Burr News 

Dear Burr Families,

Welcome to the 2013-2014 school year! We've had an excellent opening of school with happy children and staff filling the school with positive energy. I am excited to begin this journey with you towards another invigorating and rewarding school year. The Burr School teachers have spent the last couple of weeks preparing their classrooms. Each room was artfully set up to welcome the children and help ease them into the new school year. How wonderful it must be for students to come into these brightly decorated classrooms with their names on cubbies and bulletin boards, and special messages from their teachers posted around the room. I love this time of year because there is always such promise of things to come. 

As you know, much effort goes into preparing the school for a new year. Behind the scenes, our fabulous custodians, Jack Tobin and Tony Marazzo, fixed, cleaned, and polished every corner of the school, and supported teachers as they have set up classrooms in new spaces. I thank them both for the countless hours of hard work they 
have put in this summer. We have also had quite a bit of work completed by the city and school department. Several classrooms were painted, the path from Lexington Road was repaved, the front steps to the school were repaired, and the new security system was 
installed. The modular installation will be a priority project for the coming weeks.

A big thank you goes to Maura Albano, my executive assistant, and to the parents who have helped to prepare for our school opening. So many of you have worked diligently behind the scenes by arranging play dates for our incoming kindergartners, getting out time sensitive information to the community, providing a delicious Back to School Luncheon for the staff, and planning the Back to School Picnic. Of course, this is just a sampling of all the great work that the Burr team has done to ensure the start of school is organized and that all families feel welcomed. 

I have spent these first few days of school popping into classrooms and getting a feel for how everyone is settling in. Students have been involved in assorted activities ranging from scavenger hunts to learn about their classmates and teachers, to writing and/or drawing about their hopes and dreams for the new school year. Teachers have given careful thought to how they will help set the tone for a year of emotional and academic growth for their young charges. 

I am looking forward to spending as much time as possible in the classrooms with students and teachers supporting and improving teaching and learning for the adults (myself included) and the children at our school. The commitment and expertise of the Burr staff is second to none. So many of them work above and beyond what is expected by quietly taking on projects for the good of the group. Leadership committees are being formed and teachers are looking at student data from last year and preparing for the fall assessments. This work will help us determine how to best meet the needs of each student. 

This year, the Burr staff joins their elementary colleagues across the district to roll out a new a writing program. This year each grade level will implement two new units: in narrative and opinion writing. The units are grade specific. Teachers will be supported by building based professional development and in-class coaching by our Literacy Specialist, Ms. Guttman. Three of our teachers, Ms. Fitch (K), Ms. Collins (Gr. 3), and Ms. Harris (Gr. 5), participated in training over the summer and will support their colleagues by working closely with Ms. Guttman, to model the lessons. These units are aligned with the Common Core State Standards and will help strengthen our students' communication skills.

This school year brings several new and talented staff members to the Burr community. Here is a full listing of all staff members new to Burr.

Teachers:

Samantha Bracy Grade 4 Co-taught

Kristen Beaupre Special Education Team Specialist

Stephanie Golas Technology Specialist

Annalee Harris Grade 5

Donna Johns Librarian (Fridays)

Erica Loucks Learning Center Teacher

Emily Manion PE (Monday and Thursday mornings)

Amanda McKenzie ELL

Helen Oh Grade 4

Qiana Rudek Kindergarten

Support Staff:

Dan Mangan Lunch Monitor/Aide

Pam McVey Literacy Aide

Christian Torres Instructional Support Staff

Ashley Saccoach Class size aide

Virginia Studley Building Aide.

Tanya Viti Kindergarten Inclusion Aide (Ms. McMahon)

Interns:

Briana Brown Grade 1 (Ms. Golden)

Jennifer Boyle Social Work

Jane Daniels Grade 5 Co-taught

Lucy Linderman Northeastern Co-op

Jillian Smiley Grade 4 Co-taught

Joelle Zeger Social Work

Student Teachers:

Kelly Bogonis Grade 3 (Ms. Canning)

Annie Boudian Grade 1 (Ms. Espinal)

Christina Federico Grade 3 (Ms. Lawton)

Kelly Flynn Grade 1 (Mr. Gaita)

Corrie Legge Grade 2 (Ms. Roberts)

Aliana Primeau Grade 4 (Ms. Robinson)

Carly Siperstein Kindergarten (Ms. Frail)

They are wonderful additions to our staff and I know we will all benefit greatly from the skills and expertise they bring. 

I hope to see many of you at the Back to School Picnic today, the Parent Principal Coffee on September 12, and Curriculum Night on September 26. I am looking forward to a wonderful year as we work together to ensure that each child's school experience is an 
exceptional one. 

Sincerely,

Mindy Johal 

Our new security system is now in place. All doors will open at 8:20 AM for arrival, and be locked at 8:40 AM. Visitors will need to ring the doorbell to enter the building during the day, sign in, and get a visitor badge. Visitors should also sign-out in the log book prior to leaving so that the Main Office has a record of who is in the building at anytime. 

At dismissal, we ask parents to wait outdoors for children. All doors will remain locked at dismissal and visitor should not enter the building as children exit.

Following dismissal, access to elementary school after school programs is available only at the designated afterschool program door which also has a video/audio/buzzer device controlled by afterschool program staff. 

Please realize that our office staff consists of one person, Ms. Albano, who has many other responsibilities. Please be patient if it takes a few minutes for her to buzz you in. If you need to pick up your child during the school day, please send in a note to the office 
indicating the time. This will facilitate the process.

Please remember:

* Security is only as good as those who use it.
* Never ask a staff member or child to open a locked door to allow you to enter.
* Do not allow others to come in who have not buzzed in and allowed access.
* Parents will be asked to wait outdoors for students at dismissal

Thank you for you cooperation as we work out this new system.

BCAP Pick up: 

Parent picking up kindergarteners from BCAP at 3pm should also wait outside. A BCAP staff member will bring your child outside to you. Do not come into the building at this time because the front lobby is filled with children waiting for the bus. This is one of the busiest times for the office staff as they work to get children home safely. Parents picking up after school should always go to the BCAP door and not the front entrance. 

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