| Mark your Calendar |
Sept 28:
Yom Kippur - no school
Oct 5 - 9:
Blue Zone Safety Week
Oct 7:
International Walk to School Day
Oct 12:
Columbus Day, no school
Oct 16:
Parent - Principal Coffee |
Volunteer
Opportunities |
The Burr Bulletin Needs YOU !!!
Think it would be cool to know how to create these snazzy emails? Join the Burr Bulletin editor team and you can do just that! Volunteers will be responsible for creating the bulletin about once a month, and the work can be done at home at whatever time is convenient for you. If you are interested and/or would like more information, please contact us at bulletin@burrpto.org
The Hospitality Committee wants to spread the word!
If you want to join the PTO's hospitality team - let us know! We help organize food and drink for the parent - principal coffee hours, PTO meetings, teacher appreciation week breakfast, and teacher luncheons We welcome newcomers. Contact Amanda Loftus or Tracy Carter. |
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Creative Arts and Sciences |
| Welcome Back, from Creative Art & Sciences! |
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We hope that you had a wonderful summer and that you are all settling comfortably back into the school year.
For those of you who don't know us, we are a subcommittee of the PTO. With the support of our PTO, Ms. Bencal and our wonderful teachers, we help to bring a wide variety of art and science based enrichment programs to our classrooms. These programs are diverse, ranging in subject matter and content. Indeed, among the programs coming to Burr this year, will be authors, illustrators and poets; scientists specializing in all different things, and even a marionette company presenting a beautiful Chinese folktale. But, despite the diverse nature of our programs, we believe that they all serve to inspire and motivate our kids while helping to bring our curriculum to life in really valuable ways.
So, watch your child's folder and the Burr Bulletin for upcoming programming throughout the year. Unless otherwise noted on the flyer that goes home, parents are always welcome to attend. So, come check us out!
And, finally, if this all sounds really fantastic to you (which it is!) and you want to help out, please contact one of us, or even better, just come to our first and ONLY organizational meeting of the year next Friday morning, October 2nd, at Felicia's house (429 Wolcott) right after drop off. If you can't make the meeting, but want to help, don't worry. You can just e-mail one of us and we can organize remotely. We promise that you won't regret your decision to get involved. It's really fun and not a big time commitment. And, best of all, you get to see firsthand not only our wonderful programming but also the joy that the children experience while watching and participating.
Warm regards -
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| Upcoming CAS Programs
Irene Smalls, African American Author |
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Beloved African American author Irene Smalls will visit the 1st grade on Tuesday, October 6th at 10:00 in the Cafetorium. Using games, songs, movement, costumes and slides, Ms. Smalls is known to captivate her audience creating an engaging and dramatic presentation of her books. Don't miss this 1st grade favorite. |
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Save the Date, and the Planet - Oct 21 2009 |
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 The Green Team Committee is a group of faculty, staff and parents committed to supporting green projects and learning at our school. We are happy to announce that we are now a newly formed committee with 5 faculty members on the team. Led by Liz Moran, the team now consists of Marcia Cohen, David Gaita, Diane Jaquith, Danielle Lambrechts, Lynette Lawton, Jack Tobin and parents Eric Bobby and Kelly Brown. Together, we hope to infuse more Green initiatives into our school and our lives. If you are interested in helping us to engage our school community through green education and action, please mark the October 21st PTO meeting on your calendar as we will be sharing our "green" mission statement, goals and ideas for the year at that PTO meeting.We will allow plenty of time for feedback and ideas. One of our intentions is to develop a pool of community talent and interest to support green initiatives and learning at Burr.
With a little effort of many we can make a big difference in the world!
REDUCE REUSE RECYCLE |
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International Walk to School Day |
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 Burr School will once again be joining children and adults around the world to celebrate the benefits of walking on International Walk to School Day. On this day, children and families at all the Newton Elementary Schools are asked to make every effort to leave the car behind and walk to school. We hope to have "Walking School Buses" along popular routes to school, along with a small celebration and some special guests to greet the kids at school. We need help planning and coordinating this exciting event - we need folks to be "Walking School Bus" leaders, to help organize the celebration at school, to help get the word out, and TO WALK! To get involved, or for more information, please email: BurrSafeRoutes@gmail.com.
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| Coffee with Ward 4 SC Candidates
Friday October 23, 8:30 - 9:30 |
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The two candidates for Ward 4 School Committee, School Committee member Jonathan Yeo and challenger Dan Proskauer, have been invited by the Burr PTO to an informal coffee on Friday October 23 from 8:30 am to 9:30 am in the cafeteria. Come by, have a snack, ask questions, or just listen and learn. Citywide elections for a variety of offices will be held on Tuesday November 3. This is a great opportunity to familiarize yourself with the two candidates from the Ward 4 School Committee race.
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| Juice Pouch Recycling to return Oct 5th! |
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 Help out the environment and help out Burr School. Be part of the juice pouch recycling brigade. Burr School will receive up to 2 cents for each pouch sent in to the Terracycle Corporation. Listen out for Ms. Moran's announcement at the next All School Meeting. If any parents are interested in helping out, please contact Louisa Hunt at 617-678-1188 or holly1819@yahoo.com. Learn more about Terracycle at www.terracycle.net. |
| "Making Copies" - Burr Photocopy Squad
Help out when you have a few free minutes! |
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Ever have a spare minute or two when coming and going from Burr? We invite you to join our team of parent photocopying helpers! This is a PTO project where many hands make for light work. Saving our teachers little bits of time here and there by assisting them with office tasks gives them increased time and energy to focus more on the creative parts of their roles as teachers.
We invite you to stop by the main office anytime and take 5 minutes to help out with photocopying when you have a chance. The jobs await you above the teachers' mailboxes. Even if there are several jobs waiting and you can only do ONE, that's great!
Here's what you do:
- Sign in on the clipboard
- Grab a job (the teachers fill out request forms with instructions)
- Head to the photocopier
- Put the completed job in the teacher's mailbox
It's easy, it's quick, and it helps our teachers. Check it out sometime!
If you have any questions, or would like to help with larger projects to support our teachers, please contact Lisa Dallaire at lisa.dallaire@state.ma.us. |
| Blue Zone Buzz
Next Week is Blue Zone Safety Week |
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 We've gotten off to a great start this year - lots of families are walking! Thank you to everyone who is doing his or her part to make the trip to school safe for everyone! Next week (October 5th - 9th) is a " Blue Zone Safety Week" at Burr. Parent volunteers (in orange safety vests) will be in the Blue Zones and No Parking areas at drop-off and pick-up to help keep the Blue Zone moving and the "No Parking" areas clear. They will also have friendly orange "reminder" tickets with the Blue Zone Rules to hand out to those needing a refresher. The Newton Police and other city officials will be dropping in as part of a joint effort between the Newton Safe Routes Task Force and the Newton Police Traffic Division (including the crossing guards) to reduce unsafe and illegal driver and pedestrian behavior in the school zones. Their presence demonstrates that the city and the Police Department take this issue seriously, and they will take action (by ticketing) if the schools are not successful in eliminating unsafe and illegal practices through education.
Our goal for Safety Week is to demonstrate how smoothly and safely pick-up and drop-off works when people follow the rules, in the hopes that it will inspire everyone to continue to do so after Safety Week is over. And, as an added bonus, it may prevent real orange tickets from landing on your windshield in the future! Remember, it only takes one person not following the rules to create an unsafe situation, and to add a great deal of extra time and frustration to everyone's day. Don't be that person! We need volunteers to help with our efforts to increase the number of families who walk to school and improve the traffic safety around Burr. It's a great way to meet lots of new people (not to mention the cool orange vests!) If you can help with Safety Week or want to get involved in another way, please email: BurrSafeRoutes@gmail.com. |
| NPS Out of District Policy Statement |
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Out-of-District placements for students who wish to attend a school in Newton other than his/her district school are limited. Such placements are made on a space available basis only. Newton families, as well as members of Units A, B, C, D, E, NESA, Custodians and Boston parents of students in the METCO Program, should call the Elementary Education Office (grades K - 5) at 617-559-6105 or the Deputy Superintendent's Office (grades 6 - 12) at 617-559-6115 for information. Students who receive acceptance for Out-of-District placement must remain in the school selected for the duration of the school year.
Applications for the following school year must be submitted on forms which will be available beginning November 2 in the Elementary Education Office (grades K - 5), Room 218, or the Deputy Superintendent's Office (grades 6 - 12), Room 214, at the Education Center.
If necessary, a lottery will be implemented to determine the order in which placements will be made. Completed applications, signed by the in-district principal, can be submitted no earlier than January 4, 2010 and no later than March 31, 2010. Applications submitted after March 31, 2010 will not be included in the lottery.
Class size in a given grade, in a given year, in a specific school, may preclude any placements including siblings.
Parents will be responsible for transportation. Tuition Free Enrollment is limited to the per pupil cost of regular education. |
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Story Time at Auburndale Community Library |
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 Please join us every Tuesday at 10:15 for drop-in Story Time at the Auburndale Community Library (375 Auburn Street). Our Story Time is a great place for little ones and their parents/caregivers to hear stories, learn songs and poems, and make new friends. Stop by and check out Story Time with your baby, toddler or preschooler! www.auburndalelibrary.org. |
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Special Needs Drama Troop |
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All Newton Music School is offering a class for kids with special needs ages 10-13 yrs. old Mondays from 4:00 - 4:45pm. The theater class will be full of games, plays and fun. Drama David, a teacher for the past 16 years, offers a class where students of varying needs can feel successful and confident on stage. The class will focus on movement, projection, reactions and stage cues. Using several different techniques, Drama David will help bring voices out of the children. If interested, you can call the school at 617-527-4553 or go on the website at www.allnewtonmusicschool.com. If you have any questions, please e-mail David Gaita at david_gaita@newton.k12.ma.us. |
In need of afterschool childcare?
Newton Childcare Commission offers resources |
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The Newton Child Care Commission is the resource for Newton families to identify and afford quality child care. It's website, www.newtonchildcare.org, contains a wealth of information and resources for parents and providers alike. |
Fall afterschool classes at Burr
Still time to register! |
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- Drama, starts Monday October 5th >> see here for more details or to register
- Mad Science, starts Wednesday September 30th >> see here for more details or to register
- Chess, starts Monday October 5th >> see here for more details or to register
- Japanese cartooning, starts Friday October 2nd >> see here for more details or to register
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Newton West Little League Player
Evaluations for Spring 2010 |
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 On Saturday, October 17, at 3 pm, player evaluations for the 2010 Newton West Little League will take place at Lyons Field in Auburndale. These evaluations help the league place players in the appropriate levels, and make the teams as fair as possible, so it is important your child attend if he or she would like to play next season!
Who: All players 8 - 12 years old as of April 30, 2010. (If you played in the NWLL Majors in 2009, you DO NOT have to attend!!)
When: Saturday, October 17 (Rain Date: October 24).
Where: Lyons Field, Auburndale
Bring: Glove, cleats, water.
>> 8 yr olds & second grade 7 yr olds 3:00PM
>> 9 yr olds 3:45PM
>> 10 yr olds 4:30PM
>> 11 & 12 yr olds 5:15 PM
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Suzuki Prep - Free Trial Classes |
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 You are invited to a free trial class of the Suzuki Prep program. This pre-instrumental class is for children ages 2-4, accompanied by an adult. Please come on Friday, October 3 or Saturday, October 4 at 1PM. Please RSVP, 617-964-4522 or stop by for more information. We are located in the Newton Cultural Center, at 225 Nevada St in Newton. |
Children's Art Classes at New Art Center
Starting Now and in November |
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 Many classes still have openings for the Early Fall Term (late September through end of October), and for the Late Fall Term (first week of November through mid-December). Visit our website to register for classes, call us, or stop by the New Art Center in Newtonville! Classes for children include Ceramics, Draw Fantasy & Manga, Artistic Architects, Play-n-Clay Clay Creatures, Adventures in Art, and Young Artists.
We also offer a Saturday Drop-In Art Class for grades K-5 from 10:00-11:00 with a different project each week. Check the New Art Center's many classes for Teens and Adults. For more information or to register, visit our website www.NewArtCenter.org, or call 617-964-3424. |
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Lice Aunties - lice removal service |
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ice Aunties is an in-home, non toxic, all mom, lice removal business based in Newton. Thousands of heads checked with affection and a sense of humor. For more information see www.liceaunties.com. |
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Newton Girls Basketball |
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 Registration is underway for the upcoming Newton Girls Basketball season. Join the more than 500 players from second graders through high school level who play NGBA basketball. This is a recreational league for Newton girls with fun for beginners and experienced players alike! Games are played on Saturdays for all grades, starting December 5th and continuing into mid-March; for Grades 3-8 practices are for 1-hour on one evening during the week (Mon-Thurs). There are no weekday practices for Grade 2 and High School. Registrations are due by Tuesday, October 20th, for Grades 2-8, and Monday, November 30th, for High School. A late fee applies for registrations received after those dates. Scholarships are available based on need; please see the website for details. Pre-season clinics for players and coaches for grades 3-6 will take place on Sunday, October 25th, and Sunday, November 22nd. To register, obtain additional details and to find out more about the league, please visit our website at www.ngba.net. |
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A Step Ahead Hoops Now registering for all fall classes and clinics |
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Kids Karate Program |
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Free Trial Class
Free Uniform for those who Enroll
 Entry ages 1st through 5th grades, boys and girls. Friday, Nov. 6, 4:45-5:45, or Saturday, Nov. 7, 10:00-11:00 a.m. Cost per 7-Week Session: $79 for once-a-week or $99 for twice-a-week. Renting beautiful space at Trinity High School, Newton. For information package, please leave message at (617) 527-8052 or see www.kids-karate.org. |
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New Fencing Club for men, women & kids |
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 Cambridge Fencing Center, the newly-opened fencing club has been designed to create opportunities for men, women, and children of all ages to learn an excellent Olympic sport. Fencing classes, practices and individual lessons will be led by a renowned set of coaches with international experience including the Head Coaches of MIT and Harvard University . | |
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