
BRIARWOOD ELEMENTARY pta newsletter
September 19th, 2023 www.briarwoodpta.org
MESSAGE FROM PRINCIPAL LASH
Thank You Briarwood PTA Landscape Committee and Volunteers
Thank you to Katie Stramel and Kim Shelton, PTA Landscape Chairs, for planning and helping make our landscape days a success! We spread compost to amend the soil and planted over 300 native perennials in the front of the school! Thank you to all of the volunteers who helped to make this possible! You can see photos from our landscape days on my Twitter account, https://twitter.com/Bulldogs512.
Briarwood PTA Community Events
The Briarwood PTA is proud to provide 2 FREE community events in the coming weeks, but we are asking our Briarwood community to join us in giving back! Here's how YOU can help!
Bring a package of NEW underwear and/or socks in sizes 3T to adult for the SMAC PTA Clothing Exchange, which benefits anyone that lives in the SMSD boundaries. Donations will be collected at Briarwood on:
o Movie Night - Friday, September, 22
o Annual Bulldog Jog - Saturday, September 30
Safety First/Traffic Update
● Thank you for helping to make arrival and dismissal run smoothly. To make for a safe and relaxing drop-off and pick-up of students, please be patient and use extreme caution when you are near the school and in the school parking lot. This would include driving slowly, staying off your cell phone, paying attention to your surrounding, and paying attention to the crossing guard. Our number one priority is the safety of our students, staff, parents, and patrons.
● Students, parents, 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. Students or patrons should NEVER cross in the middle of the street even if a student has a parent or guardian with them. Please take the extra time to go to a cross walk so you can cross safely and set a good example.
● Please be good neighbors while stopped on 86th and other sides streets. Pay attention to traffic signs such as no parking or do not turn signs. Do not block the driveways to homes. Our neighbors need to be able to enter/exit the driveways to their homes. The cooperation of all drivers is appreciated.
● If your child 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.
Dogs
While many children and adults love dogs, some find them intimidating and they can be unpredictable when around large numbers of people. For the safety of our students, staff, and parents, dogs are not allowed on school property during the school day. This would include
arrival and dismissal. Please share this information with relatives and friends who may be dropping off or picking up students
IMPORTANT DATES & DEADLINES @ BRIARWOOD
Friday, September 22nd
Family Movie Night @ Briarwood- a FREE family friendly event-see flyer below for details
*
Tuesday, September 26th
Skate Party 6-8pm
*
Saturday, September 30
Bulldog Jog - a FREE family-friendly event- see flyer below for details
*
Tuesday, October 10th
Spin Pizza- Dinning partner 4-8
*
Wednesday, October 11th
Picture Day **please note date reschedule
*
Thursday, October 12th
NO SCHOOL
*
Friday, October 13th
NO SCHOOL
*
Friday, October 20th
NO SCHOOL
Full BW PTA Calendar is available here
JOIN THE PTA! *Join by Oct 1st and you could win 1 of 10 $50 gift cards*
The simple act of joining PTA provides instant financial support for our students! The PTA provides additional activities, programs, and financial assistance not covered by SMSD. It's also a great way to stay informed about what's happening at school and connect in meaningful ways with other parents.
Together we can do a lot of good. Join now by clicking here!
DONT FORGET TO CREATE/UPDATE YOUR ONLINE DIRECTORY PROFILE
Get started today by visiting https://www.briarwoodpta.org, select “Directory”
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
Join us for a Briarwood community movie night on Friday, September 22
Please bring a package of NEW underwear and/or socks in sizes 3T to adult for the SMAC PTA Clothing Exchange, which benefits anyone that lives in the SMSD boundaries.
Families may start arriving to set up at 6:45 pm. The movie will begin approx. 7:15 pm. Please arrange blankets/chairs on the soccer field with blankets up front and chairs towards the back.
Parking will be available in the Briarwood parking lot and adjacent neighborhood streets.
Central Bank of the Midwest will be joining us to give away fresh popped popcorn and prizes for the kids! Every good movie night needs popcorn and we’re thankful for Central Bank’s generosity :)
**Please look for potential inclement weather announcements as we get closer to Friday
THANK YOU Briarwood Community!!!
Way to show up and help us kick off our auction year in a BIG way!
A special thank you to Cindy Ormsby and David Smith for sharing their lovely home with us all and thank you to Craig Dawson for planning the party.
Thank you to the following families for providing beverages and food for the evening:
Nick & Erin Reddell, Mark & Terra Snyder, Brett Lentz, Emily Gafford, Josh & Kim Hill, Kevin & Deana Curtin, Jeff & Heather Rowe, Mike & Jessica Becker, Alex & Jamie Carr and Gary & Denise Wheeler.
We've collected a lot of great auction items so far- Sports! Entertainment! Estate Planning and more! We can’t wait to share them with you all in March- but our work is not done and we need your help securing more donations! Do you have goods or services you’d like to contribute? Please fill out this form or reach out to Jessica Becker (jessica.becker85@gmail.com).
Don't forget to save the date for our biennial auction on Saturday, March 2, 2024- tickets on sale soon! Visit briarwoodauction.com for more info.
Auction Kid Parties- Hosts Wanted!!
Briarwood Parents/Guardians: The Auction Committee is looking for families to host kid-grade level parties, to be auctioned off in March.
Hosts can determine the theme and the size of the party (most parties include around 20 children). Below are past auction kid-themed party ideas:
- Kickball and Kona Ice Truck
Pool and Popsicles
Video Game Truck & Pizza
Bowling Party
Bounce House & Kona Ice Truck
Art/Painting Party
Scavenger Hunt
Backyard Movie & Smores
*We are looking for at least 3 separate kid parties per grade please.
If you would be willing to host/co-host a party for your grade level and/or if you have any questions, please reach out to Kelly Kelley (kacooper13@yahoo.com) or Jenny Lentz (jbbielak@gmail.com)
Order your 2023-2024 yearbooks now and start submitting your photos!
Please submit photos that you think would be great for the yearbook by clicking here:
We'd love to see pictures of class parties, field trips, community events (Movie Night, Bulldog jog) etc.
A few rules to follow please:
- Only photos from school events can be used (no birthday parties)
- Only include CURRENT Briarwood students (no parent/student selfies, non Briarwood siblings)
- We want photos of ALL students to be included, so please understand we can only use a few photos per student
September Celebrations & Recognitions
National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month
National Suicide Prevention Month
September 21st – International Day of Peace
September 23rd – International Day of Sign Language
September 28th – National Good Neighbor Day
Great Reads & Recipes
Great Reads
Children’s Books with Deaf Characters
Picture Books That Celebrate Hispanic and Latine Heritage
Around the World Recipes
Hispanic Kitchen is the ideal venue to reach home cooks and professionals who cherish the foods of their homelands, from Mexico to the Caribbean, and beyond.
Braden's Hope for Childhood Cancer
Braden's Hope, a local Nonprofit Charity organization, is based in Olathe and was founded in 2010. Their mission is to raise awareness and funds for childhood cancer research to advance cures for children like Braden.
To read about Braden and his mother Deliece, who was diagnosed with Breast Cancer at the same time as Braden's diagnosis, click here.
VOLUNTEER CROSSING GUARDS NEEDED
Please help Briarwood students get to school safely! The intersection at 86th and Juniper does not have a SMSD-staffed crossing guard; the school relies on volunteers. All volunteers are welcome, but if your student uses this intersection, please consider signing up once per month.
SHIFTS:
- 7:50 - 8:10 am (school starts at 8:10 a.m. for all grades)
- 3:05 - 3:20 (dismissal at 3:10 p.m. for all grades)
- 12:25 - 12:40 p.m. on half days (half-day dismissal is at 12:30 for all grades; half days are indicated on the sign-up calendar)
CROSSWALK RULES:
- Cars are not permitted to turn LEFT off 86th Street onto Juniper (you may have to remind drivers)
- Students must walk themselves and/or their bikes/scooters across the crosswalk
CROSSING GUARD DUTIES:
- Manage pedestrian and vehicle traffic for safe street crossing
- Remind students to follow street crossing rules
- Help control car and pedestrian traffic conditions
Thank you!
Read Across SMSD
Elementary
"The Coquies Still Sing"
By Karina Nicole González
illustrated by Krystal Quiles
Middle Grade
Young Adult
NOW AVAILABLE: SMORE TRANSLATION
- On the right side of the newsletter, a bar will appear with the Translation feature.
- Click on the Translation bar then click on the Select Language button.
- 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.
GET SOCIAL - Connect With Us Online!
Website: https://www.briarwoodpta.org/
Twitter: @BriarwoodElem
Instagram: @BriarwoodBulldogs
Facebook: facebook.com/BriarwoodBulldogs
Grade-level Facebook Groups (private):
Briarwood Elementary Class of 2030 (6th grade)
Briarwood Elementary Class of 2031 (5th grade)
Briarwood Elementary Class of 2032 (4th grade)
Briarwood Elementary Class of 2033 (3rd grade)
Briarwood Elementary Class of 2034 (2nd Grade)
Briarwood Elementary Class of 2035 (1st Grade)
Briarwood Elementary Class of 2036 (Kindergarten)
2023-24 PTA EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Co-Presidents:
Deana Curtin • deanacurtin@gmail.com
Ashley Hunt • ashleyhunt910@gmail.com
President-Elect:
Rachel Wymore • rla08@hotmail.com
VP Administration:
Heather Rowe • hgreenlaw_01@yahoo.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:
Valerie Moeder • ValerieLMoeder@gmail.com
Diversity & Inclusion Chair:
Craig Dawson • craigdawson@icloud.com