| Mark your Calendar |
MCAS Switch Day - 3pm dismissal
March 20, Wednesday
12:30pm Early Release
4th Grade Creative Arts & Sciences
March 28, 7pm
Burr School on agenda at Newton Traffic Council Meeting
April 3rd
Chateau Night
April 4th
Burr Parent Social
April 10th, 7pm
PTO Meeting
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From Ms. Johal's Desk
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 Dear Burr Families,
It is a positive time to be an educator in the City of Newton. The passing of the override clearly demonstrates the community's investment in the future of our schools. Here at Burr it means we can move forward with the addition of a modular classroom and begin the process of hiring additional staff needed to accommodate our growing enrollment. Superintendent Fleishman will present the specifics of the proposed FY14 budget to the School Committee later today.
As you know, March is a busy time for us at Burr as teachers plan for conferences, implement rich units of study, and prepare our 3rd,4th and 5th grade students for State testing. It is a time during which we both concentrate on the current school year and begin looking toward next year as well. We begin to consider potential program and schedule changes for the upcoming academic year that will help improve the way we meet the needs of our students. Part of planning for the future is reviewing current practice and building upon what is successful. Let me share some of what has been going on at Burr this month to support parent, teacher, and student learning.
 Laura Perkins, our school social worker, presented a two-part parent workshop on "Managing Challenging Behaviors in Children" which received great reviews. She shared "1-2-3 Magic" a highly successful technique developed by Dr. Thomas Phelan. Participants appreciated Laura's expertise and are eager to have her offer follow up sessions. Please be sure to contact Laura via email if you are interested in attending a workshop or learning more about this technique.
At this month's Parent Principal Coffee we discussed the movie "Race to Nowhere" which addresses the pressure some children feel to be high achievers. The discussion focused on the expectation of Burr parents and teachers and ways that we can work together to support students as we continue to provide a rigorous and engaging academic experience. The following two resources were referenced during our meeting and may be of interest to many of you:
- Healthy Homework Toolkit
- Helping a Worrier Become a Warrior
The topic of focus for our next PTO meeting on April 10th will be cyber safety. We had an excellent discussion earlier this year led by Eileen Keane, Burr Technology Specialist, and many of you requested that we revisit this topic during an evening meeting. Cyber safety is an important part of our curriculum at Burr as we embrace the use of technology to enhance student learning.
In my last newsletter, I shared how technology is leveraged to support learning in the 4th grade classrooms, and for today's newsletter I invited the kindergarten and 5th grade teachers to share how they are using technology in their classrooms.
In kindergarten, technology has changed the way teachers present their lessons. The ELMO (document camera) and projector have been valuable tools that the teachers use to project images onto a large screen that are then visible and accessible to all students in the room. Teachers use these tools daily to model literacy activities, project book and poems for read-alouds, and to give directions for math and literacy games. The ELMO can also be used to share student work and project videos/photos/websites for whole class viewing. In coming weeks the teachers will use proscopes to look at 'mystery creatures.' The proscopes are like mini-microscopes that can be hooked up to a laptop to project clear and magnified images onto the large screen.
 Kindergarten teachers are also excited about using iPads for literacy and math with their students. They work closely with the literacy and technology specialists to review different apps that support teaching and learning goals. The kindergarten teachers are working towards having iPad centers in their classrooms where students can work independently and collaboratively on different projects. With the additional iPads purchased this year, this work is now possible.
 In addition, kindergarteners have learned to use laptops to create their own self-portraits using the KidPix program and to access different websites that support their learning. Newton technology benchmarks require all kindergarteners to become familiar with navigating their way around a laptop, using a mouse and a trackpad.
In 5th grade the teachers report that classroom technology gives their students the chance to apply 21st century skills through collaboration, critical thinking, and synthesizing their learning and understanding. Fifth graders regularly use GoogleDocs to create, edit, and publish their writing. Students include teachers on all their docs and use the share feature with the teacher allowing him/her to track students' revisions and monitor their progress. The teachers are in the process of teaching students how to make helpful online comments to their fellow classmates using GoogleDocs. This is an exciting addition to using GoogleDocs and the comments will help classmates improve writing and learn how to collaborate, create, and deepen their own understanding of the writing process.
Fifth graders use laptops in math and ELA. They learn how to use databases to do research projects and access websites that are used to support classroom activities. The teachers are excited to start using iPads in the classroom and to explore how this new tool can support learning. As a team they work to evaluate websites to ensure that the content is appropriate and aligned with the Common Core State Standards. Teaching students to be responsible cyber citizens and to look at web tools with a critical eye is an important part of the 5th grade experience.
Teachers in both kindergarten and 5th grade see technology as a powerful tool to enhance the teaching and learning process. I'd like to thank both teams for taking the time to consider how technology is impacting the teaching and learning at their grade levels. I am looking forward to sharing the work of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd graders with you in upcoming newsletters.
On Friday, we had a lockdown drill at Burr School. We invited the police department to observe and provide an assessment of our procedure. The police officers checked the building and were very impressed with the speed and efficiency in which the staff and students followed the lockdown protocol. We have a few areas that need attention. Teachers in two of the classrooms were unable to pull down their window shades completely and one classroom's door lock needs to be repaired. These will both be attended to within the next few days. The children were well prepared and handled the drill appropriately. The staff did a great job of supporting any students who were anxious or worried. It was very helpful to have parents alert us to the concerns that some children were expressing at home. Practicing these drills helps us to address areas that leave us vulnerable, and also familiarize staff and students with routines that can keep them safe in the event of a real emergency situation.
I enjoyed seeing so many of you at the International Potluck Dinner last Sunday. What a great turnout on such a beautiful day! My sincere thanks to the organizers for the hours they invested in making all the arrangements, and to the cooks who shared their family recipes. This event brings together so many families to enjoy each others' company, and we definitely see the difference here at school, as new friendships emerge and children come to school in good spirits having shared a positive experience with their peers.
I hope many of you will attend the PTO meeting on April 10th. I am sure the cyber safety discussion will be informative as we learn together how to support our children.
Have a wonderful week.
Mindy
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Mark Your Calendars - Chateau Night is coming April 3rd!
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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 3rd 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 print multiple copies of the coupon to give to friends and neighbors. We hope to see you there!
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Burr School on the Agenda at Newton Traffic Council Meeting, Thurs., Mar. 28, 7pm
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In the fall of 2011, in response to increasing traffic and safety issues in and around our school, the Burr School Council and Safe Routes Team asked the Newton Traffic Council to do a traffic study and make recommendations to improve traffic flow and safety in our School Zone. At a Traffic Council meeting in February of 2012, attended by a number of parents and neighbors, along with Ms. Johal and Alderman Jay Harney, the city Traffic Engineer displayed slides showing maps and photos of the area, along with the current parking restrictions and some "action" shots from morning drop-off and afternoon dismissal. After a lengthy discussion of the issues, it was clear that changes were needed given our growing population and increased traffic. Many options were discussed, with the goal being to increase safety and improve traffic flow while balancing the parking needs of neighbors and parents and the access needs for emergency vehicles. (The Traffic Engineer did explain that one suggestion frequently posed by parents - making Pine Street a One-Way, either permanently or at certain times of day - was not likely to be pursued, due to the length of the street and lack of side street access.) Several items were agreed upon as critical needs that were likely to meet with approval, and we were asked to re-docket those items to bring back to Traffic Council - which meant another wait to get back on the agenda. Finally, a year later, our turn has come! Our item is first on the agenda at the Traffic Council Meeting on Thursday, March 28, 7pm at City Hall, Room 222. You can view our requested items, as well as the complete agenda, here: Traffic Council Agenda - March 28, 2013 . All interested parents and neighbors are encouraged to attend - if you have any questions or comments, please email: SafeRoutes@burrpto.org.
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Burr School PTO /Creative Arts & Sciences Committee presents Lyn Littlefield Hoopes, poet-in-residence - Mar. 22
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 Due to a snow day on Mar. 8, Ms. Hoopes will return to Burr on Mar. 22 to complete her program. Ms. Hoope's emphasis is on the writing process, the joy of creating, being in the moment, and will share two workshops with the 4th graders. She collaborates with teachers on curriculum, and shares her own poetry and photography to help inspire students to concentrate deeply on an image in thought, and listen to their writer's voice.
While leading the students into writing their own poetry, Ms. Hoopes explores the power of metaphor, rhythm, voice, pattern, and teaches strategies for creating poetry like similes,
using the five senses, listening for voice and breaking lines, to create "a design with language." To find out more about Ms. Hoopes, visit www.lynhoopes.com
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Save the Date - Thursday, April 4!
It's a Burr "Parent Social" at the Cherry Tree
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 Drop in at the Cherry Tree in West Newton between 6:30 and 9:30pm to join other Burr parents for an informal gathering.
More details to come!
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International Potluck Dinner Thanks to All!
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 Many thanks to the over 250 Burr community members who attended our third International Potluck last weekend. What a wonderful (and delicious!) celebration of our school community. Of course, a potluck is all about the FOOD, so thank you to every person who contributed goodies--what an amazing selection of delicacies representing our individual cultural backgrounds. In addition to thanking everyone for attending and contributing food and supplies, we would like to especially thank the following people who helped make the event a success by volunteering their time:
Potluck Planning Committee: Kelly Brown, Ellen Chu, Bijal Dalal, Dana Hanson, Ann Langenfeld, Amanda Loftus, Susandra Pasaribu Ma, Stephanie Mamis, Hema Soundararajan
General Volunteers: Maeve & Ned Bartlett, Kristin Frohn, Marni Goldstein Caputo, Vicky Gifford, Jennifer Harris, Kristen Herbert, Jodi Klein, Iqbal Kurker, Kirti Kusum, Joe Langenfeld, Frank McGehee, Natalie Moresco, Maren Oslund, Coleen Rougeaux, Junko Shibuya (alumi parent!), Chika Shinozaki, Showa School of Boston students Mami & Marina, Martha Sweet, Janhavi Wadhwani, Yimin Wang, Wan Yu
Burr Student Alumni Volunteers: Emma Klein, Elizabeth Langenfeld, Miki Shibuya, Anna Shinozaki
A special thank you to our AMAZING dance instructor, Newton's own "Zumba at the Hut" instructor, Param Roychoudhury!
"Zumba at the Hut"(Newton Centre Hut 69 Tyler Terrace)
Mondays 6:45 - 7:45 pm
$8 for drop-in or $60 for pre-paid 10-pass
We look forward to next year when we will run our full Burr World Cultures Festival--we alternate these events each year.
Stay tuned...
Ann Langenfeld & Dana Hanson
World Cultures Celebrations
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Save the Date - Friday, May 10th!
Get a Sitter and Rock!!
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Burr dad David Herilhy (formerly from O Positive) and his band The Frogs are starting our rock n' roll night, followed by Burr dad Tom Dallaire and his band Scattershot.
Where: Skellig - Moody Street, Waltham
When: Friday May 10th, starting at 7:00pm and going until the closing lights come on
$10.00 per person in advance / $15.00 per person at the door
Everyone is welcome - bring your family, neighbors, friends
email jgiglio2067@gmail.com for further information
Let's Rock!!
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Burr Students in Family Opera Performance - Antiphony
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 Don't miss it! Come see five Burr second- and fifth-graders in the final two performances of the North Cambridge Family Opera. Antiphony is an uplifting, inspirational, and (especially) funny show for the whole family, featuring some industrious ants, a scheming fly, and a fiddling grasshopper who all have a lot to learn about what makes life worth living.The Burr families are in these two peformances: Saturday, March 23 at 3:00pm and Sunday, March 24 at 1:00pm, at the Peabody School, 70 Rindge Avenue, Cambridge MA. You can buy tickets at by clicking here.
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| Kindergarten Soccer registration deadline March 22 |
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 Registration for Kindergarten Soccer is Open
Register by
March 22 for the spring season!
Since 1993, Kindergarten Soccer has been introducing children to soccer in a fun and non-competitive environment, where girls and boys develop friendships, learn teamwork, and gain confidence. We play on Saturday mornings at Richardson Field in Waban, starting April 6. Join us and meet other Newton families! The program is open to all current Newton kindergartners, and all children who will enter kindergarten in Newton in the fall of 2013.
Kindergarten Soccer is a program of the Zervas Elementary PTO. For more information and for online registration, please visit our website: www.KindergartenSoccer.org.
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Newton's 1st Annual Latin American Fiesta
Saturday, Mar. 23
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The fiesta will bring together the sights smells, music, rhythms, foods, dances, games and arts & crafts of many of the 23 countries comprising Latin America. The gala Fiesta begins with primarily kids activities from 3pm - 5pm. The children will create beautiful crafts indigenous to different Latin American countries, such as bark painting from Mexico and molas from Panama. They will make musical 'instruments' and join in a 'batukada' (parade) through the Newton Cultural Center. The fun for the kids ends with a pinata, but begins for the whole family with music, dancing and delicious Latin American food from 5:30pm - 9pm.
Bring your dancing shoes and join in the rhythms of salsa, merengue and bolero music of Brazil, Cape Verde, Venezuela and Columbia. Artists featured are: Rosalba Dancers, Cruzamente with Tal Shaolm-Kobi, Entre Amigos and the Mauro Tortolero Band. There is beautiful jewelry for sale, created from the Tagua nuts from Colombia by Maria Olga Mizrahi's Baloka Jewelry, and handmade leather goods by Alvaro Lucena.
Admission is free, but please bring a non-perishable food item for the Newton Food Pantries. The Latin American Fiesta is co-sponsored by the Mayor's Office for Cultural Affairs and Newton Community Pride and it's sponsors. Please visit www.newtoncommunitypride.org for more information.
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