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Mark your Calendar
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September 8, 2014 5:30 - 7:30pm Back to School Picnic September 15, 2014 Picture Day September 18, 2014 Curriculum Night
September 22, 2014
8:30am Parent-Principal Coffee September 25, 2014 No School Rosh Hashanah
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Use this link when you shop at Amazon and 6% of your purchase will go to Burr!
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Click to learn more or to donate today!
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From Ms. Johal's Desk
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Dear Burr Families,
Welcome to the 2014-2015 school year! We have had an excellent opening of school with happy children and staff filling the school with positive energy. I hope these first few days of transition back to school have gone smoothly for you. I am excited to begin this journey towards another invigorating and rewarding school year with you.
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. They helped move several staff members to new classrooms and office spaces. I thank them both for the countless hours of hard work they have put in this summer.
If you haven't seen the new library yet, be sure to pop in on Curriculum Night. It looks amazing. Ms. Lawton, our new librarian (formerly 3rd grade teacher at Burr) spent many weeks making this transformation happen. She is very excited about her new position and I'm looking forward to the implementation of some of her wonderful ideas.
We have also had quite a bit of work completed by the city and school department. Some areas of the building have been painted, the lobby, inclusion room and office were tiled, and the old tennis courts have been removed to provide more green playing space for the children.
Maura Albano, our executive administrative assistant, and several Burr parents have been instrumental in helping us get ready for the opening of school. 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 that help them get to know their new classmates and teachers. They are working collaboratively to come up with classroom rules that will create an environment that supports their work and play together this year.
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 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.
Nicki Eastburn Special Education Team Specialist
Kaylan Finn Special Educator
Karyn Sherman Inclusion Facilitator
Leah Carboneau Inclusion Facilitator (part time)
Nicole Feroleto Math Coach
Eliscia Picard Music Teacher
Tom Sheperd Music Teacher (strings)
Amanda Murgia PE (Monday and Thursday mornings)
Karen Beaty Art Teacher (Monday and Thursday)
Danielle Tripi Occupational Therapist
Mary Berkley Kindergarten aide
Nick Telles K Inclusion Aide
Maria McMinn K Inclusion Aide
Molly Downs Gr. 5 Inclusion Aide
Emily Hanke Gr. 5 Inclusion Aide
Cameron Tabatabaie Substitute Teacher
Sam Fogel Substitute Teacher
Julia Hurley Northeastern Coop
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, on Curriculum Night on September 18, and at the first Parent Principal Coffee on September 29. Please be sure to check the Burr School PTO website for up-to-date information about scheduled events and for the many volunteer opportunities. Our wonderful PTO Co-Presidents, Jaye Schneider, Sloane Goldhagen, and Marlene Gibson are easily accessible and can help you find the perfect project.
I am looking forward to a wonderful year as we work together to ensure that each child's school experience is an exceptional one. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions, concerns, or suggestions for our continued improvement.
Sincerely,
Mindy Johal
mindy_johal@newton.k12.ma.us
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***A Few Important Reminders***
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Security Information - Visitors to the Schools - Expectations and Procedures
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 visitors should not enter the building as children exit.
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 your cooperation.
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.
Student Contact Information: Parents are asked to update contact information online. As you know, it is crucial that the school has correct and updated student/parent contact
information throughout the year. Please be sure to keep this updated throughout the year.
Student Absence/Tardy Notification: If your child will be tardy or absent on a given day, please call the "call back" number to leave a message: 617-559-9380. Please do not call the main number.
Messages: Please DO NOT call the office to have us give messages to your child unless it is an emergency. With 400+ students in the building, taking and delivering messages overwhelms the office and disrupts classrooms. Please make after school arrangements and tell your child what these are, before sending him/her to school. We appreciate your cooperation in this matter.
BLUE ZONE: PLEASE abide by the Blue Zone rules to ensure that dismissal and drop off is as safe as possible for our children. Students in grade K-2 should be picked up on the school side of the road. This will ensure that the teachers see you pull up and can get your child to you quickly and safely. Any motor vehicle may stop in a Blue Zone location only long enough to let a child enter or exit the vehicle. There is no parking in the Blue Zone before or after school.
The two zones (directly in front of the school and directly across from it) are marked by signs. Also, there is a "No Turning in Driveways" policy for cars. Since most of our students walk to school and cross two school driveways or the Gazebo driveway opposite the school, we can only be sure of their safety when cars do not pull into the driveways to reverse direction. It takes a little longer to continue around the block, but please do observe the rules to protect our children.
Please do not park in the teachers' parking lot. Parking is difficult at Burr. To alleviate this problem I encourage driving around the block, car-pooling, walking children to and from school, having children walk across the field and picking them up on Lexington
Street. Thank you for your cooperation with this issue. Click here for more information about the bluezone.
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Volunteer to be a Room Parent!
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 What is a Room Parent? Glad you asked! Room Parents act as a liaison/communicator between teachers and classroom parents. (This does not mean a lot of time spent in the classroom-much of the heavy lifting is done via email.) Room Parents also help the PTO spread the word about upcoming activities and volunteer opportunities.
At least two Room Parents are needed for each classroom. No experience necessary! If you're a newbie, this is a great way to get to know your child's teacher. If you're a seasoned Burr vet, we'd love to have you volunteer again.
For more information, look for the flyer in your child's folder. If you have any questions or want to volunteer, contact Beth Viveiros at bethnpaulv@comcast.net or 617-916-2761.
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Hospitality Committee Organizes Back to School Lunch - Many Thanks to Volunteers
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 The Hospitality Committee is happy to report that Burr teachers and staff enjoyed both the End-of-the Year Luncheon and the Back to school Luncheon sponsored by the Burr parents. Thanks to your monetary contributions, we were able to purchase delicious food and cold drinks to serve at the luncheon. We added some bright flowers, homemade side dishes and a variety of desserts.
We want to thank the following people for donating an item or helping with set-up and clean-up at the luncheons:
Tracy Carter, Jenny Heinstein, Hema Rao, Audrey Gallo, Hussein Saouli, Lisa Pagana, Florence Nephtali, Betsy Kontoleon, Gail Cole, Deanna Salemme, Janelle Kwon, Christine Dutt, Tracey Carmichael, Andrea Flint, Jennifer Frankel, Stacey Richard, Sloane Goldhagen, Dana Hanson, Alison, Sharma, Beth Tierney, Barbara Thompson, Ted Vahey, Janhavi Wadwani, Valerie Wastcoat, and Jason Wong.
The Hospitality Committee is looking for new volunteers. If you are interested, please contact Sloane Goldhagen: sloanego@gmail.com.
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Newton Child Assault Prevention (CAP) Program Seeking Volunteers
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Are you someone that believes that all children have the right to be "Safe, Strong and Free?" If so, then join our dynamic team of trained CAP volunteers who are committed to teaching children in the Newton Elementary Schools the skills that they would need to stand up for themselves if faced with a situation involving verbal, physical or sexual assault. We are now accepting applications for the 2014-2015 school year.
The next training begins the week of October 18th. 19 Continuing Education Credits available for MSWs. For more information or an application, please visit our website at or email Gail Sommer.
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Newton Parent Advisory Council for Special Education Meeting
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The Newton Parent Advisory Council for Special Education (NewtonPAC) will meet on September 17, 2014 for a session for the parents and guardians of any child with special needs. We will have a dessert potluck (contributions welcome!), with time for networking and getting to know each other, and we will plan the PAC's meetings and events for the 2014-2015 school year. Come and meet other parents of kids with special needs in a relaxed, informal setting!
Date: September 17, 2014
Time: 7:30-9:00 p.m.
Place: Room 210 at the Education Center, 100 Walnut Street
Any questions, or if you'd like to sign up to bring a dessert, feel free to email Eileen Sandberg, PAC chairperson. Thanks!
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| Destination Imagination Information Session |
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The Destination Imagination program encourages teams of learners to have fun, take risks, focus and frame challenges while incorporating STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics), the arts, and service learning. DI students learn patience, flexibility, persistence, ethics, respect for others and their ideas, and the collaborative problem solving process.
More than 1.5 million youth have taken part in Destination Imagination problem-solving challenges in the past 30 years. Participating in DI has helped them develop critical thinking skills they can apply to their future schooling and careers and give them a competitive advantage for the rest of their lives.
Last year, 80 students from nine different Newton Public Schools participated in Regional and State competitions. Come to our "DI Info Nights" to find out more about enrolling your child in a life changing experience. Wednesday, September 10th, 2014 from 7:00-8:00PM Burr Elementary Cafeteria
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| Newton Community Ed Classes at Burr |
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Looking for an affordable, conveniently located, after-school activity for your child? Newton Community Education is offering the following classes AT BURR this fall: Mad Science: Soar Into Space (Wednesdays, Grades 1-3), Lego Machine Power & Robotics (Fridays, Grades 2-4), Wicked Gross Lego Imagineers (Fridays, Grades K-1) Chinese Brush Painting (Wednesdays, Grades K-2), Chess (Tuesdays, Grades 1-5), Karate (Thursdays, Grades K-2), Actors Studio (Mondays, Grades 1-5). We will also be offering language clubs in Chinese, French and Spanish for Grades K-5 at Burr. NCE offers many other weekday afternoon classes like Mixed Media, Sports Jam, The Stockmarket Game, Yoga, Fencing, Pottery,and Archery at other nearby Newton schools. And don't forget our adult classes! NCE offers many opportunities to do what you love or try something new. Visit newtoncommunityed.org for a complete listing of our fall classes or to register. Or, give us a call at 617-559-6999.
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For more announcements about Newton community events, enrichment programs, sports programs, summer and school vacation camps, and other resources, please visit the Community section of the Burr PTO website:
Additional information can be found at:
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