In this Issue
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 Newcomer's Coffee
Did you miss the Newcomer's Coffee last September? Here is your chance to meet other newcomers and ask questions about the school.
Newcomer's Coffee
Friday, Feb 1 11:30am-1:30pm (come & go)
Home of Kimberly Rumbough
4017 Bridgeport Drive (just off Yeary near Willow Bend)
RSVP appreciated at 972-473-7404 or | |
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Greeter Desk Volunteers Still Needed!
Many dates are still open for the spring in need of Greeter Desk Volunteers. Please help! Sign-up is through Membership Toolkit. Contact
Amy Young
with any questions at
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Mark Your Calendar!
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SAGE Summer Expo Saturday, February 9th 10am-2pm 
70+ local camps, camps throughout TEXAS... and beyond!
You'll find programs of interest to ALL students, especially those with special needs and gifted students. Talk to camp representatives...
Get a feel for what a difference a summer can make in learning and development.
Scholarships, Demonstrations, and Fun Activities
Saturday, February 9, 2013
10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Plano Senior High School Cafeteria
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Wolf Pack Soccer Clinic
Saturday, February 2nd
Join FC Dallas on Saturday, February 2nd as they host the Wolf Pack Soccer Clinic.
The clinic will be held at Plano West Senior High School Indoor Practice Facility. Players ages 5-11 are invited to enjoy a fun-filled day of team building and specialized soccer drills. All players will receive a FREE T-shirt, a FREE 2012 Wolf Pack Soccer Poster, autograph session and a FREE FC Dallas Ticket.
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The Future of Education in Texas Will your kindergarteners
be prepared for the jobs of 2026
when they graduate High School?
What about 2030 when they graduate college?
Plano ISD Council of PTAs is proud to present an evening with the
North Texas Regional Visioning Consortium to discuss the transformation of education in Texas and what we as parents and
Community members need to know and do.
Monday, February 4, 7:00 PM
Sockwell Center
6301 Chapel Hill Blvd.
Plano, TX. 75023
Become more then involved, become informed and
engaged. The future of education is now, become part of it.
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Show Austin Education is a Priority!
Join the Plano ISD Council of PTAs in Austin, February 21, 2013!
The bus will depart the PISD Admin Building at 5:45 am sharp and return around 8:00 pm.
Relax, leave the driving to us and help us show Austin just how important our children are to us. We would love for every school to send a representative!
Click here for more information. RSVP deadline in January 29.
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Presenting...
PISD Special and Gifted Education (SAGE) and the National Austism Association of North Texas present:
The Special Friends
Talent Show Saturday, Feb 23rd
Two Shows: 10am & 11:30am
Plano West Auditorium
for more information.
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Shop Tom Thumb and Earn $$ for Brinker!
It's easy to earn money for the Brinker PTA by shopping at your local Tom Thumb. Just stop by Customer Service and ask them to link your Rewards card with Charity #4857 and a portion of all of your purchases will come back to your school! Click here for a form that you can complete and drop off. | |
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2012-2013 Exec Board and Chair Members
Click here to see a full listing of the names and contact info of the 2012-2013 Executive Board and Chair Members. | |
Questions regarding the Bear Facts Newsletter?
If so, please contact:
Julie Wax
1st VP Communications
Brinker Elementary PTA
communication@brinkerpta.org
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Quick Links
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Mark Your Calendar!
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Feb 1
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Feb 8
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Feb 12
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Feb 14
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Valentine's Classroom Parties
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Feb 18
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Student Holiday
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Feb 19
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Feb 20
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Early Release at Noon
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Feb 22
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Book Fair Setup
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Feb 25 - Mar 1
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Mar 1
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Movie Night with Dad
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Teacher Appreciation
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Teacher Appreciation Lunch
Help us show our appreciation for our wonderful Brinker staff!
The Brinker PTA will be treating them to a catered "MARDI GRAS" lunch next Friday, February 8,
and need lots of volunteers so that they can enjoy their special hour.
If you are interested in helping out in your child's classroom, please contact Rhonda Snyder at rsnyder@brinkerpta.org. As always, you must be security cleared.
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Dining Fundraiser at Chick-fil-A Tues, Feb 12
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Come join your Brinker family at our February dining fundraiser. Meet us at Chick-fil-A on Tuesday, February 12th. Come for breakfast, lunch, or dinner! Dine-in or takeout! Enjoy a great meal, have fun with your friends and support your PTA, all at the same time.
1909 Preston Rd, Plano, TX 75093
(972) 378-1222
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Science Fair
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Grade Level Winner and Grand Prize Winners
(pictured above)
James Draudt (4th Grade)
Shakti Ramakrishna (2nd Grade)
KINDERGARTEN
Kreuter
1st Devika Ramakrishna |
FIRST GRADE Wiggins
1st Julia McDonald*
2nd Cole Wiseman
2nd Rishabh Narayan
| Fitzhugh
1st Skylar Greenman
2nd Aastha Kashyap
| White
1st Matthew Moore
| Flores
1st Ruzbeh-Irani Reyes
2nd Andy O
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SECOND GRADE Mennsfield
1st William Jouette
2nd Avni Ohri | Watts
1st Shakti Ramakrishna*
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Hood
1st Hanna Dunstone
2nd Lauren Sesona
3rd Dylan Smalling | Lowery
1st Naiya Nathan
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THIRD GRADE |
Bennet
1st Zameer Jiwani*
2nd Jaiden Lancaster
3rd Meghna Subramanium
HM Rachel Valente
HM Paula Carreno | Swanson
1st Lindsay Gothard
2nd Abhi Jain
3rd Juliet Klatsky
HM Harrison Goodman Cohn
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Eaheart
1st Patrick Gattelaro
2nd Jonah Hersh
3rd Sam LaGassa
HM Nicolle Belieny | Burns
1st Abby Young
2nd Emmanuel Benyeogor-Chukwuma
3rd Ava Sullivan
| Griffith
1st Dexter Chen
2nd Charlie Selman
3rd Katie Forson
HM Kenzie Carr
HM Spencer Brown |
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1st James Draudt**
2nd Justin Hall
2nd Avery Lowe
3rd Delian Castillo
HM Sam Morales
HM Sierra Giambalvo
HM James Smith
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FIFTH GRADE
1st Maheen Kara**
2nd Travis Smalling
3rd Justin Kay
3rd Michael Rumbough
HM Asha Aare
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* Grade Level Winner ** Grade Level Winner and Grand Prize Winner
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PTA Science Program
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Science made FUN
Thanks to Brinker PTA and HighTouch HighTech
Did you know? A significant portion of your PTA dollars are used each year to bring scientists into your child's classroom. Thanks to your PTA donations, during the month of January, HighTouch HighTech, will be at Brinker. HighTouch HighTech is an innovative world leader in hands-on science programs for children. These programs work to increase the scientific and technological literacy of our children through direct, interactive, hands-on scientific experimentation.
Here are a few photos from a recent science visit from HighTouch HighTech:
Make sure that you ask your child about the experience they had with these programs!
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| School Finance | |
TEXAS PTA URGES ALL LAWMAKERS TO GET EDUCATED ON SCHOOL FINANCE
Texas PTA sent all Texas legislators a letter in late November encouraging them to get educated about public school finance. Your state senator and state representative received a version of the letter. If you believe that it is important that your elected representatives have at least a basic understanding of how public schools are funded, please contact your legislators to confirm they have received the letter and to ask if they have reviewed one of the short presentations on school finance included in the letter. If you can, please let Texas PTA know when you've contacted your state senator and state representative. Many legislators are new this year. If you need some help to be sure you know who your legislators are, follow this link to find out who represents you. Then call or visit them and talk to them about our public schools
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Nominating Committee
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Nominating Committee needed to elect
PTA Officers 
At the next PTA General Meeting on February 19th, a Nominating Committee will be elected to propose a slate of candidates for the 2013-2014 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 (this may include parents and teachers) and volunteers should be familiar with the principles, policies & procedures of the PTA and should also have some knowledge of the candidate that are being considered & their qualifications to evaluate them regarding their desired positions. The time commitment is usually minimal: 1-2 meetings, as determined by the Committee, to review the application forms. Meetings should be held fairly quickly to determine the slate of candidates to allow for publication prior to the March election. If you are interested in volunteering for the Committee, please plan on attending the meeting scheduled for 6:30 on February 19, 2013. 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 Hilary Valente, Parliamentarian via email at hvalente@brinkerpta.org or by phone at (214) 986-4857 anytime prior to the February 19th meeting.
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| Tuesday Tunes | |
Music speaks when there are no words 
Musicians practice, practice, practice so that they can perfect and perform. TUESDAY TUNES allows Brinker student-musicians the opportunity to showcase their talent (and hard work) in a unique setting! Unlike recitals and stage productions, TUESDAY TUNES takes place in a casual, relaxed environment.
Every Tuesday morning a Brinker student performs in the lobby for students and teachers as they enter the building to start the school day. The student plays his/her instrument continuously from 7:30 am to 7:45 am. Immediately following, the student is introduced as the musician of the day on the "Good Morning Brinker" broadcast!
TUESDAY TUNES...because every performance counts!
If you have any questions regarding Tuesday Tunes, please contact:
Katrina Parker at kparker@brinkerpta.org.
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We Need YOU!!
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PTA Volunteer Opportunities
Please help out! 
Please consider volunteering some of your time to help out the school! The following areas are currently in need of volunteers:
1. VIP (Very Important Partner) Tutors
With the end of the 1st semester coming to a close soon, teachers are requesting additional help from you to help our Brinker students with one-on-one (or possible two at a time) tutoring in Math or Reading. These are students who could use a little extra time and attention during the school day. We help these teachers and students through one of our most crucial and successful programs, VIP.
Please consider joining our VIP team of caring mentors beginning in January to provide opportunities for these children to maximize their learning potential. The commitment is once a week for 30 minutes during the school day, with you choosing the day and time most convenient for you. No experience is necessary, just a caring heart. For more information, please contact Tamara Tool at ttool@brinkerpta.org or Julie Barnard at julie.barnard@pisd.edu.
2. Greeter Desk
THANK YOU to all the volunteers who helped out with greeter desk this fall! We need you once again to help out this spring. The spring schedule is posted on the Membership Toolkit so please look at your calendars and sign up now as it fills up quickly. We need one volunteer who is security cleared for each day of the week from 7:45-9:30am. It is a great way to be involved in the school and super easy to do! Contact Amy Young with any questions at ayoung@brinkerpta.org.
3. Brinker Workroom
If you can count to 28, staple & cut, then the Brinker Workroom needs YOU! We need 4-5 volunteers each week to help our teachers prepare assignments for the following week. All instructions and supplies are provided.
The Brinker Workroom is located in the back of the school office and is open Tuesday through Thursday, between 7:30am and 2:45pm. This is a great opportunity for you to see what your children are working on and give a helping hand to our amazing & wonderful teachers! Please be sure you have cleared security, you may sign up online at Membership Toolkit. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Nikki Moulinet at nmoulinet@brinkerpta.org.
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Bluebonnet and 2x2 Reading
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The 2x2 list is for K-2nd grade, and the Texas Bluebonnet reading list is for 3rd-5th grade. The reading lists can be found online at Texas Library Association Reading Lists. The books are all available both at the Brinker and public libraries.
 As a reward, when your child reads a certain number of books by the specified deadline, they will be invited to attend a pizza/ice cream party after school! (Due to the upcoming school construction, we will not be having two parties for each age range as in years past). To participate, each child must read at least lucky number 13 books. Extra reading logs to track progress are available in the Brinker library. If you need a reading log, just ask the librarian, Kelly Palmer. They are due back to her by the deadlines below. K-2nd Grade Party (2x2 Reading List) - Tues, Feb 12th Deadline to turn in reading log - Fri, Feb 1st 3rd-5th Grade Party (Bluebonnet Reading List) - Tues, Feb 19th Deadline to turn in reading log - Fri, Feb 8th More details to follow as we get closer to the party dates. If you have any questions, please contact Heather Burchett, Literary Enrichment Chair, at hburchett@brinkerpta.org.
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