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Burgundy Farm Country Day School
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November 8, 2013
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Quick Calendar
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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
Varsity Soccer Semifinals (home)
November 13
Varsity Soccer Finals
November 14
National Philanthropy Day
November 16
Yearbook Meeting
November 21
7th Grade Play
November 22
Pizza Day
7th Grade Play
Click here for a full calendar.
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Bullying. The word conjures instant emotion. Bullying is widely and properly regarded as a threat to the safety and well-being of our children. In recent years we have seen highlighted in the media the destructive power that bullying can have for elementary, middle, high school and even college-aged children. Just this past week we learned about bullying in the context of a professional football team -- some of the certifiably toughest human beings on the planet -- with a player being suspended for the repeated verbal abuse of another player, and now questions are being raised about the coach's role. We know we must be vigilant to bullying. Here are some perspectives that comprise not the complete or final word on bullying, but an invitation to think and talk about bullying...
What exactly is bullying? Generally bullying is understood to be repeated behavior that is intended to hurt or intimidate someone less powerful. In our Parent-Student Handbook we define it as "intentional, repeated actions or words designed to harm, threaten or exclude." Why does bullying happen? Again, generally speaking, bullying fills a need to dominate and feel powerful, at the expense of another person, sometimes to inflict on others what has been received elsewhere. Sometimes the need to bully arises from a need to establish a sense of social order and where one fits in. Some research suggests that bullying behavior increases during times of transition such as the late elementary and early middle school years.
Let's reiterate here that nothing can be more important than our kids' safety. And the school has pledged to take a strong stance against bullying when it occurs. That said, there is a lot of developmentally normal, even appropriate and predictable behavior, that may be challenging to differentiate from bullying. Respect and empathy for all is a message we strive to instill in students. We also strive to model the message. That is to say: all children's safety and well-being matters, very much including students who may be struggling socially and who may be exhibiting unkind, even aggressive behavior toward their peers. Thus, we must recognize that in addition to working to prevent bullying and protecting the safety of all, we also need to be concerned about children who exhibit bullying behavior. Indeed, there's research to suggest that unnecessary long-term damage is done when we are too quick to brand children as bullies and when children who bully are not helped. Many of us know how the word bully has taken on added power in recent years, power that can be almost as destructive in its labeling as bullying itself, and over time, the consequences of the behavior become more grave, as development of emotional intelligence is stunted.
The truth is that all children deserve support to develop healthily and that most children will play, across the years of their development, one or more of three roles related to bullying: that of the aggressor, the victim and the bystander. Few children will play exclusively one of those roles. Some children will be more prone to playing a more or less dominant role, but that should not label them as perpetual victim or as passive, or as a 'bully.' An important piece of our strategy in preventing and dealing with verbal, physical and social bullying behavior is to identify its cause, but also to help children understand both potential causes and consequences. Some of these consequences are more complex and the behaviors more careless when we begin to talk about the burgeoning use of social media. We will continue to try to work with parents to keep children safe, but also to recognize normal developmental situations for what they are. Hurt feelings, like skinned knees, are a vitally important part of normal development. Children need to learn problem-solving and self-advocacy skills. On the other hand, we cannot shirk our duty to keep children appropriately safe. With the help of Burgundy's counselor Elizabeth Schachter, I am offering a few resources for further study of this important topic:
Sincerely, 
Jeff Sindler
Head of School |
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Reminders
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.
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. Tickets are $5 for adults and $1 for children and can be purchased at the door on the night of the performance.
Support Burgundy Through 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: 1. Enroll with www.escrip.com, 2. Click on the Online Mall logo, 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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| Board Briefs
Call for Nominations
The Board of Trustees is a dynamic volunteer group of Burgundy parents, alumni and supporters that is charged with ensuring the long-term stability and financial viability of Burgundy. Each year the Burgundy community has the opportunity to elect several new members to the Board while ensuring an important degree of year-to-year continuity among existing Trustees. If you are interested in or have questions about service as a Trustee, or if you know of someone who might be interested, please contact Dave Wales, Chair of the Committee on Trustees (dpwales@jonesday.com or 202.531.1112).
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 Student Spotlight: The Princess Bride
Emily Netherland '15
Roles: Ancient Booer and Foley Artist
Q. What has been the most fun piece of preparing for this production?
A. Probably figuring out how we're going to make all of the things. We've spent a lot of time playing with the sound effects, and it's been a challenge thinking about how we can use our bodies to make things like the boat and the wall and the torture machine. It's been a lot of fun.
Q. What is the most interesting aspect of the story?
A. I think the most interesting part of the story is the wedding because there are so many things happening at once. Buttercup is about to marry Prince Humperdinck, while Westley, Vizzini, Vizzani, Indigo Montoya and Maria Montoya are trying to break into the castle and stop the wedding. It's the climax of the story, and it's what the entire play has been working up to.
Q. Why should friends and family come see The Princess Bride?
A. Because most of them know the plot and have seen the movie, but they haven't seen our version. I think they'll want to see what we've done with it. We haven't changed it that much, but we've switched things around. They won't expect what we're doing. We've really used the stage wisely.
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 Sports Spotlight
Congratulations to All Runners for a Great 2013 Cross Country Season
Burgundy hosted seven schools and almost 120 runners for the Cross Country Championship meet on Wednesday, November 6. The girls' team finished second (behind Alexandria Country Day School), and the boys' team finished third (behind Edlin School and ACDS). The girls' team was led by Annette Hasnas '15, Jessie Inguagiato '16 and Maddie Kocher '16, who all placed in the top 20. The boys' team was led by Tomas Camacho '14, Peter Devlin '14 and Antioch Sanders '14, who also all finished in top 20. A total of 15 Burgundy runners participated in the final meet, with 10 additional students running in one of the other three meets. Development of all the runners throughout the season was amazing, and their effort in all meets was impressive. Thanks to all parents and other loyal fans!
- Coach Ivana Bulirova
Varsity Soccer Advances to Semifinals: November 11
Burgundy's Varsity Soccer team has made it to the semifinals, which they will play against Edlin School on Monday, November 11, at 3:30 p.m. on Burgundy's field. Come cheer on the Blazers on their home turf!
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Girl Rising Showing at Burgundy: November 10
Please come see Girl Rising, the story of nine girls from nine countries who struggle to have an education, on Sunday, November 10 at 7:00 pm in the Loft. There is a $10 donation requested to help cover the cost of renting the film. If any extra money is collected, it will be donated to support educational opportunities for girls.
Click here for some more information about the girls whose stories are told in the film. Due to some difficult content, this movie is not recommended for children younger than 6th Grade.Click here for a review from Common Sense Media.
I'm organizing this event so others know that millions of girls struggle every day to get an education. Please RSVP to grburgundy1110@gmail.com to help us plan accordingly.
Please come and support this cause.
Thank you,
Thea Mills '14
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Burgundy Flyers
Burgundy Flyers is a student-inspired and organized club to explore, design, build, test and modify paper airplanes. In the process, children will learn about the physics of flight and ways to improve their airplane designs.
Who: 1st - 8th Grade Students (limited to 18 children per session)
Start date: November 14, 2013
Meeting days: Thursdays
Meeting time: 4:05 - 4:50 p.m.
Meeting place: Blacktop
To learn more about this club, please contact Arturo Soriano and Evan Sarchio in the 4/5 Coopers class. To sign up, please contact Geraldine Portillo (geraldineportillo@yahoo.com or 703.425.2100). (Adults are welcome. Please call Geraldine to reserve a spot.)
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Caring for and Teaching Other People's Children
In her collection of essays, Other People's Children: Cultural Conflict in the Classroom, MacArthur Award-winning author Dr. Lisa Delpit examines how everyday interactions in classrooms are laden with assumptions about the competencies, aptitudes and basic capabilities of low-income students and students of color. Through excerpts of conversations with educators, students and parents, Delpit explores ways in which educators can be better "cultural transmitters." She proposes that many academic and behavioral problems attributed to low-income students and students of color are actually the consequence of miscommunication between the mainly white educators and "other people's children." Delpit asserts that being an educator who is an efficient and effective cultural transmitter is important in the classroom because classrooms are where prejudice, stereotypes, and cultural assumptions lead to ineffective education. But Delpit also believes that cultural sensitivity, and valuing students' language and culture alone is not enough; educators of "other people's children" have a responsibility to give students the tools of the majority culture, even as they discuss openly with their students the reasons why they are doing so.
This hard conversation about power imbalances in our society and its effect on students is typically avoided in schools. However, through Burgundy's new Learning Community Group Professional Development system, some teachers were able to come together this summer and read this collection of essays. We began our discussion of these ideas at the Cove this fall, and now hope to share with the community what we've learned. This article is step one in that process. We hoped that it inspires you to read this book, and to join in our discussion about culture, language and power in schools.
- Stephanie Borges, Ivana Bulirova, Connie Fleres, Levita Mondie, Charlene Pritzker, and Elizabeth Schachter
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| Calling All Federal Employees
For those of you who work for the government (or any other organization that partakes in a UnitedWay/Combined Federal Campaign), you may make charitable contributions to Burgundy through your workplace, either as a direct gift or through payroll deduction. Tax regulations require Burgundy to receive all pledges in writing. Please send a copy of the UW/CFC payroll deduction form to the Advancement Office.
Burgundy's United Way number is 8380, and the CFC number is 15325.
Please contact Advancement Coordinator Michele McCabe (michelem@burgundyfarm.org or 703.842.0470) with any questions.
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Emergency Notification Test Follow Up
We tested our emergency alert system this week with a phone blast to all numbers we have in our database as well as an email. Those of you who have subscribed to our text message alert system should have also received a text message, and in following our plans for a true emergency, we posted a notice on our website. Please note:
- In an effort to ensure we reach all community members, our system calls every number we have in our database, which takes time. Our text message alerts may be a faster way to receive emergency updates. To subscribe to these alerts, please text the word "blazers" to 55678.
- In the event of an emergency, please do not call the school. In order to keep phone lines free for communication with emergency responders and to allow our team to focus on their roles in an emergency, we will be posting as much information as possible -- and as quickly as possible -- on our website (www.burgundyfarm.org). Please check the website instead of calling the school.
- If you did not get a phone call on Wednesday, please email Mary Mehala (marym@burgundyfarm.org). We will be following up with families who have already indicated that they did not receive a phone call to ensure we have the most up-to-date contact information.
Thank you for your support.
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Parting Pictures
Junior Kindergarten students listen to a story at the Library.
After a strong season, Burgundy's Varsity Soccer team advances to the semifinals against Edlin School on November 11.
World-renowned solo percussionist Tom Teasley performs for students, faculty and staff during a lunch concert.
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