There has been great energy, purposefulness and impressive work on campus this week following spring break! Speaking of the break, the Maintenance team took advantage of the mostly empty campus to do some freshening up the campus.  Meantime we are pleased that work has resumed on the Outdoor Classroom and Discovery Playground. More on that below.

This Thursday I was fortunate to attend the 4/5's science fair at the Loft, coordinated by Lower School Science Teacher Carol Schwartz. Our students tested a wide variety of hypotheses. Did you know that boiling water freezes more quickly than cool water? Apparently it can, at least under certain conditions! Did you know that plants may grow more quickly when classical music plays in their environment? One of our students' trials established that. She next would like to take data with other forms of music to determine if it is music generally or actually classical music that creates the vibrations that nurture growth. The pride of our Burgundy scientists was evident in the confident demeanor of each student I visited with in the Loft. Each student I spoke with expressed genuine interest in her or his experiment and demonstrated the mind of a real scientist! If you weren't able to attend, check out the photos.

As we enter the home stretch of the school year we have a lot to look forward to, from the spring musical to many academic expositions to lacrosse and softball and ultimate frisbee and of course Cove trips!

After Auction Update

Still for sale! There are still some Burgundy blankets available, made as the Viceroy class project but available for purchase to any and all families. The two-toned fringed fleece blankets, in burgundy and white, have been tied together by Viceroy students. Measuring 42" x 48", they feature the Burgundy logo and are perfect for sleepovers and Cove trips. $35 each. To purchase, contact  Allison Niedbala.

We are missing a $25 gift certificate to Rocklands Barbeque and Grilling Company. If you find it among your auction purchases, please contact  Allison Niedbala.

Tech Tidbits for Teachers and Students

Teachers have been participating in a new professional development opportunity right here on campus! Every other Monday, librarian Barbara Krainik has been sharing a "tech tidbit" with interested teachers. Attendees have the opportunity to see how an app, program, or website can support learning in their classroom. The sessions are short, hands-on, interactive, and immediately applicable. Following these sessions, many teachers have quickly incorporated the tech tidbit into their lessons.

Topics covered in the Tech Tidbits sessions have included:

• Book Creator, an app for iPads, which has been used by students in numerous classes to write and illustrate books about various topics;

• Kahoot, an online tool for posing questions and soliciting student answers in a game show format, which has been adopted by Directed Study classes in the Middle School (students were asked to identify internet scams);

• Aurasma, an app used by various classes to create book review videos that are accessible in the library from the iPads;

• Padlet, a flexible tool which allows students to post questions and comments in a shared, protected class environment, and has been used by 4th grade Redtails to share progress during projects; and

•  Google Classroom, which is being used by 2/3 Viceroys to organize class assignments, easily share links to approved websites, and provide students with an opportunity to share comments with the teacher and each other.

Barbara Krainik hosts Tech Tidbits for faculty to learn about new technology.

Box Tops: Thank You!

Thank you for submitting Box Tops to support Burgundy! Each one is worth ten cents, and with your help during this school year we've raised $307.60! There are submission deadlines each fall and spring, so keep collecting Box Tops for our next submission. There are collection containers in the Main Office and Advancement Office.

In the meantime, there are Box Tops sweepstakes to enter if you're interested to help Burgundy earn even more Box Tops. You can also review our other affinity programs, or give directly to Burgundy!

Burgundy Bulletin

Jela Shiver '11 is one of several Edison High School students who recently qualified to continue in forensics competition (speech and debate) at the regional level. Jela qualified in extemporaneous speaking.

Parker Thomas '12, currently a student at  St. Andrew's School, partnered with a classmate to create Talk2Troops, a website that provides an opportunity to send letters to members of the American military serving overseas. In partnership with Operation Gratitude, the website prints and mails letters at no cost to the letter writers. Parker was the lead developer for the website.