Brentwood families,

We start this week’s Bulldog Bark newsletter with a special message from our Brentwood Elementary PTA President, Erin Zehr:

A message from our PTA President

I hope these first couple weeks back to school at Brentwood have been as wonderful for your families as they have been for mine. We are so grateful for the school administrators, teachers and staff for their leadership and care! The Brentwood community is a special place for many reasons, how we show up for one another is just one.

It's been a tough -- and tragic -- start of the school year for some AISD high school communities, with hateful demonstrations at McCallum** just last week. We will prioritize conversation and connection about mental health during our September PTA General Body meeting. 

Details to come, but I hope you will mark your calendar (Thurs, Sept 14, 6:30 p.m. in the Community Room). And continued thanks to the McCallum Key Club for volunteering babysitting services in the gym so more families can attend the meeting. 

** one way we might show up for one another, is to show our McCallum kids a surrounding neighborhood of Pride flags outside more houses. There's a cool local shop to buy from, here's an online vendor with a huge selection, and there's Amazon in a pinch. 

School events and important dates:

Subscribe to our new Brentwood Elementary Google Calendar to stay up-to-date on upcoming school events, holidays, and PTA activities: http://bit.ly/Bulldog-calendar.

All tie-dye orders are due by Thursday, September 7th! Please use bit.ly/m/tiedye to purchase. For families needing assistance, Ms. McKenna has discount and free shirt codes.

We are proud to partner with Fajita Pete’s - MoPac for a Spirit Day on Wednesday, September 6 benefitting our school. No special code needed - all lunch and dinner orders will result in donations to Brentwood PTA. Order and pre-order at www.fajtapetes.com or call (737)332-5482. They do ask to please pick up your order on Spirit Day as they will be busy. 

Back-to-School Night will be Thursday, September 7 from 5:15-6:30 p.m. Look for communication from your child’s teacher for how your grade level will orchestrate their informational session!

The Literati Book Fair runs Monday, September 11 to Thursday, September 14. Students and staff will be able to shop the book fair during the school day. After-school shopping hours will be available for families on Monday 9/11 and Tuesday 9/12 from 3:30-6:30 p.m. If you are interested in volunteering at the Book Fair, please submit a volunteer interest survey and register with Austin Partners In Education. 

The book fair will host a Loved Ones Event on Saturday, September 9 from 1-5 p.m. Families are encouraged to bring their loved ones – grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and special friends – to shop the book fair and enjoy some fun activities together.

Our Brentwood Halloween Carnival will be Saturday, October 28th from 3-6 p.m. Please mark your calendar so you don’t miss our fun annual event. We are still looking for event sponsors, so please fill out this form if your business would like to help support the carnival!

Call for Volunteers:

If you are interested in being a volunteer, please submit a volunteer interest survey and tell us about your talents and interests! The PTA will connect you with volunteer roles big or small. Thank you for supporting our Brentwood community.

All volunteers will need to register with Austin Partners In Education to undergo a background check. If you haven’t registered with APIE, and are interested in being a volunteer, please register with APIE now!

We need tie-dye event helpers! Interested in helping during your child’s class tie-dye event? Use this link (https://bit.ly/m/tiedye) and select ‘volunteer to be a helper.’

After-care Programs & Groups:

Sharing quick links for after-school programs for the coming school year.

• Extend-a-Care by YMCA - (5 day per week, on campus after care) learn more and register: https://www.austinymca.org/locations/extend-a-care/
• Mindfulness Club with Coach Hollander - (5 day per week, on campus after care) learn more and register: https://form.jotform.com/91297860521158
• Wonder Years Preschool - aftercare pick-up at Brentwood - learn more at http://wonderyearsprek.com
• ATX Ballers - (Tuesdays 3:15-4:15 p.m.) register at https://www.atxballers.com/register
• Chess Wizards - (Mondays 3:15-4:15 p.m.) learn more and register: www.chesswizards.com!
• Coding with Kids - (Wednesdays 3:15-4:15 p.m. for K-2nd; Thursdays 3:15-4:15 p.m. for 3rd-5th)
• Cooking & Baking Classes - (Fridays 3:15-4:15 p.m.; 1st-5th grade, two month-long sessions) learn more and register: https://cooklearngrow.com/austin-classes/
• Film Kids - (Thursdays 3:00 to 4:45 p.m.; 4th and 5th grade only) September 7th through December 14th. Call 512-567-0778 or e-mail Brian Cox at filmkids@filmkids.org with questions. Go to www.filmkids.org to register and see us in action!
• Ninja Nation: Ninja drop-off after school program (M-F 3:30-5:30 p.m.) https://www.austin.ninjanation.com/afterschool
• iPiano: 60-minute program where students can learn to play the piano. Wednesdays starting September 27. To learn more visit https://ipianolab.com
• Austin Youth Fitness is excited to continue running club and introduce a biking club at Brentwood! AYF has been making “fitness fun” for Austin kids and their families since 2009. Their play-based running, biking, and yoga programs help kids develop strong bodies, minds, and spirits. Teachers get a 50% discount! 

Call for Entries

Have a program, event, or volunteer need that you want published in the Bulldog Bark, PTA website or social channels? Email communications@brentwoodpta.com!