Dear Friends,
With just a few short weeks until the December school vacation, it seems like it was just yesterday that we were in back-to-school mode and that the first months of school have flown by very quickly. Several of our major annual PTO events have already been successfully completed with the help of our outstanding community of volunteers and enthusiastic participants. As you know, these activities are made possible by the funds generously donated by parents and other members of our school community. Many thanks to those who have already made a donation to this year's Gift for Burr fundraiser that will continue to support PTO activities for you and your family to enjoy throughout the rest of the school year. There is still time to make a donation, and donations of all sizes are warmly appreciated. Don't forget to invite grandparents and other extended family members to donate to the enrichment of your child's school. Every bit helps.
Please visit: http://sites.google.com/site/giftforburr/ for more details on the Gift for Burr campaign and a convenient link for making your donation. Please join us in our effort toward 100% family participation in this year's drive.
Here are some highlights of recent PTO activities:
The annual Book Fair was very well attended and provided a wealth of reading opportunities for students and parents, as well as a great response of donations toward teacher-requested books and Library books. Special thanks go out to Nancy Caulfield and Dana Hanson for their outstanding organization of the event, and to the team of parent volunteers who helped to run it. Thanks also to all of those who attended and enjoyed the book shopping and the pizza and drinks provided by the PTO.
A PTO meeting was held coinciding with the Book Fair at which Burr's literacy specialist, Kalpana Guttman, made a very interesting and up to the minute presentation on literacy education methods used throughout all grades at Burr. Parents were shown the various ways in which real world reading skills are taught at all grade levels at Burr, and examples were shown of how teachers create environments for students that stimulate reading activity and meet individual student needs for reading instruction. It was impressive to see the thoughtful planning that goes into engaging students at all skill levels in this most important skill. Thanks, Ms. Guttman, for the timely and informative talk.
The Boston Friends group hosted another successful event at Boston's Frog Pond skating rink, providing an opportunity for our Boston based students and Newton based students to get together and socialize. Cold ice met warm hearts for a fun filled afternoon and many happy memories. Thanks to all involved for making this a successful event.
The holiday season can be a time of generosity toward others and several recent school activities have honored that spirit. The recently completed Inclusive Schools Week provided many thought provoking activities and opportunities to interact with different peers for Burr students. Thanks to our Respect for Human Differences Committee for organizing these enlightening activities and for fostering the spirit of generosity that is at their core. Our third grade classes have been running a food drive to benefit the Newton Food Pantry. Thanks to them and their organizers for such direct action toward caring for others. And, special thanks to all members and parents involved with our BOOYA green team for their clean-up event at Burr school and for their visit to the Brighton Rehabilitation Center to sing to the residents. We appreciate your good deeds!
For many of us, the holiday shopping season has already begun. Or, you may be having trouble getting started. Dreading those malls and parking lots? Here's a way to go shopping and donate to Burr School without even getting out of your pajamas. Send flowers to your mother in-law, make travel plans, or simply buy gifts for your family and friends online, and OneCause will donate to Burr. With nearly 1,400 participating merchants, chances are some of your favorites are just waiting to contribute. Burr has already received over $1,100 over the last few years. And with more online shopping these days we can make a big difference. Join OneCause and Target - Take Charge of Education. They're two great ways to help Burr at no extra cost to you! Thank you!
Coming up after the break will be more fun and interesting PTO events. Keep an eye out for info on our Science and Engineering week in which parent volunteers will present exciting talks on real world science and engineering topics to all classrooms. This is a favorite event that is not to be missed. There will also be a PTO meeting coming up highlighting technology used in education at Burr school, including our interactive Smartboard. What is it? How is it used? Come to the meeting and find out! Please excuse our confusion regarding the date of this meeting - like all good technology, some technical problems caused us to reschedule from the Dec 16 date that was originally announced. Please be on the lookout for the new technology PTO meeting date sometime in January.
Finally, we would like to take this opportunity to once again thank you all for your participation in the Burr School Community. It is a significant demand to make time in your busy lives to attend school functions, but it is your involvement that makes our school community the vibrant and welcoming community that it is. We appreciate every second of your time and every cent that you donate to the school. From the bottom of our hearts, thanks for your involvement. We wish you all a very happy and safe holiday season and a very Happy New Year. See you in 2011! (Already???)
Steve & Tracy
Co-Presidents, Burr PTO
Thank you to the 153 Burr families that have contributed to the Gift for Burr fundraising campaign so far. That's 50%, but we can do better! Please help us to reach 
