Dear Friends,

Welcome back to school!

We hope that you all had a fun February break and were able to recharge your batteries a bit. It was good to have some improved weather, even if we did end up with another snow storm.  It seems like the school year accelerates from this point through the end of the year, so hopefully we will see nicer weather soon.

Just before the break, on Feb 12, we had a fun PTO event for parents in the form of the Witty Winter Wingding, a night of comedy at the Turtle Lane Playhouse. Those who attended were treated to some great entertainment by a troupe of improv comics who took input from the audience and created hilarious comedy sketches on the spot.  Thanks to organizers Ellen Regan and Carey Ranta, MC Stephanie Mamis, and their crew of volunteers for a much appreciated night of fun and raffle prizes. Great event!

This week, the Burr Book Swap will begin on Tuesday, March 1, continuing through March 15.  Look for details elsewhere in this bulletin.  Volunteers are still needed to help sort the donated books each morning just after drop off time.  If you can spare some time, please contact book swap organizer, Lin Themelis, and let her know of your availability.  Thanks for your help!

Coming up later in the spring will be one of our major events, the Burr May Fair. This is a big carnival event held each spring in the field behind the school.  Be on the lookout for details in upcoming Bulletins. This event will need a lot of volunteer support and has room for volunteers of every kind. If you can spare any amount of time and would like to help out, please contact May Fair organizer Valerie Wastcoat and she will match you up with a job that fits your availability. Thanks again for your help!

Next, just a sneak preview of a new event that we will be hosting in April. This will be a combined PTO meeting and pool party on Saturday, April 9th at the Boston University Fitness and Recreation Center from 2-4 pm.  Kids will be able to go for a swim with life guards watching while parents attend a PTO meeting. Details are still being ironed out, but this will likely feature a speaker on physical fitness. We thought we would try out a different time and place and see how people like it. Come and check it out and let us know what you think!

Finally, a reminder to continue to exercise extra caution and to allow extra time during drop off and pick up around the school. We are still buried under snow, and visibility and traction are still not great so leave some extra time to avoid rushing into an accident.  Please respect the rules of the Blue Zone to maximize safety.  Please DO NOT backup in any of the Blue Zone drop off areas.  This is an especially dangerous practice due to small children walking in those areas being invisible to drivers who are backing up.  Special thanks go out once again to Tricia Bombara for her tireless efforts to get drivers moving properly through our Blue Zones. Tricia's efforts go a long way toward insuring the safety of all of our children, but we must all do our best to slow down, be more careful, and exercise patience.

Thanks for your attention.  See you around the Burr.

Tracy Carter and Steve DeJesus
Burr PTO Co-Presidents

Art Show Volunteers

Burr Book Swap - Collection starts March 1st

Have you collected your books yet? The annual Burr Book Swap is coming up soon. Starting on March 1st we will collect gently-used childrens' books. Please send only books appropriate for grades K-5 in bags that are clearly marked with your child's name and we will collect them just after the start of school. Marking the number of books in the bag as well would be greatly appreciated. On March 15th, students get to choose one book for every 2 books they send.
 
We are still looking for volunteers to help collect, sort, and set up the books. We spend about an hour each morning collecting and sorting, and on Monday afternoon, the 14th, setting up in the cafetorium. You can volunteer for one or more shifts here:
 
1) Click on this link: http://doodle.com/w59979sigca5csa6
2) Write your name on the left hand side where it says "Your name"
3) Click on the boxes of dates when you are willing to help out
4) Press the save button   

A few hours of your time will help us make a success of this event. Please contact Lin Themelis for more information:
Tel: 617 792 7651 or lint@athemelis.com.

Burr International Potluck - Sunday, March 13, 4:30-7pm at Newton North High School

We invite ALL Burr families to join us for the Burr International Potluck dinner on Sunday, March 13.  It will be a fun-filled evening of food, music, games, crafts, and fun for the whole family.  Professional dance instructor Sheila Eghbali will join us for a participatory dance lesson where we will learn some simple Iranian dance moves--we know how popular the Zumba session was at our last potluck, and we're looking forward to another great time together!

Flyers will come home in your children's folders this week--please be on the lookout for those.  In the meantime, we invite you to visit our International Potluck web page for more details about the event and to RSVP.

If you have questions or would like to help out at the event, please contact Dana Hanson, Ann Langenfeld, or Jackie Gelb. See you at the Potluck!

GUYS Read - March 24, 6pm

The GUYS Read book club will be meeting on Thursday, March 24th at 6:00pm in Mr. Gaita's room.  The next book will be 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne. We will be reading the Classic Start Series.  In this science fiction fantasy book the hero, Professor Aronnax of the Museum of Paris, is on a thrilling and dangerous journey far below the waves to see what creatures live in the ocean's depths. Happy Reading Guys!!!

BOOYA PJ Collection

BOOYA helped to deliver over 80 pairs of pajamas to Cradles to Crayons, a Boston-based charity. The AMBASSADORS made signs, created a school flyer, arranged classroom visits, and wore pajamas to advertise the event.  Everyone really made a difference.  Cradles to Crayons was very impressed with all the work that was put into this event.  Just think about all the children who will now have new pajamas because of all of this hard work.  GO BOOYA!!!

Please join fellow Burr families for the 6th Annual Ice Skating Event.

When:    Sunday, March 6, 2011, 3:00pm - 5:00pm

              (note different & longer time)
Where:   Newton/Brighton Daly Ice Skating Rink
Who:      Everyone is welcome - bring the entire family
Cost:      FREE, FREE, FREE Skate Rentals: $5.00 per person.

Directions and more info to follow. If you have any questions now, please send me an email at jgiglio@mak.com or a message at 617/527-3464

NPS News

Dear Parents and Guardians of Elementary Students:

The Long Composition portion of the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) is being administered to all fourth grade students in the Commonwealth on Tuesday, March 22, 2011. Newton's dismissal time on Tuesday is normally 12:30 p.m. In order to administer the test at the same time as all of the other schools in Massachusetts, we must extend school hours to 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday, March 22, for all students in grades K through 5.

On Wednesday, March 23 school will be dismissed at 12:30 p.m.
Newton after-school programs have been informed of this change. We apologize in advance for any inconvenience this change may cause your family. The Food Service Department will take responsibility
for adjusting student lunch choices based on this schedule change.

Please note: Kindergarten students who are in group A and usually stay in school until 3 p.m. on Wednesday will stay until 3 p.m. on
Tuesday, March 22 instead. On Wednesday, March 23, group A will be dismissed at 12:30 p.m.

Students across the Commonwealth are required to take the English Language Arts Long Composition test that must be administered in two sessions on Tuesday, March 22. It is recommended by the
Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) that students have 45 minutes to complete each session. However, due to the "un-timed" nature of the MCAS tests, the DESE recommends
scheduling 2-hour blocks for each test session. Extending the school day on March 22 will give our students the same opportunity as other Massachusetts students to take the test in a reasonable time
frame. The remainder of the English Language Arts portion of the MCAS is being administered to fourth grade students over several days during a two-week time frame beginning March 23 and ending April 4. Math will be administered in May.

Please contact your building principal if you have questions. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

Sincerely,

Joseph Russo

Assistant Superintendent for Elementary Education

Internationally recognized clinical psychologist and author, Dr. Robert Brooks, who specializes on themes of resilience, self-esteem, motivation and family relationships, will conduct a free parenting workshop entitled Raising a Self-Disciplined Child on Tuesday, March 8, 2011 from 7:00- 9:00 P.M., Newton South Auditorium, 140 Brandeis Road, 02459. NO REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED. In this presentation, Dr. Brooks will discuss different kinds of disciplinary styles and identify the style that contributes most to helping children become increasingly self-disciplined, respectful, responsible, and resilient. He will highlight the importance of assuming prevention rather than an intervention approach to lessen the emergence of counterproductive behaviors in children and adolescence. To view a flier of the event, please click here.

As a parent, it can be hard to have a conversation with your child about difficult issues such as drugs, alcohol, violence, relationships, and sex. Whether you've had the conversation or are looking to start the conversation, this interactive workshop, facilitated by Rolanda Prophete, LICSW and Amy Comeau, M.Ed, the Middle School Prevention and Intervention Counselors at Bigelow, Brown, Day and Oak Hill, will offer you practical tips to get you started. This workshop will be held twice.  Attend one or the other.  One will be held on Wednesday, March 2nd from 7 - 8:30 p.m. at Oak Hill Middle School, 130 Wheeler Rd., 02459. The other will be held on Wednesday, March 23rd from 7 - 8:30 p.m. at Day Middle School, 21 Minot Pl, 02460.  Sponsored by the PTO Council and The Newton Partnership. Please click here to see a flyer of this event.

Community News

The BSO's popular overnight summer camp is now open for pre-application.  For more than four decades, the BSO has provided thousands of children throughout Massachusetts with an opportunity to participate in this multi-arts/creative writing overnight camp in the beautiful Berkshires. 

In the summer of 2011, Newton students in grades 5, 6, & 7 are eligible to participate in Week 6, August 1-5.  Only 15 students from Newton will be selected to participate by lottery. Pre-applications with details about the program are available from the arts teachers in your school.  Pre-applications must be returned to the Fine Arts Department no later than 4:30PM on Friday, March 18th, Newton Public Schools, 100 Walnut Street, Newton, MA 02460.

March Mother's Night Out ~ Speaker Series
March 7, 2011, 7-9pm
Longwood Cricket Club
564 Hammond St., Chestnut Hill, MA

"Balancing Career and Family During Tough Economic Times"
Nadia McKay, Regional Franchise Owner of Momscorp, a premier national staffing organization that helps find flexible work arrangements for mothers looking to balance work and family.
Cost:  $0 members, $30 non-members

For more info, contact Christine Dunleavy 617-965-6576 or choar4@hotmail.com