*News

Thank You Bryant Community

Lily Chan

Dear Bryant Families,

Matt and I are excited to announce the Bryant PTSA Executive Board for the 2026–2027 school year. Please welcome Alison Bettles and Maggie Slone as your new Co-Presidents, Dori McConnell as Vice President, Michael McEachern, Maggie Dreifurst, and Erin Burkhart as Treasurers, and Chelsey Pinke and Hailey Cramer as Secretaries.

We have greatly enjoyed serving as your Co-Presidents during the past two years. It has been an honor to work alongside so many dedicated families, staff members, and volunteers. While our time as Presidents is coming to an end, we look forward to remaining involved as Members-at-Large and helping support a smooth transition for the incoming board.

One of the biggest lessons we’ve learned during our time is that it truly takes all of us to make Bryant Elementary the special place we all love. We understood that before joining the PTSA, but we now appreciate it even more deeply. The events, programs, and opportunities our students and families enjoy do not happen on their own—they require the time, energy, and commitment of many volunteers.

As we look ahead, we encourage every Bryant family to consider volunteering as your schedule allows. Every event we cherish happens because parents say “yes” and we hope you’ll join us in helping sustain and strengthen this community by getting involved when opportunities arise.

Thank you for your support over the last two years. It has been a privilege to serve, and we are excited to see all that the new Executive Board will accomplish in the year ahead. Together, we can continue making Bryant the wonderful community that Matt and I were so proud to help lead.

With gratitude,

Marika & Matt

We Need Your Help to Keep the Bryant Classic Chess Tournament Running

Lily Chan

Bryant Classic Chess Tournament is in December and we are looking for volunteers to help make this longstanding event a success.The Bryant Classic is one of the longest-running chess tournaments in the area, and we would love to continue that tradition. However, if we do not have enough volunteers willing to help organize the event, we will unfortunately need to cancel this year’s tournament.

We are seeking at least 4-5 volunteers to assist with areas such as:

  • Concessions
  • Marketing and promotion
  • Registration
  • Trophies and awards
  • Day-of-event setup

The good news is that with a small team of dedicated volunteers, the workload is very manageable. There is a great deal of historical knowledge and documentation available, and volunteers are not responsible for judging games or handling tournament operations.

If you are interested in helping or would like to learn more, please email marika@bryantschool.org.

Thank you for considering supporting this wonderful event and our chess community!

School Supplies for the 2026–2027 School Year

Lily Chan

Good news! You can skip school supply shopping this summer!

Our school will buy all student school supplies for the 2026-2027 school year. This helps students have what they need on the first day. It also saves families time and money!

Please do not buy school supplies for your child now.

We will share more details in the fall about how to submit payment to the PTSA. Last year, the cost was $40 per student and we anticipate it to be similar for the 2026-2027 school year.

Awards, Budget Approval & End-of-Year Celebration!

Lily Chan

🎉 Congratulations to Our Amazing Community Award Winners! 🎉 Join us for our June 9th PTSA meeting and Duchess after 

Please join us in celebrating this year’s outstanding PTSA volunteers and community champions:

🌟 Golden Acorn Award – Caitlin Hein
For her incredible dedication to our school community through teacher appreciation events, 4th grade fundraising, the Bryant Play, and of course, her famous Cookie Break treats that make every event a little sweeter!

🌟 Volunteer Extraordinaire Award – Anna Bonnett
For her tireless work as Volunteer Coordinator, her willingness to help at virtually every event, and her leadership on the Nominating Committee, helping build a strong PTSA team for next year.

🌟 Unsung Hero Award – David McKnight
For five years of exceptional service as PTSA Treasurer. His steady leadership and commitment have been invaluable to our organization, and we truly couldn’t have done it without him.

🌟 Room Parent Champion Award – Sarah Blake
For keeping her classroom community connected through thoughtful communication, party planning, and outstanding coordination throughout the year.

Please help us celebrate these incredible volunteers and approve our budget for next year at our final PTSA meeting of the school year:

📅 June 9
🕖 7:00 PM
📍 Bryant Library

After the meeting, join us at The Duchess to celebrate another successful year together!

Thank you to all of our volunteers for making our school community so special.

Great Turnout at 3rd/4th Grade HIP Packing Party!

Lily Chan

THANK YOU to the 3rd and 4th grade families who contributed to their grade level food drive and came to help put together food packs for the Hunger Intervention Program! We had an enthusiastic bunch of Bryant Hawks and parents making quick work, packing an estimated total of 268 food packs bringing us to a total of 578 packs this year! 

Hope to see you again next year!  
 
2026 HIP Packing Parties
February 9, 1st and 2nd Grade – 208 packs!
April 7, Kindergarten and 5th Grade- 102 packs!
May 28, 3rd and 4th Grade- 268 packs!

Thank you,
Kate Sortun & Nicole Loving
PTSA Student Hunger Service Project Co-Chairs

Bryant Bound Volunteers Needed!

Lily Chan

Please join us in extending a warm Bryant welcome to incoming families by becoming a “Bryant Bound” Volunteer! As a volunteer, you’ll be paired with 1-2 new Bryant families and reach out to them to introduce yourself either via email or phone. You’ll be their go-to person for questions they might have about Bryant, and we’ll even provide you with a handy template message to kickstart your communication. This volunteer opportunity is both fulfilling and flexible, requiring just a small amount of your time while leaving a lasting positive impact on new Bryant families.

Ready to make a difference? Sign up now! Email Dori.Anne.Malik@gmail.com and Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions, as well!

Bryant Elementary WELCOMES ALL New Families – 2026!

Lily Chan

Bryant Elementary WELCOMES ALL New Families – 2026!

Bryant staff and PTSA heartily welcome you to our community and hope you can attend a special evening created with you and your arriving student in mind

Most new families are kindergarten families, and the night is overall geared towards their acclimation to Bryant, so kindergarten staff will be in full attendance.

  • When: Tuesday, June 2, from  5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
  • Where: Bryant School 3311 NE 60th Street (use this entrance)
  • Who: YOU & your entering student (and family, if you wish), PTSA rep, principal(s),

K teachers, community childcare providers (LASER)

  • What: Hear: about our school, kindergarten, PTSA programs, and more…
  • Why: we want you to love Bryant as much as we do!!! 😊

Expected agenda:

5:00 – school front doors open (60th St entrance)

5:30 – 6:10 – Bryant ‘nuts & bolts’ – principal, PTSA, LASER. K team will each have information to share with you and answer related questions

  • K families information and Q & A session with the Kindergarten teaching team

Then till-7:00 – you can visit all the K rooms in the K hallway and the building, in general. We each will be in our rooms to answer questions you have. Additionally, we have Bryant-specific K topics to explain and Kinder-tools for viewing on student work tables.

A few more details will be emailed to you early that week…

Hope to see you then.

Fourth and Fifth Grade Writers to be Honored at State Contest Event

Lily Chan

We are pleased to announce that Bryant students in grades 4/5 will be honored for their participation in the World Citizen Essay Contest.  The annual contest, sponsored by the World Affairs Council, invites student grades 3-12 to respond to a prompt relating to vital world issues.  This year’s prompt was:

What role should global citizens play in strengthening democracy?

Over 200 students statewide participated in the essay contest.  Bryant fourth grader Emmy Flagel won third place this year in the 3-5 category.  In addition, the following students received Honorable Mention:
Marion Hayes, Dylan Locke, Charli Mullin, Eleanor Pullen, Lena Savage, Teddy Shih, Max Tewodros, Jude Xenakis, Desmond Zamora, and Heath Zimmerman.

Congratulations, fourth and fifth-grade writers!