PTA News

Ongoing events

• MONDAY NIGHT = Pizza Night! at Hungry Howies!
• Chess Club - Monday & Wednesday during lunch recess in the Library 
• Publishing Center - Tuesday & Thursday during lunch recess in the Library
• Lego Club - Tuesday during lunch recess in the Gym

Calendar events

• Friday, January 20 - Bulldog Boogie Dance-A-Thon Information sent home with students
• Friday, January 20 - Family Movie Night at 7:00 p.m. in the Gym
• Tuesday, January 24 - Breton Downs PTA Meeting at 1:00 p.m. in the Library

• February 6 - February 10 - Bulldog Spirit Week, Bulldog Boogie, Winter Family Carnival and Silent Auction - see below for additional information

**Please see below for additional information on many of the above mentioned Upcoming Events.**

• Doug Jenkins, EGRPS Technology Director, will present information on the new Michigan Education Assessment Program (MEAP) cut scores.

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Family Movie Night

Friday, January 20 at 7:00 p.m. 

Breton Downs Gym

Now Playing…. Cars 2

Please remember to bring:

• Comfortable things to sit on (a blanket, pillows, etc.).
• A bowl for the complimentary popcorn.
• Money if you would like to purchase water or movie candy.
• A donation* for Kids Food Basket: *Cracker Packs, 100% Fruit Juice Boxes, Snack Size Zipper-lock Bags, Sandwich Size Zipper-lock Bags, Bulk Pretzels, Cheerios (plain)

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It's Almost Time to BOOGIE....

 

Please see Related Files below for additional information regarding the Bulldog Boogie and Winter Family Carnival. 

1. Corporate Sponsor Form

2. Boogie Pledge Procedures

3. Boogie Pledge Form

4. Tax Receipt Form

5. Example Student Letters

6. Carnival - List & Location of Games & Activities

7. Carnival - Map of Games and Activities

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Make Monday Pizza Night....

 

Every Monday is Breton Down’s designated “dough” raising night at the Breton Village Hungry Howie’s!

For $8.99 you receive… One large 1-topping pizza (no limit) and 

a FREE Howie Bread with every order!

Hungry Howie’s will donate $1 to Breton for every $8.99 pizza ordered. 

Hungry Howie’s will also give the class with the greatest participation a free pizza party!

Call 954-9999 to order.

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Volunteer Opportunities...

There are MANY opportunities available for you to share your time and talents at Breton Downs. Below are committees and programs in need of immediate assistance:

• Chess Club -The club meets every Monday and Wednesday until spring break. Volunteers are needed to monitor and help students.  If you're interested in helping, please call or email Gwen Barnes at 949-4506 or gtbarnes@comcast.net. Chess knowledge is not required.

• Publishing Center - Volunteers are needed on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11:15-12:30 on a regular basis. Please contact Kim Hoekstra at khoekstra73@gmail.com to help.
• Lego Club - Small brick-size Legos are needed and can be dropped off in the Lego collection box located outside the main office. Lego Club occurs every Tuesday during lunch recess in the gym. Please contact Michelle Patterson at mapatterson201111@yahoo.com to sign up to help or if you have questions.

• Play – Much help is needed to prepare for the performances on March 16 & 17. Committees are currently being formed to help with rehearsals, costumes, props, advertising, etc. for the production. Please contact Jennifer Yarger at jenniferyarger@att.net or Tina Hessler at tinahessler98@comcast.net to volunteer for a play committee.

Please also see the 2011-2012 PTA Volunteer Form (under Related Files below) for a complete list of committees and activities that need volunteer support.  Additional information may be found under the PTA Volunteer Handbook tab (at the left). Please complete the form and turn it into the office - Attn: Maria Allen or email Maria at allen.smjka@yahoo.com. 

*Volunteer Consent Forms -  Please remember to complete the Volunteer Consent Form and turn it into Nancy Belke in the Breton Downs office or at the James E. Morse Administration Building. The form can be found at the bottom of this page. It's a simple form and just takes a minute to complete. You will receive a special badge that says 'Volunteer' on it. That is how they will know you've completed your form. Thanks for your help!

Volunteer Policy-The Board of Education has adopted a new, school-wide, volunteer policy. Anyone volunteering, in any of the schools, must fill out a consent form for a background check.   THIS HAS TO BE DONE BEFORE ANYONE WILL BE ALLOWED TO VOLUNTEER AT ANY OF THE SCHOOLS.

 

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Committee Information...

Yearbook Committee is off and running! Student writers, photographers and marketers are meeting weekly through March to put together another incredible Breton Downs Yearbook. Please turn your order forms in by March 9 to ensure your child (children) receive a yearbook. There will be no copies available for sale in the office this year. If you need an order form, please stop by the office or contact Amy Knape at aknape@mac.com.

BoxTop$-keep saving your BoxTop$!  We will have our last collection for the school year in February with a classroom contest for a pizza party!  Stay tuned for details in February... Contact Kim Tucker at ktucker022@yahoo.com with questions.

 5^th Grade Farewell committee needs pictures of your 5th grader! Please submit them to Jenny  McMahon at mcmahon.jennifer4@gmail.com to ensure everyone is included in the 5th grade end-of-year video.  A kindergarten picture and various pictures throughout their school career at Breton Downs would be great. Digital pictures are preferred, but hard copies will also be accepted.  All pictures will be returned to you.

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Many THANKS to....

Courtney Moskal, 5th Grade Recycling Team and the Recycling Team Parent Supervisors for all their work saving our environment. Your hard work and dedication are greatly appreciated! Thank you!

 

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HURRAH! 2012...

 

Please find additional information about this fun event at the EGR Schools Foundation website at http://www.egrsf.org/. 

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Legislative Committee...

 

The MI Senate Education Committee has approved legislation that would remove the overall cap on charter schools in the state, create a new class of charter schools, called "conversion schools", which can be created at the instigation of teachers or parents from a traditional public school; remove limits on the newly introduced "cyber schools", and require school districts to accept non-resident students under "schools of choice" if they have the capacity. 

East Grand Rapids Public Schools does accept school of choice students, but our Committee is concerned about the implementation of cyber classrooms and the diversion of already limited resources that an increase in charter schools would necessitate.  We see this as undermining the public school infrastructure and undermining the effectiveness of locally elected school boards.  

Please contact you Senator Hildebrand and urge him to oppose this legislation.  We expect that it will come to a full vote in the Senate shortly. 

Please regularly check the EGRPS Legislative Committee website:  http://www.egrpseducationadvocates.blogspot.com/ for up-to-date information. Also, there is a new website at www.fightschoolcuts.com that contains an interactive map to look up any school district in Michigan and see how these cuts impact your community.

 

Target Red Card

Do you shop at Target? Then apply for a Target REDcard and earn money for Breton Downs Elementary!  The REDcard is a debit card (not a credit card!) that gives you an instant 5% back on your Target purchases AND 1% of your REDcard purchases will be donated to Breton Downs.  Last year, Breton received more than $700 from Target and more than  $5000 to date!

It's easy and costs you nothing!  Apply today at Target, then go online at Target.com to choose Breton Downs School to get started!

Please join us for the next meeting of BOOKENDS!

BOOKENDS is a book club for ALL 4^th & 5^th Graders and your parents!  Here’s what to do:

• Read Savvy by Ingrid Law (available at the EGR Library and local book stores).
• Come to the EGR Library on Wednesday, February 15 from 6-7:00 p.m. with your parent.
• Sign in and possibly receive an extra incentive from your teacher for coming to BOOKENDS (more details to follow….).
• Enjoy discussing the book, participating in activities, and enjoying snacks related to the book.
• Help us pick out the next book to read.
• Meet students and parents from your graduation class (Class of 2019 and 2020)!

Please contact Trish Reid at miketrishreid@gmail.com or Jeannine Frazier Jeannine@beyondbackup.com for more information.

Boogie Corporate Sponsor Info (PDF 248 KB)
Boogie Pledge Procedures (PDF 386 KB)
Boogie Pledge Form (PDF 399 KB)
Tax Deduction Receipts (PDF 210 KB)
Example Student Letters (PDF 250 KB)
List & Location of Carnival Games (PDF 38 KB)
Carnival Map (PDF 181 KB)
PTA Blast (PDF 0.99 MB)
Updated Weekly
2011-2012 PTA Volunteer Form (PDF 55 KB)
Volunteer Consent Form (PDF 83 KB)
Manditory form to be completed prior to volunteering in EGR schools
Ongoing Breton Fundraisers (PDF 20 KB)
Book Room Information (PPT 849 KB)
As presented at the March PTA meeting

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