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:
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!
Mrs. Tocco's 2009 Winning Entry - SIMBA
Thursday, October 8th
From the Balloon Launch, Pumpkin Patch/Fundraiser to benefit the Baker Family, Square1Art Project, BoxTop$ contest, Membership Drive, & “Name that Bear” contest, none of these events/fundraisers would have been possible or such successes without the support, creativity, enthusiasm, & assistance of our wonderful volunteers (staff, friends, families, students (past & present,) the community, etc.) While it took a lot of effort, coordination, & politicking for these FUNdraisers, it was all for great causes (i.e. Browning & the Baker family!) EVERYONE came together to make this a truly incredible & memorable month!
Please pat yourselves on the back for helping to raise > $20,000 so far this Fall for our school & the Baker Family. We’ve all been deeply touched & encouraged by the sense of community spirit, compassion, and selflessness observed throughout Browning in the last few months. Thanks for your support! Browning is the Best!
Have a safe & enjoyable Halloween!
Best Regards, Your Browning PTA Leaders
Jessica Baker is a delightful 6th Grade student at Browning Elementary. A talented & energetic soccer player, Jessica’s family (Mom Terri, Dad Jeff, & brothers John, Ryan, and Jacob) became concerned when she wasn’t quite herself becoming weak & lethargic early this summer. After numerous doctor visits & declining health, Jessica was diagnosed on June 20, 2009 with T-cell Lymphoblastic Lymphoma Stage III. She is being treated very aggressively. The protocol is oral and IV chemo for 2 ½ years. X-rays indicate the mass has shrank significantly – a very positive sign of recovery. For more information on Jessica’s diagnosis & trek, please visit http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/jessicabaker10
As you can imagine, Jessica & her family’s world was and continues to be turned upside down. They have experienced a lot in a short period of time. They are deeply appreciative of the outpouring of support they have received from family, friends, neighbors, the Browning community, the soccer community, and all the wonderful people whom they did not even know before Jessica’s illness.
Because the long, hard journey ahead is not one anyone should undertake alone (financially or emotionally,) the Browning PTA, our families, staff, & community came together to provide donations, monetary contributions, &/or support during a PTA sponsored fund-raiser at Browning on Thursday, Oct. 8th. A pasta dinner (generously provided by the Maiani family) & donated items from local businesses (thanks to time & efforts of Lisa Williams & Susan Deutsch) were raffled off or offered as Silent Auction. All proceeds were given to Bakers to offset costs of medical expenses not covered by insurance & ease the financial strain during this difficult time.
SPECIAL “THANK YOU” FROM BAKER FAMILY
To those who worked so hard organizing the fundraiser, everyone that helped out and made it such a fun and successful night, and all of you who came in support of it, we would like to express our heartfelt gratitude for all that you have done to help Jessica and our family during this difficult time.
There are no words that can convey how thankful and blessed we feel to be a part of such a caring group of people. We cannot thank all of you enough!
With much gratitude,
Jeff, Terri, John, Ryan, Jessica & Jacob
One of our highest priorities as a community is our children and their education. Supporting your PTA is just one way you can help our students, staff, and school succeed. We have a lot of fun and educational activities planned this year to supplement the classroom environment.
By sharing ideas about activities, events, and opportunities that benefit our children, we can strengthen the connections between our students, parents, staff, and the community. If you are interested in volunteering, chairing an event, &/or have an idea to share, please contact a Board member, e-mail us, or attend our next PTA meeting on Tues., Nov 10th at 7PM in the Media Center.
Clip BOX TOP$ & Earn CASH for Our School!
LET’S KICK OFF THE NEW YEAR BY CLIPPING THOSE BOX TOP$
This PTA Sponsored Classroom Collection Race Starts TODAY & Ends February 12th
The classroom that collects the most BOX TOP$ will WIN AN ICE CREAM PARTY!
AS A REMINDER, MONEY RECEIVED FROM BOXTOP$ HELPS REDUCE THE COST TO YOUR FAMILY FOR FIELD TRIPS, ON SITE LEARNING EXPERIENCES, LEARNING EQUIPMENT, GROUNDS RESTORATIO, ETC.
Please Visit www. btfe.com for more information and ideas on Box Top$ or contact Angie DiMaggio (Browning’s Box Top$ coordinator) at [email protected]
Download this document for a complete list of Box-Tops-Participating-Products
