Passport to Adventure 2010

Dear Birney Parents

As you may already know, we are having an All School Event on Saturday, June 19th. From 11 am – 3 pm
A Passport to Adventure
Will be both a school carnival and an opportunity for kids to learn about other countries.

We will be highlighting 6 countries:
Afghanistan, China, Ecuador, Ghana, Spain, Switzerland

For each of the countries, the plan is to have a game, a craft and a learning/information area.

This is where you come in...
If you have ties to any of the featured countries and can help with ideas, food or prizes, any assistance or donations would be greatly appreciated.

We also need volunteers for this event. And since we want to give all parents the opportunity to tour the world with their kids, we are asking that you sign up to volunteer for a booth. We will need people to man the games, crafts, information centers and food sales. We are asking that volunteers sign up for half the time of the event (2 hours). If that is more than you will be able to do, please let us know and we may be able to match you with someone else that you can share time with. If you are interested in helping, please contact Michelle at ptabirney@yahoo.com or at ml@nstpr.com and she will add you name to our lists.

We will have sign up sheets at this months' Family Friday, as well as a few days a week after school.

More Help...
We are also looking for prize donations for both our raffle and for our silent auction.
Raffle: Any new (or in very good condition) item that may be used for a prize for our hourly drawings. Books, Games, Toys, etc.
Silent Auction: This items would be items of greater value (Charger signed footballs, memorabilia, jewelry, play tickets, dinner packages, etc.) The silent auction will be held during the Passport to Adventure.

If you have any items that you wish to donate for our prize drawing, please put it in the prize box, located next to the PTA mail box in the teachers lounge.

Any and all help (whether donating a prize and/or volunteering your time) is greatly appreciated. Let’s make this 2nd annual PTA sponsored event fun and memorable for all the children.

Thanks for your support.

Bedtimes Stories for the whole family.

Once upon a time,
children put on their
pajamas, brought their
pillows and blankets
then curled up with
their friends to hear
their favorite stories...

Join us
Friday, May 21 at 6:30 pm in the Auditorium for Birney Bedtime Stories. Hear your favorite stories read aloud by your teachers and parents.

Admission is FREE and the Birney PTA will provide popcorn and drinks.

If you would like to read a story, contact the PTA at ptabirney@yahoo.com.

.

Family Dinner Night At The Station

Enjoy a nice dinner out and help support the
Birney PTA assembly programs at the same time.

The Station Tavern & Burgers
Tuesday, May 25 • 4 - 9 pm
2204 Fern St • San Diego, CA 92104
(619) 255-0657

Come enjoy a fresh selection of burgers.
Hamburgers, turkey burgers, black bean burgers and veggie burgers;
grilled cheese and hot dogs for the kids; and a variety of fries.
Birney Elementary will get 20% of all food purchases.
Dine-in or pick up.

Let’s enjoy some good food and support field
trips and assemblies for our Birney students.

You must bring in the flier when you order. Extra fliers will be in the school office or you can download it here.

.

Garden Clean Up Day!

Garden clean up on Saturday, May 8th, 9 am to noon.

Please come out and help keep our newly renovated garden in great shape.

We're IB - It's Official!

Birney and Jefferson elementary schools have received official notification that they have been authorized as International Baccalaureate (IB) Primary Years Programmes (PYP), part of the prestigious International Baccalaureate World Schools program. The PYP is for students aged 3 to 12 years and is the first in a sequence of three IB Programmes, which also include The Middle Years Programme (MYP) for students aged 11 to 16 years and The Diploma Programme for students aged 16 to 19 years. The three programmes form a coherent sequence of education by promoting the education of the whole person, emphasizing intellectual, personal, emotional and social growth. For more information, please contact Carolyn Goohs, director of Magnet Schools, at (619) 725-7158 or cgoohs@sandi.net .

WE ROCK!

San Diego Unified set a district record with the number of schools named as California Distinguished Schools in 2010. The schools on this year's list are: Barnard Mandarin Chinese Magnet, Bay Park, Bird Rock, Birney, Cadman, Chesterton, EB Scripps, Ericson, Foster, Jones, Loma Portal, Nye, Perry, Sequoia and Vista Grande. The 15 elementary schools are the most in one year for San Diego Unified since the program began in the mid-1980s. Elementary and secondary schools are awarded in alternate years. In 2009, six middle and high schools were awarded.

Schools were evaluated based on their test scores from the state Academic Performance Index and federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Adequate Yearly Progress, as well as efforts to narrow the achievement gap among ethnic groups. Each school had to describe two signature practices that lead to a narrowing of the achievement gap and an increase in student achievement. Congratulations to all who were involved in this outstanding accomplishment, including the schools’ administrators, staff, students and parents. This recognition is a reflection of collective best efforts, genuine teamwork and a singular pursuit of excellence.

PrimeTime New Procedure

Welcome back to spring at Birney.
We have made some changes in Prime Time, including the sign-out procedure. The cafeteria door entrance to Prime Time will now stay closed until 5 pm, or 3 pm on Wednesdays.

If you need to pick your child up early from Prime Time, please enter school through the office to fill out an early release form. The state grant which funds Prime Time mandates that students remain in the program for 90 minutes after school in order for us to receive funding.

I know you will help us out by trying to pick your child up at 5 pm or after, and we will be making sure your child has completed homework by 5 pm. Thanks for your support as we continue to work to make the best Prime Time program in San Diego!

Parent Teacher Conferences - Student Early Dismissal

April 26-30 2010

Students will be dismissed at 1:30pm Monday through Friday for Parent-Teacher Conferences.

Remember to schedule a conference with your child's teacher.

Translation is available.

Birney Rummage Sale and Pancake Breakfast New Date

Saturday, May 15th

It is cleaning time, so get through those closets, garages and junk drawers, and help raise money for Birney Elementary while you simplify your life. You have two great options for your treasures.

1. Reserve a space to sell your wares
2. Drop off your treasures for the PTA to sell at their table (which will raise funds to help the PTA sponsor assemblies and field trip for our students)

Families, Crafters and Artists Welcome!
This will be a community wide event, and we can only accommodate 50 vendors. Shaded spaces are approximately 9 ft x 20 ft, and are available on a 1st paid, 1st reserved basis only. Unshaded spaces are slightly larger (canopies are welcome). The Birney PTA will provide all advertisement prior to the event and pick-up of USABLE discards afterward! (a list will be provided of items that can not be left behind, on the day of the event or you can download it here)

There will also be refreshments available.

Starting on Tuesday, April 20th there will be a drop off bin
in front of the school in the morning and after school until 5:30 pm.

The rummage sale and pancake breakfast will be held on the playground at Birney Elementary Saturday, May 15 from 6:30 am - 2:00pm (gates open to public at 8:00 am)

To participate or for more information e-mail us at ptabirney@yahoo.com.
Or download the registration form here.

Help Birney Elementary School win $20,000!

Go to Care2 and vote on America's Favorite Schools for Birney Elementary. Just click on the Care2 and then enter the zip code 92103. Scroll down and you will see Birney listed, click on it and follow the instructions.

We need all of you and everyone you ever met to vote.

Lets win this money for the kids. And show how strong we are as a school/community.

Thanks for you support!

We're and OFFICIAL IB School!

Birney family!

Congratulations are due to each and every one of you who has supported our effort to become an IB World School. We did it! You can be proud – this is quite an accomplishment. Most of all, this is a reflection of the quality of the students, their families and the teachers and support staff in every position in our school, together we have made Birney the IB World School it is today!

Community rally in Balboa Park to support public education

On May 8, there will be a community rally in Balboa Park to support public education funding. This event is being organized by Educate for the Future, by an independent grassroots organization of parents, community leaders and educators. It is inspiring to see the San Diego community come together to support the education of our children and to support the needs of our schools. This rally is a positive opportunity for parents to demonstrate their support for public education funding at this critical time for our district.

Please pass on this information to all your friends and family.