The Family Bulldog Bulletin 5/6/24

Enrollment for Kindergarten is open. Please help us prepare by enrolling your upcoming Kindergarten early. Here is a link to the online process. All enrollments start online first.

The end of the 23-24 school year is fast approaching and with that comes assessments for all students. Please mark your calendars for upcoming dates.

May 1-May 24 End of Year Math and Reading Benchmarks (K-5th)

May 13-May 31 End of Year Summative Assessments (K-2nd)

May 30-June 12 End of Grade Testing (3rd-5th)

All running club medal money and Briarcliff running club merchandise orders are due by Friday, May 10th at 9:00 am. They should give the order form and money to their homeroom teacher, and the homeroom teachers will turn in the money to Miss Johnson in the office. The order forms were given out this morning to the parents as they dropped off their children. Staff members' children also received order forms and early arrival students received order forms. I will call all of the students that were absent today this weekend to make sure that they get an order form and have the opportunity to purchase merchandise as well.

Purpose: Helping students do their best at Briarcliff requires a team effort. Parents, students, and schools all play important roles in this process. Help us make your child's school experience as positive and beneficial as possible by giving honest, thoughtful responses to the questions in the Panorama family survey.

When: Monday, April 8 - Friday, May 17. The survey will take approximately 7-8 minutes to complete.

Where/How: Families can access the anonymous surveys on any internet-connected device (smartphone, laptop, desktop, tablet). Use the link below to access and complete the survey on Monday, April 8.

Panorama Survey Link

Helpful Tips for Online Survey Experience:

Select Our School: Families must select Briarcliff Elementary from the searchable drop-down menu.

Preferred Language: Families will also have the option to select their preferred language from the top left drop-down menu.

Successful Completion: After answering all their questions, make sure to hit the blue submit button. Families must complete individual surveys in a single sitting. Surveys do not auto-save.

Once the submit button is clicked, respondents will see a thank you screen to confirm their completion.

The Book Fair has begun! Here’s what you need to know:

• In-school preview days are May 3-6, and shopping runs from May 7-10 (before and during school hours).

• Gift cards are an easy payment method that won’t get lost in a backpack. Purchase gift cards online to use for both in-person and online shopping.

• Friends and Family Shopping: stop by Tuesday 5/7 from 8-8:45am, or on Thursday 5/9 during Multicultural Night – you can even shop early before the event starts!

• Volunteer and get 20% off your purchases! We can still use a few volunteers, especially on Monday and Thursday mornings: sign up here!

• We asked, and you answered! A great big thank you to everyone who contributed to our book fair sponsorships!! Because of you, we surpassed our goal and will be able to provide scholarships to make Book Fair inclusive and fun for every child!

Briarcliff is celebrating National Walk, Bike, & Roll to School Day on Wednesday, May 15!

A group will start from Duck Donuts at 8:20am, and we’ll pick up regular walkers along their usual route before meeting staff near the school. Get all the details here!

Wednesday, May 1st was Principal Appreciation Day! It’s never too late to tell Ms. Nelson how much you appreciate her dedication to our community!

On Monday, March 6, we’ll celebrate Ms. McGugan on Nurse Appreciation Day! Thank you for caring for our kids!

And last, but certainly not least, Teacher Appreciation Week is May 6-10. It’s time to celebrate all the sacrifices our all-star teachers make for every child, every day. Don’t forget to send them a kind note or token of your appreciation this week!

Thank you to the Briarcliff families that helped with last weekend’s Garden & Grounds Day!

The weather was perfect, the students now have fun new outdoor seating areas, and we set up a beautiful decorative post in the courtyard – donated from a JC Raulston Arboretum exhibit. We even ate some snap peas from the garden and found a potato!

Congratulations to our Spring Fling Silent Auction & Raffle winners! All winners have been notified. Smaller prizes are being sent home with students, and larger ones are ready for pickup in the office. Thank you to everyone who participated!

Also, a huge thanks to our amazing Spring Fling committee for all of their hard work on such a wonderful community event!

• We’re looking for PTA Board Members and Committee Chairs for the 2024-25 school year. Families and staff welcome, and no experience necessary! Please reach out if any positions on this list catch your eye.

• Teachers: the deadline to submit your PTA grant requests is Friday, May 10! Email Anna Hoppert with any questions: anna.hoppert@gmail.com.

• The school needs spare clothes in case of accidents! Please bring any new or gently used items to the front office. The biggest needs are new girls underwear in all sizes (4T-12), girls bottoms in all sizes (preferably legging or bike shorts), and girls shirts in all sizes (but especially the smaller sizes).

Thank you for your support… And remember, it’s never too late to get involved with the PTA!