Dear Burr Families,

It is truly beginning to look like spring is here! This past weekend was beautiful and the forecast for vacation week sounds promising. I hope you all have something enjoyable planned for the week. At Burr, this is a busy time of year. Across the grade levels students are participating in rich learning experiences and in each classroom there is evidence of children's academic and social growth. Teachers are planning end-of-year events and activities and also looking towards next year.

We have completed most of our kindergarten screening and are currently scheduling transition meetings for our graduating fifth graders. Each year we welcome new families to our community and say goodbye to others. We try hard to ensure that the events and activities planned to facilitate these transitions are thoughtfully done. Your input and feedback is always appreciated. We will be posting the dates for end-of-year events on the PTO School Calendar as soon as they are determined.

In May, we will begin working on class placement of our K-4 students.  I would like to share with you the placement process that we will follow.  Teachers at each grade level will meet together with special subject teachers, support staff and me to make specific recommendations for each student's placement.  This team already has a wealth of information about each child's learning style, interests and needs, yet we welcome any new information that you have regarding your child's exceptional strengths or needs, peers with whom your child performs well or poorly, or family issues that impact learning. 
 
If you have information you would like the team to consider, please write it on the "Optional Parent Information Sheet Regarding Placement" that we will send home this week.  The form must be returned to the office by May 3.  This will give you three weeks to fill out this form and return it to school. Even if you have already shared placement information with your child's teacher, you will still need to include it on this form. Please note that if you return the form after May 3, it will be too late for us to include your information in our process.  We begin our placement meetings in early May; when we receive information after the process has begun, it is very disruptive, so please adhere to the May 3 deadline. Please do not feel that you need to fill out a sheet to insure that your child receives careful consideration. On the other hand, do not assume that the teachers and I know about all of the peers with whom your child works well or poorly. 
 
Our goal throughout the placement process is to build balanced classes in which all children can succeed academically, emotionally, and socially.  Please remember that requests for a specific teacher, whether named or described, will not be accommodated, as this would make it impossible to create balanced classes.  Teachers will create balanced classes first and then teacher assignments to each class will be made.

 
The process of placing students is a long and complex one.  The time and effort we spend weighing all of the factors reflect the importance we place on creating an optimal learning environment for each student.  We ask that you respect the staff's professional judgment about the best class for your child next year.  We will let you know of your child's placement in mid-late August. The class lists will be emailed unless you request a paper copy be mailed to you. If your email address changes between now and August, please be sure to let us know.

MCAS Testing

Last week, Burr students took the last of the ELA MCAS tests. We will use today to make up any missed tests and then send the completed tests off to the Department of Education tomorrow. The children worked hard and put forth their best efforts. Our next testing block will be for math and science. Third and fourth graders will have two math sessions, and fifth graders will have two math and two science sessions. Please make every effort to ensure that your child is in school for the scheduled sessions. Each time we schedule a make up session we have to free up a testing space and a staff member to proctor the test. The testing dates are:

Appropriate School Dress

Each year when the weather warms up we have to remind the students about appropriate school dress requirements. I have asked all the teachers to remind the students about our dress code and ask that you also reinforce this at home. Children should not come to school wearing spaghetti strap tops, bare midriffs, low-cut or low-riding pants, or very short skirts. We also ask that they not wear flip-flops. Even some sandals can be dangerous on the playground. If your child is not dressed appropriately, please know that we will contact you to bring in a change of clothing.

As always, please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions, concerns, or suggestions. I hope to see many of you at our next PTO meeting on Wednesday, April 10th where we will discuss cyber safety. Burr staff members and parents who are knowledgeable in this area will help lead the discussion.

Have a wonderful week.

Mindy