BRIARGROVE BUZZ                        ISSUE 3                           NOVEMBER 2009

BOOK FAIR IS COMING!  Gear up to read around the world.  Destination Book Fair travels to Briargrove Elementary the week of November 16th.  An amazing selection of books is headed our way!  At the Book Fair, you will find the latest and finest titles for kids, as well as books of interest for parents.  In addition to adventurous readers, we are looking for parent volunteers to help make this a smooth journey.  Please contact  Christina@themaneros.com to sign up.  More details to come! 

BOX TOPS FOR EDUCATION:  Thank you for sending in all your box tops.  Our second contest ended today.  We will be announcing a new contest soon so keep saving your box tops.  Please register on www.btfe.com/passion to sign up and receive information about box tops.  Briargrove receives 50 cents for each person registered.  If you shop Marketplace through the Box Top website, a portion of your sale will be automatically donated to Briargrove.  Email your sign up confirmation or your marketplace confirmation to the coordinators and the box top dollars will be added to your students total for the contests.  Thank you for all your support.  Box top coordinators:  Kathleen Haley (Kathleen.haley@sbcglobal.net)
and Pam Miller (kpmiller.family@yahoo.com).     

CARNIVAL!  YEEHAW!  The Roadrunner Roundup Carnival was a huge success.  The weather was beautiful and the vittles were hot!  Thank you to all of the families, friends, and faculty for coming out to support our school.  Many thanks go out to our neighborhood sponsors, family underwriters and the many volunteers who make the carnival possible.  You make Briargrove the great school that it is!  And if you didn’t get to dunk our new principle, Debi Russell, at the dunk tank….there’s always next year! 

A Texas-sized thank you to our Carnival Gals, Stacey Coneley, Courtney Mitchell and Melinda Prewett for rounding up our herd last Saturday for a boot-scootin’, dosey doin’ good time!!  Your steadiness in the saddle made for a smooth, fun event that raised thousands of dollars for our Briargrove students.  Hang up your hats and turn out the light girls-you did a GREAT job!

DADS CLUB:  Thanks to all who volunteered to man the haunted house and grill and to those who sold raffle tickets for the carnival!  The raffle alone raised over $25,000 for the school!  Great work! 

DIRECTORY: The 2009-2010 Directories are here!  Purchase yours today for $10.  You may pay by credit card online in the school store or send cash or checks (made payable to Briargrove PTO) to the front office.  Include your child’s name, grade and teacher with your payment.  Directories will be delivered to your child to bring home.  Please contact Kenze Beyer (kenze.beyer@transwestern.net) or Annie Pangle (anniepangle@yahoo.com) with any questions.

GRADY NEWS!    The Grady Gator Basketball season begins soon!  Come cheer for the girls’ team on November 12th at 5pm in the Grady Gym.  The boys’ team will be participating in a basketball tournament the weekend of Friday, the 13th.  Come out and show your support.  Go to www.houstonisd.org/GradyMS/Basketball  for the complete schedule.  Go GATORS!

HOUSE AND GROUNDS ALERT!  Come one, come all!  Make your mark on the BG wall!  We need your help to paint tiles to complete the corner tile frame project at San Felipe and Briarmead.  What a great way to have fun and have your artwork on display for years to come!  Please visit the Mad Potter at 1341 South Voss and let them know you want to paint a tile for Briargrove Elementary.  The tile is $5 plus the painting cost.  Visit www.madpotter.com for details on their Halloween special and other free painting days. 

SAVE THE DATE!!  Briargrove Spring Party – Reunion Roundup!  We’ll be rounding up Briargrove friends, neighbors and alumni to join us at the Firehouse Saloon on February 27^th to celebrate and raise money for our beautiful school that benefits everyone in the area!  If you know someone who might like to receive an invitation to attend or possibly make a donation, please forward it to Blake Kunetka at bkunetka1@comcast.net.

LOST AND FOUND:  All lost and found articles that remain unclaimed on Monday, November 2, will be donated to a local charity.  Please stop by and look for your children’s lost and unlabeled lunch boxes, sweaters, jackets and other items in our Lost and Found cabinet in the front office before November 2!

LUNCH MONEY INFORMATION:  Did you know that you can check your student’s cafeteria account balance and purchases, make secure online payments and receive low balance email messages by going to www.parentonline.net ?  Even if you are not making online payments on your student’s cafeteria account, you can still register your student and obtain this information.  You will need your child’s student ID #, which you will find on his/her report card, (report cards are being sent home on November 4), or by calling the front office.

PARENT LITERACY MEETING:  Monday, November 2^nd at 7:15a.m.  Ami Johnson will discuss how teachers are teaching literacy at Briargrove!  Topics will include Guided Reading and Work stations!  For more information, contact, Ami Johnson at AJOHNS31@houstonisd.org

PATRIOT DAY IS COMING!  Family and friends are invited to enjoy “An Afternoon of Recitations and Dancing” at 1:30pm, Thursday November 5th in the cafeteria as part of the Fifth Grade Patriot’s Day Celebration.  The students will have spent the day participating in numerous colonial activities culminating in an evening reception.  The students will be arriving in shifts at the home of Rick and Susan McConn.  They will receive an invitation from their teacher indicating their time of arrival to witness additional colonial people and activities.  Remember that all students must be in costume.  Check with Ms. Klusener if you have any costume questions.  Any parent that is available to help and be willing to wear a costume should contact Janet Taylor at tntjbt@sbcglobal.net. 

SHARPIE ALERT!  If your child’s name is on his/her belongings, it is returned to his/her teacher’s mailbox! 

TRAFFIC AND SAFETY:  Reminder to parents that there is no stopping/dropping off kids on Briar Ridge in the morning, you must go through front or back carpool, and no left or right turn off San Felipe onto Briarmead  from 7:30-8:00 and 3:00-3:30. 

VANGUARD NEWS:  All 5th and Kindergarten students will take the NNAT2 on Tuesday, November 3rd!  There will be a Parent/Teacher Focus Meeting on Tuesday, November 10th at 9:00am and 6:00pm.  The 9:00am Guest Speaker is Linda Reihl—Vanguard Coordinator at Grady Middle School,  and the 6:00pm Guest Speaker is Brenda Pederson—Vanguard Coordinator at Lanier Middle School. 

There will be a parent information meeting for all parents interested in applying to the Vanguard Program for the 2010-2011 school year on Monday, November 30th.  Procedures, timelines, expectations and applications will be available at that time.  The meeting will be at 9:00am and 6:00pm. 

YEARBOOK PICTURES NEEDED!  Briargrove Yearbook needs BG Photos – did you attend a BG field trip and take photos?  Yearbook would like a copy!  Have you attended BG class or school functions and taken pictures?  Yearbook wants a copy!  Any Briargrove activity that you have attended and photographed we would love a copy of your photos.  Zip and email to Cynthia@championhousing.com OR clearly label, grade and name of function and drop a disc off at the Yearbook Mailbox in the office.