| Mark your Calendar |
Nov 30:
Burr Buddies planning meeting
6:30pm, pizza
7pm, meeting
Dec 2:
BOOYA Ambassador Mtg. 8am
Dec 2, 4 & 7:
Book Fair
Dec 2:
PTO Meeting, 7pm Dec 5:
Burr Buddies
Family Ice Skating Frog Pond, 1pm |
Volunteer
Opportunities |
Juice Pouch Recycling
Science & Engineering Discovery Week
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Gift for Burr is On a Roll |
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This past week has shown a huge burst of giving - thank you!  46% of Burr's 290 families have donated so far, but we can do even better! There's still time to make a tax-deductible donation before the end of the tax year. Does your company have a matching gift program? If so, you can double your gift! Get your matching gift forms in before the end of the year! Our Tax ID # is 043574938. Please send in your check today or click here to donate by credit card online. Remember, every gift counts! We need your gift to make this campaign a success! |
PTO Meeting December 2, 2009, 7-8:30pm
in the Cafetorium
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Please join us for the December PTO meeting on Wednesday night at 7pm. We will approve the minutes from the last meeting. Click here to review the minutes on line.
Ms. Bencal will discuss reading buddies and literacy. Jean Holmblad from the Newton Public Library will be here to talk about choosing reading material for your child, help with suggested reading and discuss the importance of reading with your child and to your child. The Book Fair will open at 5:00. Please stop by before the PTO meeting. Browse, buy a slice of pizza, enjoy a cup of coffee or tea and let your kids play or do home work in the BCAP room. There will be sitters. PLEASE RSVP to Dana Hanson if you plan to use the sitters so we are sure to get enough coverage and enough pizzas! |
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Burr 6th Annual Science and Engineering Discovery Week
January 11 - 15, 2010 |
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LAST CALL FOR PRESENTERS!  Does your career or hobby involve science or engineering? How about the environment or sustainability? Would you be willing to share your excitement about one of these topics with a class of Burr students for 20-30 minutes? We're organizing Burr's 6th Annual Science & Engineering Discovery Week, which brings parents into the classroom to provide our children with an exciting and accessible view of science and engineering. The kids love these presentations and they're easy and rewarding for the presenter. We hope you'll participate by giving a 20 or 30 minute presentation to one or more class during the week of January 11 - 15. Don't worry about timing, we will work with you to find a time that will fit with your schedule. If you're interested or have any questions, please contact us by December 4th. Thanks! Joanne and Ken Kotz, Michelle Fineblum and Michael Gevelber
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Book Fair Starts this Wednesday |
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BURR SCHOOL BOOK FAIR is coming this week. Watch the folders for the schedule and visit during your child's class time, or anytime! If you can't attend, please don't forget to send money to school with your child for the fair.
Wednesday, December 2nd, 8-11am
Wednesday, December 2nd, 5-8pm (PTO Meeting at 7pm) Friday, December 4th, 8-11am Monday, December 7th, 8-11am  Scholastic is running our fair this year and the selection should be fantastic. All your favorite children's authors, as well as adult books and audio books! All purchases help support the Burr PTO. |
Looking for 5th Graders Interested in Social Action. BOOYA Ambassadors Meeting this Wednesday Morning |
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The Burr Organization of Youth Action is looking for fifth grade ambassadors. These ambassadors will participate in monthly morning meetings, help organize community service events, and be part of a team that makes a difference. Our first BOOYA meeting with ambassadors will be on Wednesday, December 2nd at 8:00am in Mr. Gaita's classroom. At this meeting we will discuss the Bake Sale at the Auburndale Library on December 12th and other upcoming events. If you are interested just show up. We look forward to meeting and getting BOOYA started. If you have any questions you can e-mail Mr. Gaita |
Classroom Literature Fund |
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 Does the Newton School Committee's "no gifts" policy leave you wondering how to recognize your child's teachers at this time of year? A donation to the Classroom Literature Fund is a great way to say thank you! It also supports your child's education by providing books for his or her classroom. Fund donations are pooled and divided equally among all Burr teachers in the form of gift certificates to the New England Mobile Book Fair, where teachers can purchase books for their classrooms. Along with the gift certificate, each teacher or specialist receives a note with the names of the families who have donated to the Fund in their honor. If you'd like to make a donation to the Classroom Literature Fund, please send your child's name and the teachers he or she wishes to honor, along with a check payable to the Burr School PTO, to the Classroom Literature Fund by December 18th via your child's backpack. Questions? Contact Sheilarae Lau at 617-527-8144. And thank YOU! |
Burr Buddies Family Ice Skating
Frog Pond, Boston Common
THIS Saturday, December 5, 1:00-3:00 pm |
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Kick off the holiday season with a terrific Boston tradition! Join us for our annual Boston/Newton Burr Buddies trip to Boston Common's Frog Pond for an afternoon of ice skating. Bring your own skates or rent them there. There is a snack bar on site with a full array of hot and cold treats, you may want to bring a little extra money for snacks. We'll try to meet in the same area as last year (tables in the back left corner beyond the main building). Although the PTO organizes the event, families are responsible for supervising their own kids at the rink. Admission: Free for ages 13 and under; $4 for 14 and over. Ice Skates: Rental is $5 for 13 and under. $8 for 14 and over. Or bring your own skates. Burr Buddies is a group of Burr families from Boston and Newton who get together for various fun activities throughout the year. All Burr families are welcome to join us! If you think you might join us, please let Dana Hanson know so we'll be on the lookout for you at the rink. |
Inclusive Schools Week
December 7th - 11th |
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This year Burr, along with the other schools in the Newton system, will be celebrating Inclusive Schools Week from December 7th - 11th.
Inclusive Schools Week is an annual event that highlights the accomplishments of families, schools and communities that have dedicated time, labor and resources to promoting inclusive education for all of the world's children.
Since its inception in 2001, Inclusive Schools Week has celebrated the progress that schools have made in providing a supportive and quality education to an increasingly diverse student population, including students who are marginalized due to disability, gender, socio-economic status, cultural heritage, language preference and other factors. The week also provides an important opportunity for educators, students and parents to discuss what else needs to be done in order to ensure that their schools continue to improve their ability to successfully educate all children.
Our Burr celebration will include classroom activities and the reading of books that talk about differences. In the Spring we will continue our observance of this week through the March PTO meeting and the Respect for Human Differences book group.
If you have any questions, concerns or ideas please feel free to contact either of us. Erika Drezner at edgrezne@yahoo.com or Amanda Loftus at ab.loftus@verizon.netErika Drezner Amanda Loftus Co-coordinators of Inclusive Schools week at Burr |
BOOYA Event!
Bake Sale at the Auburndale Library
Saturday December 12, 11:00am - 1:00pm |
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Burr Organization Of Youth Action volunteers from all grades and their families will be at the library selling yummy treats and helping out around the library. We are looking for any baked goods for that day. Baked Goods can be dropped off prior to the event in Mr. Gaita's room on Friday or at the library (375 Auburn Street) on the day of the event. All proceeds will help the Auburndale Library. So come to the library and make a difference! |
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Thanks to all who contributed to the Halloween Candy Drive. We donated 170 pounds of candy to the Pine Street Inn (plus a carton of toothpaste donated by Waban Dental!)
Jeff Zabel |
| Health News |
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 Frequent hand washing helps prevent everything from the common cold or stomach bug to influenza, including H1N1 flu. School nurses have been teaching good hand hygiene at school. Parents can help by reinforcing these important messages at home.
Wash your hands by rubbing them vigorously with soap and water for 20 seconds. Kids can practice this timing by singing "Happy Birthday" twice.
When soap and water are not available, use waterless hand sanitizer. Squirt into your hands and rub them together until it is dry. Sanitizer should not be used when hands are visibly dirty. Hand washing should occur then.
Wash your hands often, especially after using the restroom and before eating.
Practice coughing or sneezing into your sleeve (elbow or upper arm) instead of your hands. This prevents spreading those germs when we touch things with our hands.
Avoid touching your face to prevent introducing germs into your body through your nose and mouth. For more information about hand washing, visit http://www.cdc.gov/Features/HandWashing/ |
Parents Focus Group Superintendent Search, Thursday, December 3 |
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The search firm hired by the School Committee is running focus groups in order to gather input from the residents and employees in Newton. Please join us if you can or please take a moment to fill out the online survey at http://bit.ly/SuptSearchSurvey if you have not already done so. The survey is open through December 4th. (Note: Please use this exact capitalization for the web link.) Thursday, December 3, 2009 9:00 am Parent / Community Forum (Ed Center, Room 210)
Thank you,
Laura Holt, Superintendent Search Committee Member |
Auburndale Community Library
Holiday Celebration |
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Please save some time on Saturday, December 12th from 11am-1pm to stop by our first annual ACL Holiday Celebration. We will have Crafts with Jillian, special activities, ACL items for sale, a gift book cart, a bake sale sponsored by Burr Elementary School students, and some local artisans selling their creations. And you can also check out books! What family member wouldn't be thrilled with an ACL tote bag stuffed full of goodies as their holiday gift! For more information about our event, or for more information about our library in general, please visit our website at www.auburndalelibrary.org |
Community Meeting:
Riverside MBTA Proposal |
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The potential developers of the Riverside MBTA site have requested a meeting with the community to discuss their proposal. Two meetings have been scheduled with the developers each of which is open to the public. Each meeting is expected to have similar content so if you are interested in this issue, attending one meeting should be sufficient.
The first meeting will be held on December 3rd at 7:30 PM at the Hamilton Community Center in Newton Lower Falls. The second meeting will be held on December 10th at 7:30 PM at the Williams School in Auburndale.
Nick Nesgos, President
Auburndale Community Association
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