In this Issue
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January
Volunteer of the Month
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 Mark Your Calendar!
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Are you interested in being involved in the Renner PTA?! If so, click here for a list of the positions available.
Also, mark your calendar for...
Tues, Feb 18th, 6:30pm*
Renner Library
This informal program is for incoming 6th graders for the
2013 - 2014 school year. It is open to all parents and students
who will be attending Renner next year. Renner 8th graders
and staff will be here to answer questions. If you have a current 5th grader or know one, please let them know about this program.
*We realize that the Renner Round Table coincides with the Brinker General Membership meeting. We want to make 5th grade parents aware of the conflict so that they may plan accordingly.
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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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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 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 on 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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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.
Make sure that you ask your child about the experience they had with these programs!
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Reading Party
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It's reading party time!
Congratulations to all the kids that have
read 13 or more books and turned in their reading logs to Ms. Palmer. She will be sending home invitations this week for all K-2nd graders that turned in their 2x2 reading logs by this past Friday, to come have pizza and ice cream.
As a reminder, K-2nd Grade Party is Tuesday, Feb 12th
Please plan to pick up your child promptly out front of the school at the end of the party. In an attempt to not have a mad rush for food and the door, we will be staggering when grades arrive at and leave the party. Pickups will be:
K - 3pm
1st - 3:10pm
2nd - 3:15pm
3rd-5th graders, it's not too late to finish your reading! Please turn in your reading logs by Friday, Feb 8th.
The 3rd-5th Grade Party is Tuesday, Feb 19th. More details to follow next week.
If you have any questions, please contact Heather Burchett, Literary Enrichment Chair, at hburchett@brinkerpta.org.
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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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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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Outdoor Learning Center
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Outdoor Learning Center Developing
Butterfly Exhibit!
All of our children benefit from the great things at the Outdoor Learning Center! They are hoping to make our children's experience even better with a new butterfly exhibit. A large greenhouse, 15' x 6' was recently donated to the center. A teacher in the district donated this greenhouse in honor of her son who has passed away. They are going to turn the greenhouse into a butterfly house. Shortly after spring break, second graders will walk through this greenhouse and be surrounded by butterflies! They will see all stages of the life of a butterfly while there. They are also going to put flowers around the greenhouse that will attract butterflies so the entire back patio and surrounding area of the center is covered in butterflies.
In order to make this happen, the Outdoor Learning Center needs your help! They have no PTA to help them out and they are not allowed to do fundraising. So here are some items you can donate in support of Outdoor Learning Center's new project:
- Old light-weight pots for plants, sizes needed are small for seedlings all the way to 8-10 gal. pots. No decorative ceramic pots needed.
- Outdoor plant shelves so that the plants will be at different levels.
- Potting soil.
- Money to help them pay for organic butterfly plants or donate organic butterfly plants. Click here for a list of the plants they need. These plants cannot have had pesticides used on them. This is critical!
Click here for information on the Butterfly House Grand Opening!
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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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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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