Dear Families,

As many of you know, we had an emergency medical situation on Wednesday morning at the school. One of our beloved staff members collapsed and was rushed to the hospital. We are thankful for so many things that went right that morning. Staff members supported each other through a frightening and uncertain situation. They pulled together to do what was needed and then went on to work with the children for the rest of the day! It was fortunate that the next day was Veterans' Day so each of them could take the time to regroup and process the events. Many of you have asked how Cathy is doing, and I am happy to report that she is doing well and resting at home. We look forward to welcoming her back to Burr but are encouraging her to take care of herself first and to take to time to fully recuperate.

I would like to take this time to provide a few updates and some reminders:

Community Service at Burr: Our students participated in two wonderful community service projects centered around Halloween. Several students went trick-or-treating for UNICEF and collected over $1.000.  Many thanks to the families, friends, and neighbors who made contributions, and to Ms. Robinson and her fourth grade class for leading and organizing the campaign. Thank you, also, to the parents and students who donated extra Halloween candy for Rosie's Place. This was one of the many BOOYA community service events planned for the year. The BOOYA Ambassadors are also organizing events to keep the school grounds clean. Each Monday they have a Litter Patrol and on November 20^th they are joining with the Green Team and the Garden Club to sponsor a Clean Up the Leaves and Garden Day. Be sure to join them if you can. The BOOYA Ambassadors are also helping to run an arts and crafts program for younger children at the Auburndale Community Library. All of these wonderful things help our children understand the importance of giving back to the community and helping those is need.

Lockdown Drill: On Friday we practiced a school lockdown drill. Several police officers were on site to help review the procedure and to point out vulnerable areas where we need to make improvements. The officers were impressed with how quickly and quietly the students and teachers got themselves to the safe location in their classrooms and then waited quietly for the signal that the drill was over. Each classroom teacher spent time preparing the students for the drill so that they would not be afraid, and would have an understanding of the importance of the practice.  We had a few parent volunteers at the school on Friday and they simply went into the nearest classroom and stayed there for the duration of the lockdown. The police officers had some suggestions for us that I have shared with the staff.

Blue Zone Traffic: I would like to remind parents to follow the Blue Zone traffic guidelines. I have noticed that people are ignoring the No Parking signs and traffic is becoming congested and unsafe. Many times the offenders are relatives or caregivers who do not realize the importance of following the guidelines. If you send someone to pick up your child, please inform them about the safety guidelines. Recently, two students were hit by cars at the Day School. Luckily, they are both fine, but it reminds us that we all need to be alert when driving near the schools during arrival and dismissal times when there is increased activity.

End of the first quarter of school: As of last Wednesday, we have been in school for 45 days. This is one quarter of the school year, so this is the time that the school looks at students' attendance and tardiness records and sends letters to families if students have been absent or tardy for 5 days or more so far during this school year. We do this as a reminder of Newton's policy on attendance. The Students' Rights and Responsibilities Handbook states:~ "Regular attendance in school is required by Massachusetts law. If a student is absent for 10 days in a half year period, the student's parent or guardian will be contacted by the principal or principal designee." Students are severely handicapped in their learning and achievement when they have numerous absences or days when they are tardy. Students who are tardy often have a difficult time starting the day in a focused, calm way. If you receive one of these letters, please consider what you can do to improve your child's attendance record. Thank you to the many families who maintain very good attendance records.

Parent Conferences:Most of you have already had a conference with your child's teacher or are scheduled to meet with him/her very soon. It is important that you go home after the conference and share what you have learned with your child. Help him/her set realistic and achievable goals and check in frequently to monitor progress.

Please set clear behavioral expectations. Be sure to let your child know that coming to school prepared to do his/her best is important. If a teacher speaks to you about inappropriate behavior, I ask that you take it seriously. The teachers and I take great efforts to be fair and supportive of all children, so when we need to raise a negative topic, we have given it much thought and have probably provided several opportunities for the child to correct his/her behavior before involving you. In order for the teachers to meet curriculum standards, the children need to be attentive and engaged. If children are fooling around, calling out, or using disrespectful behavior, they lose out on valuable learning time and disrupt the learning environment of others.

One of the wonderful things about the Burr community is the successful partnership between the parents and teachers. Researchers, Henderson and Mapp (2002), report that students whose parents are involved in their schooling are more likely to have academic success, attend school regularly, have better social skills, and show improved behavior. In my experience, the most difficult of situations are manageable when people work together and respect each others contributions and perspectives. I look forward to our continued efforts to meet the needs of each and every child at our school.

I hope to see many of you at the next Parent-Principal Coffee on November 23^rd at 8:45 AM. I have invited Ms. Lawton, Ms. Cooley, and Dr. Gold to share the new anti-bullying curriculum, "Steps to Respect," that will be used in grades 3-5 in all Newton Public Schools. If there are other topics that you are interested in discussing or hearing about, please don't hesitate to call or send me an email.

Sincerely,

Mindy Johal

DON'T FORGET

We have early dismissal on

NOVEMBER 24 @ 12:00 PM

Just 2 weeks left! Help us reach our goal of $35,000 and 100% participation. Please send on your Gift for Burr in your child's folder today, or click here to make a secure credit card donation online.

The teachers and students of Burr are counting on us! Thank you to the nearly 100 families that have donated so far. 

Questions? Please email us at  GiftforBurr@gmail.com.

The Burr School Flu Clinic will be on Thursday, November 18.
Two (2) required forms are due on Tuesday, November 16.

For forms and additional information, please visit www.newtonma.gov/flu or the school's health office. For any questions, please call the Health Department at 617-796-1420 or the School Nurse at 617-559-9364.