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Burgundy Farm Country Day School
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November 1, 2013
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Quick Calendar
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November 1
Parent-Teacher Conferences:
No Classes,
Extended Day Open
November 2
Yearbook Meeting
November 4
Cross Country Practice
November 5
8th Grade SSAT Tutoring
November 6
Cross Country Championship (home)
November 7
Varsity Soccer Practice
November 8
Pizza Day
November 9
2/3 Buckeyes Potluck
Kindergarten Polar Bear Potluck
November 10
Girl Rising Showing
November 11
Veterans Day
Open House
November 16
Yearbook Meeting
Click here for a full calendar.
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Greetings!
It may be stating the obvious, but running a school is never dull! Some days and weeks are more interesting than others, but there are always images and moments that stick with you. Here are a few from this conference-shortened but nevertheless memorable week.
Monday, I asked my 8th Grade Seminar students to interview one another for 4-5 minutes each. They had recently worked on resumes for prospective high schools or summer employers. Five minutes may seem like a brief interview to you and me, but for an eighth-grader trying to read his or her friend's resume and interview him or her, or vice versus, it could feel like an hour! Nevertheless, most of them managed to stay in character as interviewers and to keep poise as interviewees.
For much of Tuesday, we had a caravan of exotic animals on campus, including a camel and a giant tortoise (courtesy of Jennifer Williams Caton '90 and Bar C Ranch). Meantime, several yards away, PE students were firing arrows in the opposite direction, at targets at the bottom of the hill under the watchful guidance of their PE teachers. Only at Burgundy would one not blink an eye at the juxtaposition of those images!
Wednesday morning, in lieu of our regular All School Meeting, we gathered in the Gym and heard Lower School PE teacher Jerry Jirgl and Chris Bramante of New Hope Housing speak about homelessness before we set off as an entire community on our annual Walk for the Homeless. By Chris's account, Burgundy has been participating for about 15 years in the Walk, and each of my eight years here. Chris and Jerry spoke poignantly about how good people and families can find themselves without a home, for all kinds of reasons, and how hard it is not to have a home, and how agencies like New Hope literally help put families back on their feet. (As an aside: our Middle School students in recent years have helped rehabilitate dilapidated housing for New Hope and eighth-graders have written to Alexandria's mayor with ideas about how to end homelessness.) We were fortunate to get our walk in on Wednesday just before some showers began, and buddy classes walked and talked together in a lovely scene.
Later on Wednesday we switched gears entirely with our annual Halloween parade. Students, many teachers (and some parents) showed off some spirit in donning costumes: a couple of teachers were quite remarkable in their efforts, but as always, our students were the stars. I hope that those of you whose children trick-or-treated this week enjoyed the moment -- and are able to navigate the dilemma of just what becomes of all that candy!
On a more serious note, we all know that Thursday and Friday have been set aside for parent-teacher conferences, and I hope that you each are availing yourselves of the opportunity and receiving feedback -- and exchanging information -- that helps us facilitate together the best academic and social growth through the remainder of the school year.
Enjoy your weekend, and thanks as always for your support and collaboration!
Sincerely,
Jeff Sindler
Head of School |
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Reminders
Emergency Notification System Test: Wednesday, November 6
We will be conducting a test of our emergency phone blast system on Wednesday, November 6 round 10:00 a.m. This is simply a test, and it allows us to confirm that the system works well. If you do not receive a phone call, please contact Director of Finance and Operations Mary Mehala (marym@burgundyfarm.org) to ensure we have the most up-to-date contact information.
Applications for New Students of Current Families Due November 15
Current families and/or faculty and staff members who would like to apply for admission for the 2014-2015 school year for any of their children who are not currently enrolled at Burgundy are encouraged to do so by November 15. Visits for these students will be scheduled in early December. Our online application may be accessed here or on our website under "Admission" in the "Applying to Burgundy" section. Please feel free to contact Lori Adams (loria@burgundyfarm.org or 703.842.0464) if you have any questions or need assistance with the online application.
Bikes for the World: November 16
In a creative celebration of America Recycles Day, Burgundy will partner with Bikes for the World on Saturday, November 16, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. to collect, repair and donate bicycles to community development programs in more than 12 countries. Please save or collect any bikes you are no longer using and bring them to the Middle School parking lot on Saturday, November 16. Bikes do not have to be in perfect condition. Contact Doug Fishman (dougf@burgundyfarm.org) with any questions.
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Carpool Reminders
Please remember that morning carpool ends at 8:25 a.m. Students arriving after 8:25 a.m. will be asked to report to the Main Office for a late slip. To minimize the end-of-carpool rush, we recommend arriving between 8:00 and 8:15, when the carpool line is nearly empty.
Middle School parents, please do not drop off or pick up your children at the Middle School. We coordinate our carpool from the Blacktop in order to facilitate the safest, easiest and most efficient carpool process. Dropping off at the Middle School creates safety hazards and slows down the process for other parents. To prevent these hazards, we will be blocking the exit from the Middle School parking lot during carpool.
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 Community Concert with Tom Teasley: November 5
Tom Teasley, a world-renowned solo percussionist, composer and collaborator, and cultural envoy, will visit Burgundy on Tuesday, November 5 to lead a workshop with Burgundy drumming students and to perform for the entire school during a lunch concert beginning at 11:45 a.m. in the Loft. All parents are welcome to join us for the lunch concert, and we are certain you will enjoy the performance!
Tom earned the 2006 Artist-of-the-year award from Young Audiences of Virginia for his creative and educational presentations, and he continues to tour frequently throughout the world, performing and presenting clinics. Tom has been featured in the Washington Post, Modern Drummer, and Drum! Magazine. He is a two-time Helen Hayes Theater Award recipient, as well as a three-time recipient of a Fulbright-Hayes grant for performances in the Middle East. He has been an artist-in-residence at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and has collaborated with the National Symphony as both a soloist and composer. As an international collaborator he has performed by invitation in Europe and South America. Click here to open Tom's electronic press kit, which features a sampling of his work, in YouTube.
Experiences like these are made possible by your generous contributions to Annual Giving.
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Burgundy Presents The Princess Bride: November 21 & 22
On Thursday, November 21 and Friday, November 22, at 7:30 p.m. in the Loft, Burgundy's seventh-graders will perform The Princess Bride, combining physical comedy with elements of fantasy, adventure and romance. Audience members will enjoy exploring timeless themes, like true love, with an enthusiastic cast and lots of physical acting.
"The physical actors play a huge role in this production," says drama teacher Deborah Clark Ives. "Students are working together to become a boat, for instance, or a torture machine, or a portcullis. Every student has 'a moment,' and no one is 'the star.' It's like a team sport, but no one is riding the bench. They are learning to rely on one another and to think creatively, as well as a host of other essential life skills."
Burgundy students suggested the play last year as sixth-graders, and they continue to take ownership of the performance. Each student performs at least one role on the stage, and several others are also working behind the scenes, personalizing the script, helping with stage lighting, designing artwork for publicity materials, and promoting the production among the school community. They are supported by Ives, as well as production assistants Roberta Cullen and Emily Jonas.
"In an age when kids are increasingly sophisticated, increasingly media-drenched and increasingly media-savvy," says Deborah, "it's refreshing to see middle school students perform a play that intertwines the ancient trope of fairy tales and true love."
Tickets are $5 for adults and $1 for children and can be purchased at the door on the night of the performance.
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| Parents of African American Students (PAAS) Meeting: November 24
You're invited to attend a Parents of African American Students (PAAS) meeting on Sunday, November 24, from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. in the Middle School Atrium. During this first meeting, attendees will decide on PAAS leadership and develop agenda items for the future. In the spirit of community, this meeting will be a potluck. Please RSVP to Stephanie Borges, Director for an Inclusive Community at stephanieb@burgundyfarm.org, and please let her know what dish you'd like to bring when you RSVP. Burgundy will provide drinks and paper goods.
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 Service Spotlight
Each year, at Burgundy's first Middle School Dance (this year on Friday, October 25), we collect new socks for Koinonia Foundation, Inc. This year, eighth-graders Matea Bebic and Zoe Traub organized the sock drive, and we collected approximately 195 pairs of socks for Koinonia. Because non-profits cannot distribute used socks and often don't have enough money to purchase new items, socks are difficult to collect. Nonetheless, everyone needs socks -- especially as winter approaches.
Thank you to all of the students who participated!
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 Cove Closing Weekend Thanks
In keeping with an apparently annual tradition in the DC region, the Cove is shut down, non-essential employees furloughed, and all the wildlife left to fend for itself. We do expect that pending any unforeseen difficulties in upcoming negotiations, we'll be able to re-open all functions by mid-April. Many volunteers slipped unnoticed past the barricades and helped us through this difficult time. We are unwilling to leak their names, but they came from the ranks of Burgundy school and camp folks, 1970s to present, and we are exceedingly grateful for the risks they took in the form of cold nights and a filibuster that threatened to slow down access to s'mores.
But seriously...many many thanks!
-Vini Schoene and David Sicree
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Thank You for Giving With Target
Many thanks to all of the parents, teachers, staff and friends who helped Burgundy earn $164 for Annual Giving through the Give With Target campaign, which allowed Facebook users across the country to vote for their favorite K-12 school. Each vote earned Burgundy $1, and by demonstrating your support on Facebook, you simultaneously helped to support Burgundy's campus and programs. Thank you!
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| New After School Bus Route: Alexandria
Burgundy parents are looking for families to share a new transportation route to Alexandria using the Panda Bus (one way after school). For more information, please contact: Juana Alvarez (juanaa@iadb.org or 703.868.9186) or Michelle Moreno (michellem@iadb.org or 202.412.4820).
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Celebrations of Culture
November is National American Indian & Alaska Native Heritage Month. In 1990, President George H. W. Bush approved a joint resolution designating November as National American Indian Heritage Month. Similar declarations, with slight changes to the title, have been issued each year since 1994. During the month of November we encourage you to recognize the significant contributions the first Americans made to what is now known as the United States of America.
Resources:
Library of Congress
National Archives
Every November the nation celebrates National Adoption Awareness Month. This is a time to broaden our understanding about adoption and recognize the important role adoption plays in our community. There are many resources in our library on adoption and members of our Burgundy community can assist in facilitating conversations about adoption in our classes or in small groups. If you are interested in learning more about adoption or joining the Families Touched by Adoption affinity group please reach out to Stephanie Borges, Director for an Inclusive Community, for more information: stephanieb@burgundyfarm.org. |
Spread the News!
Good words of mouth from current parents are, without a doubt, the most effective admission tool available! With the new admission season just getting underway, I invite all Burgundy families to share your stories and good words of mouth about Burgundy with your friends, neighbors and colleagues. Time and again, prospective parents state that current parent testimonials are some of the most influential elements in their decision to enroll their children at Burgundy. Hearing from trusted parents whose children are experiencing Burgundy speaks volumes for the type of learning environment and educational community in which our students are immersed.
Please feel free to refer any family who may have an interest in Burgundy to me. I will gladly reach out to them to provide more information and to invite them to campus for one of our remaining Open House events on Monday, November 11; Saturday, December 7; and Sunday, January 12, so they can see and experience firsthand our extraordinary and distinctive school.
- Lori Adams
(loria@burgundyfarm.org or 703.842.0463)
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Starting Your Holiday Shopping? 
Give back to Burgundy as you start your holiday shopping this year. Families that shop through the eScrip Online Mall can help Burgundy earn up to 16% in support of program and instruction, financial aid, and professional development. Here's how:
3. Shop at your favorite brand name stores (Apple, Nordstrom, Barnes & Noble, Best Buy, Toys R Us, and more) and automatically donate to Burgundy.
Please contact Michele McCabe (michelem@burgundyfarm.org or 703.842.0469) with questions. |
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Parting Pictures
The 4/5 students learn about desert animals as part of their Silk Road unit.
Students walk with their buddy classes around the school to support ending homelessness.
Lower School students showcase their costumes for friends and family during the Halloween Parade on the Blacktop.
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