Happy holidays! Thank you being a member of Friends of Strings (FOS)! Through your membership, donations to FOS, and volunteer time, you are helping your AHISD strings teachers provide a valuable and enriching education in the field of music to your children!
 
Please mark your calendar for the next FOS meeting. It will be held Tuesday, 7 Jan 2020, beginning at 6:30pm. It will be held at Alamo Heights High School in the Strings room. FOS meetings are open to all!
 
Come hear the latest on what your teachers have achieved thus far and have planned for the rest of year. Learn about future fundraising events like the upcoming plant sale - our biggest fundraiser of the year! Plant packets go home with students 6 Jan 2020! Hear about volunteer opportunities, Friends of Strings initiatives, and how you can be a part! For instance, FOS is looking for a new treasurer for the 2020-2021 school year!
 
Before the meeting, we intend to distribute a copy of the agenda, meeting minutes from the previous meeting, and an update on the budget.
 
We look forward to seeing you there!

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Cambridge and Woodridge Strings players went out and spread a little joy with music.  What a great experience.  Remember these wonderful musicians will be at their respective schools this week. So please come out and join us.  ​Bring a neighbor or friend. We hope to see you there. Don’t forget to like and share this post!

17 December Cambridge Elementary 5:30
18 December Woodridge Elementary 5:30 & 6:30

Support or Join Friends of Strings:
Via PAYPAL Button at https://ahstrings.weebly.com/
MULE Market: High School families can donate through Mule Market online
*Friends of Strings of Alamo Heights (FOS) is a 501 (c) (3) tax-exempt corporation.
Alamo Heights, Texas City of Alamo Heights Municipal Government Alamo Heights Independent School District Alamo Heights High School Alamo Heights Junior School PTO Cambridge Elementary PTO Woodridge Elementary PTO
#AHISDMyStory #GoPublic

A few photos from the Alamo Heights Orchestra's Winter performance. It was an amazing performance and a great way to celebrate the season with family, friends, and neighbors. I am hoping someone might have some better photos to share. So please feel free to share and post.
Don't forget to get out and support our younger performers. We invite you to help spread the word so we can ensure they play in front of packed houses. Please like and share this post! Bring a neighbor or friend. We hope to see you there.


17 December Cambridge Elementary 5:30
18 December Woodridge Elementary 5:30 & 6:30
​

Support or Join Friends of Strings:
Via PAYPAL Button at https://ahstrings.weebly.com/
MULE Market: High School families can donate through Mule Market online
​
*Friends of Strings of Alamo Heights (FOS) is a 501 (c) (3) tax-exempt corporation.

Alamo Heights, Texas City of Alamo Heights Municipal Government Alamo Heights Independent School District Alamo Heights High School Alamo Heights Junior School PTO Cambridge Elementary PTO Woodridge Elementary PTO

Just a reminder that the holiday performance season is upon us. So help us spread the joy of the season and provide our performers with packed houses. We need your help in sharing this information throughout our community. Please like and share this post! Bring a neighbor or friend. We hope to see you there.
​
10 December Alamo Heights High School 7:00
11 December Alamo Heights Junior School 6:30
17 December Cambridge Elementary 5:30
18 December Woodridge Elementary 5:30 & 6:30

​Support or Join Friends of Strings:
Via PAYPAL Button at https://ahstrings.weebly.com/
MULE Market: High School families can donate through Mule Market online
​
*Friends of Strings of Alamo Heights (FOS) is a 501 (c) (3) tax-exempt corporation.

Alamo Heights, Texas City of Alamo Heights Municipal Government Alamo Heights Independent School District Alamo Heights High School Alamo Heights Junior School PTO Cambridge Elementary PTO Woodridge Elementary PTO

​#GivingTuesday is Tuesday, 3 December 2019!
With less than 18% of schools nationwide offering strings programs, AHISD is fortunate to have a fantastic strings program with over 800 students on four campuses from 4th to 12th grade.  Alamo Heights Friends of Strings, as a volunteer 501(c) (3) non-profit organization, aids AHISD strings teachers in providing a well-rounded strings curriculum to your children. 100% of your donations go directly to support your Strings Program!
This year, Alamo Heights Friends of Strings has set a goal of raising an additional $15,000 to increase musical instruction funding in AHISD. This will help ensure funding for sectional coaches, guest artists, new instruments, and scholarships. Your support, either financially or volunteer time, make it possible for AHISD strings teachers to provide a valuable and enriching education in the field of music to your children.
During GIVINGTUESDAY, 3 December 2019, give the gift of music this holiday season by making your donation to the Alamo Heights Friends of Strings by going online to www.ahstrings.org.
 Thank you!
Erica Becvar
Alamo Heights Friends of Strings, President
 
Please Share and like our post to keep up with the latest FOS information.
 
Alamo Heights, Texas​ Alamo Heights High School​City of Alamo Heights Municipal Government​ Alamo Heights Junior School PTO​ Cambridge Elementary PTO​ Woodridge Elementary PTO​
 
#AHISDMyStory #GoPublic

​It was great meeting with the instructors and board to kickoff this years #AHISD stings program support planning. Did you know Friends Of Stings (FOS) support is critical to supporting a rewarding experiance for kids and community?

FOS supports
over 800 students
6 teachers
85 hrs per student per school year in formal instruction
4 school campuses
Over 27 concerts
Music clinics
Mock auditions
Regional and school auditions Orchestras
Guest artists, Recitals UIL, and scholarship competitions
Since 1973, the AHISD Strings program has grown 40 times larger than the original 18 students.  Today there is a a student to teacher ratio of 1 to 133.  We learned tonight that AHISD can look to expanding further as there are over 400 elementary school students, including over 20 Bass players in the 4th grade.  How exciting is that?


So the program is alive and impacting kids everyday but is reliant on your support to continue providing high quality musical instruction and student support. 

As a non-profit, volunteer organization, Friends of Strings aids strings teachers in training your children to play their instruments, offering them a valuable and enriching education in the field of music. This year, Friends of Strings has set a specific goal of raising an additional $15,000 to address budget shortfalls.

Your donation makes a difference.

https://ahstrings.weebly.com/join-friends-of-strings.html
#AHISDMyStory #GoPublic Alamo Heights Independent School District Cambridge Elementary PTO Woodridge Elementary PTO Alamo Heights Junior School PTO Alamo Heights High School

Welcome to FOS for the 2019-2020 School Year! Your enthusiasm and support is greatly appreciated! I am the FOS President for the 2019-2020 school year, and I and the rest of the FOS Board welcome your participation!

To that end, the attached Word document contains the FOS Board membership (Table 1). Voting members are noted in yellow, members at large are noted in blue, and the AHISD strings teachers are noted in green. For those of you returning from last year you will see some position changes as well as some new names from last year. We are excited to welcome the new members, and the changes in positions reflect a revisit to the FOS by laws to ensure that we are in conformance and meeting their intent. Going forward in this school year, we will use the essence of the FOS purpose in the by laws as our guiding principle in all FOS actions:

Operate, maintain, and/or support a non-profit institution which trains children to play stringed musical instruments and offers an education in the field of music with enrollment of students and assignment of students, teachers, and other staff 

Table 2 in the attachment reflects the calendar for the year. The schedule may change over time, and it has been sent to the teachers for their review and input. However, it should serve as a good start to ensure we have FOS attendance at events to convey the FOS message and solicit donations, memberships, and participation. To that end, the table also indicates the role FOS assumes it will play in AHISD string events. 

Continuing as with last year, FOS meetings will be held the first Tuesday of every other month beginning in September. All meetings will be held at the AHHS Strings Room beginning at 6:30pm. The intent is for them not to last more than one hour. The first meeting will be 3 September at 6:30pm. An agenda will be sent ahead of time but the main intent for the meeting will be to approve the budget, document the new board members, review the over all calendar, and message the purpose of FOS as the guiding principal in all FOS actions.

As always, we are looking for additional volunteers. If you know of anyone else who would like to participate in this exciting non-profit organization that gives 100% of its proceeds to support a strings program, please let us know, and we will reach out to them. 

Thank you for your continued support! We look forward to seeing you at the meeting!

Erica Becvar 

I wanted to take a moment to introduce myself. My name is Paul Dueringer and I am new to Alamo Heights.  My wife Lisa and daughter Reese moved here two years ago from Seoul, South Korea.  This is also my first year supporting FOS strings and managing a web site. I am a strong believer in the FOS mission and the impact a strong strings program can have on the lives of our community and children. There is no reason we cannot have the best strings program in the State.  But we will need your support to get there. Our efforts to help resource the programs with additional instructors, instruments and scholarships will make a tremendous impact on our children and strings programs.  I look forward to your feedback and request that you send a photo(s) to post. Try to remember to provide the strings event date, time and names.

Key Dates in August 2019:

• 13   Parent Meeting 6-7 PM AHJS Auditorium; Friends Of Strings (FOS) table on site
• 14    7th/8th Grade  sizing (Come and Go) AHJS Room 603;  FOS table on site
• 22    Cambridge 5th Grade Instrument Pick Up; FOS table on site
• 29    Cambridge 4th Grade Instrument Pick Up; FOS table on site

Take care
​Paul