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Mark your Calendar
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8:30am Parent-Principal Coffee
October 6, 2014
8:45am Creative Arts and Sciences Coffee
October 8, 2014
International Walk to School Day
October 9, 2014
12:30 Early Release
October 13, 2014
No School
Columbus Day
October 20, 2014
Burr Flu Clinic
October 25, 2014
Halloween Family Fun Night
October 30, 2014
12:30 Early Release
November 7-9
Playground Installation
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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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Gift for Burr 2014 is Underway!
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Every family should have received, in their child's backpack last week, a red envelope announcing the launch of Gift for Burr 2014. Inside was information detailing all of the many ways your donation is so important to our school. Help us get this year's campaign off to a roaring start!
Contributions to the Gift for Burr can be made with a check sent to school in your child's backpack, or by visiting the Gift for Burr website and clicking the yellow "Donate" button.
And remember - if your employer has a matching gift program, you can double your gift! Our Tax ID # is 043574938 - All gifts are 100% tax deductible. Just email us at GiftforBurr@burrpto.org for more information. POTENTIAL REWARD FOR EARLY DONORS!: All families who make a contribution by next Friday, October 17th at noon will automatically be entered in a live drawing for a $50 gift certificate to The Local restaurant in West Newton.
Help us wrap up this year's campaign early. Submit your Gift for Burr today and get the chance to toast (for free) to the benefits of speedy giving!
Thank you!
The Gift for Burr Committee
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 The Playground is scheduled to be delivered the week of October 20th and built the weekend of Nov 7th. Can you even believe it's finally here?! The Playground Committee is hard at work going through all the details.
One detail is for certain though, we need all hands on deck. EVERYONE. The playground will be a community build. We are confident that our community will come out in force just as it did to fundraise for the playground!
The installation is scheduled for Nov 7th, 8th and 9th. We're looking for volunteers 18 and older to build on Friday and Saturday, with some wrap up on Sunday. Please take a look at the sign up form and put yourself down for some time, any time. Please pass the word to family, friends, neighbors, Burr alums, coworkers, etc.
Key dates are: Week of 10/13 old playground gets torn down. We should have a going away party for it, no? Week of 10/20 new playground delivered. Prepare site. Week of 10/27 continue site prep. Week of 11/3 install week! November 7th, 8th & 9th.
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October 6th, 8:45am, Cafetorium
Creative Arts & Sciences Coffee
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 On Monday, October 6th, discover how your PTO dollars inspire learning at Burr with Creative Arts and Sciences. We'll meet in the Cafetorium at 8:45am to talk about this year's programs which include presentations from naturalists, engineers and authors such as Brian Lies who created the New York Times best seller Bats at the Library. Click here for a full list of programs for the 2014-2015 school year. The meeting is open to anyone interested in volunteering or learning more about CASC. We'll have coffee and baked goods, so stop by even if you just want a snack.
Email Beth Tierney at bethtierney@comcast.net or Audrey Gallo at audreykgallo@gmail.com with any questions and we hope to see you on the 6th!
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International Walk to School Day
Wednesday, October 8
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This Wednesday, Burr will once again join with all the Newton elementary schools - and thousands of children around the world - to participate in International Walk to School Day. Make plans to leave the car at home and walk or bike with friends and neighbors! If you can't walk with your kids, arrange for them to walk with a friend. Taking the bus also reduces the number of cars on the road, so kids riding the bus are participating too!
Please make every effort to participate - the goal of this event is to show how much healthier and more fun it is to walk to school - and how much safer our school zone is without all the cars. The hope is that after participating, families will continue to walk whenever possible. This event is sponsored by the Massachusetts Safe Routes to School program and MassRIDES, which provides the handouts we'll have for all the walkers, bikers, and bus riders!
Can you help the morning of the event? Want to get involved with other Walk/Bike and Safe Routes activities? Send us an email at BurrSafeRoutes@burrpto.org.
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Halloween Family Fun Night!
Please sign up to help!
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 October 25, 2014 from 6 to 7:30pm
We have many Volunteer Opportunities available for this spooktacular event. Helping hands are needed for Set Up, Actual Event and Clean Up. Please consider taking on a Volunteer Shift and/or Making a Food/Drink Donation. Please sign up at bit.ly/HFFNsignup
For a monetary contribution, please use the HFFNVolunteer Request Form and submit in your child's folder by October 13th. Any cash donations will be used toward the building permit and materials.
Friday, October 24th
5-9pm Set Up
Saturday October 25th
6-7:30pm Actual Event
7:30-9pm Clean Up.
If you are interested in taking on an even bigger role, we are always looking for more folks to learn the ropes and to be part of our planning committee. Please contact us with any questions.
Marlene Gibson: gibsonmarlenem@gmail.com
Louisa Hunt: louhunt9@gmail.com
HFFN is a free event sponsored by Burr PTO and funded by your donations.
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Get Smart: Learning About Mindsets
by Kalpana Guttman, Burr Literacy Specialist
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 At Curriculum Night, Ms. Johal mentioned the book Mindsets by Carol Dweck, and referred to the fact that Burr teachers have been working for the past two years on learning about Mindsets. We have worked on changing our own mindsets from Fixed to Growth mindsets and changing the language and attitudes we bring to our work with children. Below is a link to a website that talks about the research that Dweck and researchers did at Stanford and what powerful ideas they have to put forward. The link is:
http://mindsetonline.com/whatisit/about/
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Reminder - Burr Flu Clinic:
Wednesday, October 20
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The Burr School clinic will be on Wednesday October 20th. Each student to be vaccinated must have a parent/guardian complete two forms: a consent/screening form and a vaccine administration record/insurance form. Forms are available in the school nurse's office, or may be downloaded at www.newtonma.gov/flu. Forms are due to the School Nurse Monday October 20th.
Parents may choose the flu shot or the nasal spray flu vaccine for their child. Parents must indicate the type of vaccine they wish their child to receive by checking it on the form.
Vaccine Information Statements about each type of vaccine are available for review at www.newtonma.gov/flu or in the school nurse's office. There is no cost to receive the vaccine, but insurance information is requested.
Seasonal flu vaccine is offered at no cost to families because the Massachusetts Department of Public Health is providing vaccine to communities who choose to vaccinate school-age children. The City of Newton Health & Human Services Department is providing the vaccination supplies and staff time to run the program, with the help of Medical Reserve Corps volunteers. Some costs will be recouped through insurance billing. All students, regardless of insurance status, are invited to receive vaccine with parent permission.
Students are not required to receive flu vaccine, however the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends flu vaccine for all people age 6 months and up. There are many places to get a flu vaccine including at school, your primary health care provider or community clinics. For additional clinic dates for the whole family, visit www.newtonma.gov/flu.
In addition to vaccination, it is important to practice good hand hygiene and cough etiquette by washing hands often; covering coughs and sneezes with a tissue or the arm; and staying home when sick.
For more flu prevention tips, talk to the school nurse or check out these websites: www.newtonma.gov/flu. and www.cdc.gov/flu
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Safe and Supportive Schools Presentation
Wednesday, October 8, 7:00-9:00pm
Newton North High School Auditorium
457 Walnut St.
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The Newton Parent Advisory Council for Special Education and the Trauma & Learning Policy Initiative, a collaboration of Massachusetts Advocates for Children and Harvard Law School, invite parents, educators and others to a free presentation on the Safe and Supportive Schools Framework, part of a recent Massachusetts law. Joe Ristuccia of the Trauma & Learning Policy Initiative, author, School Psychologist and Adjunct Professor at Lesley University, will discuss how adverse childhood experiences have a neurobiological and psychological impact on children that can undermine their ability to learn, form relationships, and self-regulate their behavior. Ristuccia will discuss how the new Safe and Supportive Schools Framework will support schools to address the needs of all students. The talk will be introduced by State Representative Ruth Balser, and followed by an open discussion.
For more information, contact: Lucie Chansky at luciec@comcast.net (617) 244-7310 or Greg Smith at gregsmithpm@gmail.com (617) 584-9993
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 This cute little dog was found last Fri. or Sat. on California St. - please help to spread the word! If anyone knows who owns it, call us at 617-630-0952. Or, call Newton Police 617 796-2100.
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New TV's 2014 After School Program
November 3-26, Wednesdays 3:00-4:30pm
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A free, 4-week course held at your school during after school hours. You will learn how to storyboard, write scripts and use video cameras to create music videos and public service announcements, which will then be aired on NewTV's Education Channel!
Classes will be maxed out at 12 students and registration will be on a first come, first serve basis. To sign up, please contact NewTV's Director of Educational Media, Joe Garozzo at joeg@newtv.org.
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Registration Open for 3rd Annual Family Book Event with Author, Rob Buyea
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 Understanding Our Differences will hold its 3rd Annual Family Book Event on Tuesday, October 21, 2014 at 7:00 p.m. at Newton South High School Auditorium. The featured author is
Rob Buyea, who will talk about and sign his popular, award-winning middle grade novel, Because of Mr. Terupt. The book shares the stories of seven 5th grade students, their insightful new teacher, and his impact on students of all abilities. Admission is free for children and NPS employees. Requested donation at the door is $10 for adults.
Online registration for this author conversation and book signing is now open at:
http://www.understandingourdifferences.org/mrterupt/
For more information, contact us at:
info@UnderstandingOurDifferences.org.
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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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