PTA BOARD MEETING (12/5)
5th GRADE BAND/ORCHESTRA CONCERT (12/8)
Briarlake Elementary School PTA | briarlakeblog@gmail.com | http://briarlakepta.org/

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PTA Info, Events, and more
The Scholastic Book Fair was a huge success! 

The Scholastic Book Fair earned a total of $8645.85, which means that we have placed approximately 1,729 books in the hands of children. 

We are so grateful to all of the parents, grandparents, and other community members who purchased books during the sale. The profits from this sale will go toward the library renovation. 

HUGE thanks to Book Fair Co-Chairs, Elaine Thompson, Mandi Abramson, and Milly Gemerew (not pictured). They gave many days of their time to ensure the fair was a success!! 



Holiday Giving at Briarlake

The holiday season is here! Soon your room parents will be reaching out to you collect donations for gifts for our homeroom teachers and paraprofessionals. 

Please follow your room parent's instructions regarding how and when to contribute to your class gift.
 
In addition, if you are interested and able,  please also consider donating to any of these additional Briarlake holiday gift funds. Collection bins for these gift funds will be in the front office at the  PTA info station by the front door and will be checked daily  starting this week  until Friday, December 15th. Many, many thanks in advance for your generosity and support:
 
  • Briarlake Elementary School Staff Holiday Gift Fund: This holiday gift fund shows our appreciation to all of the Briarlake staff who work outside of our classrooms or who serve the entire student body. These individuals dedicate themselves to making Briarlake the best and often miss out on the appreciation our homeroom teachers receive.
  • Briarlake Child-in-Need Holiday Collection: There are children and families within our own Briarlake community who are struggling financially and could use our help during this season of giving. Our Briarlake counseling team will use these funds to help purchase items for these children during the holidays. At Briarlake we strive to be a loving and caring community.
  • Gift Cards for Holiday Staff Party: Every year our Briarlake staff gets together for a holiday event and gift cards are given away as raffle and door prizes. Gift cards to area stores and restaurants are always appreciated if you would like to contribute to this fun event for our staff.

This Friday  Morning: 5th Grade Band & Orchestra Performance

Friday, 12/8 at 9am

This Friday  morning at  9 am  in the Briarlake Cafetorium, our Briarlake Band and Orchestra will both perform in an assembly. Parents are highly encouraged to attend this performance and see the wonderful things our 5th graders have been learning this year. 
Support the Atlanta Hawks AND the Briarlake Beavers!
FUN-omenal Fundraising Opportunity! The Hawks will donate $5 back to Briarlake for every ticket sold for the 10 games listed below by using the hawks.com/schoolassist site. Go to as many games as you like, but save the date for Saturday, December 9th to be the Briarlake Family Night! Let's Go Hawks! And Let's Go Beavers! 
Kindness Adventure Assembly on 12/15

We will have a Kindness Adventure Assembly on  December 15, 2017 from 8:30am - 9:15am for grades 1 - 5.  This assembly will be a part of our No Place for Hate Initiative. 


Click here for more information.


Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Day Volunteer Opportunity

In the spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., make this holiday a day "on" of helping others instead of a day off! Help beautify our school campus on  Monday, 1/15/17  from 10 am to 2 pm (two-hour shifts: 10-12pm; 12-2pm)

We will pick up litter, pick up debris, and repaint the front columns and awning. There will be projects for all ages and abilities!

Coffee, hot cocoa, and snacks will be provided for all volunteers. 

The link to volunteer will be available in next week's blast.


International Night will be held January 23rd, 2018 at 6pm and the team is in search of BES students/parents to perform.

If you or your child are interested in taking part in any dance, singing, etc. with cultural/international significance, please contact Angela Barnett at angelabarnett@gmail.com and/or Erica Bland at Ericabland@gmail.com.

We currently have Japan & USA represented and would like more. Thank you!
Start Gathering Used Books 

As you give new gifts this holiday season, please remember to hold onto any used books you might be pulling out. 

The  USED BOOK SALE is around the corner (2/2-2/3), and your donated books are what make it possible. Collection will begin in January. 

If you would like to volunteer for this fabulous fundraiser, email Marjorie Hall Snook at  marjorie.hall@gmail.com. There are things you can do on your own time leading up to the sale, as well as sorting and helping during setup and the sale itself. 

Technology Fair
What: Technology Fair
WhenJanuary 20, 2018
Who: Grade 3-5
Teacher Sponsor: Ms. Green
Parent Sponsor: Liberty Garcia ( libaydc@gmail.com) - available to coach participants every  Friday @Innovation Lab  3:30-3:45pm (beginning 12/8)

informational session slides:  http://briarlakepta.org/techfair-slides.html 
informational session PDF - attached

Co-Chair Needed for Briarlake Foundation Auction

BESF ANNUAL AUCTION CO-CHAIR NEEDED!
SAVE THE DATE:  Friday 2/23/18

Are you organized? Have lots of energy? Love to party plan? Or love to seek donations? If yes to any of these items, the Briarlake Foundation needs your assistance with BESF's Annual Auction to be held  Friday 2/23/18 .  The funds raised will be used to create a magical media center for years to come. Additional funds will be used for STEM and other technology needs of our wonderful school.

Allison Bower has graciously agreed to be our Co-Chair for the event but we are seeking a second person to assist her with all the details. Please do not be deterred if the commitment of co-chairing a committee is too time intensive for your family right now. We understand that. However, Allison has lots of small tasks that can be delegated to even the busiest of parents, so please reach out to her if you're willing to help!  

You may contact Allison Bower at  allisonbower78@gmail.com  or Co- Presidents  Ann  Mancuso  annbriarlake@gmail.com  or Paul Grant at  pgrant@ggc.edu  for all the details.

As always the BES Foundation thanks you in advance for your time and effort in assisting the Foundation in providing our students with a well-rounded education.

Warm Regards,
BESF

Calendar
Upcoming Dates
 
 
    
12/5.............................PTA Monthly Board Meeting 7:40-8:30am, Briarlake cafeteria
12/8.............................5th Grade Band & Orchestra Assembly - 9 am
12/11...........................MAP winter screening window opens (12/11-2/9)
12/12...........................Briarlake Holiday Musical Performance - PreK-2nd, 6pm
12/15...........................Fantastic Friday Holiday Lunch for Staff (Principal provides the meal; 2nd grade and PTA coordinate desserts/drinks )
12/19...........................Class Holiday Parties, 1 pm
12/20...........................Last Day of 1st Semester
12/21-1/3...................NO SCHOOL, Winter Break


December Breakfast               December Lunch 
 



Don't want to miss a thing?  Sync your Google calendar automatically to the Briarlake calendar!  Head over to the PTA website and click +Google Calendar!
Cluster News
LAKESIDE FOUNDATION 5K


The Lakeside Viking 5K is Saturday, December 16. Click here to register. Please email info@lakesidefoundation.org with any questions.