| Mark your Calendar |
Oct. 21:
PTO Meeting
7 pm
Oct. 22:
Early Release Day; 12:30pm dismissal
Oct. 24:
BOOYA kick-off event
10-11:30am
Oct. 24:
HalloweenFamily Fun Night
6-7:30pm |
Volunteer
Opportunities |
Halloween Family Fun Night is looking for a few good souls...
We are still on the look out for volunteers to run some games and crafts or manage the lines for the Halloween Family Fun Night. So go ahead sign up. You'll be happy you did. We'll be happy you did. And your kids will really be happy you did!!! Please contact Stephanie Mamis.
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 |
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PTO Meeting Wednesday October 21, 7 pm
The Burr Green Team |
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Please join us for our October PTO meeting on Wednesday night at 7:00 pm. Parent Eric Bobby and 5th grade teacher Liz Moran will give a presentation on the Burr Green Team Committee, a group of faculty, staff, and parents committed to supporting green projects and learning at our school. Together with the Burr community, the Green Team hopes to infuse more green initiatives into our school and our lives. Join us at the PTO meeting to learn more about our current projects and to help us generate some ideas for the future.
The meeting is in the school cafetorium (come in the front door and down the stairs to the large room on the right). Please come, even if you can only drop by for a bit. A couple of Burr Alums will be in the BCAP/Music room to keep an eye on kids that tag along. A small donation to pay the sitters would be appreciated. |
Have You Made Your Gift for Burr?
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 Early
response to the Gift for Burr campaign has been tremendous. To keep the
momentum going, we need everyone to share in the effort. We need you!
So please don't put it off another day - send in your Gift for Burr in your child's backpack today.
Or even easier, just Click here to make a secure online donation. Many thanks to those who have donated already. Stay tuned for a campaign progress report later this week! If you have any questions about the Gift for Burr campaign, please e-mail GiftforBurr@gmail.com. |
| Burr's Understanding Our Differences Program
Needs You |
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The Understanding Our Differences Program is part of the Newton Public Schools' curriculum and takes place in all 15 elementary schools. The goal of the program is to increase information, understanding and acceptance of people with disabilities and individual differences in our community. Each of the seven units utilizes group discussions, adaptive equipment, hands-on activities, and usually a guest speaker with disabilities. The program is brought to Burr by parent volunteers and takes place mostly on Thursday afternoons from 12:45 - 3:00. Volunteers do not need to have children in a specific grade, teaching experience, or a medical background. This year the units at Burr School are as follows: 11-12-09 Learning Disabilities (4th Grade) 01-14-10 Physical Disabilities (5th Grade) 01-21-10 Intellectual Disabilities (4th Grade) 01-28-10 Blindness/Visual Impairment (3rd Grade) 02-09-10* Autism Spectrum Disorder (4th Grade) 03-25-10 Special Medical Conditions (4th Grade) 04-01-10 Deafness/Hard of Hearing (3rd Grade) Please check your calendars and consider volunteering. Parent participation is the great strength of this program. It is an excellent opportunity to get to know some of the kids in the school as well as give back to the community. Interested in helping out? Contact Us: Carey Ranta: branta1@comcast.netStephanie Mamis: stephanie.mamis@verizon.net* Date to be confirmed or changed. |
BOOYA -- Burr Organization of Youth Action
Kickoff Event Saturday, October 24
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Do
you want to do some kid-friendly local community service with your
whole family? We are starting a NEW group at Burr: BOOYA (Burr
Organization of Youth Action). We will do various projects during the
year (clean-ups, volunteering at the Special Olympics, helping senior
citizens, etc.) and we invite your family to become involved!
Our
first event will be a Burr School garden and playground clean-up. We
will also make posters for our annual Halloween candy drive. We invite
students and their families from every grade to join us! If you have
any questions, please email Mr. Gaita. BOOYA Burr Clean-Up!
Saturday October 24
10-11:30 am
Please bring rakes, yard waste bags, and some snacks to share!
GO BOOYA!!! |
| The Return of the Burr "Guys Read" Book Group. Calling Burr Dads/Uncles/ Grandpas/ Guys and their boys in grades K-5 |
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 Mr. Gaita and Ms. Guttman are looking for big guys and young guys for our "Guys Read" book group. We are a group of adults and boys in grades K through 5 who will meet periodically to discuss books.
First Meeting: Monday, November 16th
6 - 6:45 pm in Mr. Gaita's room
Book Selection: Arthur and His Knights retold by Howard Pyle; Sterling Publishing Co. (Amazon.com has the book starting at $0.01!)
We're giving you advance notice now so you can begin to read the book. We will not run this reminder every week between now and November 16, so please jot down the information now if you are interested in having your child participate.
Please read through page 70 (the end of Part III) for our first meeting. If the book is a "just right" selection for your boy, he can read it himself; otherwise, the adult can read it to him! We'll do an icebreaker and have questions about the book, no pressure, just fun!
Please contact Mr. Gaita if you have any questions about the book group.
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| Don't Forget, Candygrams Will Be on Sale at Halloween Family Fun Night |
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 Please show your support for the Fifth Grade, and make someone very happy by buying a Candygram. Only $1 at Halloween Family Fun Night. If you would like to preorder a Candygram for delivery at Family Fun Night, or if you are a Fifth grade parent or student who would like to help out, please contact pgmccaffrey@earthlink.net |
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Donate Your Extra Halloween Candy |
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| The Social Action Committee and BOOYA will be collecting left-over Halloween candy to donate to the Pine Street Inn (serving New England's homeless men and women). You or your child can deposit extra candy in the collection barrel in the main lobby at Burr School. We will accept candy in its original (unopened) wrapper. We will take donations on Monday, November 2, Tuesday November 3, and Wednesday, November 4. Questions/comments/want to help with Social Action Committee or BOOYA events? Contact Jeff Zabel at jeff.zabel@tufts.edu |
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Creative Arts and Sciences
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| Upcoming Creative Arts and Science Programs |
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The Dragon King, A Tanglewood Marionettes Production
Wednesday, October 28th in the Cafetorium Grades K-2 will begin at 8:45 Grades 3-5 will begin at 10:15 A terrible drought has overtaken the land and all the world has turned brown and lifeless. The Dragon King is ruler of the waters and the people are beginning to wonder why he has not brought the precious rains in such a very long time. An underwater fantasy based on a Chinese folklore, Tanglewood Marionettes' latest production tells the tale of wise Grandmother who journeys to the bottom of the sea to seek the Dragon King, and the answers to why he has forsaken the land above. Don't miss this heart-warming tale that has been known to thrill young and old alike. Creative Arts and Sciences Programs are fully funded by the Burr PTO and are made possible by your generous donations. If you have any questions or comments please feel free to contact:Mary Sava jmsava@rcn.com Felicia Falchuk feliciafalchuk@yahoo.com Beth Tierney bethtierney@comcast.net |
Stand for Children
Candidate Responses Now Posted
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Newton residents will help decide the future direction of our city
and our schools when we go to the polls on November 3. The hiring of a
new Superintendent and the implementation of the Public Schools
Strategic Plan are just two of the many critical issues that our next
Mayor, School Committee and Board of Aldermen will tackle.
Stand for Children sent questionnaires to all candidates in
contested municipal races to give voters insight into the candidates'
views on education. Read the responses on our website: http://www.stand.org/ma/2009NewtonCandidateSurvey.
Keep in mind that on the November ballot, you will be able to vote for mayor, a School Committee member from each ward, your own ward alderman, and two at-large aldermen from each ward. For more information, visit the City of Newton Election Commission web site.
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| The Care and Feeding of Your PC - a Free Class at the Auburndale Community Library |
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In October we will be hosting the first of our free, technology related, one night classes at the Auburndale Community Library!
The Care and Feeding of Your PC
Thursday, October 22nd at 7:30 pm Have you been neglecting your computer lately? It's time to give your PC a little TLC and do a fall cleaning! Remove unwanted programs, upgrade your memory, clean your hard drive of unwanted files, back up those very important family photos, and make sure your system is secure. In this class, Deborah will arm you with the tools needed to go home and take better care of your computer as well as providing some "green computing" tips to help the environment by conserving energy and reducing waste. Presented by Deborah Gelch Deborah Gelch is the Chief Information Officer at Lasell College, responsible for the functionality, development and implementation of technology across campus. With over twenty years experience in the field of IT she maintains a passion for computers and new technologies. She graduated from Wellesley College and received the Sigma Phi award for her research of IV Gem, a binary star system. Deborah has been very involved in the Newton community and public schools in fundraising and leadership positions. No pre-registration is required for this class. |
Coffee with the Ward 4 School Committee Candidates This Friday
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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. |
Used Sports Equipment Sale at the Lower Falls Community
Center
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Are you looking for a great price on sports equipment ? Do
you have skates or roller blades that your children have outgrown? Is
your bowling ball collecting dust in your closet? Lower Falls Community
Center will hold a used sports equipment sale on Tuesday, November 3rd.
from 2:30-5:30. Baked goods and some crafts will also be on sale. If
you would like to donate lightly used gear, please drop it off before
6:00 PM on Nov 2nd. or on Tuesday, Nov 3rd. before two. The center is
located at 545 Grove Street in Newton Lower Falls (less than 2 miles
from Burr School). Please call (617) 332-7327 if you have questions. Proceeds will go to building repairs and improvements. |
| Burr Cooperative Nursery School
Open House |
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Please join Burr Cooperative Nursery School
for our annual Open House, where parents and children can meet our
teachers, talk to current families, and enjoy a craft and a snack! We
are now enrolling for the 2010-2011 school year.
Wednesday, October 28, 4-7pm
64 Hancock Street, Newton, MA 02466
www.burrcoop.org | |
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