| Mark your Calendar |
November 3
Early Release Thursday November 8 Election Day/Bake Sale
Veteran's Day - No School November 15 RHD Committee Meeting
5 p.m. November 29 PTO Meeting |
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| PTO Co-President's Letter | | |
Hello Burr Families,
YIKES, can next week be November? We have certainly had an action packed fall! Everyone should have received their Annual Gift for Burr ONE AND ONLY Fundraising drive envelope. We have already received many donations, but our goal is to have every family participate, regardless of the sum. Remember, every dollar goes back to our kids in hands-on programming, current technology, and community fun!
Speaking of good times:
-Halloween Family Fun Night was another Boo-tiful gathering of friends and Spook-tacular fun, thanks to the Boo-Crew and the many volunteers!
-Our Hospitality friends and Star Market provided some hot coffee and treats at the last parent principal coffee, where we talked about the ground breaking of the modular (YEAH!) and keeping out kids safe in the increasingly busy blue zone. Thank you everyone, for following the rules-staying in your cars, not parking on Pine St., and moving cautiously and patiently in front of the school.
-The garden looks ready for spring, thanks to BOOYA and the many helping hands that tucked the garden beds in for the winter.
And the fun doesn't end there! Lots of events coming up:
-This week is an early release on Thursday and an all school meeting-just a reminder, due to our increasing numbers, parents can't be squeezed in to the room any more, so don't forget to get the highlights from your kids!
-Tuesday November 8 is election day, don't forget to vote and while you are there, pick up some coffee, snack or after dinner dessert, proceeds go to the PTO!
Our next PTO meeting will be on Tuesday, November 29th, we will have a special guest speaker, Jill Graboski, the new Supervisor of the Children's Room at the Newton Free Library. The book fair will also be up and running, so come pick out some new books for your own library!
Feeling left out? Don't worry! There are still lots of opportunities for you to help out! We are looking for help with Library volunteers, check with Jan Shoyer to see if you can help in the library with your child's class! The book swap in March is looking for a lover of books who wants to share their time to help the kids swap their old books for some new, contact Maren Oslund if you are interested. Also the PTO board is looking for a volunteer coordinator, someone who can match up the many helping hands with the many volunteer opportunities. LOOKING AHEAD-Don't forget, new board positions are opening every year, this spring we are looking for a new Co-president, and Communications, Education, and Community Coordinators. YOU would be perfect for the job!
The fun never ends here at Burr, see you again real soon!
Tracy and Ted
Your PTO Co-Presidents |
| No Bones About It! | | |
 Yes, it was another fabulous Halloween Family Fun Night and the Boo Crew owes it all to YOU who volunteered your time, extra money, treats, and special items & talents; and you who came to the party. All extra food will be donated to the election-day bake sale. Thank you all for supporting the 5th grade Candy Gram table until they ran out! Without YOU the kids would BOOHOO! Every effort made a difference. Thanks to parents for getting costumes together a little early this year and dressing up yourselves as well.... Ms. Johal and Mr. Tobin never looked so good. Many, many, many thanks goes out to the set up crew, a team of 4th grade girls who brought out all the goods, and especially the new parents who didn't run screaming from school. The Flying Spider and Dragon Oracle were hung to perfection. And the clean-up crew brewed up a magic spell that had ALL those decorations put away by 9pm. Thank you ALL for your dedication and spirit in making this event SPOOKTACULAR!
A Halloween howl of thanks goes to the characters who really got into the spirit of the night. Special performances by Steve Regan, Kristen Herbert, Rich Lee, Dana Hanson, Tim Mamis, Vicky Gifford, Marin Oslund & Felicia Falchuk. You'll just have to guess which characters they played. Another very special Thank You goes to Jodi Schaefer who helped make Dr. FrankenBurr's Lab really buzz. Thanks also goes to the dancers who came out on the Bone Boogie dance floor and shook things up. And a round of ghostly applause goes to Ms. Jaquith and all the Halloween artists who hung their work for our HFFN art show in the lobby. Nice work!
The Halloween Photo Station was a success again this year. Thanks to our photographers and Tricia Bombara who is hosting the Halloween portraits and candids online again this year. Please visit her secure website. Download images, order lots of prints or just check out the ghouly photos online at:
http://bombara.phanfare.com/BurrHalloween
Password: 171pine
When witches go riding,
and black cats are seen,
the moon laughs and whispers,
'tis near Halloween.
From the Boo Crew to EVERY one of YOU: we thank you.
Stephanie Mamis, Ellen Regan, Pam McVey, and Carey Ranta |
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Halloween Candy Drive | | |
 BOOYA will be collecting extra Halloween candy to donate to the Pine Street Inn (serving New England's homeless men and women). You or your child can deposit extra candy in the collection barrel in the main lobby at Burr School.
We will accept candy in its original (unopened) wrapper. We will take donations on Tuesday, November 1, Wednesday, November 2, and Thursday, November 3.
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| Turn in Your Box Tops! | |
 Thanks to all of you great Box Tops clippers! We're redeeming our Box Tops now, so please send in the Box Tops you have into school in your child's folder.
Remember to check the date to be sure your Box Top coupon has not expired. And please clip only the actual coupon, rather than turning in the entire package top.
Happy clipping and thank you! Questions? Email Sherri Sonia |
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Friday Pretzels $1 - 5th grade fundraising | | |
 Sorry we sold out early last Friday. This week we will order more so we'll make sure to have one for everyone! Students who forgot $1 and missed a pretzel last week, don't forget money this Friday.
We'll also have bottles of water for $1 this week. Don't forget to drop by.
Thank you for your support for 5th graders.
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School Lunches - Special Dietary Needs | |
Please contact Burr School Nurse Marie Phillips, RN for more information about accomodations for special dietary needs within our school lunch program. Whitson's, the company which provides school lunch at Burr, will make modifications and substitutions to the regular school meals for a student with a disability that restricts his/her diet. Please read the attached form for more information. |
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Special School Committee Meeting
Monday, October 31, 8 am | | |
The School Committee will hold a special meeting on Monday, October 31 at 8:00 a.m. at the Education Center, 100 Walnut St., Newtonville, Frazier Room (#210), for the purpose of discussing and voting on the Newton Teachers Association contract. |
November Parenting Workshops:
What is ADHD? & Parenting in the Digital Age | | |
What is ADHD? How is it properly diagnosed and treated? Come hear Understanding & Treating ADHD in Children & Teens presented by psychiatrist Dr. Thor Bergersen, Thursday, November 17, 2011 from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Oak Hill Middle School Auditorium, 130 Wheeler Rd. 02459. No registration is required for this free presentation sponsored by The Newton Partnership. Dr. Bergersen, founder of ADHD Boston and co-founder with Dr. Edward Hallowell of the Hallowell Center in New York, has specialized in the evaluation and treatment of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder for over a decade.
Parenting in the Digital Age - Two Dates Offered
Parenting in the digital age can be challenging. Social media and technology have become such an important part of your child's daily life. Please join Amy Comeau M.Ed. and Rolanda Prophete LICSW for an interactive workshop where they will examine with you your child's use of technology, increase your awareness of the potential challenges around technology use, and offer practical parenting strategies to maintain connections with your child.
This free parenting program, sponsored by The Newton Partnership, will be held on Tuesday, November 29th from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at Bigelow Middle School, 42 Vernon St., 02458 and also on Tuesday, December 13th from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at Brown Middle School, 125 Meadowbrook Rd, 02459.
Amy is currently the Middle School Intervention and Prevention Counselor at Day and Bigelow Middle Schools. Rolanda is the Intervention and Prevention Counselor at Brown and Oak Hill Middle Schools. |
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Destination Imagination Information Meeting
Wednesday, November 2 | |
What: Newton's newest academic extracurricular activity
When: Wednesday November 2nd, 2011 @ 5:00PM
Where: Burr Elementary School Library
Destination ImagiNation (DI) is an educational program in which student teams solve open-ended challenges and present their solutions at tournaments. DI is run by Newton parents for Newton students. Season runs from November through March. Teams choose challenges that are focused in either robotics, performing arts, engineering and/or design.
There is also a non-competitive Rising Stars! Challenge designed for students in pre-school through 2nd grade that introduces students to teamwork and creative thinking.
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Newton Zoning Reform Public Meeting
Thursday, November 3 | |
Zoning regulations govern what may be built and where, guiding the pattern of development, cost of housing, and availability of services in the City into the future.
Newton's Zoning Ordinance was last comprehensively revised in 1987 and much has changed in the Greater Boston Metro area since then. There is general agreement that Newton's Zoning Ordinance is difficult to understand and administer and does not result in the best outcomes for the community. In response, the Zoning Reform Group was created by the City to study and recommend a plan to reform Newton's Zoning Ordinance in a way that will best serve Newton. Zoning reform intends to make the ordinance easy to understand, administer, and enforce. Revised zoning will facilitate the development that we want to bring vitality to village centers and commercial areas, while taking development pressure off our neighborhoods.
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Mothers' Night Out Speaker Series - Pam Kristan | | |
Hosted by Newton Mothers' Forum
When: Monday November 7, 2011, 7-9 pm EDT
Where: The Paint Bar
823 Washington Street, Newton, MA
Cost: $0 members, $30 non-members
About the speaker: Pam Kristan is known for her unique approach to helping people manage their time and improve their lives in the process. Her book is Awakening in Time: Practical Time Management for those on a Spiritual Path. |
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"The Future of Transportation in Newton" Forum
Tuesday, November 29 | |
 A forum "The Future of Transportation in Newton" organized by the LWV-Newton will explore how the city can grow and develop without more gridlock and parking woes. Presenters Stephanie Pollack, chair of the mayor's Transportation Advisory Committee, Eric Bourassa, transportation manager for the Metropolitan Area Planning Council, Jacqueline Douglas, director of Livable Streets, will examine the findings of studies on Routes 128 and 9, the year-long study by the Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC), as well as transportation models that seek to balance the needs of all modes of transportation, including, pedestrians, bikes, cars and mass transit.
At the Newton Free Library, November 29, 7 - 9 pm. |
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