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Happy New Year Brinker Elementary! I hope everyone had a relaxing and rejuvenating Winter Break. The New Year can be a time of resolutions and new beginnings. Whether you are a ‘seasoned' volunteer or new to our community, my hope is that each of you will consider getting more involved with our Brinker community through the many opportunities PTA has to offer. Maybe even make it a goal to volunteer an hour up at Brinker this winter or spring to support our teachers and students, or attend one of our upcoming events: January 8-12 – “College Week†is an opportunity to engage Brinker students in conversations about the value of higher education, as well as show “school spirit†in and out of the classroom. Be on the look out for news from the Counseling Department for each day’s festivities. Jan 26 at 6pm- "Movie Night with Dad" is a Brinker favorite. Students bring your dad or another adult and a blanket or lawn chairs to the Brinker gym for a fun night watching a movie, with popcorn, snacks and door prizes! January 29 at 7:45am - Winter Newcomers Coffee in the Brinker library. If you are new or new-ish to Brinker, please join us for coffee and meet some new friends and bring your questions about Brinker and/or Brinker PTA. There are so many opportunities to get connected and keep involved with Brinker families in 2018! Please visit brinkerpta.org to explore the many ways you can get involved and interact with the Brinker Community this winter and spring. I wish you a great year and hope to see you soon. |
 | | DECEMBER TUESDAY TUNES PERFORMERS We are proud to recognize our December Tuesday Tunes performers. Round of applause to 5th grade clarinetist Daniel Tauhert and 3rd grade pianist Rohan Pasham on their superb performances! Teachers and students enjoyed starting their day listening to the beautiful music. Tuesday Tunes is a great opportunity for young musicians to perform for their peers in an informal setting. If your student has had two years of formal music training and would like to showcase their talents, please register on the Brinker Toolkit. There are only a few spots left in Spring! Email tuesdaytunes@brinkerpta.org if you have questions. |
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 | | VOLUNTEER OF THE MONTH - MELISSA LIENERT Congratulations to Melissa Lienert, our Brinker PTA Volunteer of the Month! She is the first grade lead homeroom rep, volunteers in the library, helped out at book fair and worked at the canned food drive. Melissa has a son, Logan, in first grade and a stepdaughter in 6th grade. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with family and running. Thanks Melissa for all of your contributions to Brinker and the PTA!
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 | | PTA LIFE MEMBER RECIPIENTS
There are so many deserving individuals serving and helping our students at Brinker Elementary. One way we can publicly recognize and honor individual contributions of service to our children is through the Texas PTA Life Membership Award and the Texas PTA Extended Service Award. These are two of the highest honors presented to individuals for outstanding service to our children and youth.
We are happy to announce our 2017-2018 Texas PTA Life Member Award recipients:
•Carol Hughes
•Kelley Wewerka
•Donna Dulin
•Trish Echaniz
•Nelsy Mele
And our 2017-2018 Texas PTA Extended Service Award (for over 10 years of service) recipient:
•Hollie Carlson
These giving and gracious individuals will be recognized at a ceremony in February hosted by the Plano ISD Council of PTAs. Thank you and congratulations ladies! |
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 | | REFLECTIONS
Brinker Bears had yet another fantastic year of National PTA program Reflections. This year's theme was Within Reach and our students experienced first hand how beauty, love, family, success, friendship, and joy are all within our reach. The winning entries will be announced in our next Bear Facts, but for now we would like to recognize the following Brinker students who participated in this program:
| Visual Arts | Student Name | | | John Jack Bailey | | | Allie Moroni | | | Jessi Lowery | | | Aanya Shah | | | Frances Wang | | | Peyton Bailey | | | Jean Gan | | | Shakira Effendi | | | Jessica Boll | | | Suhani Goyal | | | Rishi Kalyandurg | | | Hannah Lin | | | Navya Patel | | | Kayla Zhang | | | Ryan Boll | | Photography | | | | Alex Meeks | | | Parker Bills | | | Ash Moroni | | | Israel Johnson | | | Monita Pasham | | | Rishi Kalyandurg | | Choreography | | | | Hasini Palepu | | | Kathryn Diaz | | Music Composition | | | | Frances Wang | | | Shakira Effendi | | Literature | | | | Sonali Thomas | | | Rishi Kalyandurg | | | Oliver Geheb | | | Lucas Lin | | | Adelaide Geheb | | | Gracie White | | | Rohan Pahsam |
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S.K.I. PLANO - FEBRUARY 3
The Plano ISD Education Foundation will host their 22nd annual S.K.I. Plano (Supporting Kids In Plano) event on Saturday, February 3. Buy tickets now to attend this fun evening at the Plano Marriott at Legacy Town Center featuring live band, dinner, dancing, big board, silent auction, raffle prizes and more. Tickets can be purchased here.
Plano ISD Education Foundation is an organization that assists the Plano School District in maintaining its high standards of academic excellence. The organization raises funds that support priority projects for which tax dollars are not available. The supported programs include: - Grants to Educators for innovative classroom projects throughout our District
- Secondary science improvement initiative impacting all middle school and high school students
- Scholarships that allow all students to attend 5th Grade Outdoor Learning Camp
- Programs that recruit and retain the very best teachers
- Programs that promote college and career readiness for all students
- Programs that bridge the student achievement gap
- Innovative initiatives that inspire learning for all students
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MOVIE NIGHT WITH DAD JANUARY 26 Calling all Brinker Bears and their Dads (grandfathers and uncles are welcome too)! Doors open at 5:45pm.
Movie starts at 6:00 pm.
Admission is $5 per adult, which includes free admission for children, popcorn, water and one raffle ticket.
Additional raffle tickets may be purchased for $1 each or 7 for $5.
Don't forget to bring your blankets and pillows! (And please, no cell phones) | | 
PTA NEWCOMER COFFEE JANUARY 29 It's hard to believe we are halfway through the school year. We have had a wonderful fall season with fun school events and activities! Our new Brinker Bears now walk through the halls with ease and confidence in their daily routines. Please join us for a newcomer parent coffee sponsored by the Brinker PTA to learn more about upcoming school events and volunteer opportunities starting in the new year. We will visit and answer any questions that you may have. - When: Monday Januray 29, 7:45am (after drop-off)
- Where: Brinker Library
Hope you can join us!
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V.I.P. TUTORS NEEDED
Brinker would like to invite you to become a Very Important Partner (VIP) Tutor. Our VIP Program is an awesome, fun way for parents, and even grandparents or community members, to volunteer and help our Brinker students directly. You commit half an hour a week to assist a student who needs a little extra support in math and/or reading, as well as boosting the student’s confidence in their academics. If you choose to sign up to volunteer, you will submit your available days and times you can be at Brinker to tutor within the school day. You may also select whether you prefer to work with the younger grades or older grades, and whether you prefer to tutor in reading or math. If interested, please e-mail viptutors@brinkerpta.org. The VIP program is a very rewarding way to help Brinker students. | | 
PISD VOLUNTEER APPLICATIONS Have you completed your Volunteer Application for the 2017-18 school year? PISD requires all volunteers to complete this application EVERY school year. We encourage ALL parents to complete and submit an application for security clearance - if you are one of our volunteers or just planning to attend a classroom party. Please visit the PISD Volunteer Application page to access the online application - it takes about 5 minutes to complete. If you have questions, contact volunteers@brinkerpta.org. Click here to go to the PISD Volunteer Application page or here to go to directly to the application. Thanks for volunteering! | | 
JOIN THE PTA
Please join us as a member of the PTA for the 2017-2018 school year. By joining for the first time or renewing your membership each year, the PTA is able to provide student programs to help make every child's potential a reality. We encourage all parents, grandparents, staff, and community members to join the Brinker PTA. PTA Membership does NOT require volunteering or any kind of time commitment. We only ask that you help support the programs and events that we provide for ALL students, ALL staff and ALL families throughout our community. Our goal is 100% participation. Only Members of the PTA will receive a Student Directory. Click here to sign up. If you have any questions, please contact membership@brinkerpta.org. |
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 | | PTA NOMINATING COMMITTEE NEEDED A Nominating Committee is needed to elect PTA Officers. At the next PTA General meeting on February 15th, a Nominating Committee will be elected to propose a slate of candidates for the 2018-2019 school year. The Nominating Committee will review forms submitted by the general membership naming candidates and their qualifications for office. The officers to be elected include:
· President
· 1st Vice President – Communications
· 2nd Vice President – Volunteers
· 3rd Vice President – Ways and Means
· Secretary
· Treasurer
Five (5) volunteers and two (2) alternates are needed to serve on the Nominating Committee. Volunteers must be Brinker PTA members, including parents and teachers. Volunteers should be familiar with the principles, policies, and procedures of the PTA and should also have some knowledge of the candidates who are being considered for the office. Volunteers should be able to assess the candidates’ qualifications and evaluate them regarding their desired positions. The time commitment for the Nominating Committee member is usually minimal: 1-2 meetings, as determined by the Committee, to review the applications. Meetings should be held fairly quickly to determine a slate of candidates and to allow sufficient time for publication prior to the March election.
If you are interested in volunteering for the Nominating Committee, please plan on attending the General PTA Meeting scheduled for 6:30 pm on February 15th. Self-nominations are allowed, so you may raise your hand to be considered.
Nominations will be made from the floor followed by a ballot vote.
We also need 3-5 volunteers who will serve as Tellers who will count ballots and record the vote. If you would like to volunteer as a Teller, or if you have any questions, please contact Kim Fischer, Parliamentarian, parliamentarian@brinkerpta.org or (214) 725-9835 any time prior to the General PTA Meeting on February 15th.
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YEARBOOKS FOR SALE Have you bought your yearbook? We place our final order to the printer at the end of January! And we sell out every year! To guarantee your copy, click here buy it NOW on Membership Toolkit under the “Orders & Volunteering†tab. The yearbook is a 72 page hardbound book in full color filled with hundreds of photos to remember another great school year at Brinker. Yearbooks may be purchased for $30 and will be delivered directly to your student's classroom for Yearbook Signing Day in May 2018. If you have questions about the Brinker Yearbook, please contact our PTA Yearbook Chair at yearbook@brinkerpta.org. | | 
COLLECT BOX TOPS Box Tops are each worth 10¢ for our school. The next submission date is March 1. Here is how Box Tops work: - BUY products you use every day.
- CLIP the Box Tops.
- SEND Box tops to school.
- EARN cash for our school.
If each Brinker child were to simply clip 10 Box Tops it would generate over $700 for our school. Imagine the possibilities - happy clipping! | | 
SPIRIT WEAR CLEARANCE We still have some of our most popular spirit wear in stock! Quantities and sizes are limited so don’t wait! Click here to place your order through the Membership Toolkit, and your spirit wear will be delivered to your oldest child's classroom.Questions concerning spirit wear orders? Email spiritwear@brinkerpta.orgRemember to show your school spirit by wearing Brinker Bear Spirit Wear every Friday! |
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 | | YOUNG REMBRANDTS Young Rembrandts is an award winning art enrichment program that teaches drawing skills to children while developing learning skills that give them an academic advantage in the classroom. This unique 20+ year method will improve fine motor skills, patience levels, focus and ability to stay on task. Classes will meet after school from 3:00 - 4:00 pm on Thursdays. The 13 week winter sessions run from January 25 through May 10 and the cost will be $192. For registration and payments, click here. YR Flyer If you’d like to volunteer for any of the Young Rembrandts sessions, please contact artsineducation@brinkerpta.org. |
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 | | CHESS ENRICHMENT Checkmate! Session 11 starts in just a few days! We still have some spots open! After school Chess Club is the best place to learn or improve on your game. Register your student today for Chess Enrichment Session II! It runs every Thursday for 8 weeks, ‪January 11 to March 1‪, from 4-5:15pm at the Brinker Library. The cost is $180 per student and all skill and grade levels are welcome. ‬‬
Enrollment is now open. Click here to logon to the Toolkit to signup. Please contact chess@brinkerpta.org for any questions.
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 | | TIME TO KEEP READING
Keep reading! Keep your students engaged this year by reading books from the Texas 2x2 Reading List and Texas Bluebonnet Awards. These award-winning books can be found at our local public libraries. Click on the links below for each reading list:
In support of these Texas reading programs and the extra efforts of our Brinker students, Brinker PTA recognizes 3rd-5th grade students who read at least 10 books from the Bluebonnet list and Kindergarten–2nd grade students who read at least 15 books from the 2x2 list. The students who read the books and turn in their reading logs by the deadline will be invited to attend a celebration in the spring.
A reading log was provided to your child by the librarian at the beginning of the year and can also be found at the links above. If interested, have your child read the books on the reading list and keep track on the reading log and turn in their log by the Spring deadline (tbd). Happy Reading!
Contact  our Literary Enrichment Chair if you have any questions literarysupport@brinkerpta.org. |
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 | | SPRING BOOK FAIR - FEBRUARY 12-16
The Brinker PTA Book Fair is just around the corner! Mark your calendars for the week of February 12-16 and plan to stop by. Family Night is Thursday, February 15, from 6-8pm. A portion of sales help provide books to our Brinker school library and to support our PTA programs. For more information, contact bookfair@brinkerpta.org.
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