BRIARWOOD ELEMENTARY pta newsletter

SMSD All Star Award

On Monday, February 27, 2023 the Board of Education recognized Patricia Wilde, English Language Learner Aide, as an SMSD All Star! Click here to see a video about Patricia Wilde.

Mrs. Wilde was born in Quito, Ecuador. In high school, she studied English and was familiar with English but not yet truly bilingual. Mrs. Wilde met her husband Stephen, who is an American citizen from California who was working in Ecuador. They have 3 children (Ana Maria, Jonathan and Michael). In the summer of 1990, Mrs. Wilde and her family moved to Kansas City because of her husband’s job. In 2002, Mrs. Wilde applied for and was hired as an ELL aide at Briarwood. Twelve years ago, Mrs. Wilde became an American Citizen and swore the oath of allegiance at a beautiful ceremony in Fort Scott, Kansas. Mrs. Wilde's story gives her a unique perspective and allows her to connect quickly with students and families. Mrs. Wilde is one of those people whose positive attitude is contagious and students and staff look forward to working with her.

Facility Dog

After Spring Break, Briarwood will have a Facility Dog. Liz Peters, 4th grade teacher, has qualified to bring a Facility Dog to school and will be the primary handler and where the dog stays for the majority of the day. The dog is trained to provide comfort and support to students, as well as assist with the overall positive climate of the school. Research has shown that facility dogs can provide social, emotional, and academic benefits to students in so many ways. The dog will be a Labrador Retriever. It comes to us from KSDS Assistance Dogs Inc. (http://www.ksds.org/about-us/general-information/) a highly reputable organization that has placed more than 600 dog teams across the country. The dog would be used for the benefit of all students in the building as the social worker plans to be a secondary handler. Mrs. Peters is going for a week-long training session over Spring Break. Please email me directly with any health or medical concerns for your child atchrislash@smsd.org. The Facility Dog will have boundaries set and will be on a leash with a trained staff member when walking around the school. In the future, we look forward to the Facility Dog visiting classrooms for morning meetings and working with students.

Friday, March 10

NO SCHOOL - Teacher Workday

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Monday, March 13 - Friday, March 17

NO SCHOOL - Spring Break

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Thursday, March 23

Dining Partners - Culver's

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Friday, March 24

Last day to order yearbooks. Visit the store now to get your copy!

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Thursday, March 30, 4:00-6:00 pm

Skate Party

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Full BW PTA Calendar is available here

We need your help! We are working to finalize the 2022-2023 yearbook. As part of this big project, we have 2 requests to enhance this year's book.

1 - We want to include some quotes from students about their favorite - or least favorite - things at Briarwood. This is completely optional and can be submitted multiple times if you have more than one kiddo. https://forms.gle/fAaWhdtpdEAoJiUd7

2 - We would like more photos to include in the extra pages of students at school events. Keep in mind we will try to include only 1or 2 photo(s) of any student in these extra sections, so please do not send over 20 photos of your student. With 600+ students, we want to represent as many Bulldogs as we can in the limited space.

If you have any photos from Briarwood events, please send them over: via email or Google Drive

As spring is approaching and you're cleaning out your closets, please consider making a donation to Nurse Blizzard and/or the SMAC Clothing Exchange. Any donations not needed at Briarwood will be passed along to other SM school Nurses or the SMAC Clothing Exchange, which serves all residents living within the SMSD boundary.

Info for Shoppers
The Clothing Exchange is open to shoppers, alternating weeks: Thursday evenings 4:30 to 7 p.m. / Friday 9:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

The CE is located at the Shawnee Mission Early Childhood Education Center, 6701 W. 83rd St. The entrance is in the back of the building at door #7.

COVID-19 protocol procedures are in place. Masks are required and the number of shoppers is limited to 10 at a time. A complete list of guidelines can be located at https://www.smac-pta.org/clothing-exchange

Info for Potential Volunteers
Volunteers are always welcome at the Clothing Exchange. Those interested in volunteering should send an email to smacce@smac-pta.org.

Info for Donations
Donations of gently used and clean items are welcomed, along with packages of new socks and underwear in all sizes. The items can be dropped off to the bins outside of Door #7 of the CE, or an appointment for donation drop-off can also be scheduled. Please reach out to smacce@smac-pta.org for assistance.

MARCH CELEBRATIONS AND RECOGNITIONS

March (full month) Women’s History Month

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WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH 2023 THEME: Women Who Tell Our Stories

March is Women’s History Month, an annual celebration in the United States that recognizes and celebrates the contributions of women all throughout the nation’s history. The annual celebration provides an opportunity to bring the experience and perspective of girls and women to the forefront of our various conversations. These discussions should include the stories, accomplishments, milestones and viewpoints of women.

Women’s History Month is both a time to confront the ongoing injustices that plague women around the world — and an invitation to celebrate and rejoice in our shared humanity as women.

WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH ACTIVITIES

Women’s History Month Activities for Kids

10 Books to Celebrate Women's History Month With Your Little One (startearly.org)

13 Picture Books to Read for Women’s History Month | ADL

PTA MEMBERSHIP

PTA Memberships are for sale year round in the Briarwood School Store. Individual memberships are $12 and Joint memberships are $24. The Briarwood PTA works to support every student and teacher in our building and our goal is to have 100% participation from our families/caregivers and teachers. PTA memberships are also a fundraiser for Briarwood PTA. PTA members receive exclusive access to the online directory.

To join PTA and pay online now, please visit our PTA website at: briarwoodpta.org/join_pta

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT IN 2022 - TAX INFORMATION

Your support of the PTA in 2022 is appreciated. Donation letters have been sent, as required, to donors who made donations of $250 or more. If you would like a tax donation letter and did not receive one, please contact Michelle Wiens - mwiens678@gmail.com.

Get started today by visiting https://www.briarwoodpta.org, select “Directory”

1. Update or create an account through Membership Toolkit. Once you update/create your account, you can decide what information is shared in the online directory, which is ONLY accessible to other BW registrants.
2. Our directory will only be as useful as YOU make it. Please register to help us build a stronger community network for parents/caregivers and students.
3. Download the Membership Toolkit app from the App Store or Google Play for on-the-go access.
   
   

Questions? Contact Karen Moore: karen.jeanne.moore@gmail.com

Shawnee Mission students have an exciting opportunity to turn their ideas into reality this spring!

The Next Great Idea competition gives students a chance to share their ideas for solving a problem, with an opportunity to win prize money to advance their idea. The Next Great Idea is a part of the district’s Research and Development Forum (R&D Forum), a districtwide celebration of student innovation and achievement.

How to apply: Application information can be found on the R&D webpage. The deadline to apply for the pitch competition is Friday, March 3, 2023. Optional practice sessions with industry mentors will be available for students who apply to compete.

About the contest: Applicants chosen as finalists will pitch their Next Great Idea to a panel of judges during the morning of April 29, 2023, at the Center for Academic Achievement, 8200 W. 71st Street. The pitch competition will be live-streamed so friends and family can participate as well. Top awards are $2,500, of which $1,000 is a cash award to be used by the winner to pursue their passion and education and up to $1,500 will be awarded as "build it" grants to support making the winner's pitch a reality. A People's Choice category, determined by public voters, will be awarded a $500 prize. There will also be an Idea of Promise award with a prize of $500.

More about the R&D Forum

Student Showcase:

The R&D Forum student showcase, with display-only and competitive exhibits, will be held in April 2023. Students, families, and staff members are encouraged to enter student-created projects, experiments, or art projects to share in this district-wide event. All submissions must be registered and information on how to register can be found online. The deadline to register for the showcase is Friday, March 24, 2023.

The SMSD community is invited to take part in this year’s 61st R&D Forum by attending the following events at the Center for Academic Achievement (CAA), 8200 W. 71st Street.

SHOWCASE OPEN HOUSE RECEPTIONS

• April 25, 2023: 4 - 7 pm
• April 26, 2023: 4 - 7 pm
• April 27, 2023: 4 - 7 pm

Entries will be on display at CAA, with a reception for all entrants and families.

NEXT GREAT IDEA LIVE PITCH

April 29, 2023:

• Morning - Finalists will present their Next Great Idea to a panel of judges. Public voting will follow the presentations.
• Afternoon - Awards ceremony for Showcase Entries, Regnier Award winners, and the Next Great Idea Pitch Competition award winners

About the R&D Forum

The Shawnee Mission Research and Development Forum celebrates its 61st year in 2023. It is one of the SMSD’s biggest student project showcases of the year!

Sincere appreciation is extended to the Regnier Family for 61 years of generous support for the SMSD R&D Forum.

Click here for more information and contacts if you have additional questions.

CROSSING GUARDS STILL NEEDED :) Please help us keep our students safe by volunteering to serve as a crossing guard at 86th and Juniper.

• Remind children to walk themselves and/or their bikes/scooters across the crosswalk.
• Help direct the before/after-school traffic and remind drivers that cars are not permitted to turn left off of 86th Street.
• Crosswalk volunteer shifts are 7:50-8:10am and 3:05-3:20pm (12:25pm-12:40pm on half days).

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050B44A5A822A64-briarwood

1. On the right side of the newsletter, a bar will appear with the Translation feature.
2. Click on the Translation bar then click on the Select Language button.
3. Choose your language of choice from the drop-down menu of languages and click close. The newsletter will now be translated.
   

En el lado derecho de la pagina, aparecerá una barra con la función de traducción. Haga clic en la barra de traducción y luego haga clic en el botón Seleccionar idioma. Elija español en el menú desplegable de idiomas y haga clic en cerrar. El boletín ahora se traducirá.

Website: https://www.briarwoodpta.org/

Twitter: @BriarwoodElem

Instagram: @BriarwoodBulldogs

Facebook: facebook.com/BriarwoodBulldogs

Grade-level Facebook Groups (private):

Briarwood Elementary Class of 2029 (6th grade)

Briarwood Elementary Class of 2030 (5th grade)

Briarwood Elementary Class of 2031 (4rd grade)

Briarwood Elementary Class of 2032 (3nd grade)

Briarwood Elementary Class of 2033 (2st grade)

Briarwood Elementary Class of 2034 (1st Grade)

Briarwood Elementary Class of 2035 (K)

Briarwood Elementary Class of 2036 (NEW GROUP!)

Co-Presidents:

Mary Boomer • maryseltzerboomer@gmail.com

Deana Curtin • deanacurtin@gmail.com

President-Elect:

Ashley Hunt • ashleyhunt910@gmail.com

VP Administration:

Rachel Wymore • rla08@hotmail.com

VP Communications:

Terra Snyder • walker_terra@hotmail.com

VP Community Events:

Kristin McClasky • Kdp1202@gmail.com

VP Student Services:

Susan Jarrold • susan.jarrold@gmail.com

VP Funding:

Jessica Becker • jessica.becker85@gmail.com

VP Finance:

Denise Wheeler • denisetompkins@mac.com

Treasurer:

Michelle Wiens mwiens678@gmail.com

Secretary:

Diana Beckman • dianalbeckman@gmail.com

Briarwood Foundation:

Wendy Hill • Wendyhill329@gmail.com

Diversity & Inclusion Chair:

Jessica Bryon • bryonfamkc@gmail.com