- August/September 2015 * BACK TO SCHOOL ISSUE *

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1 - August/September 2015 * BACK TO SCHOOL ISSUE * From the President It can't be time to come back to school already! I just cleaned out my Kids stinky backpack and found some raisins that I think were once possibly grapes and many Birthday invitations that were sent home from the last day of school that we obviously we didn't attend... OOOPS! I'm slowly accepting that summer is coming to an end. It was a good ride and I enjoyed having the Kids home. My name is Karlee Hall and I am your PTSA President this year! I haven't a clue as to what I am doing but I love this school and I enjoy planning activities for the Kids. I currently have a 8th Grader up at Ridgetop and a 5th grader here at Brownsville. I have been a member of the PTSA for 8 years but not always a willing volunteer. I remember way back, a sweet Lady calling on the phone, asking me to be an art docent. What the heck is an art docent?!?! I froze! I told the Lady I would think about it and would call her back... I never did! How's that for Volunteer of the year??? I just wasn't (what I thought) PTSA material. There was no possible way I had the time to get involved. I was very intimidated being a newbie! Over the course of that first year I brought my Kids to every event they had at the school and I soon realized all of these events were sponsored by that PTSA and it was probably behoove of me to get involved even if it was in the smallest of ways. I started volunteering with Baking committee. I had a 4 year old at home, worked full time and just couldn't possibly help with much more. The next year I got involved with LEGO club and got on the Harvest Hay Day committee. I went to a few meetings and started to see the connection between PTSA,Staff, Kids and Parents. It was a Family. A Family that took care of one another. So here I am, 8 years later paying if forward. I look forward to meeting you and your Children. It s going to be a great year with new Friends and new happenings at Brownsville. If you have any questions or concerns please me at president@browsvilleptsa.org. I would love to hear from you. It takes a village and this village rocks!!! Karlee Hall

2 An Introduction to our committees, what they provide for our staff, students, and volunteers! Baking Committee Welcome Back Brownsville Bakers! Do you love baking cookies? Are you the best cake decorator on the block? Have a secret brownie recipe? Well, we have a spot for you on our baking committee!!! We have a great tradition at Brownsville of providing baked goods for different school events, Staff Appreciation lunches, and bake sales. If you like to bake and want to volunteer at your child's school please consider signing up to help with the Baking Committee. You can me at baking@brownsvilleptsa.org with any questions. Thank you, Heidi Robnett Harvest Hay Day This is our First big PTA evening event of the year! It s chaotic and fun with the gym decorated of cornstalk and hay bales. We have carnival games, a bake sale, silent auction and the very popular Trick or Treat Street! The Kids come wearing their costumes ready to have a great time! If you would like to be a part of planning, setting up and or cleaning up after, contact Karlee Hall and Heather Bowser at harvestday@brownsvilleptsa.org. We would love your help! Fall Fundraiser This is our largest PTSA fundraiser of the year! And we can t do it without your support! The funds raised at this help PTSA support our schools technology goals, grade level money, educational programs, guest speakers, assemblies, safety patrol, Harvest Hay Day, Staff Appreciation, Clubs, Bingo Night, and so much more! Without the huge support from our parents, we would not be able to provide these services to our school. We look forward to making this years fundraiser even better! If you d like to help in any way, please feel free to contact our Fall Fundraiser Committee (Karlee Hall & Heather Williams) at fundraiser@brownvsilleptsa.org

3 Staff Appreciation This is a committee that plans special events to acknowledge and thank our Brownsville Staff for working so hard for our Children. We plan a back to school salad bar luncheon in September, a Souper Staff Day in November where we bring in homemade soups throughout the day and then celebrate with CKSD in May with a week full of events for these Educators and Staff. If you would like to be a part of thanking these dedicated individuals contact Erica Nelson and Karlee Hall at staffappreciation@brownsvilleptsa.org Rummage Sale Your trash is our treasure! This is a big event with an even bigger return! Every year we purge our homes and ask neighbors for items to be donated to our annual school rummage sale. This event happens in March. The more we have to sell the more money we can make so save your stuff! We are always looking for volunteers to help. It's a great way to earn some $$$ for the school without buying a darn thing! Come join us for a great time! We need you! Contact Nicole Fischer and Erica Nelson at rummagesale@brownsvilleptsa.org Spring Plant Sale This Spring Fundraiser is a fun one! You buy plants and flowers anyway, why not make some money for your school and buy them at our Plant Sale! Jan Bahr from Roadhouse Nursery has been partnering with this event for 25 years. The gym is full of plants, flowers, hanging baskets and vegetables for you to come purchase! Please consider being a part of this committee! We would love to have you help out! Contact DeNiel Byers and Karlee Hall at plantsale@brownsvilleptsa.org Like us on FB at facebook.com/brownsvilleptsa

4 Kids Craft Day This is such a popular event at Brownsville! Kids come running to the gym to enjoy an afternoon of crafting with their friends and Teachers. This year will be dividing it into 2 Days. The first Day will be for K through 3rd and then the second day will be 4th through 6th. This year we decided to chose homemade gifts to make with the Kids and have been working hard to collect supplies and plan for this event. We will also be having a book fair going on during Kids Craft Day! If you would like to collect supplies for our crafts or would like to help these Kids on the day of the event, we would love to have you! This event takes a lot of volunteers to pull off! Contact Karlee Hall, Scooter Sage and Trish Strong at kidscraftday@brownsvilleptsa.org if you would like to be a part of this exciting Day! Art Docent Art Docent Volunteers Needed: Do you have one day a month to volunteer? Our school's art program is run by volunteers and we need YOU! You don't have to be an accomplished artist to join our team just willing to learn about art and share what you learn with a class of eager students. Supplies and training provided. Contact our art docent coordinator a t artdocent@brownsvilleptsa.org Box Tops & Labels for Education Box Tops and Labels for Education is an amazing fundraising opportunity for our school. Students turn in Tops & Labels in their class collection bin. These are collected monthly and submitted to the programs by the committee chair(s). Classes earn fun rewards for every 500 Tops & Labels collectively turned in. Students can earn individual rewards by turning in 50 Tops & Labels at one time. All funds earned through the Box Tops program are put into the PTSA General Fund. Points earned through the Labels for Education program are used to supply the school with needed items, such as playground balls, jump ropes, and new gym equipment including, most recently, a new parachute. Additionally the PTSA orders great prizes to use at PTSA sponsored events. Remember to clip & turn in those Tops & Labels!!! They add up quick and earn great things for the school! For futher information or to sign up to help, please shoot an to Courtney and Audrey at boxtops@brownsvilleptsa.org

5 Book Fairs Book fairs at Brownsville are fun events for the whole family and a great opportunity to put new books in your student s hands. Over the school year there are 3 fairs. A holiday fair, a BOGO fair and a week long book fair extravaganza!! These events earn hundreds of dollars in new books and equipment for the library, as well as support other learning programs at Brownsville. Additionally, all funds earned are put into the PTSA general fund. Many volunteers, giving short windows of time, are needed to make these busy events happen! There are volunteer opportunities for everyone! Decorating, setting up, cashiering, keeping things tidy, helping with fun games on family night, helping students shop, clean up, delivering paid orders, and much more! Please Courtney at bookfair@brownsvilleptsa.org Bearwear Do you have your Bearwear? Fridays are Bearwear day at Brownsville, what a great way to show your Brownsville Bear Pride! You can pick up your Bearwear in the office or Heather Williams at bearwear@brownvilleptsa.org to order yours today! Golden Acorn The Washington State PTA has an awards and recognition program whose purpose is to build pride and participation in, and an awareness of Washington State PTA programs; to give recognition for outstanding efforts; and motivate units and councils to provide quality service for and involvement of their members. Brownsville PTSA participates in the following awards Outstanding Advocate Recognizes and honors an individual for continued and dedicated service to ALL children, and a demonstrated commitment to helping create strong policies relating to the health, welfare, safety, and education of children and youth. Outstanding Educator The Outstanding Educator Award may be presented by local units, councils, and WSPTA to honor outstanding educators who have made significant contributions. Golden Acorn A Golden Acorn Award is presented, by a local PTA unit or council, to a volunteer in recognition of his/her dedication and service to children and youth. Since the beginning of this program, more than 44,000 Golden Acorns have been presented to volunteers throughout Washington State.

6 Last years President Heidi Robnett started a project to have all of our past and future award recipients recognized in the school on plaques! Look for that to be complete soon! In the mean time, if this is an area that you d like to help out with, please don t hesitate in contacting Angela at acorn@brownsvilleptsa.org and please watch for the nomination forms to be on our website coming this spring! Craft Bazaar Our craft bazaar is a 3 day event (set up Friday, event on Saturday & Sunday, clean up on Sunday). This event is full of fun for the whole family! We really can t do it without a great support team and many volunteers! From donations of breakfast items, to greeting guests at the entrance for an hour (or as long as you are willing), to helping with clean up and sweeping the gym. There is something for everyone! This year we will have Santa again as well as some wonderful vendors! Please Jen and Heather at bazaar@brownsvilleptsa.org for more information! We d love to have you as part of our team! Reflections The Reflections Program is a National PTA and WSPTA cultural arts competition. The purpose is to provide an opportunity for students to use their creative talents by expressing themselves through their own original works. More information will be posted on our Facebook page and Website as the Reflections contest gets closer! If you would like to help or have questions, please feel free to contact reflections@brownsvilleptsa.org Communication is Key! There are many ways to communicate with Brownsville PTSA officers and committee chairs, the BEST way to stay informed is to attend our monthly meetings! These are held the second Tuesday of each month at 6 pm in the library. Please feel free to stop in and see what it is all about! If you can t make it, please like our FB page, this is where last minute items will be posted (cancelled clubs, snow days, upcoming events, etc) and our website (Secretary Notes, Treasurer Reports, etc). Most importantly on our Website you can click Contacts and our address are right there for you! Please us with any questions or input! We are all volunteers, working hard to help support our students, staff, and school! Contact us at : President@brownsvilleptsa.org