Here:

March-A-Thon Itinerary 2025.docx

Routes Map Flyer:

All Routes White.png

MarchAThon 101 - Step by Step Guide

https://jetbandcg.boosterhub.com/about/12106

How to Support a Student

Each student is responsible for raising $250 minimum. (Each of the options below will have the ability to put which student you are supporting!)

Click any of the options in blue below to Donate!

Donate Directly to Student's Link - Use the personalized link a student shares with you.
Donate During the March - Our amazing percussion crew will be carrying blue buckets to collect cash along all routes.
There will be a Zelle QR code on the side of the buckets as well.
Open Donation - Enter the amount you would like to donate. If you have no student affiliation but want to support the band - this option is for you! We appreciate you!
Purchase a Community Stop Concert - We will perform two songs you choose from the options provided at the designated stop of your choosing with a shoutout to your business or family!
Purchase a Personal Concert at your Home - Live along one of our 5 Routes? We will stop by and perform the songs you selected from our options in front of your HOME!
Purchase a Remote Concert - Not Local? Receive an exclusive video link to enjoy the MarchAThon from anywhere.
Become a Sponsor - Support the full program in a BIG way with one of our sponsorship packages below.

Bronze Level Sponsorship $250.00

Company ad mention in our 2025-2026 Programs
Company Logo on our JET Band Website
Social media shout out

Silver Level Sponsorship $750.00

Quarter page ad in our 2025-2026 Programs
Company Logo on our JET Band Website
Social media shout out
Two tickets to our Annual Jazz Festival

Gold Level Sponsorship $1500.00

Half page ad in our 2025-2026 Programs
Company Logo on our JET Band Website
Social Media shout outs Quarterly
Two tickets to our Annual Jazz Festival
Giant Magnet on our Band Semi that accompanies us to all games and contests
Team Photo Plaque

Platinum Level Sponsorship $2500.00

Full page ad in our 2025-2026 Programs
Company Logo on our JET Band Website
Social Media shout outs Quarterly
Two tickets to our Annual Jazz Festival
Giant Magnet on our Band Semi that accompanies us to all games and contests
Company Logo on our Show Shirts
Public Shout Out at every game
Team Photo Plaque

Gear Orders: Shoe Sizing Update

👟 JET Band Shoe Sizing Update & Final Fitting Day

We’ve completed most of our shoe sizing for freshmen and students needing new shoes this past Monday — thank you to everyone who participated! If you need to know your students size, here is the Link to the Students shoe sizes.

📌 Next Sizing Opportunity: Tuesday, July 29

During student sectional times in the afternoon, we’ll hold one final sizing session.

📍 Anyone highlighted in YELLOW on the tracking sheet still needs to be sized.

📝 Important Notes:

All students received a paper with their shoe size, and we’ve also tracked it digitally. See Here
No orders will be placed until every student has had the opportunity to try on shoes.
We strongly recommend that all students try on shoes before purchasing — proper fit is essential for performance and comfort.

🛒 Order Deadline: July 30

We will place one large group order on July 30.

After this date, families will need to order directly from the vendor, and shipping is approximately $25 per pair when ordered individually.

🔁 Need to Change Your Size?

If a student needs to adjust their size after trying on shoes:

Email our Treasurer to cancel your order.
You’ll be able to place a new order with the correct size

Learn more about our Gear on our Gear Guide: https://jetband.org/about/11740

JET Band & Color Guard Uniform Fittings- MANDATORY FOR ALL STUDENTS

TIMES: 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM each day below and please make sure students arrive on time.

Note: Practice is from 4-9 PM the week of 8/4-8/8

Questions? Reach out to uniforms@jetband.org

Uniform Fitting Dates by Class:

August 4 – Seniors
August 5 – Juniors
August 6 – Sophomores
August 7 – NONE - Freshmen Fish Camp Day
August 8 – Freshmen
August 11 & 12 - Make up days - all grade levels - final opportunity to be fitted

Band & Color Guard Dues

We’ve officially reached the halfway point in our dues collection season, and we want to thank everyone who has already submitted their payments!

As of now, June and July payments are past due, and late fees have begun. Families with outstanding balances have been sent updated invoices, which are due upon receipt.

💰 Where Your Dues Go

Your dues directly support the experience and success of every student in our program. They help cover:

Meals on game and competition days
Uniforms and instruction
Equipment and instrument repairs
Transportation and more

The JET Band Boosters are a nonprofit organization, and our sole mission is to support this incredible program. We rely on your timely payments to keep everything running smoothly.

📅 Payment Breakdown

June Payment: Now $250 (late fee applied)
July Payment: Now $225 (late fee applied)
August Payment: Due August 1
➡️ By now, all families should have paid at least $425, unless a payment plan has been arranged.

📝 Need Help?

We understand that circumstances vary. If you need more time or would like to set up a payment plan, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

📧 Contact a director or email: President@jetband.org

💳 How to Pay

Use the BoosterHub App under the Store
To view your payment history, go to Tools → Accounting in the app

⚠️ Please Note:

Students with unpaid dues may face limitations in participation. We want every student to have full access to the program, so please communicate with us if you need assistance.

Thank you for your continued support and commitment to the JET Band and Color Guard. Together, we make this program thrive!

⚠️ Special Note: BoosterHub Glitch & Invoice Update:

I wanted to take a moment to share an important update and offer a sincere apology for any confusion caused by a invoice email some of you recieved. This effected about 15 families with JULY payments.

As part of our mid-season review, we ran a report to update our payment records and rosters. Unfortunately, we encountered a glitch in BoosterHub that caused some incorrect late invoices to be sent out. We’ve already opened a support ticket with BoosterHub and are actively working to resolve the issue.

✅ What’s Happening Now:

We’ve identified the payments that were missed in the original report.
Dues Rosters have been updated to reflect accurate payment status of each familiy and has been sent to our Directors.
Incorrect late invoices are deleted — no action is needed if you’ve already paid.

We also experienced some syncing issues with volunteer slots between the web and the app, which may have caused confusion. We’re addressing that as well to ensure everything is running smoothly moving forward.

We truly appreciate your patience and understanding as we work through these technical hiccups. If you have any questions or concerns about your payment status, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

Thank you for your continued support of the JET Band and Color Guard — and for sticking with us through the occasional tech turbulence!