Friday, August 28, 2009

Hi All!

The new school year is almost here. Stop by the PTA table in front of the school on the first day of school for a cup of coffee and a donut. You can also pick up a map of the school, a list of frequently asked questions, and your '09/'10 PTA membership form. We'll be there to answer any questions you have about Birney or the PTA, or will point you toward someone else who can answer them for you.

We'll also have our usual table at the first Family Friday (9/11), with snacks and Birney T-shirts for sale.

Our first meeting is scheduled for Thursday, 9/17 at 6:30. Past and present officers met over the summer and roughed out the calendar of events for the coming year, which we'll discuss, along with ideas for ways to support the teachers this year in light of their larger class sizes.

Finally, as most of you probably know, Birney prefers to provide it's students with all the supplies they need in the classroom. This year's supply budget has been cut by 25%, however, so while Amanda is confident they will still be able to provide students with everything they'll need, the school would still appreciate donations of generic supplies (see the list below, also available on the Birney website). If you happen to see great deals on school supplies when you're back-to-school shopping, you might consider picking some up to donate to the supply pool. I happend to find plain 2-pocket folders for a penny, so picked up 100, and also found elmer's glue sticks 2 for 25 cents, so picked up 48, enough for both my son's classrooms.

Enjoy the last week of summer, and we'll see you on 9/8!

Samantha
President, Birney PTA

.

2010 School Supplies

At Alice Birney Elementary, we discourage the purchase of unique supplies for school, preferring that parents take the time to set up a special place for their child to study and do homework with all those special shiny things at home to motivate their child! We find when students bring unusual items to school, other students may be tempted by them.

If parents would like to donate to the “Supply Pool”, the following is a list of supplies we can ALL use EVERYDAY, without worrying that your neighbor has better stuff than you!

• Black and White wide-ruled composition books
• Elmer’s glue-sticks
• Ticonderoga #2 pencils
• Standard-ruled and wide-ruled 3-hole punched paper
• Manila letter-sized file folders
• Copy paper, white and colored
• Puff brand Kleenex
• 2-pocket plain colored folders for K-2 homework (over 24 same color if possible)
• Crayola brand colored pencils
• Blue and black felt-tip (ball-point) pens, medium point
• Clorox wipes
• 11/2 inch 3-ring white or black binders
• Post-it brand ‘stickies’

Friday, August 14, 2009

6th Annual ERAA Back to School Conference

Summer is almost over! If you can't wait to get back to school, the New ERAA Back to School Conference might be just the ticket.

Co-sponsored by SDUSD, several community groups and volunteers, the goal of the conference is to help parents and students become more knowledgeable, supportive and committed to academic achievement in our school district.

Some of the highlights of the New ERAA Conference are:
• Conference workshops for parents and students at all grade levels in the morning
• Every participant will be given a back-to-school backpack filled with schools supplies.
• A festival with exhibitors, free lunch, giveaways, and entertainment in the afternoon
• To register for the conference, click here: www.pazzaz.org

Registration for the event is free, and includes a continental breakfast, parent/K-12 student workshops in the morning, a ralley, lunch, and an exhibition in the afternoon. Each student registered for the morning conference will receive a free backpack filled with school supplies. The San Diego Unified Council of PTAs will have a booth at the exhibition to promote the benefits of PTA membership.

Event: 6th Annual ERAA Back to School Conference
Date: August 22, 2009
Time: Conference 8:00am-12:30pm
Check In 7:00am
Festival 1:00 p.m.—3:00 p.m.

Location: Lincoln High School
4777 Imperial Ave
San Diego, CA 92113

Check out the Pazzaz website to register, and for more information, including a list of the morning workshops which should be available soon.