BRIARWOOD ELEMENTARY pta newsletter

• Students, parents, guardians and family members should cross at the designated cross walks. We have two designated cross walks and there is a staff member that helps cross walkers at the entrance to the car drop-off and pick up lane.
• Crossing Guard on Nall between 85th Terr & 86th St.
• ALL students and patrons who need to cross Nall to get to the West side should use the cross walk with the crossing guard. This is the safest way for all pedestrians.
• Students or patrons should NEVER cross in the middle of Nall unless at a light. As you head south bound on Nall from Briarwood there is an incline and difficult to see oncoming traffic and it is extremely dangerous for students or patrons to cross.
• Crossing Guard on 86th
• ALL students who need to cross to 86th Street in front of the school to get to the south side must cross at the crossing guard.
• Students or patrons should NEVER cross in the middle of the street.
• 87th and Woodson
• Students who cross at 87th and Woodson should stay along the south side of 87thStreet and then use the signal at Nall to get to the crossing guard near 86th Street.
• If your student walks or rides their bike please review safety expectations such as staying on the sidewalk and crossing at the designated cross walks. Bike riders will walk their bike once on school property to the bike rack. Bike riders should wear a helmet and buckle the strap. Bike riders should be in 3rd grade or older unless they have a parent with them to and from school.

Visitors At Lunch

We are excited to welcome back visitors at lunch. With the return to normal seating in the lunchroom we do not have a lot of extra space for visitors to sit. To help manage the number of people in the lunchroom at one time we have created a sign up link for each grade level so parents and guardians can sign up in advance and we can monitor the number of visitors. When you arrive to Briarwood you will check in at the office and receive a visitor sticker. You will then meet up with your student only in the lunchroom and go to the designated guest area. The guest area can include a separate table in the lunchroom/hallway or going outside on nice days.

• Lunch Sign Up Link

Saturday, October 8

4th Grade - Grade Level Party (Adults-only event) - RSVP/Details

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Friday, October 14 & 21

No School

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Wednesday, October 19 @ 7:00pm

General PTA Meeting at the Briarwood Gym

*

Thursday, October 27

Skating Party- see flyer below for more details

*

Monday, November 7-Friday, November 11

Read-a-Thon week!

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Tuesday, November 8

Picture Retake Day

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Friday, November 11

Veterans Day

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Full BW PTA Calendar is available here

Thank you to Brian Hughes and all the volunteers for the work and effort put into making the Bulldog Jog a fun and successful event! After a two year hiatus this one was enjoyed by all!

PTA Reflections is a nationally acclaimed student recognition program to encourage artistic creativity in the classroom and at home. Students of all grades and abilities may participate and explore the arts based on the current year's theme. The theme for 2022-2023 is "Show Your Voice!"

Entries are due on October 14! Entry Forms can be found online -- HERE.

CATEGORIES FOR ENTRY:

• Dance Choreography
• Music Composition
• Film Production
• Photography
• Literature
• Visual Arts

Please join us on Wednesday, October 19 at 7:00 p.m. in the Briarwood Gym for our second General PTA Membership meeting of the school year.

During this meeting, Dr. Tyrone Bates, SMSD Coordinator of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, will talk with us about creating a fully unified, equitable, and inclusive culture at Briarwood.

Briarwood’s PTA (Parent Teacher Association) works to support every student and teacher at school. The PTA provides additional extra activities, programs, and financial assistance not covered by the Shawnee Mission School District.

Joining the PTA is easy! Once you have updated/created your profile, purchase your PTA membership in the online Store. Individual memberships are $12 and Joint memberships are $24. 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

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

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.

We have some big plans for our students in the Makerspace this year! Ms. Martens would LOVE to get some donations to beef up our stash. Listed below are some items we will need for future projects. If you are able to donate, please send items to the office or with your student on library day! Thank you for all your help!!

• Toilet paper/paper towel rolls
• Bottle glue & glue sticks
  
• Duct tape - solid colors
• Crayon boxes - any size
• Colored pencils
• Washable markers - any size

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

Briarwood's Grade Level Parties are fun events for all of the grown-ups in each grade to get to know each other – and to raise $ for PTA. Parent volunteers plan, pay for, and host each party. While there is no fee to attend, donations are encouraged to fundraise for the PTA general fund, which supports many programs at our school. Food and drinks will be provided. Click here for more info.

Questions?

Contact: Erin Winters, erinlynnwinters@gmail.com OR

Michelle Le Roux, michleroux3@gmail.com

October Celebrations & Recognitions

• Sukkot – October 10-11
• National Bullying Prevention month.

A Little Something More

Sukkot - This harvest festival is named for the temporary dwellings, called Sukkot, decorated with fruit and vegetables, set up to recall the booths in which the Jews lived during their journey from Egypt. The holiday is marked by processions with the lulav (palm branch with myrtle and willow) and etrog (citron).

Anti-Bullying - The state of Kansas has declared the first full week in October as Anti-Bullying Awareness & Prevention week. To help raise awareness we are having a Spirit week at Briarwood.

• Friday: Be on the same team – favorite sports team jersey or shirt

There are things adults and kids can do to keep kids safe from bullying. Click the links below to learn more.

Links for Learning

CBS Kids – Sukkot – A Jewish Celebration of Fall

How to Handle Bullying

Learn How to Identify Bullying

• Help students/families with anxiety, depression, suicide prevention, peer relationships and other family/school dynamics
• Help create behavior support plans with students/families/teachers
• Assist teachers with social emotional teaching and trauma informed approaches in their classroom
• Individual and group counseling within school setting
• Provide resources to parents struggling with emotional/behavioral issues at home
• Connect families to resources, such as our community partner Hillcrest Covenant Church. Resources include groceries, housing, clothing etc.

Please contact Mrs. Horn with any questions or concerns:

cassiehorn@smsd.org 913-993-2262

Shawnee Mission Area Council PTA (SMAC) Clothing Exchange

The Clothing Exchange offers gently used clothing and shoes to those within the SMSD boundaries. All items are clean. Donations are made possible by SMSD residents. All residents are welcome.

Website: https://www.smac-pta.org/

Please note that there are two separate upcoming volunteer opportunities for the Clothing Exchange, both on October 4.

Additional information is located on the SMAC website:

https://www.smac-pta.org/volunteer

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

Briarwood Elementary Bulldogs - all school Facebook page

FACEBOOK Groups are a great way to find out what is going on in your grade level community. Join your group to find out details on sports teams, scouts, and play dates happening throughout the year.

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)

Website: https://www.briarwoodpta.org/
Facebook: facebook.com/BriarwoodBulldogs
Twitter: @BriarwoodElem

Instagram: @BriarwoodBulldogs