We hope all of you had a great start to 2024. It’s hard to believe (or perhaps you’re more than ready!), but on Tuesday our students will return to class. But soon after, on Monday, January 15, we will enjoy a day off to observe the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. Please join us that day for our annual Brentwood Elementary Day of Service, held at Brentwood Park from 10 a.m.-12 p.m. 

This family-friendly, drop-in event will feature several community service activities including a food drive, community care kit assembling, a park clean-up, and more. Don't forget to bring non-perishable food items and unopened containers of pet food to donate to local shelters and rescue groups. See you there!

The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. knew something about the power of service to others. As the preeminent leader of the nonviolent Civil Rights Movement of the fifties and sixties, the Baptist pastor was a visionary who peacefully pushed for a free, multiracial society and economic equality for all. The federal holiday to observe his birthday, occurring each year on the third Monday in January, was established in 1986; however, in 1994, Congress passed the King Holiday and Service Act, designating the holiday as a national day of service—“a day on, not a day off.” MLK Jr. Day is the only federal holiday designated as such to encourage all Americans to volunteer in service to their communities.

The MLK Jr. Day of Service encourages all types of volunteering, particularly for projects that have a lasting impact, meet a pressing community need, and include time to reflect on Dr. King's teachings. Here are some ways to reflect on his enduring legacy:
1. Take a self-guided walking tour. Walk through the area of Austin that was originally created to segregate Blacks, in 1928, and reflect on how walking played a critical role in the Civil Rights Era. 
2. Watch Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech. Afterward, reflect on how Dr. King’s words resonate in your own life and community.
3. Watch King in the Wilderness, a film that follows Dr. King during the last years of his life, from the passage of the Voting Rights Act, in 1965, to his assassination in 1968.

Looking for reading material? Here are some kid-friendly books to learn more about Dr. King and his work fighting for equality: 
~The Story of Martin Luther King, Jr.: A Biography Book for New Readers by Christine Platt 
~We March by Shane W. Evans 
~This Is Your Time by Ruby Bridges

To help us stay focused on safety during the hectic times of day that we drop off and pick up our children, Principal Hosack reminds us that we are the number one role models for our students. Because they watch everything we do, we need to follow these simple guidelines:

1. There are NO LEFT TURNS into or out of the parking lot off of Yates during dropoff and pickup.

2. ONLY use sidewalks when walking/biking students to the front entrance. Do NOT walk or bike across the parking lot. Please know that if you walk across the parking lot, you will be reminded by staff, who are working hard to load/unload children into/out of cars. It has become increasingly dangerous as families continue to do this.

3. The parking lot is for STAFF only. Please do not park there, even for a few minutes. We encourage walking from home or parking in marked parking zones on the street if needed.

4. Be aware of pedestrians using the crosswalks—you must leave crosswalks CLEAR.

Have you completed the Brentwood Winter Reading Program? Hooray! Let the librarians know by filling out the form linked here so they can include your kids in the hot cocoa celebration. Please complete the form by Wednesday, January 10.

Brentwood's student news program, The Weekly Scoop, reports the latest happenings of the school with the support of Principal Hosack and the Brentwood PTA. Every Monday, 5th graders release a 4-7 minute episode on the Vimeo channel. Included each week are campus events, friendly reminders of campus behavior, and celebrations of Brentwood student successes.

If you have any campus-wide news you'd like us to report, you can email the "who, what, when, where, why" to Brian Cox at brian@filmkids.org, and we'll be happy to add it to future episodes.

Spread the word about the prospective families tour on Friday, January 12. Other tours will be held on the following dates: February 16, March 8, April 12, and May 10. Speaking of important upcoming events, don't forget to subscribe to the Brentwood Elementary Google Calendar to be in the know about school events, holidays, and PTA activities.

The official count is in: there are 163 jackets, 3 pairs of pants, 31 water bottles, 6 lunch boxes, and 16 hats (and more) in the Lost and Found. These unclaimed items will be donated this month and Thursday, January 11 is the final day to check for your child's long-lost coat or beloved Pokemon hat. Don't forget to label everything in 2024!

Brentwood PTA runs an annual, one-time per year, no-hassle fundraiser we call The Bulldog Fund. The donations collected from the Bulldog Fund are used for essential programming like literacy and math software, library books, music, and art. Donate HERE!

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