Various 6th Grade activities took place while the 8th Grade was at Cooper's Cove.  The theme of these activities was our new Middle Schoolers' membership in their class and the Middle School community, and their growing responsibilities in the Burgundy community and beyond.

The first project was a "books on tape" project to provide recordings of books to students in early childhood at Burgundy as well as to children served by the Wright to Read literacy program in Alexandria.  The specific books for our students to record were were chosen because they were appropriate for young readers, but also because they were primarily myths and origin stories that our sixth-graders have been studying in their integrated humanities program.  Along with the recordings, teacher Tom Kim spent some time talking about storytelling, and storyteller Gerald Hausman visited the class and shared some of his stories.

The second project was to paint games on the playground in front of the first grade building.  This is the first of many cooperative projects that 6th Grade does with its "buddy class."  

The third project was to create leaf printed note cards that we sold at the Fall Fair. Each card was printed in combinations of burgundy, gold and green, and decorated with a stripe made of burgundy-colored ribbon. In typical Burgundy fashion, this art and service project was also integrated with our study of trees, tree identification and herbivory, which began during our trip to the Cove and continued at Burgundy with in-depth statistical analysis of our data, use of technology such as spreadsheets and graphing calculators, science experiences learning about the food web, and artistic expressions, such as leaf-shape poems.The students first learned leaf-printing techniques during their fall Cove trip, where they made leaf print t-shirts.

Thanks again to all the volunteers who made the 2012 Fall Fair a great success. We had 260 parents and students, representing 184 families (83 percent of all Burgundy families) working for the Fall Fair. Together, they contributed approximately 500 hours the week of the Fair. In addition, 34 faculty, staff and non-parent Board members also gave their time on the day of the Fair. 

A special thanks to the movers and shakers who made it all happen:

Eric Heist, Fall Fair Chair

Tara Carter, Fall Fair Co-Chair and Chair of the 2013 Fall Fair

Fall Fair Activity Chairs, responsible for organizing and implementing activities:

• Artisan Mart - Kelley Sullivan
• Bake Sale - Audrey Dreibelbis
• Barnyard Visits - Linda Giordano
• Burgundy Mart - Azeb Idris and Ashenafi Belay
• Entertainment - Tricia Maher-Miller, Paul Miller and Cathy Manley
• Face Painting - Jill Reuter
• Food Tent - Amy Waller 
• Funnel Cakes -  Minh Vu
• Games - Tracy Camp-Johnston and Georgia Gillette 
• Haunted House - John Arnold
• Kids Closet - Jackie Norris and Sarah Zapolsky
• Lemonade Stand - Mary Sexton
• Moon Bounce - Jenn Bohnen
• Pumpkin Painting - Lori Adams and Cathy Guertin  
• Scarecrow Making - Rebecca Munroe
• Used Book Sale - Laura Dworken, Jane Hanson and Patty Spicer
• Volunteer Coordinator  (Parents) - Amy Heist
• Volunteer Coordinator (Middle School Students) - Diane Burr

Fall Fair Coordinators, responsible for recruiting parent volunteers needed from each class:

• JK: Alissa Anderson K Penguins: Christina French
• K Polar Bears: Nicole Padgett 
• 1st Classes: Valerie Sanders and Jennifer Weberski
• 2/3 Classes: Jacqui Norris and Mary Sexton
• 4/5 Classes: Kelley Abramson , Carmen Albertos and Joanne Harris
• 6: Hannah Brody
• 7: Stacy Carter
• 8: Maureen Sullivan

Many thanks to the members of our community who secured support from their businesses:

• Dave Evans, alumni parent and owner of La Prima Catering, who brought his signature chili to the Food Tent for the 22nd year
• Parent Tara Lloyd, who again secured advertisements for the Fair in four of the Connection Newspapers
• Parent Stephanie Babin, who donated cupcakes from Buzz Bakery

We also appreciate the support of: Interstate Van Lines (donation of trailer for Kid's Closet collection), Sunset Hills Baptist Church and Fairfax County School Technology Center (providing overflow parking), and the following businesses that donated to the Bake Sale: Giant, Great Harvest Bread Company, Krispe Kreme and Safeway.   

Has it been too long since you've played Candyland? Are you looking for an Uno rematch with your child? Then come join other Burgundy families for Family Game Night! The Burgundy Parent Association invites you and your children for some pizza and fun in the Gym from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. on Sunday, October 28.

The evening is a wonderful opportunity for children and parents to hang out and have fun with each other and with friends. Older children are welcome to play games with their Lower School buddies, and if anyone wants an early jump on Halloween, we encourage you to  come in costume!

We'll have many of your favorite games -- Clue, Twister, Boggle, Monopoly and more -- but let us know what games you play with your family, and we'll add them to the selection. Nut-free desserts for sharing are welcome, if the baking urge strikes.

Please register here by Thursday, October 25, so we can ensure we have enough games and pizza.