Briarlake Elementary School PTA
February 25, 2010
Eighth Week of School
|
| Greetings Briarlake
Families |
Wow, how time
flies...February is gone! We can't wait for Spring!
Thank you to Mrs. Wise's and Mrs. Foege's
classes for a delicious lunch for our teachers and
staff. It was a Terrific Thursday!
Spirit Night TONIGHT!! See
below.
Our FUN RUN is fast
approaching--only 1 week left. Last day to register
with discounted rate! Details below.
Mark your calendars NOW for our biggest
fund raiser of the year-- The Spring
Gala-- March 27.
Morning Walking Club back by popular
demand. Every Thursday morning at 7:30, in the
gym.
Braves Tickets going fast!
Only a few left. See below for ordering
details.
Remember to
register for Camp Invention. Briarlake dates
are June 7-11. Space is limited, register today at
www.campinvention.org or call
800-968-4332.
February Beaver Bulletin is available
here. Thank you Melissa Beaupierre!
February PTA meeting minutes available here.
DCSS Budget - Time to speak
up...Please forward any suggestions or ideas you may have
regarding the budget that may serve as workable solutions.
Email your suggestions or ideas to:
budget-suggestions@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us. In addition,
you can learn more about the budget planning process and view
4 proposed budgets for the 2010-2011 school year if you click
here. Public meetings will be held April 21 and 28, 6PM at
the Bryant Center on Lawrenceville
Hwy.
|
| Spirit
Night--TONIGHT |
Briarlake Spirit Night at
Chick-fil-A--Tonight!
(corner of Briarcliff and N.
Druid Hills)
Thursday, February 25
5:00 - 8:00 PM
Join us at Chick-fil-A for
great food and disco music
Disco Bingo
6:00-6:30
Dance Contest 6:45
A percentage of all food purchases
benefit Briarlake. Hope to see you there!
Thank you Michelle and
Irenea! |
| Fun
Run--Next Saturday! |
2nd
Annual Briarlake Beaver Healthy Habit 5K and 1 Mile
Fun Run.
Tomorrow is the LAST day to register with
the discounted rate. Register TODAY!
If you require more registrations, please
visit the front office, click
here or email deckerm1@bellsouth.net for a pdf
you can print at home. Registration Forms should be
dropped off in the front office. You can also
visit www.briarlakepta.org
and click on the 5k Race. You will be directed
to www.active.com where
you can easily register online. Make checks
payable to the Briarlake PTA. The awards will be held after the 1 Mile
Fun Run is over. So plan to stay and celebrate all
the
finishers.
Please thank our sponsors while you
are on your travels about town:.
The American Boot Camp Company, Berman Fink
Van Horn, Rocketscience, U H'care, Joe's Catering, Bagel
Palace, Ladies Workout express, Whole
Foods.
When: Saturday, March
6
Times: 5K begins at 8:30 and
the Fun Run begins at 9:30
Thanks to Michelle Decker, Chuck
Van Horn and their
team! | |
|
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 |
Spirit Night-Chick-fil-A - 5pm
Fri. 2/26
Kindergarten Round-up - 9am
March
Tues., March 2
Spring Picture Day
Wed., March 3
GA Walk to School Day
Saturday, March 6
Annual Fun Run
Tuesday, March 16
PTA Meeting -6 pm
Math Night -6:30pm
Thursday, March 25
Chick-fil-A Spirit Night
Terrific Thursday
School Council meeting
Saturday, March 27
Annual Spring Gala
April
Mon. April
5--Fri. April 9
Spring
Break
Friday, April 16
BB deadline
Tuesday, April 20
PTA
meeting-6pm
Signing Choir
Performance 6:30pm
Literacy Night
6:50pm
Saturday, April
24
Campus
Beautification
Friday, April 30
Field
Day |
| Reminders |
|
Continue clipping Box Tops.
Look for BoxTops 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 Ellen Kersh to help.
School Tours
Available:
Mondays: Mar. 1, April 12th at
9 am
Tuesdays: Mar. 30, April 27 at 1
pm
PTA Meeting
Dates
March 16 - 6pm
April 20 - 6 pm
May 11- 6
pm | |
|
| Quote of the
Week |
"Be who you are and say what you
feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who
matter don't mind.
-Dr.
Seuss |
| Spring Pictures--Next
Week--March 2 |
Spring Picture
Day is coming Tuesday, March 2nd!!
FREE
PICTURE PACKAGE FOR VOLUNTEERS!!!
You must contact
Nicole to volunteer first for free
package.
Please dress
in bright, spring colors or students may dress
in sports attire, uniform, fancy or themed. Please
no costumes. All students will have the same
backdrop; a realistic garden scene, mostly green with a
little color. Students may bring a small prop
item for the picture such as a small trophy, award
or prized possession. Please limit the item to about 12
inches tall.
Sitting for pictures will be optional; if
you do not want your child to sit for the photographer,
please send a note to their teacher. There will be
no before-hand paperwork for these pictures like there
was in the fall. We'll photograph your child on March
2nd, unless you send a note, and in a few weeks you
will receive an order envelope with your child's proof
attached. There is no obligation to order.
If you would
like to volunteer, and we need volunteers, to help
with this event, please let me know.
Nicole
Spiro
Pictures
Chair
770-496-0723
|
| Georgia Walk to School
Day--Wednesday, March 3 |
Join our
state and Healthy Habits Team as we walk,
bike, run, or skip to school next Wednesday.
Find out how walking
together is a great start to everyone's day. If
you live too far away, you can park on one of the
neighborhood streets and walk from there, or park at a
friend's house and walk
together.
We
will be kicking off another 10 Weeks of Walking to Win,
starting Wednesday. All walkers will receive a
Walk to Win punch card. Walk at least one day each
week to get your card hole-punched for the week.
All participants will be entered in the prize drawing at
the end of 10 weeks.
Each week pick at least
one day to leave your cars behind and walk to or from
school with your child. You will save time, get a
little exercise in, and help reduce pollution and
traffic congestion. It is a win win for everyone
so please get on board and walk with us starting this
Wednesday!
|
| Thursday Walking
Club |
PLEASE SUPPORT
OUR STEP COUNTER DRIVE!
The Thursday
Walking Club is off to a great start with more than 50
children starting the morning on the move. Step
counters have been the most popular prize for
participants so we need your help. If you have a
working step counter to donate to the school for our
walking club, we can start tracking our steps during the
second half of the program. We would like to do a
virtual walk across Georgia. If you have some
pedometers that you can part with, please drop them in
the box in the front office. Thanks so
much!
|
| Yearbooks - Place order
by Friday, February 26. |
It's
time to order your Briarlake YEARBOOK!
Yearbooks are
$30.
Don't miss out on your
child's school-year memories in this lasting
keepsake.
We did NOT collect money
during registration this year. This is your first
opportunity to order yearbooks, so order
away!
Order forms were sent home
last week. Extra copies are available in the
office.
Deadline to order is Friday,
February 26.
YEARBOOK ANNOUNCEMENT
ADS
What a great way to use
those baby pictures? Send your child a message of
congratulations, or encouragement that he/she will
always remember.
Order forms were sent home
last week. Extra forms are in the office.
Announcement
prices:
1/8 sheet-$20
1/4 sheet-$40
1/2 sheet-$60
full sheet-$100
Deadline to order
ads-Friday, February
26. | |
|
|
| Spring
Gala--March 27 |
Mark your calendars for March
27th and help make this Gala the best one
yet!
We are collecting donations now for the
Gala auction. Items such as gift certificates (to
restaurants, retail stores, spa services, etc), tickets (to
sporting events, theater, local attractions, etc), art, and
gift items are very popular for the auction.
If you have any that you don't intend to
use or know someone who might be interested in donating an
item or service, let us know!
Facts for new families
1. Fun evening out--just
adults
2. Dress up or come in jeans--just
come!
3. Biggest fund raiser of the
year
4. Invitation with details to follow
soon |
| Geography Bee
Results |
Congratulations to our Briarlake
Geography Teams and their sponsors, Ms. McMillan and Ms.
Fields, at the recent Geography Bee. The lower grade
team (first and second grades) lead by Ms. McMillan took first
place in the county and the upper grade team (third and fourth
grades) lead by Ms. Fields tied for third place overall.
We
are proud of both of our teams and our sponsors!
Coach:
Fields
Coach: McMillan
Grades 3 and
4
Grades 1 and 2
Leila Baniassad - 3rd
(Roseberry)
Hanna Baniassad - 2 (Wise)
Paul Roberts - 3rd
(Roseberry)
Gregory Kopanezos - 2 (Pittman)
Ben Blanck - 3rd
(Cernoch)
Lilly Kersh - 2 (Pittman)
Andrew Ringo - 3rd
(Francis)
Ava Lewis - 2 (Wise)
Elijah Bailey-Summers - 3rd
(Francis) Flavius
Penescu - 2
(Pittman)
Ben Wise - 4th
(Rich)
Kareem Sange - 1 (Spencer)
Ian Maddox - 4th
(McLarty)
Ryan Law - 1 (Spencer)
Skylar Clark - 4th
(Johnson)
Adrina Bradley - 4th (Johnson)
Way to go
Briarlake!
Dr. Ann
Culbreath |
| Green
Team News |
We hope everyone had a happy
Arbor Day! Our school was very busy last week with all
the Arbor Day activities. The kindergarten classes were
very busy in their Science Centers learning about the
importance of trees. The Pre-K class was also busy
planting a pink Dogwood near the gymnasium. Many books
were read to classes about the special day. Ms. Elliott
is working on the compost bin. And the Tree of Knowledge
is blooming with incredible tree facts and quotes. Our
planet will benefit from the knowledge gained by all these
wonderful activites. Keep up the good work
Briarlake! |
| Math
Night--Tuesday, March 16 |
|
Who: All Briarlake Students &
Their Parents
What: Math
Night
When: Tuesday, March 16th after the PTA
meeting
Where: Briarlake Elementary
School
Why: To provide parents and students with a
fun way to practice math.
Join us for math games that
are easy to make and do at home. Each grade level will
have approximately 2 different games to play.
Thank you Math Team! We can't
wait! |
| Braves
Game Tickets |
The signing
choir will be performing at the Braves' game on Sunday, May
16th at 1 pm. Tickets are $8.00
each. Only a few tickets remain, order
today! Checks can be made payable to the
Briarlake PTA. If you have any questions, please contact
Kristi
Steed. |
| Track
Club |
Attention Track
Club Members: Next Tuesday will be the last Track Club
for this group. We have enjoyed training for the
Briarlake 5K with you!!
Thank you for braving the cold,
wet Wednesdays with us!! We look forward to running with
you on March 6th!!
We will continue Track Club to
train for the Peachtree Jr. The Peachtree Jr. is a 3K
for children ages 7-12 and is run on May 22 at Piedmont Park.
We will take the first 30 kids that sign up for the
Peachtree Jr. in Track Club.
Please email Mrs. Blackmore at
Whitney_G_Blackmore@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us
Thanks! |
| Teacher
Support---Go Girls! |
|
Please come out and support
your teachers as they participate in the ING. On March
21st, Ms. Cernoch and Mrs. Blackmore will be running in
theirfirst FULL marathon. Mr. & Mrs. Foege
will be running in their firsthalf marathon with Mrs.
Kramer who will be running in her second half marathon.
If you are in town, please come cheer them on as they take on
the "healthy habits" challenge! A course map can be
found at www.inggeorgiamarathon.com If you plan on
coming to cheer them on, please let them know so they can be
sure to look for you. They will need all the cheering
they can get and appreciate all the
support.
Congratulations
Ladies! |
| Cultural
Arts Change |
Environmental
Epic Show
Andy Offutt
Irwin
Thursday,
May 6, 2010
@
8:30am for grades PreK-2 in Gymnasium
@ 9:30am for grades 3 -5 in
Gymnasium
|
| ELPC
Meeting Minutes |
2/17/2010
Multiculturalism and DCSS
2 school board members in
attendance--Pam Speaks and Don McChesney
From
Briarlake--Ann Culbreath and Angela
Hansberger
This was
an interesting panel discussion on linguistic diversity.
Sandra Nunez, the director of ELL Studies program really
enlightened us on the diversity within our system.
In Dekalb
County there are currently 14,000 international students.
Every year we have 3500 newcomers. Newcomers take a
placement test for language support. We have 8300 ELL learners
currently in DCSS. We are one of the largest
refugee resettlements in the nation (over 2000 families in
Dekalb compared to 81 in Gwinnett).
Region 2
(our region) has 708 refugees speaking 112 languages, from 130
nations. In our district over 150 languages are spoken. Top
foreign language is Spanish, #2 (changes every year) is
Burmese, #3 Amharic, #4 Vietnamese. DCSS has the 2nd
largest immigrant population in GA.
Next ELPC meeting is
April 21st at Coralwood. Topic: State of the School part
2
Information from Angela
Hansberger, PTA Liaison
Thank you, Angela! |
| Men's
Health Initiative |
Dekalb County Council of
PTAs
presents
"Straight Talk...for
Men Only"
Arabia Mountain High
School
Saturday, Feb.
27
8 am-
noon
Contact Nathaniel
Paxton at 678-245-9344 for
details |
| PBS
Teachers Innovation Awards |
GPB invites you to be a part of the PBS Teachers
Innovation Awards. We know Georgia Educators innovate
every day...and we want to celebrate, recognize, and
thank you!
|
| Fish
Tank volunteer needed--no experience
necessary |
Our fish tank is a much loved
asset to our school. Many a child has been captivated
watching our swimming friends. To preserve our
fish-friends we need additional tank volunteers. Please
email briarlakepta@gmail.org
if you'd like to help.
Remember, you
get what you give in
life... |
| Pre-K
Lottery -Important new info |
|
The
participation of the DeKalb County School System in the
state-funded Pre-K Program for 2010-2011 is contingent upon
receipt of adequate state funding and final approval of
the budget by the DCSS Board of Education.
Registration
time: 8:30 am - 1:00
pm
Drawing:
1:15 pm
You MUST bring the
following:
Original Birth
Certificate
Current Proof of
Residency
*Parent Photo
ID
*Child's Social
Security Card
*new
this year |
| Nominating
Committee |
It is that time of year again!
The nominating committee is working on a slate for
the PTA Executive Board for the 2010 - 2011 school
year. Members of the committee include Dr. Culbreath,
Loretta Salzano-Vanni, Diana Berry, Trish McElfresh, Alexi
Smith with Deb Wise and Sally Elliott as alternates.
Board positions include
Co-Presidents (2), Vice Presidents for Programs (2), Vice
Presidents for Fundraising (2) , Treasurer and Secretary.
Officers normally serve for a 2 year term and the goal for
Co-Presidents and VP positions is to have a returning officer
serve with a "new" officer.
If you are
interested in serving on the PTA board, please contact Loretta or any of the committee members for
more information.
|
| ServeHaiti- Last day
is tomorrow! |
The tragedy in
Haiti has affected the lives of so many across the globe.
DeKalb County, one of the south's most diverse
counties, is home to many Haitian-Americans and members
of our own community have lost loved ones in the
devastation. The DeKalb County
School System has teamed up with a local non-profit called
ServeHAITI* to provide assistance to the people of Haiti as
they rebuild. DCSS will collect much-needed items that
ServeHAITI needs for its relief efforts through Friday,
February 26. Each DCSS school and administrative
building will serve as a collection site.
|
| CSIP |
All DeKalb County Schools
have written a Consolidated School Improvement Plan (CSIP) to
guide instruction and school improvement efforts. Each
school's CSIP is available at the school and can be viewed
online at the CSIP
website. Feedback is needed from our parents to
facilitate the school improvement process for our schools.
Please provide your feedback by completing the survey
below. All responses are completely confidential. Your
assistance is sincerely appreciated. PARENTS: You may
complete the survey online by clicking on the link below:
School
Improvement Parent SurveySTUDENTS: You may access
the survey online by clicking on the link below: School
Improvement Student
Survey | |
|
Sarah Rigby and Laurie Hobbs, PTA
Co-Presidents
Briarlake Elementary
PTA | |
| |
