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Burgundy Farm Country Day School
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April 26, 2013
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Quick Calendar
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April 26
Pizza Day
May 1
Lacrosse Practice
May 2
1st Grade Sheep to Cove
Softball Practice
May 3
Pizza Day
1st Grade Sheep from Cove
May 6
6th Grade to the Cove
Lacrosse Practice
3rd Grade Recital
May 7
6th Grade at the Cove
May 8
6th Grade from Cove
Lacrosse Practice
May 9
1st Grade Goats to Cove
Lacrosse v. Trinity Meadow at Meadow View
May 10
Pizza Day
1st Grade Goats from Cove
Lacrosse v. St. Ignatius (home) Click here for a full calendar.
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Greetings!
Earth Week is not just another week at Burgundy -- and it certainly is not the only week we are thinking about sustainability.
In fact, Lee District Supervisor Jeff McKay recently nominated Burgundy for a 2013 Fairfax County Excellence in Sustainability Award (more on that shortly), and every day we strive to teach our students not only in our classrooms, but also by modeling -- as individuals and an institution -- values that we hope others will integrate into their lives. One of the greatest lessons we can offer our students is that we take seriously a school-wide commitment toward sustaining the world for future generations.
This week we made a special effort to recognize the importance of our collective commitment to reduce, reuse and recycle (check out some fun pictures at the end of this issue and on our Facebook page).
Students cleaned up trash on campus and off. Our sixth-graders and a team of parents cleaned the stretch of Burgundy Road from Norton Road to Telegraph Road on Thursday morning.
Buddy classes worked and learned together. For instance, the 2/3 Viceroys paired with the Kindergarten Polar Bears to brainstorm about endangered animals and then create beautiful posters.
There was planting in the meadow and in gardens throughout campus, including the annual tradition of sixth-graders planting around the Middle School in honor of this year's graduating class.
Wednesday's All School meeting featured a lively fashion show, which showcased creative ways kids (and some teachers) had imagined to repurpose recycled materials. On Thursday, the entire school gathered on the Hill for a picnic lunch and enjoyed a visit from Margaret Evans '02 (see more below) before a group activity through which we all joined hands in a spiraling circle that symbolized how we are all interconnected -- even as we meander and explore different paths.
Beyond the sustainability fun and learning this week, we are taking the opportunity in our Campus Renewal Initiative, Phases One and Two, to create a more sustainable campus: by turning a perennial problem of water run-off and erosion into a beautifully terraced set of rain gardens and play areas, complete with large cisterns collecting rain water from roofs, we are teaching by doing. In enlarging the wild area around our pond and providing teaching access to the water, we are creating better sustainability-themed learning opportunities on our Alexandria campus. When we construct a new Loft with more passive and sustainable heating and cooling and replace the Blacktop with permeable surfaces and more trees, we again will be modeling and living out core values. These ideas and efforts are what inspired Supervisor McKay to recognize us as a school and learning community through the Fairfax County Excellence in Sustainability nomination. Regardless of whether we win the award, we are proud of our ongoing efforts to model for our students and community sustainable living and environmental education.
Sincerely,
Jeff Sindler
Head of School |
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| Reminders
Middle School Survey Reminder
Middle School parents, please assist us in our Middle School reflection and feedback process by completing the survey we distributed via email earlier this week. The deadline to complete the survey is 9:00 a.m. on Monday, April 29. Please contact Cathy Guertin (cathyg@burgundyfarm.org or 703.842.0469) with any questions.
2013 Lois and Eric Sevareid Forum
The Future of Flourishing: Creating Childhood Wellbeing
At Burgundy, we prepare our students for success by educating and nurturing the whole child. Since 1946, we have operated with the foundational belief that care for the whole child is the foundation for all learning and growth. Join us on Tuesday, April 30 at 7:00 p.m. in the Gym to hear from Gail C. Christopher, DN, Vice President at the Kellogg Foundation, and Wayne B. Jonas, MD, President and CEO of the Samueli Institute, as they discuss the current reality of "unwellness" that many American children face and describe how we, as parents and educators, can support healthy development for our children and, as a result, a better future for our children and our nation. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased online or at the door, though registration is required. Please click here to register. Set Building Weekend for Eighth-Graders and Parents: April 27 & 28Eighth-graders and their parents are invited to help build the set for the 8th Grade musical production Damn Yankees (see below) on Saturday, April 27, and Sunday, April 28, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. in the Loft. Please contact Neone Smith (smithnez1@gmail.com) with questions. |
Eighth-Graders Swing Into Spring with Production of Damn Yankees
On Thursday, May 16, the eighth-graders will debut their three-night run of the musical comedy Damn Yankees. Just in time for baseball season, these young actors will bring to the stage a story of one loyal Senators fan who exchanges his soul with the devil for a chance to help his favorite team beat the "damn Yankees." With music and lyrics by Richard Adler and Jared Ross, the original Broadway production won a Tony Award for Best Musical, and it demonstrates that there are plenty of laughs to be had on the way to the World Series.
"Damn Yankees wraps this worthwhile message into a fun musical: What will you give of your soul to get what you want?" says Deborah Clark Ives, Director of Performing Arts. "The athleticism of this particular class suits this production very well and will surely make an entertaining performance!"
With guidance from Deborah and Director of Music Cathy Manley, as well as choreographer Emily Jonas, the students have personalized the production in many ways. Most noticeably, the students will perform in the round on a stage built in the middle of the theater. And look for a surprise in the seventh-inning stretch!
Performances are Thursday, May 16; Friday, May 17; and Saturday, May 18. Tickets can be purchased at the door ($5 for adults, $1 for students). |
 Music Box: Student Recital
Congratulations and thank you to the student musicians who performed in the Music Recital on Wednesday. More than two dozen students showcased their singing and instrumental skills (clarinet, cowbells, drums, flute, guitar, keyboard, percussion, piano, saxophone and violin) with diverse performances from classical favorites to Taylor Swift! Some of the many highlights included child-parent duets and the debut of Thunder and Lightning, a band featuring players from Grades 2 through 8, who performed "Funkytown."
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Sports Update
Burgundy's Lacrosse team played their first game of the season against St. Stephen's & St. Agnes School on Thursday, April 18 and another against the Potomac School on Thursday, April 25. The Burgundy Blazers, a young team of 19 athletes (and only four eighth-graders), played courageously and had some great moments during each game. Against more experienced teams, the Blazers lost by just a few goals in each game.
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 Congratulations to the Class of 2013We are so proud of our eighth-graders, who will be attending the following high schools: Elizabeth Seton High School Episcopal High School The Field School Flint Hill School Hayfield Secondary School The Howard Gardner School J.E.B. Stuart High School The Madeira School Metropolitan School of the Arts (VA) Sidwell Friends School South Kent School (CT) St. Albans School St. Anselm's Abbey School St. Stephen's & St. Agnes School T.C. Williams High School Thomas Edison High School Walt Whitman High School West Potomac High School Congratulations to the Class of 2013! |
Eighth-Graders Hosting a Bake Sale for the 2013 Legacy Gift
The Class of 2013 is raising money for their Legacy Gift to the school, "The Slide," a significant component of the Campus Renewal Initiative at the center of campus. Surrounded by boulders and built into the hillside, it will be safe, fun and environment-friendly. The Legacy Gift is an 8th Grade tradition at Burgundy, a way for students and families to give back to the school and leave a class legacy. The students have been actively involved in the project from the beginning as they -- the students -- voted on and selected the project they were most excited to support. Now the 8th Grade students, led by Hannah Petitti and Madeline Wales, are excited to coordinate a Bake Sale to help raise funds for their Legacy Gift. During lunch on Wednesday, May 1, and Thursday, May 9, they will sell healthy treats, nut-free granola bars, small popcorn bags, etc., to Middle School students, teachers, staff and administrators at the picnic table in front of the Middle School entrance. They will continue their efforts on Tuesday, May 14 during afternoon carpool on the Blacktop, and parents and kids can buy a snack before they head into the Library for the Book Fair. Anonymous donors have agreed to match the total monies the students raise. We hope you'll support them in reaching their goals! |
 Community Garden Work Day ThanksMany thanks to the Burgundy families who came out to the Garden Work Day on Sunday, April 21. The weather was perfect for the work we did. We roto-tilled the area between the Pool and Garden and re-built the Sunflower House in preparation for the Junior Kindergarten and Kindergarten planting celebration on Friday! Come down and take a look: it is a terrific project! The kids worked hard on watering the growing classroom beds. It was a fun and productive day! Our next Garden Work Day will be on Sunday, May 19. - Jane Hanson and Jill Reuter, Community Garden Co-Chairs |
 BCWS Opening Weekend Thanks
This is Just to Say
This is just to say that the Cove Opening Work Weekenders have eaten all the morels that they found while clearing trails and which you were probably hoping to enjoy on your trip to the Cove. Forgive us they were delicious such a treat and the nights were so cold. With no apologies to William Carlos Williams or anyone else, the Cove is all cleaned up and unpacked thanks to the following poets and busboys: Alex Baez Dave Bernhard + Diane Byers Taylor Bostick Johnny, Ember, Orion + Arno Carrera + Carol Waldmann Alex Castle Steve and Kaela Coren Caroline Dworken Teresa Evans Susan Hepler Jessie Hogue-Morgenstern Aamir + Zoya Kwaja Gretchen + Iris Mikeska Marissa Regni + Henry + Sophie Edwards Carol Schwartz + Thea Mills Russ + Rowan Smith Marcia de Souza Lima + Gabriel Pospesel Emily Thomas + Becca Tinker Ela + Emma Vincar Sarah Zapolsky + David and Robert Williams Doug, Mikaela + Ella Fishman, and the dead fox they scraped up from under Hex House - Thank you from Vini Schoene, Director of Burgundy Center for Wildlife Studies |
 Annual Giving Update
We're Only $52,226 from our Goal! Thanks to everyone who has already made their pledges or donations toward Burgundy's Annual Giving Fund. You've raised $197,774 to date, 79% of our $250,000 goal. Annual Giving is our most critical fundraising effort of the year, and it supports program and instruction, financial aid, and professional development.
Please contact Director of Advancement Jen Pusatere (jenp@burgundyfarm.org or 703.842.0466) to ask for more information or to make a donation. Erin to update information and thermometer. |
Alumni Corner: Margaret Evans Returns to Burgundy for Earth Day
Margaret Evans '02 and her partner, Kevin Brown '01, visited Burgundy on Thursday as a part of our Earth Week celebrations to share with our current students information about their Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Groundworks Farm, and how their time at Burgundy helped them become founders and leaders of this incredible effort.
Speaking to the students on the Hill, Margaret shared that she has loved being outside since her days at Burgundy, which inspired an interest in farming. She has worked on a number of farms since she was 19 years old, and she developed a particular interest in sustainable food. Her experience and passion led her to start a farm with Kevin on leased land in Vermont and just recently to purchase the land for Groundworks on Maryland's Eastern Shore.
What Margaret loves about CSAs is that the people who purchase a "share" in the farm have a direct relationship with it. They know where their food comes from and how the crops are grown, so they know exactly what they are eating! Margaret's CSA sells more than 100 varieties of vegetables, herbs and flowers, as well as eggs, chicken, pork and local cheeses. (She offers local pick-up locations in Alexandria and Arlington, if you're interested in purchasing a share.)
Margaret entertained several questions from our students, including, "How do you keep the crops big?" (Her answer, "Putting lots of chicken poop on them," amused the audience!) Other questions included, "How do you irrigate your crops?" and, "How long does it take a watermelon (among other crops) to grow?" and, "What are your most popular crops?" Our Burgundy students learned many things about Margaret's farm and are hopefully inspired to think about sustainable farming and gardening even more! |
Handbook Update
Casagrande, Tae - 1st Goats Casagrande, Riley - 4/5 Coopers Casagrande, Baker - 8th New address: 817 Vicar Lane, Alexandria, VA, 22302
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Parting Pictures
Eighth-graders plan their response to an opposing viewpoint during a debate in Humanities about Rachel Carson's Silent Spring and whether chemical pesticides cause cancer. The Kindergarten Polar Bears and 2/3 Viceroys create posters about endangered animals after they had brainstormed ideas together as Buddy Classes. Students wear outfits made of recycled materials for a fun fashion show in the Amphitheater during Wednesday's All School Meeting. |
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