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Happy Holidays to All! As 2018 comes quickly to a close and the holidays are near I wanted to recognize one of the “gifts†that Brinker has already received this school year, our PTA Board & Chairs. This is an amazing group of volunteers who have given of their time and energy this Fall to plan, train and execute PTA Programs and Events: 
These dedicated volunteers are doing incredible things enhancing the Brinker community and we appreciate the time and talents they bring to Brinker! Wait till you see what is being planned for our Brinker students, families and staff in 2019! I wish you and your families a very Happy and Healthy Holidays, a restful Winter Break and Happy New Year! Alison Grzyb |
 | | NOVEMBER TUESDAY TUNES PERFORMERS
Thank you to our November performers! 1st grader, Hannah Lin and 2nd grader, Nirall Peta. We are proud and grateful for your exquisite performances."Music is the greatest communication in the world. Even if people don’t understand the language that you’re singing in, they still know good music when they hear it." - Lou RawlsIf your student musician would like to perform for their friends, classmates and teachers in an informal setting on Tuesday mornings, please click here to register via the PTA Membership Toolkit. We have several time slots left in the school year! You can also e-mail tuesdaytunes@brinkerpta.org.
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 | | VOLUNTEER OF THE MONTH - CRISSY PETERS
Congratulations to Crissy Peters, our Volunteer of the Month for November! She has twin 2nd graders and 2 kids at Renner. Crissy has spent countless hours helping with Book Fair, she organized the Lost and Found and she will be chairing Brinker Bash in the Spring! She "loves the Brinker community and highly recommend everyone get involved as each kid in the school loves seeing their parents helping out." In her spare time, she enjoys playing tennis and the occasional round of golf. Thanks Crissy for all that you do for our kids' school! |
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 | | B.E.A.R.S CAMPAIGN Thank you for supporting the Brinker PTA by donating to the 2018-2019 B.E.A.R.S. Campaign. Every donation goes directly to support our Brinker students by providing high quality activities, programs, and resources to enrich the school year. Thank you again for your generous support! 
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 | | BOOK FAIR RECAP We had another near record breaking book fair. The kids had a blast meeting Clifford, Geronimo Stilton, the Plano West Royales and Plano West Varsity Basketball Team at family night! A BIG thank you goes out to all of the numerous volunteers who gave their time to help set up, run and break down the book fair. We appreciate the help from each and every one of you. We are looking forward to another great book fair in February! |
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RED RIBBON WEEK
Our Brinker Bears enjoyed celebrating Red Ribbon Week again this year with a visit from the Dallas Mavericks MavsMan and Champ. They were a big hit with their action-packed dunk show and “JUST SAY NO†message. Thank you for supporting the Brinker PTA. Your membership and donations allow us to host performances like these at our school. |
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 | | CAFETERIA COPS The week before Thanksgiving, the PTA brought back the Plano Police Crime Prevention team to do their Cafeteria Cops program during the lunch hour. Kids enjoyed singing and dancing in the cafeteria during their lunch time. This crime prevention program helps police build relationships with elementary students, as well as giving them respect and appreciation for the police officers who keep our neighborhoods safe. A big THANK YOU to the Plano Cafeteria Cops for making our lunch time so much fun! |
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 | | VISITING ARTIST Nationally recognized fiber artist, Christine Miller, presented to all grade levels during their specials time on November 8. Students learned about the importance of fibers, the possibilities of fibers in the art world and also got to see her weaving in action. This presentation complemented Mrs. Adame’s latest curriculum on looms and weaving in the art classes. Ms. Miller's loom spent the following few weeks in the art room for students to have a hands on weaving experience. You can visit her class Instagram page https://www.instagram.com/mrsadamesartroom/ to view students’ projects. |
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 | | BRINKER CANNED FOOD DRIVE Again this year, our food drive benefited Minnie’s Food Pantry, which helps families in need right here in Plano. Minnie’s Food Pantry receives no government support and is 100% community funded and supported. Hunger is a problem that must continually be addressed and Minnie’s has created a one of a kind red carpet experience for individuals who are affected by hunger. We are so grateful to our Brinker Families for their tremendous support of this organization. We blew our collection goal of 3,400 out of the water by collecting 4,971 canned food and pantry items! This amount will provide more than 3,500 meals to families battling hunger! Our Brinker Bears did an amazing job coming together to make an impact on our community! (Pictured: some of our amazing PTA volunteers counting, sorting and packing boxes up with canned food items) |
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 | | WINTER PARTIES - DECEMBER 20
Classroom winter parties will take place on Thursday, December 20th. See below for the party times. Emails about volunteer and donation opportunities will be coming out shortly from your homeroom representatives. Please remember that volunteers must be security cleared through PISD and that this process may take up to two weeks to complete. If you have any questions about the parties or volunteering please contact your homeroom representative or Jessica Bader, PTA Grade Level Coordinator, at gradelevelreps@brinkerpta.org. |
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 | | PISD VOLUNTEER APPLICATIONS Have you completed your Volunteer Application for the 2018-19 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. Click here to go to the PISD Volunteer Application page or here to go to directly to the application. |
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 | | V.I.P. TUTORS NEEDED Our VIP Program is an awesome, fun way for parents, 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 during school hours. You will be paired with a student or may also select whether you prefer to work with the younger or older grades and if you prefer to tutor in reading or math. You do not need to be a teacher or a former teacher to be able to tutor. The students’ teachers will provide you with the assignments and information for each tutoring session. If interested, please e-mail viptutors@brinkerpta.org. |
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LOST & FOUND
It seems that everything gets lost and most things never get found. But at Brinker there are a lot of both! Has your child lost a jacket? A sweatshirt? A lunchbox? These are some of the things that are currently in the school's Lost and Found. Items that are found around the school and playground are placed in the lost and found located near the cafeteria. If your child has lost something this year, please have them check the rack very soon as the lost and found items will be removed and donated to local organizations on December 10th.
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COLLECT BOX TOPS
Box Tops are each worth 10¢ for our school. 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! For any questions, please contact boxtops@brinkerpta.org. | | 
SPIRIT WEAR CLEARANCE
Looking for that perfect holiday gift for your Brinker Bear? Spirit Wear is the perfect gift that will get used well after the holidays! Show your Brinker Pride every Friday by wearing your spirit wear. To purchase or if you have any questions, please contact us at spiritwear@brinkerpta.org.
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CHESS ENRICHMENT
It's time once again to register for the Brinker Chess program. The classes will be held every Thursday, January 10-February 28th, from 4-5:15 pm at the Brinker library. An optional tournament will be on Saturday, March 2nd. The cost is $180 per student and all skill and grade levels are welcome.
Register online via the Brinker PTA toolkit website. Spaces are limited. Please contact chess@brinkerpta.org for any questions. | | 
TEXAS READING PROGRAMS
Every year the Texas Library Association selects a number of books to be nominated for the Texas Bluebonnet Award and for the 2x2 reading list. A new list of books is released each year at the Texas Book Festival. These lists will be announced by flyer during the first month of school at Brinker and all of these books can be found in our Brinker Library, at the local public library and also can be requested online through the Plano library website www.planolibrary.org and held if you have difficulty finding them on the shelves. 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. Students who read the books and turn in their reading logs by the deadline will be recognized and rewarded in the Spring after school at Brinker. For questions, contact literacysupport@brinkerpta.org. | | 
NEW AND GENTLY USED BOOK DRIVE FOR COMMUNITY OUTREACH
As in previous years, new and gently used books will be collected leading up to the Winter Parties starting on December 17th to December 21st. These books will be donated to Meadows Elementary School for their summer "Take a Book Home!" reading program. Donation bins will be located in each grade area. As always, thank you for your support and generosity. Please contact our Community Outreach Chairs at communityoutreach@brinkerpta.org if you have any questions. |
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 | | SKI PLANO The Plano ISD Education Foundation will host their annual SKI Plano event on Saturday, February 9, 2019. 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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