| Mark your Calendar |
October 12
Burr Green Wednesday October 14
Parent-Principal Coffee October 19 Book Discussion - Nature Shock October 22 Halloween Family Fun Night |
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PTO Co-Presidents Letter | | |
Dear Burr Parents:
It's October at Burr! We look forward to the crisp air, the bea utiful foliage and of course Halloween Family Fun Night! October is also the launch of our single major fundraiser of the year - A Gift for Burr.
We have a financial goal to raise $35,000.00 but equally important is. 100% family participation. You'll be receiving the familiar Red envelope with everything you need to know about the campaign including information about the great programs that you'll be helping to support . Keep an eye out for it, and please help to make this year's event the most successful ever!
It was wonderful to see so many parents at the first PTO Meeting - and we wanted to especially welcome the new families. If you couldn't make it, check out the draft minutes posted on the PTO website The highlight is that the budget was approved! In the budget we committed to providing over $40,000.00 in support to Burr. The vast majority of the funds will go toward Academic Support, Technology and Classroom Support. We would like to offer our sincere thanks to Treasurer Rachael McCarthy for her thoughtful presentation of the 2011-2012 budget.
The PTO would like to extend a very big thank you to Mindy Johal and the entire school staff for an informative and fun Curriculum Night. Your dedication to our kids could be heard, seen, and felt throughout the evening. We are so lucky to have you teaching our children.
COMING UP:
-Understanding our Differences is looking for volunteers for two upcoming events on October 13th and 20th from 12:45-3:00, please contact Carrie Ranta or Stephanie Mamis if you can help with this amazing program.
-We look forward to seeing familiar faces and meeting new ones at the next Parent Principal Coffee on Friday, October 14th.
-Also check out the latest hot read-NurtureShock and join fellow Burr parents to discuss your views on the book on Wednesday, October 19th.
-Mark your calendars, Halloween Family Fun Night is Saturday, October 22nd! If you are ready to carve out a little of your spare time to help with HFFN, contact Stephanie Mamis , volunteers needed for set-up Friday, October 21 and during and after the fun on Saturday.
We are only in the first few weeks of school and there is already so much to be thankful for! Being a part of the PTO and our community is such a rewarding experience. Remember, if you have a child at Burr you are a member of the PTO.
I hope many of you take the opportunity to share in the efforts of the PTO. You are cordially invited to the second PTO meeting on Tuesday, November 29th at 7:00 pm. We will be hosting a Scholastic book fair and special guest speaker Jill Graboski, the new Supervisor of the Children's Room at the Newton Free Library -child care will be available. We welcome you and encourage your participation throughout the year. Please feel free to contact any member on the Board - we'd love to hear from you!
Tracy Carter and Ted Vahey
PTO Co-Presidents |
| The PTO Would Like to Thank... | | |
T hank you to our fabulous Creative Arts and Sciences volunteers and coordinators Felicia Falchuk, Beth Tierney, and Pam McVey. This year there are many exciting events coming to a classroom near you, all funded through the PTO by our generous Burr families!
Thank you to all the families who filled out their Burr Directory forms on-line this year! Cecelia Kwartler, has taken on the awesome task, again, of gathering, organizing, designing and editing that information for this year's Directory.
Thank you to Valerie Wastcoat for running School Picture Day. Thanks to all the parents for purchasing photographs - not everyone realizes that this a fundraiser for the school, but purchasing school photos is not only a gift for you but also a gift to our children.
Thank you to Pam McVey for once again being our Room Parent Coordinator for this school year. Pam has already assigned room parents for the classrooms - room parents are the unsung heroes to many teachers!
Thank you to Jan Shoyer and this year's library volunteers. Volunteering in the library is a wonderful opportunity to spend time with all the kids and share in their joy of reading!
Thank you to Tricia Bombara for another successful Walk to School Day-it was a beautiful day to go for a walk with the children.
Thank you to Marnie Caputo, Jody Klein, Autumn Xu, Amanda Loftus, Jodi Schaefer, and Ellen Regan for volunteering to help direct families to their classrooms on curriculum night!
Thank you to our Burr photocopy squad, and organizers Dana Hanson and Lisa Dallaire. Saving our teachers little bits of time here and there by assisting them with office tasks gives them increased time and energy to focus more on the creative parts of their roles as teachers.
Thank you to our Green Team organizers, Eric Bobby, Kelly Brown, Liz Moran, and Lynette Lawton and the new fifth grade ambassadors-we appreciate all your efforts on making Burr a green place to be! |
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Burr Directory | |  The Burr Directory is about to go to print. If you would like to see a version of your family's data before it goes to print to make sure there are no errors, please email Cecelia Kwartler . Each year we strive for 100% accuracy and we need your help to get there |
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Family Photo Day
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Looking for a great holiday photo of your entire family? Put off by the high sitting fees of professional photographers? Here is your chance to get a beautiful family picture at a reduced cost and benefit Burr as well.
You can choose from any of the these great Family Day Dates & Locations:
Wellesley @ Wellesley Town Hall
October 22 (rain date 10/23)
October 29 (rain date 10/30) - NEW JUST ADDED DATE
Concord @ The Old Manse
October 15 (rain date 10/16)
Newton @ Auburndale Cove
October 22 (rain date 10/23)
Their regular sitting fee has been reduced to $70 for this occasion, plus a portion of each payment goes to our school!!
To make your appointment simply call Coffee Pond @ 800-632-2323 ext. 0
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| "Making Copies" - Burr Photocopy Squad |
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Ever have a spare minute or two when coming and going from Burr? We invite you to join our team of parent photocopying helpers! This is a PTO project where many hands make for light work. Saving our teachers little bits of time here and there by assisting them with office tasks gives them increased time and energy to focus more on the creative parts of their roles as teachers. We invite you to stop by the main office anytime and take 5 minutes to help out with photocopying when you have a chance. The jobs await you above the teachers' mailboxes. Even if there are several jobs waiting and you can only do ONE, that's great!
Here's what you do:
- Sign in on the clipboard
- Grab a job (the teachers fill out request forms with instructions)
- Head to the photocopier
- Put the completed job in the teacher's mailbox
It's easy, it's quick, and it helps our teachers. Check it out sometime! If you have any questions, or would like to help with larger projects to support our teachers, please contact Dana Hanson or Lisa Dallaire |
| Burr Playground/Garden Cleanup--This Saturday Oct 15 | | |
 The 5th grade Burr Organization of Youth Action (BOOYA) ambassadors and Burr Garden Club Families invite you to grab a rake and join us for some grounds work at the Burr School this Saturday, October 15. This is a festive fall tradition and a great community-building time for our families. Many hands make for light work on our school grounds--please join us if you can!
Burr Playground & Garden Cleanup--BOOYA & Burr Garden Club
THIS Saturday, October 15 from 10 - 11:30 am
Things to bring:
- rakes, gloves, and yard waste bags
- snacks
- warm beverages in thermoses
Go BOOYA! Go Green! Go Gardening!
Questions? Please contact Dana Hanson or David Gaita
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Buy Your Groceries and Give to Burr!
Program Underway! | | |
 The Stop & Shop A+ school rewards program began October 9th! The program allows a portion of every purchase at Stop & Shop to accumulate points that turn into CASH for Burr School when you use your rewards card. If you shop at Stop & Shop - even if you don't shop there very often, please send your rewards card number to Margaret Crook ASAP! This is EASY money! We have 20 families enrolled but we need more!
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Coming Oct. 17 | | |
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Newton Inspires: An Evening of Ideas and Community-Oct. 27 | |
An Olympic medalist and a Peabody award-winning journalist are among the speakers at Newton Inspires: An Evening of Ideas and Community, hosted by the Newton Schools Foundation. Join prominent Newtonians in small group sessions as they discuss their passions, share their insights, and inspire participants with their stories. This FREE event will take place Thursday October 27 from 7 to 9 p.m. at Newton North High School.
More than two dozen speakers representing an array of fields and interest areas will address topics ranging from education, business, government and economics to sports, arts, entertainment and life. Participants choose three 20-minute sessions to attend. At the end of the evening, participants and speakers will gather together to debrief and reconnect over coffee and dessert.
The event is open to the public but space is limited, so register now. To see a list of speakers or to reserve a spot, go to Newton Schools Foundation . |
| Invitation to join Newton STEM Email List | | |
Newton parents, teachers, and students interested in Science, Technology, Engineering and/or Math are invited to sign up for the NewtonSTEM email list .We post notices of upcoming events, resources, accomplishments, and opportunities on www.NewtonSTEM.org and email them to our list each weekend -- never more than one email a week. Current notices include:
- Space Night for Girls! at MIT Lincoln Labs, Oct. 27
- MA Statewide STEM Summit in Newton, Oct. 18
- New survey of parents and students about STEM preparation and inspiration
- Science Olympiad 2012 teams forming now
- Videos by MinutePhysics and Vi Hart |
| Join the Cub Scouts for Fun and Adventure | |
 Fun and adventure await in Cub Scouting, where boys in grades 1 through 5 get a chance to do all sorts of great activities with friends. Have you ever built your own pinewood derby car and raced it against your friends? Do you like roasting hot dogs around the campfire you built in the woods? Do you like being part of a team, achieving more than you ever thought was possible? Cubs Scouting will help you do that and more. Cubs can also participate in Pack sponsored event like sleepovers at the Museum of Science, sleepover on the USS Massachusetts battleship, sleepover at the PawSox, snow tubing, maple sugaring, and many more! Cub Scouting aims kids in the right direction, building their confidence through activities and helping them learn leadership skills. Newton Cub Scout Packs meet at the following locations: Union Church, Waban; First Baptist Church, Newton Center; Temple Reyim, West Newton; Myrtle Baptist Church, West Newton; Our Lady Help of Christians, Newtonville; Second Church, West Newton.
For more information visit The Knox Trail Council. Cub Scout Pack 210 meets the first Thursday of every month at 7:00 pm at the First Baptist Church on the corner of Beacon and Center streets, Newton Center. Next meetings October 6th and November 3rd. Contact jjanosky@alum.mit.edu for more information. |
| Understanding our Differneces | | |
Understanding Our Differences 2011 Gala Celebrates People Who Make a Difference. Parents, you are invited to join us as we honor Understanding Our Difference's retiring executive director Beth Mendel and all our volunteer speakers on Sunday, October 16, at 6:30pm at the Brae Burn Country Club in Newton. Featured speakers include Steven Rothstein, President, Perkins School for the Blind, and Steve Grossman, Treasurer of Massachusetts.
For ticket information or more information on the Understanding Our Differences program, visit www.UnderstandingOurDifferences.org. |
| Engineering for Kids! | | |
Engineering for Kids at the Auburndale Community Library
Tuesday, October 18th from 3p.m. - 6 p.m.
The workshop will be taught by students from Olin College of Engineering, and it will cover basic topics in mechanical structures and circuits. It will also be fun!The Olin students will be teaching essential skills that they wish they had learned much earlier in life.
This project began as part of a class at Olin in which the students were tasked with the challenge of "changing the world" within three weeks.Since they all have a strong passion for sharing what they love to do, they formed a team to teach engineering concepts to kids.
Pre-registration is required!!! This workshop is open to kids ages 8-14. A maximum of 15 kids will be enrolled on a first come, first served basis.The kids will then be divided into smaller working groups by age. To pre-register or to ask questions please email Lynn Slobodin
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| Shoveling Snow | | |
 The Newton Department of Public Works is preparing a list of STUDENTS (and adults) willing to volunteer or for a fee shovel snow for your local senior residents. Can YOU please help out?
Students/participants should be aware:
- When you sign to be on this list, your name, village, and phone # will be made available to those residents, often the elderly, needing assistance with snow shoveling.
- If you are under the age of 18 you should check with your parent(s) before signing up to be on this list.
- When you receive a phone call for a possible job, you will be responsible for negotiating a price and establishing parameters for the job.
- This is a private negotiation with no City involvement.
Volunteer or Earn Some $$$
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