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It’s a new year – a time of fresh experiences and beginnings.   We hope that everyone enjoyed a joyous holiday season!  The following are just a few ways you can  help ensure the rest of this school year is the best yet!

• January 23 – NATIONAL HANDWRITING DAY:  In this age of texting & typing, please encourage your child to reaquaint themselves with using the “old fashioned” pen or pencil & practice their “John Hancocks” on Jan. 23rd for National Handwriting Day!  On this date, John Hancock (one of our founding fathers) signed our nation’s Constitution. 
• February 11 – GO GREEN NIGHT:  Protecting the environment has always been important and has gained a lot of attention lately, but how much do our kids know about it?  From turning off the water when brushing your teeth to sending emails instead of newsletters, there are many ways we can all do our part to help the environment.  Please join us on February 11th from 6:30-8PM for a family fun event to help show us all the importance of the 3 R’s:  REDUCE, REUSE, & RECYCLE!
• March 11th – FAMILY READING NIGHT:  Please join us from 6:30-8PM for a celebration of reading!  Research validates that children who read at home do better in school & are more likely to do succeed academically when their parents are involved in their school.  We hope to set the scene for a Family Reading night like no other for all!  

As always, these events would not be possible without our amazing volunteers! 

Best Regards,

YOUR BROWNING PTA

PTA Sponsored Family Fun Go Green Night!

When: Thursday, February 11th, 2010
6:30P-8:00PM

Where: Browning Elementary School

FREE– Your donation of used cell phones, batteries, ink cartridges, & bottles/cans at the door will be greatly appreciated!

Protecting the environment has always been important.  However, the concept of “Going Green” has become more widespread and, yes, even fashionable recently.  From reusable bags to organic t-shirts/vegetables, saving the planet has gained a lot of attention from adults but what do our children really know about it?   

In order to make this event a success, several volunteers and donations are still needed.   If you are able to contribute your time or one of the following items, please contact Michelle Pugh ([email protected] or 566-2450) or one of our amazing Recycling Club sponsors ([email protected] or [email protected]):

• clean/used girls tights or men’s tube socks
• assorted felt, buttons, ribbons
• scrap paper
• snacks (i.e. apples, veggies, organic/locally grown products)

As always, your time, consideration, and participation would be greatly appreciated!

 Best Regards,

Your Browning PTA

Dear UCS Supporter:

 Our visits to Lansing are having a positive effect!

 This week, we had the opportunity not only to meet with our local legislators, but Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop met with our delegation for nearly an hour, hearing our concerns.

While we still haven’t finished the job, our local legislators are beginning to understand that parents have high expectations for their children’s future, and that a strong public education system is critical to their success.  Understanding is the first step; motivating our legislators to act on behalf of students is the second.

 Even when we aren’t in Lansing, it’s critical that we continue to press ahead with our message.  Within the week, the legislature must come up with funding to offset the $127 per pupil reductions made through the Governor’s executive order cuts.

I urge you to continue to write, telephone, email and fax your legislators.  Ask them:

• Will you agree to use federal stimulus dollars set aside for 2010-2011 to eliminate the $127 per pupil cuts?  This support would allow school districts to make it through this school year without devastating cuts and provide time to plan for next year.  If they won’t support it, why?
• Are you willing to modify the way public schools are funded?  Proposal A no longer provides a stable source of school funding.  If not, what are your ideas to provide for the education of Michigan’s children?
• Because the current system of school funding depends upon revenues from income and sales taxes, are you willing to consider such revenue enhancements as income tax on retiree pensions and certain IRAs and/or a tax on services such as haircuts and other items currently exempt from tax?  If not, what ideas do you have to improve revenues?

 I thank each of you for your continuing support of our students.  This experience has truly been a grass roots effort and I am very proud of the success we already have achieved.  I look forward to continuing this relationship and, as always, if you need to contact me, please feel free to do so. 

Sincerely,

 Christine M. Johns, Ed.D.

Superintendent of Schools

Sponsored by Browning the Best PTA

It’s a great way for children to remember their family & friends without spending a lot of money.  Gifts range from sixty cents ($0.60)  to seven dollars ($7.00)

Please help out at Santa’s Secret Shop and the event will be a success for everyone! If you haven’t already, please sign up below by Monday, November 16th

Helpers are needed
Mon 11/30 –  Tues 12/1 – Wed 12/2 –   Thur – 12/3
9:00am-12:00pm or 12:30pm– 3:30pm

Dear Browning Mama & Papa Bears:

Recently, our 3rd Grader Cami brought home a wonderful book from school titled “The Legend of Sleeping Bear” – the story of a mother bear who does everything in her power to protect & look out for her cubs.  While I am constantly amazed by the devotion of our families when it comes to ensuring our “cubs” are safe, healthy, & happy, this book reminded me of the real reason I volunteer my time & advocate (for not only our other children – Katie (Bemis-8), Connor (Browning-6), & Cami (Browning-3)) but all of the great kids at Browning & Bemis. Our children deserve nothing less than a quality education, challenging programs, and access to the latest technology that will help them thrive & succeed in our ever changing global marketplace.

What does this have to do with us? 

As you may know, Governor Granholm & the State Legislature are at a “stalemate” in terms of funding for Michigan’s school aid budget & how to adequately fund it.  This could mean a cut of $292 per student for the 2009/2010 school year (which started fiscally for the district in July!)  If this is approved, this reduction would result in an additional funding loss of $8.6M this year alone to UCS.  With state budget reductions over the years, UCS is currently receiving funding that is actually $2 less per student than we received during the 2002-2003 school year.  For more information, please visit the UCS website www.uticak12.org and click on the UCS News (located at the bottom of the main page.)

How can you help?

Please attend a meeting of parents at 7PM this Thursday, Nov. 5th at the Palazzo Grande Banquet Center on Van Dyke at 25 Mile Road in Shelby Township.  At this meeting, we’ll be joined by other UCS parents to learn more about how all of this affects us & sign letters addressed to the very legislators who will be deciding the fate of funding for our students.  Please let me know if you can attend ASAP so that I can relay to the school how many Browning/Bemis advocates to anticipate.

Whether you can attend or not, please contact your State Representative and your Senator ASAP and urge them to take the following actions:

• Make public education a priority in Michigan!
• Finalize & adequately fund K-12 budget for fiscal year 2009-2010.  We  are now in the fourth month of the school’s fiscal year.
• Use all available funds (stimulus and school aid fund balance) to reduce any ADDITIONAL per pupil reduction.  They have already cut funding by almost $164 per student.
• Allow districts the flexibility on spending to determine where any cuts could be made.
• Ensure any structural reform/new revenues adequately fund education.

Please forward this message on to your network of interested parents and friends to help amplify the message that education must be a priority in Michigan!

On a side note, please be respectful in your communications with lawmakers!  I am told that other advocacy groups have lost sight of this.  While it is imperative that UCS (the 2nd largest district in the state) be viewed by our legislators as passionate, vocal, & a force to be reckoned with, our messages represent all of our parents after all – so we need to walk the walk.  

If you have difficulty contacting your legislator directly, please use these links:

To find your Representative: http://house.michigan.gov/find_a_rep.asp  

To find your Senator: http://senate.michigan.gov/FindYourSenator/michiganfys.asp

I am confident our efforts can (& will) make a difference for every one of our “cubs.”  Our voices will be heard and we are almost there!  All of your efforts make such an impact & are greatly appreciated!

Best Regards,

Michelle Pugh

Browning PTA President & Proud UCS Parent

Has your child mentioned they are recycling the lunch trays, plastic bottles, Capri Sun containers and milk cartons from the students’ lunches?  Mr. Kehres & Mrs. Tocco are graciously serving as co-sponsors of Browning’s very own Recycling Club (B.E.A.R.S. – Browning’s Earth Active Recycling Stars).  They are meeting with students and seeking ideas of how we at Browning can better protect our environment. 

Your PTA & Browning’s Recycling Club are also teaming up on Thursday, March 11th from 6:30-8PM to sponsor a “Go Green Night!”  Families will enjoy an evening of educational activities & entertaining experiments to demonstrate how “Growing Up Green” can be fun & easy to do.  We hope you will join us for various crafts, student art displays, a scavenger hunt, & much more focusing on the environment & energy efficiency.

To support the “Growing Up Green” theme for this school year, the PTA will be shortening our paper version of school’s monthly newsletter & posting all information about events & long term fundraisers on this website to do our part to reduce the amount of paper sent home.  Please help us by providing an e-mail address to obtain paperless PTA updates (Event Notices, Restaurant Nights, Meeting Reminders, etc.) which are sent to all Browning families.  To add your email address, click on the link to the right or contact Chris Washeleski at [email protected]. 

Through the all of these activities, events, and initiatives, we hope to have Browning designated a “Green School” this Spring!  For more information, please visit www.michigangreenschools.org.  Thanks again for your support!

The Browning staff is once again putting their creativity & competitive spirit to work on their famous decorated pumpkins!  Each year we are more & more amazed by their incredible works of art.  We greatly appreciate all of their time & talents for this student favorite FUNdraiser!  Special thanks to Blake’s Orchards for donating the pumpkins.

Students will be able to view & purchase raffle tickets during their lunch time from Monday, Oct. 4th to Wednesday, Oct. 6th.  Tickets are 50 cents each.   The names of winners will be drawn & announced right after our Balloon Launch on Thursday, Oct. 7th!   Parents may pick up their prize pumpkins Thursday afternoon or Friday.

Click here to view last year’s masterpieces!

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