Dear Families,

It is time for our first round of parent-teacher conferences. Hopefully, most of you have already signed up for a time to meet with your child's classroom teacher.  Fall conferences are a time for you and your child's teacher to discuss initial progress, set goals for the first half of the year, and to talk about anything that is specific to his/her education.  Below are some suggestions for you to think about as you prepare to confer with your child's teacher.  They were taken from publications of the National PTA and National Education Association. 

Parent-Teacher Conferences ~ Ideas for Parents

Getting Ready:  Talk to your child before the conference.  Find out what he/she thinks is going well; find out what he/she thinks are areas for improvement, and why.  Ask your child if there is anything he/she would like you to talk about with the teachers.  Make sure your child doesn't worry about the meeting and that he/she knows that this is a typical expectation that the school has to facilitate good communication between parents and teachers.  Help him/her understand that you and the teacher are meeting together to share information and support learning.

Before you come to school, write notes to yourself about:

• your child's life at home, any significant changes or information you feel is important for the teacher to know
• your observations and question about this year's curriculum
• questions about your child's progress
• ways that you and the school can work together to help your child

The Conference: Some good questions to ask are: 

• What are my child's strengths and weaknesses as a learner?
• Is my child working up to his or her ability?  How is his/her effort?
• Does my child participate successfully in class discussions and activities?
• How well does my child get along with others?
• How do you evaluate my child's progress?  What standards will he/she be evaluated on for the January report card?  What assessments do you use?

If the teacher says something you don't quite understand, be sure to ask for an explanation. Ask the teacher for specific suggestions for ways to help your child to improve. This is the most important part of the meeting.  It will become your action plan.  It's a good idea to end the conference by summing up decisions you have made together. If needed, ask to meet again.

After the Conference:  Start immediately on the action plan you and the teacher have worked out together.  Discuss the plan with your child; make sure that he or she knows that you and the teacher care.  To see if the action plan is working, watch your child's behavior and check your child's class work and homework.  (Young children need an adult to oversee their homework.  It's important to look in that backpack every night!)  Stay in regular touch with the teacher to discuss the progress your child is making.  Meeting with your child's teacher should help build strong parent-teacher partnerships - partnerships that are needed if you and your child's teachers are to reach your common goal: helping your child get the best education possible.

Other School News and Information

Community Service: As you know, one of our core values at Burr is to help students develop a strong sense of community. Studies have shown that there are many social and academic benefits for children who are connected with their communities. Burr parents and teachers set such a wonderful example as they work together to support the local and global community. I would like to highlight the work of our student community service group, BOOYA (Burr Organization of Youth Action). The group is led by fifth grade Ambassadors, their parents and teachers, Mr. Gaita and Ms. Cooley. Recently, members worked to clean up our garden classroom and every Monday several students come to school early for Litter Patrol. Thanks to their efforts, the Burr School grounds look fabulous. Please look out for announcement of upcoming community service events which will be posted in the Burr Bulletin. Burr students are learning the importance of all citizens making community contributions and how this can make a positive difference in our world.

Dismissal: Parent and caregivers picking up their children after school should wait at the bottom of the hill away from the exit doors. Teachers cannot lead their students down to the Blue Zone area quickly when students are picked up right outside the exit doors. This also causes the exit to become blocked making it unsafe for students as they leave the building.

Blue Zone dismissal is always difficult on a rainy day. Please remember to follow the Blue Zone rules at all time. Please be sure to go over these guidelines with grandparents and other caregivers who periodically pick up children and are not familiar with the routines. You can print out this information by going to the Safe Routes to Schools page. Thank you for your assistance and understanding.

CORI Forms: If you are planning to volunteer at Burr any time this year, you must have completed a CORI form.  If your name is already on Burr's list of people who have had CORIs approved within the past 3 years, you don't need to complete the form again this year.  We have the list of approved names, so please ask Maura Albano, our executive assistant, if you don't know whether or not you are on the approved list. If this is your first time completing a CORI form, Maura or I will need to see a picture ID in order to process your form. You can stop by the office any time between 7:30 AM and 3:30 PM to show us your picture ID. You may obtain a CORI form from the school or by downloading the form from district website.

Halloween: Children in grades 1-5 should not wear Halloween costumes to school. The teachers and I appreciate your understanding in this matter. The costumes and props are distracting and take time away from learning. The kindergarten classes only will take part in a costume parade on Wednesday, October 31st. Kindergarten parents will get information about this event from their child's classroom teacher. I look forward to seeing everyone's costumes at Halloween Family Fun Night on Saturday.

                                                                                      Sincerely,                                                                           

Mindy Johal