Welcome back! We hope everyone had a restful Spring Break! This week begins the final sprint toward the end of the year with the startup of Guard Auditions and Leadership Training. Anyone interested in trying out for Color Guard for the 2025 Spirit of OHS should plan to attend our informational meeting at 5 pm Monday, with the first practice to follow until 6 pm; they will practice again Thursday from 5-6 p.m. Leadership Training for anyone interested in trying out for Section Leader or Drum Major will take place on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:45 pm-4:15 pm for Leadership and 4:15 pm-4:45 pm for Drum Majors Specifically. Spring is busy, so if we need to adjust times, we will.

Next Monday will be the HS Pre-UIL Concert, and Tuesday with be the JH Pre-UIL Concert. Students will need their Concert Attire for those events, and the upcoming UIL Concert and Sight-Reading Evaluations April 2^nd-3^rd. Please ensure students have their correct clothing. There is more information below on that.

This is the final week for our ‘Money Dolly’ Fundraiser. As of right now students have raised $6,476 of our $10,000 dollar goal we set. Please read the section below about it if you have not already joined. There is still time to do so and expand ‘circles’ to reach more people! There is also information about our upcoming Windi and Jazzi Fundraiser below. The rest of this email has a lot of information and so I have broken things down into sections.

Concert Attire

All groups from 6^th-12^th have moved to the same concert attire requirements this year. Please see the information below:

Ladies: Black Blouse/Black Slacks/Dress Shoes (Blouses need to have some sort of sleeve that extends past the shoulder and should not be low cut)

Gentlemen: Black Long Sleeve Button-Down Shirt, Black Slacks, Black Dress Shoes (or HS Marching Band Shoes), Black Belt, and Black Socks.

Money Dolly Fundraiser

We will finish our ‘Money Dolly’ fundraiser this week with the bands. This is accomplished by the students/parents utilizing the Money Dolly app, and sharing contacts, and messaging them to promote the fundraiser. Students and parents can sign up here: https://launch.moneydolly.com/fundraiser/197888

There are available products that will be shipped, but the true success of this fundraiser is in the donations that are solicited. Small-dollar to large dollars can come in, and as of this post, we’ve already raised over $6,400k with just who has participated so far! We’re asking students and parents to log in and set up the app and student profile picture, and parents can join as parents and share their contacts, as well as share their link on Social Media. Students have challenges that result in ‘coins,’ and they earn them from donations made on their behalf. There are gift cards that they can spend on as they earn them, and they will be shipped to the student. 
Last year, this was a very successful fundraiser for us, and we hope it will be again! Please join, input your ‘circle’ of contacts, and help us support all that these amazing students do!

Windi and Jazzi ‘Magical Adventures’

We are preparing for Windi and Jazzi, on May 3^rd. Tickets are now on sale here: https://odemhsband.ludus.com/. The ticket covers the entrance to the performance, Chicken Fried Chicken or Chicken Fried Steak, Sides, Drinks, and Dessert for $15-$25, depending on the seat in the Cafetorium.

We have assigned students theme items to bring by section. We ask that every member of the group please bring one item of around $10 in value that fits the theme to make silent auction baskets. Please help us ensure we have received these items by Tuesday, March 25^th. Windi and Jazzi traditionally is a great fundraiser for us, and these baskets are a big part of that!

Flutes/Clarinets: Baking Basket (Baking Sheets, Cake mixes, cookbooks, cookie cutters, etc.)
Saxes/F Horn/Bass Clarinet/Percussion: Spa Basket (Candles, Bath soaps, etc.)

Trumpets: Movie Night (Movies on BluRay or DVD, Snacks, Popcorn tubs, etc.)
Trombones/Euphoniums/Tubas: Outdoor BBQ (BBQ Cooking Utensils, Aprons, Sauces, Grill accessories, etc.)

Junior High Students: Gardening Basket (Seeds, Gardening tools, Gloves, etc.)

Additionally we are looking for businesses to donate items, tickets, gift cards, etc. If you would please ask anyone you know who might be in a position to donate those we would appreciate it!

Spring Band Fees

Spring Band Fees are now past due at both the High School for all band students and at the JH for 7^th/8^th grade band Students. This fee helps offset expenses in the spring for the program and is $25/student. Checks/Money Orders should be made payable to OEISD – no cash, please! 

2026 Florida Trip

For all trip participants for 2026, please ensure you have registered on the Bob Rogers Travel site. Current 8th-11th 11th-grade band students are eligible to travel on this. I show that we are currently just two travelers short of making the next price breakpoint that will drop the trip cost by about $200. If you have considered signing up but haven’t, please do so now! In two weeks, we will make a payment from the boosters to lower the trip cost for every registered/deposited student from the boosters.

If you missed the meeting, you may find a copy of the packet here: https://tinyurl.com/msrnkua6 . Registration is still open on their site: https://bobrogerstravel.grcoll.co/v2/go/odem26 

Payment options and forms are handled through their website there. I encourage students to attend this trip; it will be an amazing experience for them, and it is only really possible for most of them as a group like this!

This Week’s Schedule

Day:	Event:
Monday:	Band Hall Open until 5pm Color Guard Meeting/Practice 5 pm-6 pm
Tuesday:	Band Hall Open until 4:45 pm Leadership Training 3:45 pm – 4:15 pm Drum Major Training 4:15 pm – 4:45 pm
Wednesday:	Band Hall Closed
Thursday:	Band Hall Open until 4:45 pm Leadership Training 3:45 pm – 4:15 pm Drum Major Training 4:15 pm – 4:45 pm Color Guard Practice 5 pm-6 pm
Friday:	Band Hall Closed

Upcoming Events:

Day:	Event:	Time:
March 24th:	Odem HS Pre-UIL Concert	6:30 pm
March 25th:	Odem JH Pre-UIL Concert	6:30 pm
April 2nd – 3rd :	UIL Concert and Sight-Reading Evaluation at Tuloso-Midway HS
May 2nd:	South Coast Jazz Festival
May 3rd:	Windi and Jazzi “Magical Adventures”	5:30 pm
May 12th:	HS Bands and Odem JH Symphonic Winds Spring Concert	6:30 pm
May 13th:	Odem JH Beginning Band and Concert Band Spring Concert	6:30 pm
May 19th:	Odem HS State Solo and Ensemble Send-Off Recital	6:00 pm
May 25th-26th	UIL Texas State Solo and Ensemble Contest (Pflugerville – Hendrickson HS)

Thank you for your help and support of these amazing students! Please contact us if you have any questions!