Dear Burr Families,

Happy New Year! I hope you all had a relaxing vacation and were able to enjoy some time with family and friends. I must admit, there were several days when I did not get out of my pajamas until noontime! It was the best way to unwind and reenergize.

I have always loved coming back to school in January. It is a great time for reflection and goal setting. Children are well settled in their classroom communities, and are very familiar with the routines and structure that their teachers have put in place to scaffold and extend their learning.  Teachers have developed solid relationships with the students and their parents, and can forge ahead with exciting projects and activities. We can all capitalize on foundations that have been developed during the first half of the school year.  

Parents can help prepare their children for a successful transition back into school routines by reminding them of school rules and behavior expectations. It is our collective responsibility to help students develop solid study skills and habits that will enhance their learning and interactions with others. I urge you to sit with your child and encourage him/her to set some goals and priorities for his/her academic and social growth during the coming months.

Progress Reports will be sent home with each child on Monday, January 31.  The Progress Report is designed to communicate your child's progress on city-wide benchmarks and standards.  Specific skills, strategies, and knowledge in each of the major content areas for a specific grade level are listed in the report.  A Progress Report Guide will be sent home with each child to help interpret the Progress Report.  Teachers have spent many hours assessing and observing each student to ensure that they have accurate information to share with you.  Teachers are able to identify if a child is right on track, needs additional support, or is ready for increased challenge based on the information gathered.  In addition to this Progress Report, you can meet with your child's classroom teacher in March and receive a second Progress Report in June to learn more about your child's academic and social progress in school.

It was nice to have a significant snowstorm come during vacation time when most of us could hunker down and stay close to home. I'm hoping it has reduced our odds of having such a storm during a school week! Here are a few things to keep in mind as we enter the winter months.

Dressing for the Winter Weather: Please be sure to send your child prepared to go outside for recess every day. Recess will be outdoors unless the temperature drops into the single digits and/or if the wind chill makes the conditions unsafe.  Students should have the proper clothing, including hats, mittens/gloves, jackets, snow pants and boots. I also recommend a change of clothes just in case.  All clothes should be labeled so we do not have too many lost-and-found items.

Morning Arrival: I would like to remind you that the school doors open at 8:20 AM.  Students are unsupervised before this. I have noticed a few students have been dropped off closer to 8:00 AM. If you plan to bring your children to school early, please be sure to stay with them until they are safely in our care.

School Cancellation/Delayed Openings: This is an excerpt taken from the weather memo that was sent out from the Superintendents office.

Should there be a delayed opening, students will be expected to go to their bus stop or to leave their homes (if they walk to school) one (or two) hours after their regularly scheduled time.  The bus company and crossing guards will know about the delay and will rearrange their schedules accordingly...When school is canceled due to inclement weather, Before and After School Care Programs are also canceled.  If the opening of school is delayed, Before School Programs will be canceled. During vacation weeks, if school buildings are not open due to inclement weather, Before and After School Care Programs will also be canceled.

Blackboard-Connect is the communication system utilized in the Newton Public Schools.  This system enables us to communicate with you about emergency situations, school events and important issues affecting your child.  In case of school closing or a delayed opening due to the weather, as soon as a decision has been made, we will call the number(s) designated as your child's emergency number(s) on the yellow Student Contact sheets you received at the beginning of the school year.  Please make sure your child's emergency information is kept up to date at all times. 

There may be occasions when a decision can be made the previous evening but normally it will not be made until the early hours of the day in question.  In addition to utilizing the Blackboard-Connect communication system, we will call in "No School/Delayed Opening" announcements to the following radio stations and television channels before 6:00 a.m.:

                                WBZ Radio                 1030 AM

                                WRKO Radio 680 AM                      

                                TV Channels   4, 5, 7                         

You may also log on to: http://www3.newton.k12.ma.us or you may call (617) 559-9699 for a pre-recorded message.

Incoming Kindergarten:  We are already preparing for the incoming 2011 Kindergarten class.  If you have a child who will be entering kindergarten next fall, please make sure that you have registered with the office at 617-559-9330.  We would appreciate your help in informing neighbors who have entering Kindergartners to do likewise. The Kindergarten Information meeting will be held on Monday, January 31, from 6:30 - 8:00 PM (Snow date February 7).

I look forward to the second half of the school year with hopes that 2011 is a prosperous and healthy year for the whole Burr School Community.

Sincerely,

Mindy Johal

COMMUNITY PRESERVATION COMMITTEE

Proposal Working Sessions
January 19, 2011, 7:00 pm

The Community Preservation Committee will meet at 7:00 pm on Wednesday, January 19, at the Newton Senior Center (345 Walnut Street, Newtonville). The agenda includes a working session on the current community housing proposals for 61 Pearl Street and 112 Dedham Street, as well as program and budget planning for fiscal 2012. Written comments to the CPC about these proposals will be accepted by email until 9 am on January 7, 2011.

The full agenda will be online in early January from www.newtonma.gov/cpa/meetings.htm. Full proposals are online at www.newtonma.gov/cpa/projects.htm.  For further information, contact Alice Ingerson at 617.796.1144 or aingerson@newtonma.gov.

Though winter is still upon us, many Newton camps have already started their enrollment for summer, 2011!

Jenny Gamson, from The Newton Partnership and Maggie Tepper, from Project INTERFACE and Newton POST will conduct an interactive workshop.  They will talk about choosing a day camp and introduce the Newton POST (Planning Out of School Time) database as a free resource participants can use to assist them in their search.  They will also discuss the financial aid and scholarships available and how/when to apply.  Even if you aren't ready to make final decisions about your summer, this workshop will prevent you from "being left out in the cold"!

Be a Summer Star! Join the Brookline SmartSummers Theater Arts Program in Brookline, MA! Students take classes in the arts and work on an original musical production. The program runs in one and two week sessions starting July 1st and runs Monday-Friday, 8:30-4PM at the Lincoln School in Brookline. Part-time programs are also available. For more information, contact theaterartscamp@aol.com or visit

http://sites.google.com/site/smartsummerstheaterarts/welcome  To register, contact Brookline Adult & Community Education at 617-730-2700.