| Mark your Calendar |
March 20
Full Day Tuesday - 3:00 PM Dismissal
March 21 Early Release -
12:30 PM Dismissal March 22 - April 2 MCAS
March 24
Burr World Cultures Festival, 2-4:15pm March 26 CAP Parent meeting
March 31 Parents Night at Skellig, 6-9pm
April 6No School - Good Friday April 11Chateau Night
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PTO Co-Presidents' Letter
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Dear Burr Community,
Thank you for your continued support for the Garcia family as they continue to search for their son, Franco Garcia.If anyone has any information, please contact the Newton Police Department at 617-796-2100 or the family's Private Detective at 857-523-0925.
Your friends,
Tracy and Ted
Your PTO Co-Presidents
News and Events in the Burr Community, coming up:
1) REMEMBER: This week, FULL DAY TUESDAY, EARLY RELEASE WEDNESDAY!
2) Saturday, March 24th 2-4:15, World Cultures Festival: Bring the whole family for an afternoon of world traveling right at Burr School!
3) Monday, March 26th, 9:00am, Child Assault Prevention (CAP): Burr Cafetorium - Kindergarten, 2nd and 5th grade parents meeting (and anyone else who is interested!). Keep your child Safe, Strong and Free!
4) Saturday, March 31rd 6-9 pm, The Unfinished Product and Lost Articles, Live at the Skellig! (240 Moody St. Waltham) Come and enjoy a fun night of music, food and prizes! Burr Dads - Jeff Foster, Steve Regan and Pete Caruso will take the stage and entertain the masses.An exciting evening - not to be missed! Tickets $10 in advance and $15 at the door. 5) Tuesday, April 24, Burr Book Swap, Book collection between April 2-13th, It's time for spring-cleaning! Set aside some gently used books for the annual Burr Book Swap. Send your old books in to school in a bag marked with your child's and teacher's name between April 2-13th and your kids will choose new ones on April 24th from all the books collected! 6)Wednesday, April 11th, Chateau Night:(195 School St. Waltham) Treat yourself and your family to a night out (or get take-out and have a night in), and a portion of your purchase goes to Burr! 7)Blue Zone Safety Tip: If you have kids in kindergarten, first and second grade, use the blue zone on the side of the school, so the teachers can see your child safely to the car. 8)Thank you Steve DeJesus and 3$ Shirt. The night out at the Skellig rocked! Thank you Jean Giglio, the ice skating event was cool fun!
9) Thank you Ms. Johal! The coffee was very informative; please visit the Burr School Website to look at the Burr School Improvement Plan for 2012-2015.
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This Saturday: The Burr World Cultures Festival!
Saturday, March 24 from 2-4 pm
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The festival is coming up! We look forward to this wonderful Burr tradition. Many thanks in advance to all the families who have volunteered to host rooms and share their cultures with the Burr community. We are thrilled to report that we have 30 countries on board for this year!
In order to ensure the ongoing success of this event, we're asking Burr families who plan to attend the festival to please let us know as soon as you can whether you can help us out with these important final preparations:
Potluck Snacks Needed!
Contact Kelly Brown at kellyebrown@verizon.net if you can bring snacks to share.
We share potluck snacks at the festival. Nut-free, room temperature goodies are needed! Here are some ideas: Irish soda bread, German pretzels, Caribbean fried plantains, English biscuits, Chinese fortune cookies, Eastern European Jewish rugelach, and American faves such as cookies and brownies.If the food is from a particular cultural tradition, please include an index card with the country of origin/significance and ingredients. Suggested quantities are for about 20 people.
Helpers in rooms needed!
Contact Sloane Goldhagen at sloanego@gmail.com if you can sign up for a volunteer shift.
We have over 50 Burr parents who are helping to host 30 different countries at the festival. They could really use extra sets of hands in their rooms.If you love the festival or love learning about other cultures, it is a really fun job! You might help with a simple craft, or a game, or help hand out stickers - fun and easy stuff! If you think you could help for a portion of the festival, please let us know. Please contact Sloane Goldhagen if you have questions about volunteering shifts at the festival. Sloane will contact you to arrange a great assignment!
Parade marchers!
Contact Ellen Chu at elevenatian@gmail.com with your child's name and the country flag they will march under.
All Burr kids can join in the flag parade!Just let Ellen know as soon as you can which country your child will march with so we'll know which flags to have on hand for the parade this year. We'll make an announcement at the festival around 3:45 pm for all the kids to report to Ms. Frail's classroom to assemble for the parade.
General questions about the Festival?
Please contact Dana Hanson, Ann Langenfeld,
or Jackie Gelb.Thanks!
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Get a quick start on your summer reading with the Burr Bookswap!
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It's that time of the year... time to clean out the closets, dust off the bookshelves, and send your gently-used K-5 books (no pre-school books please!) off to school between April 2-13, in a bag clearly marked with your student's name and teacher. In exchange, students get to choose books from various categories, ranging from early readers to classics, non-fiction to hobbies and sports. Every student will get to choose at least one book, but the more you send the more he or she can choose! Every year we have many books left over and several charities in the area get the gift of reading from our generous Burr families. Collections will begin April 2nd every morning through April 13th. The book swap will be held on Tuesday, April 24th.We also need plenty of help collecting and sorting books, and setting up and staffing the swap. Please sign up to help out if you have a few minutes to spare. Your help will be greatly appreciated! |
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Parents Night Out at the Skellig
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Saturday, March 31, 6-9pm
$10 tickets in advance, $15 at the Door
Live music and food
Do not miss it -It will be epic!
If you would like to order tickets in advance, send check or cash in an envelope marked Skellig through your child's backpack. Please include your name either in or on the envelope so we'll have your name at the door and you can just walk right in.
781 443-5909
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Mark Your Calendars - Chateau Night is coming next month!
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Bring your whole family, or grab a sitter plan a grown-up night out, for a great meal at the Chateau Restaurant in Waltham on Wednesday, April 11th from 5-8 pm and 20% of your total bill will go to Burr! Just print this coupon and present it to the waitperson when paying your check. Take-out counts too! You can also make multiple copies of the coupon to hand out to friends and family. We hope to see you there!
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Library Gift Book Sale is Coming! | |
This is your chance to recognize your child's teacher by purchasing a book for the library and dedicating it to a special teacher. The sale will take place during the week before the May Fair. We need volunteers for the following really easy jobs 1. Make copies of the book list and distribute to the student folders 2. Make copies of the sale notice for student folders 3. Help "sell" books before and after school - even if you can only take one shift 4. Help "sell" books at the May Fair 5. Enter dedications with student and teacher names into a spreadsheet 6. Help stick the labels and teacher letters into the purchased books 7. Distribute books to the classrooms If you think you can help with any one or more of these tasks, please email Gretchen Becker. |
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Save the Date: NewtonSERVES is on Sunday, April 29th
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This is a day that the city coordinates community service projects all over the city. We have registered Burr as a work site. In years past we have painted classrooms, repaired furniture, painted book shelves, prepped the garden, laid mulch, shoveled wood chips onto the playground, weeded, trimmed branches etc... Questions? Contact Kelly Brown or Bill Hoch 
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NewtonPAC for Special Education: Managing the Work of Homework, Tuesday, April 3, 7:30pm
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How can parents develop and nurture their children's executive functioning skills? Come hear a presentation by Linda Broderick, M.Ed. and Carla Brady, M.S., CCC, of Architects For Learning at
The Education Center, 100 Walnut Street, Newton, Room 210.
After a long day at school, even the most organized and capable students may find themselves challenged to initiate, organize, and self-regulate the homework process. Parents face the daunting task of providing just right supports, while attempting to determine which supports and strategies will actually help their children succeed.
Students can become successful Homework Project Managers by developing and using consistent, self-guided processes that allow them to complete homework independently and efficiently. During this presentation Broderick and Brady will review one effective model useful for students of all ages. They will also discuss specific strategies embedded in the model and explore how parents can develop and nurture their children's executive functioning skills.
Networking and light refreshments begin at 7:15 pm.Please RSVP to info@newtonpac.org to ensure enough handouts. All Newton Parent Advisory Council for Special Education meetings are free and open to the public.
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Understanding Temperament: Getting to Really Know Your Own Child, Tuesday, March 27, 7pm
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Want to better understand your child's unique temperament and how s/he will best thrive and grow? Join psychologist Deborah Weinstock-Savoy who will present Understanding Temperament - Getting to Really Know Your Own Child on Tuesday, March 27, 2012 from 7:00-8:30 pm. This free parenting presentation will be held at Mason-Rice Elementary School, 149 Pleasant St 02459. No registration required. Dr Weinstock-Savoy, a dynamic presenter, will lead parents in reflecting on their own personality style and unique parenting strengths. Four major temperamental styles in children will be explored and how the qualities of introversion and extroversion interact with temperament. Deborah Weinstock-Savoy, is a licensed psychologist with a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology and over twenty years of professional experience working with families and educators. Questions? Contact 617-244-INFO. Co-sponsored by the Freedman Center for Child & Family Development at the Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology and The Newton Partnership.
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Bid on a date with Ms. Johal at the MOS - Support the Global Education Leadership Fund!
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In Newton we are lucky to have many wonderful programs supporting our children. One such program at the two high schools is the Global Education Leadership Fund (GELF), which benefits lower income Newton students aspiring to participate in our international educational programs.
Here are three ways in which you can support GELF:
1.Bid on an auction item, including one by Principal Johal who has donated four Museum of Science tickets, Omni Show AND Lunch with Ms. Johal OR challenge Superintendent Fleishman in a one hour tennis lesson and much more.
2.Come to the upcoming GELF dinner on March 24th, which includes a five-course tasting menu with selected wines inspired by the various international regions our scholarship students have explored. Your hosts and servers for the evening will include the Superintendent, and our high school, middle, and elementary school principals. The evening concludes with dancing to live music. You can purchase seats, $125/person, by clicking here or sending a check to Newton Schools Foundation, 100 Walnut Street, Newton MA 02460.
3.Can't make the dinner but still want to support GELF efforts? Consider donating to Support a Teacher to attend the event
($75/person) or just mail a check to the address above.
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Flying High - North Cambridge Family Opera
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Please come to the North Cambridge Family Opera's American premiere of:  FLYING HIGH Music by Graham Preskett Book and Lyrics by John Kane
featuring three Burr families:
Maggie and Poppy Needham
Dina Gorelik
Yuval and Gal Agam
Flying High is the story of a wildly successful but unhappy pop star
and a band just starting out, and how they both seek fulfillment in the
unscrupulous world of the music industry.This production comprises two 40-minute acts.
Catch the shows at the Peabody School,
70 Rindge Avenue, Cambridge MA (North Cambridge, between Porter Square and Arlington). Showtimes: 1. Saturday, March 24 at 7:00pm 2. Sunday, March 25 at 5:00pm 3. Saturday, March 31 at 3:00pm 4. Sunday, April 1 at 1:00pm Admission this year is free. NCFO welcomes donations and
suggests $5.00 for children, $10.00 for adults. But, to make
also $5.00 for children, $10.00 for adults (several shows sold
out last year). Seating is general admission.
Come early to make sure you get a good seat!
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Donate Your Used Bikes | |
 Donate Used Bicycles: Do you have an unused bike in your garage? Turn it into a tax deduction while also supporting Bikes Not Bombs.
Bring your bikesto the First Unitarian Church in West Newton, 1326 Washington St., on April 15th between 10am and 2pm along with a $10 donation per bike. Bikes of all styles and sizes are accepted...even old bike parts! Bikes are sent to developing countries and are used here in New England to teach mechanical skills to worthy kids who get to keep the fruits of their labors. For more information go to Bikes Not Bombs or email joyce.pollock@gmail.com.
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Free Running Clinic for Heartbreak Hill Road Race
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Kids ages 8 to 18 running in the 20th anniversary Newton Heartbreak Hill Road Race on Sunday, April 15, are invited to the John M. Barry Boys & Girls Club of Newton on Sunday, March 25th at 2:30 PM for a free Running Clinic. The Boys and Girls Club is located at 675 Watertown Street in Newtonville.
Rick Muhr - a twelve time Boston Marathon qualifier and experienced coach who has trained thousands of runners throughout the world will host the clinic where he will teach kids proper running technique and help them prepare for the Heartbreak Hill Road Race.
Preregistration is not required for the clinic and it will last approximately 90 minutes. Families are welcome and participants should wear proper clothing and footwear for athletic activity. For more information contact David Sellers or Newton Community Pride
When responding, please be aware that the Massachusetts Secretary of State has determined that most email is public record and therefore cannot be kept confidential.
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