Briarlake Elementary School PTA
October
15th, 2009
Tenth Week of School
onth,
Year - Vol 1, Issue
1 | |
|
PTA
Officers
|
Co-Presidents: Sarah Rigby & Laurie Hobbs VP
Programs: Heidi Carpenter & Lisa Moore
VP Fundraising: Irenea Seufert & Michelle
Linder
Treasurer: Micki Gulley
Secretary: Jessica
White |
| Dates to
Remember |
|
Friday 10/16
Picture make-up day
Class pictures
Carpool collection
of Sally Foster boxes and electronics
Thanksgiving lunch form due
October 17
Reflections deadline
October 5-30
Testing for 1st, 3rd, 5
th grades
October 20
PTA meeting--6:00p.m.
October 21
ELPC
meeting
October 26-30
Red Ribbon
Week
November 15
America Recycles
Day
Monday 11/16-Friday
11/20
Food Drive benefiting
CHOA
Wed. 11/18--Fri. 11/20
Book
Fair |
| Thank you
to: |
Stephanie Byrne for helping last
weekend with Briarlake Baptist.
Christy Van Horn for helping us with
our PTA memberships and enabling us to earn
awards.
All our teachers who
have been "sticking" through the rainly season.
Wow, all this rain really makes us appreciate recess!
YOU...everyone who reads
this new form of communication, and has all their
questions answered.
Our 1st, 3rd, and 5th graders and
their teachers. Great IOWA testing...only one more
test to go...
| |
|
Greetings
Briarlake Beavers,
|
| *We hope
everyone enjoyed their fall break. It's now time
to buckle down and plow through until Thanksgiving.
*October PTA meeting next
Tuesday-6:00 p.m. Childcare available.
Please come.
*Check out the October
edition of the Beaver
Bulletin. Thank you to our "behind the scenes
girl", Melissa Beaupierre!
*We are asking everyone who has a
PTA reimbursement to PLEASE fill out a reimbursement
form and to give adequate time to receive your
reimbursement check. Starting today, no
receipts will be accepted without a reimbursement
form.
Remember...we are all
volunteers!
* "Walk to Win!" Everyone
continue walking or biking to school. Have your
card punched and after ten weeks, you'll be
eligible to win a prize. See below for
details.
*Special Friday, 10/16, Morning
Carpool...bring your Sally Foster boxes and recycled
electronics.
*Did you know we raised
$11,500 for our school in Sally Foster sales...that's a
lot of wrapping paper!
*Send in "Mr. Turkey Beaver" with
your Thanksgiving lunch order form.
Deadline: tomorrow!
|
| Fall
Festival |
Briarlake
Families,
Thank you so much for a
wonderful Fall Festival! This was the most
successful one to date and it was in large part due to
our VOLUNTEERS! A huge thank you goes out to those
volunteers that pitched in and worked a game, prepared
food, drove a tractor, sold tickets and organized
behind the scenes. We can't forget our sub
committee chairs who without, the festival wouldn't
have been possible. You'll never know
the hours that they put into the event and we
are so grateful for their
efforts!
Vanessa
Erens
Stacey and Vajra Stratigos
Blake
Bradford
Todd and Karina Skelton
Jeff and Pat
Schaefer
Dawn Simon
Molly
Wilkes
Denise Chiavetta
Michelle
Bishop
Stacey Voogd
Nicole
Spiro
Tonya Roberts
We are already excited for next
year and have a few new
ideas...
Carolyn Hansen
and Angela Pilcher
Fall Festival Co-Chairs
|
| Sally
Foster |
Sally Foster orders went home
with your child on
Tuesday, Oct. 13.
Check your order right away.
If you have issues, use the order-error form enclosed in
your box. Report errors by Thursday, Oct. 22. This is a
hard deadline. Please don't miss it.
Thanks to the Green Team
who will collect Sally Foster boxes to recycle on
Friday, October 16 during morning carpool. You don't
even have to get out of your car!
Thank you to all
students, parents, teachers, and staff for their
generous support of this year's Sally Foster
fundraiser!
Together we raised $11,500
for our school!
Thanks very much to each
of you for your help today with the Sally Foster
delivery!
To
Nicole Spiro, Chris Kramer, Mary
Margaret Neal, and Sarah Rigby for your
strong arms that sorted, lifted, and delivered
boxes.
To Dr.
Culbreath and Mrs. Gavrielides for making sure
we had easy access to the school with our large
pallets.
And Mrs.
Berry for making us at home in the media center.
It made it all so manageable!
Thank you
very much!
Irenea Seufert and Michele
Lindner
Sally Foster
Chairpersons |
| Picture
Day---again---Tomorrow |
Picture Day - this Friday,
10/16.
Individual picture order forms as
well as class picture forms are due, with payment on
10/16/09. We are still holding class picture order forms
and checks/money from the last collection and those will
be turned into Lifetouch as well. This is also the date
of class pictures, retakes and makeups. All students and
teachers should come to school on 10/16/09 ready for
pictures whether or not you have already done your
individuals.
You can pay online at
mylifetouch.com or you can send cash or check made
out to Livetouch. If you pay online please write
that on your order form when you turn it in so I don't
think your check fell out. If you choose to get retakes
of your student's individual photo, the retake will
replace the original photo in the year book. There is a
collection box in the front office for all class and
individual photo order forms. It is preferable that you
do not wait until retake day, 10/16, to send in those
order forms.
I would welcome 2 volunteers
to help me on retake day! - 10/16/9. It is really
fun and should go pretty quickly. I would need you
starting at about 8:10 am and I expect the job to be
over by lunch. Please contact me to
volunteer.
Nicole
Spiro
thespiros@bellsouth.net
770-496-0723
Thank
you Nicole---you're always
"picture-ready"!
|
| REFLECTIONS deadline
is HERE--Oct. 17 |
|
This year's theme is "Beauty
is...
The deadline for all entries is
October 17th. If you have questions, please contact
Lisa
Spivack |
| Quinn
update |
Quinn is doing very well, up and
walking and even occasionally dancing. The Roberts
family is extremely grateful for the cards, letters and
food. It really does take a villiage. We
should all be so blessed to have friends and family like
the Roberts do...life is very unpredictable. You never
know what's coming...
The Today Show will aire
a special on Quinn next week. It was
bumped from today. You know how TV business
is... |
| Walk to
Win |
|
We hope many of you are enjoying
the morning walks to school. Our safety
patrols are ready to punch a hole in your walking
cards each week. .
This week is Week
1.
Remember to walk or bike to
school at least one day each week to get your card
punched for that week so that at the end of 10
weeks we can enter your card into a raffle for a prize.
Walk to
Win! |
| PTA Membership
Awards |
|
Briarlake was recognized at the PTA
council dinner by earning the following PTA membership
awards:
Visionary Pin (only 13 schools met
this)
400 or more members by end of
August
Platinum Award which means we
met our Target Membership. Only 3 schools in county met
this for Sept.
Thanks to our
"membership goddess", Christy Van
Horn! |
| In the Thanksgiving
Spirit... |
During this time of year, many
organizations sponsor "walk-a-thons" to raise money for
certain causes. Here are a couple that we know of
today:
Juvenile Diabetes:
JDRF Walk is this Saturday, Oct. 17, 2009 at
8:00 am in the morning at Centennial Olympic Park. There
will be all kinds of family fun provided at the park. We
have up to a month after to collect funds. You can
register on line at www.jdrf.org
Walk for PKD--Sunday, November 15,
2009
| | |
|
| eSIS--Going LIVE
October 23--Save Progress Reports |
|
The New eSIS Parent Assistant
(formerly Parent Portal) is COMING October 23, 2009!
DeKalb County Schools is transitioning to a
new student information system, eSIS. As part of this
transition, we are excited to announce the availability of a
new parent portal application, Parent Assistant (PA),
beginning October 23, 2009.
Parent Assistant (PA) is a secure,
web-based student access information application for parents,
guardians, and students. Access and data is secure in that
users can view only that information for which they are
authorized. Additionally, with the entire district having one
SIS parent portal, parents will be able to see data for every
child in any school level.
Features & Benefits
· Ability
to check student information 24 hours a day, 7 days a
week
· Ability to view a variety of student information
such as attendance and discipline
· Increased sense of
ownership and responsibility for personal progress
through
viewing of homework assignments and
due dates, grades, and test scores
· Improved communications with the school
and with students!
· Ability to ensure basic demographic data
is up to- date ~ view information
such as address and
telephone, emergency contacts and more.
Helpful Tip:
Progress Reports come home this week. "Save
It!!
If you want to be able to track your
student's grades and attendance, you will have to sign up
again for the new program. You will need the student
numbers that are located on the progress report (student
number and GTID -
(which stands for Georgia Testing
ID).
Keep it handy to make sign-up easier when they launch
the new program.
Information provided by
Mrs.
Gavrielides
|
| Celebrate
Calm--Workshop for Parents and Teachers |
Please save the date and join us for
this worthy workshop being presented by Oak Grove
Elementary PTA on Tuesday, November 3, 7:00 - 9:00 p.m.
Kirk Martin is a nationally known speaker, educator, trainer
and guide for parents and teachers.
.
Visit www.CelebrateCALM.com
to learn more.
For Parents and
Teachers!Save the
Date!! Tuesday, November 3rd.
10
Secrets to A Stress-Free Home & School
Workshop for
Parents
*Create a calm
home-eliminate yelling and arguing.
*Improve
focus, attention and behavior in school.
*Eliminate
defiance and disrespect.
*Create
stress-free discipline and homework time.
*Build
confidence, vision and internal
motivation.
Join us
for a humorous, practical workshop with nationally recognized
expert Kirk Martin, who has trained over 70,000 parents and
teachers. Helpful in reducing anxiety and stress in all
families. Let's make this school year stress-free!
The Workshop is FREE thanks to
sponsorship by the Oak Grove PTA. There is no need to
register. Just bring friends and neighbors-we'll have a great
time, have several "Ah-hah" moments and leave with a dozen
practical tools that will help immediately.
|
| Healthy Planet-Healthy
Me--National Red Ribbon Week- October
26-30 |
National Red Ribbon Week at Briarlake -
October 26-30
The theme this year is
Healthy Planet, Healthy Me.
All students will be getting
an activity sheet next week listing ways to take care of their
bodies and the planet. Parents are asked to initial each
day the activities that children complete. You can view
the sheet in advance here. Sheets will be turned
in to Ms. Norris Brown on Monday, November 2nd.
Please encourage your children
to participate!
We will also have themed days
all week at school to show our commitment to a healthy body
and a healthy planet.
October 26-30th
Monday - Fruit & Veggie
Day
Wear the color of your favorite fruit or vegetable, eat
it today!
Tuesday - Farmer Day
Dress like a
farmer and celebrate people who grow our
food
Wednesday - Be Green Day
Walk to school and
Wear Green to celebrate being Green and helping to keep our
planet clean!
Thursday - Wild Hair Day
Celebrate
wilderness & the animals that live there
Friday
- Sports Day
Wear your favorite team jersey to celebrate
being active in sports
Monday, November 2 - Turn in
Tracking Sheets to Ms. Norris-Brown
Thanks for your
support!
Information by Sarah
Cook
|
Fun
Run--Coming soon. Mark your calendars--March 6, 2010
|
|
The 2nd annual Briarlake
Beaver Run- Fun Run and 5K committee is calling
all those who wish to volunteer for the event to
contact Michelle Decker at
deckerm1@bellsouth.net. We are beginning to
plan for the March 6th event and look forward to
a larger crowd this
coming Spring. |
| National School Lunch
Week |
|
|
| Testing for 1st, 3rd, and
5th graders Continues |
|
This week
the IOWA test concludes. Next week the CogAT begins and
continues for two weeks. Please send your children to
school well-rested and with a healthy breakfast to start their
day. Let's all wish them
well!!! |
| Donate
coats to the International Rescue Committee |
|
The
International Rescue Committee has issued an appeal for warm
clothing/coats/jackets/sweaters. With cold weather coming more
quickly than in previous years, the new immigrants from
Myanmar and other warm countries have no appropriate clothing
(adults as well as children).
Ms. Berry
is willing to pick up and deliver all items
received. She will have a box in the lobby starting
next week.
Thank you for considering this
request.
Diana M. Berry,
Teacher-Librarian
|
| DCSS
School Calender Information for 2010 - 2011 and 2011 - 2012
|
|
Our
PTA laison, Angela Hansberger has busy working
on the School Calendar Committee. This committee will
decide the school calendar for the next two years.
Please review the attached calendars and then take the survey
to provide feedback to the committee. This is an
opportunity to give power to your voice. The survey will
be available until Thursday, October
22.
CALENDARS:
Click here for the
2010 - 2011 and here for the
2011 - 2012 calendars.
Click
here to take the
Survey - you will go to Survey
Monkey.
The proposed
calendars:
*Include
180 student-contact days - the maximum number funded by the
state.
*Include 189 teacher-contract days with the final
day (Day 190) being comprised of four conference
nights during the year as scheduled by each local
school.
*Include nine teacher workdays - three of which are dedicated
to professional development to facilitate the
meeting of requirements for annual professional
learning.
*Closely mirror the calendars of some of our
largest neighboring school districts,
*Take into
account state-designated testing windows and
dates.
*Conclude the First Semester before the Winter Break
in December - which prevents students from returning from the
break with Final Exams and End of Course Tests still ahead of
them.
*Offer some form of break for students and teachers
each month of the year (September - May).
*Schedule a
spring break during the first week in April, beginning on a
Sunday. This spring break is scheduled in accordance with
those of surrounding school systems.
*End the second
semester prior to Memorial Day - which allows the district to
offer a short break to both students and teachers prior to the
start of summer school.
Information provided by Angela
Hansberger
|
| Book
Fair Coming soon--Get Ready to Read |
|
Briarlake, are
you ready to Read Around the World?
The Scholastic
Book Fair is coming to Briarlake beginning Wednesday, November
18 and running through Friday, November 20.
The Fair will
be open before and after school and during the Thanksgiving
Lunches on Thursday and Friday. This is a great
opportunity to get some new books, get started on your holiday
shopping, and help out our teachers by purchasing books from
their "Wish Lists" - and a portion of the proceeds stays at
Briarlake!
If you'd like
to help out (it's a lot of fun AND you get to shop while you
work!), contact Leigh Harris at lharris@fhce.com. Get ready to
READ!
Thank you,
Leigh, we can't wait! |
| Green
Team--Carpool Collection |
The Green Team will collect Sally
Foster boxes and electronics to recycle on Friday,
October 16 during morning carpool. You don't even
have to get out of your car...How easy is
that?
The link for the list of items
accepted is: Decatur GA
recycling
Please don't forget to recycle
your old cell phones. We will be collecting those
ALL year. The collection box is just inside the
front doors. These phones will benefit gorillas
from the Democratic Republic congo area. What
an easy way to reach out and help another part of the world?
Thank
you Green
Team! |
| Reminders |
|
BOX TOPS
Continue clipping Box Tops. Look for
Box Tops on many different products, not just food.
School Store Hours
Open Tuesdays,
Wednesdays and Fridays before school--7:35-8:00
a.m. Volunteers needed! Contact Paige Fitts
to help.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
| |
Sarah Rigby and Laurie Hobbs, PTA
Co-Presidents
Briarlake Elementary PTA
| |
| |
