Book Fair: May 13 through May 17

Monday, May 13, through Friday, May 17, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. daily (and Thursday and Friday night before the 8th Grade musical), you can come and get your summer reading at Burgundy's annual sale of new books. Classes will visit to look at the books, and each student will bring a list of books and games home to consider for purchase. Parents are welcome to return with their children to browse, or may send in money with which to purchase the books. Pay by credit card, cash or check. Come before the play Thursday or Friday night. A percentage of each sale supports the Library program. Hope to see you there!    

Eighth-Graders Coordinate Bake Sale Fundraiser: May 14
To help raise money for their Legacy Gift to the School, "The Slide," students in the Class of 2013 are coordinating a Bake Sale. During afternoon carpool on Tuesday, May 14, they will sell healthy treats, nut-free granola bars, small popcorn bags, etc., so 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!

Lost and Found: May 13 through May 15 

As you visit campus for the Book Fair, look for a tent outside the Loft where the Burgundy Parent Association (BPA) is setting up the final Lost and Found collection of the year. The items (sweatshirts, pants, water bottles, hats and gloves, winter boots, rain boots, and umbrellas)* will be at the tent throughout the day on Monday, May 13 through Wednesday, May 15. Any items not collected will be donated to Ella Fishman '13 to support her clothing drive for the DC General Shelter. If you have any questions, please contact BPA President Nancy Weissman (echoivus@aol.com). *A Kindle with a black leather cover has been lost and will not be at the tent. If you are the owner, please pick it up from Geraldine Portillo at the Main Office.

Alumni Speak: May 21 

Eighth-graders, please join us on Tuesday, May 21, from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. in the Atrium for Alumni Speak. Burgundy alumni from the Classes of 2009 through 2012 will return to campus to share their experiences transitioning to high school. Parents are also welcome to attend. To help us plan accordingly, please  click here to register. If you have any questions, please contact Kathleen Hennessey: kathleenh@burgundyfarm.org.

Being a part of Damn Yankees has been really fun. The class showed a lot of enthusiasm the minute the play was announced to us. Every year the class comes together to make a production. It is great watching the whole class work and come together to put on a great play for the whole Burgundy community. When we are on stage, everyone seems to be working together, whether it is helping one another with their lines, or guiding others on where they should be on stage.

Play nights are probably the most nerve-racking yet exciting nights of the year. Although we will all nervous before going on stage, we will also be determined to put on a great show. Damn Yankees will be a show filled with outstanding musical numbers, cool stunts, and let's not forget the comical relief. So don't forget to come and watch Damn Yankees performed by the eighth-graders of Burgundy on May 16, 17 and 18.

- Dagmawi Shimeles '13 

From Monday, May 20 through Thursday, May 23, students can bring to their classes gently used books suitable for Junior Kindergarten through 8th Grade readers. From 3:10 to 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, May 23, Middle School volunteers will gather these books from classroom teachers and sort them by grade level for a school-wide Book Swap. On Friday, May 24, all students will visit the Book Swap during the school day, and everyone will be able to choose one book to take home (regardless of how many books the student donated).

All books not chosen by Burgundy students will be donated to Wright to Read for distribution at book swaps at Alexandria City Public Schools, where many children would not otherwise have books for summer reading. These book swaps will take place at Polk School (Friday, June 14) and at Cora Kelly School (Tuesday, June 18), from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Burgundy Middle School students are encouraged to volunteer at either or both of these events and will be helping students choose books.

Middle School students who are interested in making any of these book swaps successful by volunteering to collect and sort books at Burgundy (Thursday, May 23) or help Alexandria students choose books at Polk School (Friday, June 14) or Cora Kelly School (Tuesday, June 18), should contact Charlene Pritzker (charlenep@burgundyfarm.org or 703.960.3431 x513). Organizational help from parents is gladly accepted! Contact Charlene for more information. 

In addition to the Book Swap volunteer opportunities (see above article), there are a handful of upcoming community service opportunities for Middle School students:

USPS Food Collecting and Sorting at Koinonia

Saturday, May 11, 3:00 to 7:00 p.m.: Middle School students and parents can participate. Meet at Koinonia (6037 Franconia Road, Alexandria, VA 22310) to help sort and store food as part of the nationwide United States Postal Service food drive. *The opportunities to support the food drive at ALIVE have been filled.  

Burgundy Road Cleanup, Part of "Adopt a Highway" Program

Saturday, June 1, 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.: Meet in Charlene's room. Middle School Students and/or families can participate.  We need at least three adults (total) to supervise. Vests, gloves and orange bags provided!

Making Trail Mix for Meade Memorial Church Lunch Program

Tuesday, June 4, 3:15 to 4:15 p.m.: Meet in Charlene's room. Middle School students and/or families can participate. Meade Memorial feeds lunch to 75 homeless and needy people every day of the year. They love to have our nutritious trail mix on hand to give out to people who walk into the church and say that they're hungry and have nothing to eat.  

If you are interested in participating in any of the above projects, or if you have any questions about these community service opportunities, please contact Charlene Pritzker (charlenep@burgundyfarm.org or 703.960.3431 x513).

Power Tool Weekend: May 17-19

Power Tool Weekend is when we pack up our underused power tools and take them to Cooper's Cove to give them some exercise in the name of Cove repairs. The 2013 Power Tool Weekend will be from Friday, May 17 through Sunday, May 19, and it will involve such child-unfriendly factors as heights, sharp objects and extension cords.

The highlight of the Power Tool Weekend activities will be replacing the siding on the north side (stream-side) of the lodge from the office down towards the dining porch.  This is similar to what we did last year on the south side.  We'll also build a set of steps at the doorway to the tool shed.

As is always the case for Power Tool Weekend, this is for adults only and no pets are allowed. If you are planning to attend, or if you have any questions, please email Dave Bernhard, father of Scott '98 and Todd '02 and Godfather of Power Tool Weekend, at bernhard.dave@gmail.com.

- Dave Bernhard and Vini Schoene

Burgundy's Class of 2009 is graduating from high school and preparing for their next adventures. Below is a list of some of the colleges they will be attending. A complete list will be included in the upcoming issue of Voices.

Beloit College

Centre College

The College of William & Mary

Colorado College

Elon University

Florida State University

Hampden-Sydney College

Oberlin College & Conservatory

Rhodes College

Roanoke College

Savannah College of Art and Design

St. John's University

Tulane University

The University of Chicago

University of Michigan

University of North Carolina at Wilmington

University of Virginia

Yale University

We have also just heard that Charlotte Clinger and Alec Eichner, both seniors at T.C. Williams High School, were chosen from more than 15,000 national finalists to receive National Merit Scholarships. National Merit Scholarship winners are the finalists in each state judged to have the strongest combination of accomplishments, skills and potential for success in rigorous college studies.  

Alumni parents, keep us posted on your child's news by emailing Michele McCabe: michelem@burgundyfarm.org.

Donations of Teen Dresses and Shoes Wanted

Does your older daughter have prom or homecoming dresses sitting in the closet? Lovely shoes she wore once or twice? Free up some space & help less fortunate high school girls by donating gently used prom clothes to Princess for a Night! Petite and plus sizes of clean dresses are especially needed. Roberta Masters-Cullen is collecting items for West Potomac High School girls next week. To coordinate making a donation, contact her (rlmcullen@verizon.net or 703.624.9347).