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Wednesday evening at Lower School Curriculum Night in my brief welcome to parents I confessed some of the anxiety and stresses that accompany being a parent of a young child. As a Burgundy employee, much less the Head of School, I may hope that my child is exemplary in every way, easy to manage, an enthusiastic and capable learner, a good friend to all, etc. -- and worry she may not! Tee and I are prey to insecurities and how our kids reflect on us just like any parent and may succumb to those worries, in spite of being educators who should be better-than-average at steeling ourselves against it all!
One of the best attributes of Burgundy is embodied in three words that take some time to appreciate: a developmental approach. A developmental approach, simply stated, means that we as parents and educators (and parent-educators) are not forcing a timetable on the development of our children -- intellectually, academically, socially, spiritually, athletically, artistically...
Easier said than done. Ideally we recognize that all people and all children have some native strengths and stronger interests and proclivities and some potential domains of growth that will be slower or harder. Of course, we know this. But it's virtually impossible to resist comparing -- to ourselves and our memory of our own development, to siblings, classmates or neighbors or national averages. We each have a different threshold for a developmental mindset depending on the area of development we are talking about: slower development in reading, for example, may be harder to keep patience with than say, achieving the fine motor skills necessary for legible handwriting.
Sitting in on our joint Kindergarten Polar Bears and Penguins presentation at Lower School curriculum night Wednesday evening I was reminded that the gift of time -- and encouragement and safe struggle and risk-taking -- is the greatest gift of all. It comes only as part of unconditional respect and positive regard that is part of great teaching.
We have great teachers at Burgundy. We should feel very good that when children see themselves in the eyes, gestures and words of their teachers here, they can love what they see. This is the foundation of everything good that happens here!
Jeff Sindler
Head of School |
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Coming Up at Burgundy ...
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Morning Mindfulness Begins Sept. 23
Beginning Wednesday, September 23, Dori Gonzalez-Acevedo (parent of Alessandra, 2nd grade Buckeye) will offer a weekly "Morning Mindfulness" with meditation and yoga for all interested Burgundy families, students, faculty and staff. The group will meet 7:30-8 a.m. Wednesdays during the fall. The first meeting will be on the Early Childhood deck (rain location: Loft) but the class may move or split into smaller groups in later weeks.
BPA Morning Mingle Sept. 25 Please mark your calendars for a Morning Mingle next Friday, September 25, at 8:30 a.m. in the Loft. New parents can connect with seasoned parents, the BPA and Burgundy administrators. All Burgundy parents are invited, and we hope to see you. We really encourage new parents in grades 1-8 to attend as new families are fewer in those classes; we want to be extra attentive to welcoming you and answering any questions you may have. New parents, please come with any questions that will undoubtedly have arisen during the first few weeks of school. Veteran parents, please attend with any new parents in your class to further welcome them and share tips! Parents can also take this opportunity to meet Elizabeth Lener, our new Assistant Head of School, and a new Burgundy parent herself (Malcolm, 2nd grade).
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Burgundy Blazers soccer games start next week!
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Burgundy Sports Have Begun Fall at Burgundy means fall sports! Athletes and coaches have already started practices and games are just around the corner. Returning again this year, Ivana Bulirova will be coaching both varsity soccer and cross country, and Jon Ustun will be coaching JV soccer. We are thrilled to have two newcomers to the Burgundy coaching team: Derrick McCabe will assist both soccer teams, and Anastasia Quinn will coach volleyball. Families of team members will receive most of the information they need through team emails (updates to practice and game dates and departure times, etc). General information, including photos and schedules, can be found on the Athletics page of Haiku. Any changes to the schedule due to weather or cancellation will be sent via team emails and updates to Haiku and the school calendar. Students will also be told and have the opportunity to call home. We'd love to see and hear you at home games! All games are available on the Burgundy calendar, and mark your calendars for the home games below. All are currently scheduled to begin at 3:30 p.m. Soccer is played on the field; volleyball is in the gym. The cross country meets will begin on the field.
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Varsity Soccer
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JV Soccer
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September 24 vs Capitol Hill Day School
October 6 vs Browne Academy
October 22 vs Alexandria Country Day School
October 28 vs Edlin School
November 3 vs Congressional Schools |
October 5 (tentative) vs Capitol Hill Day School
October 19 vs Browne Academy
October 29 vs Gesher Jewish Day School | | | | |
Volleyball
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Cross Country
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October 27 vs St. Thomas Aquinas Regional School
November 10 vs Congressional Schools
November 11 vs St. Stephen's & St. Agnes School | November 4 ABC League Championship Meet |
Fall Fair: Five W's
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| | There are lots of options for family fun at the Fall Fair! |
WHAT: Burgundy's annual Fall Fair, a fun opportunity for our community to come together WHEN: Saturday, October 17, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. -- just a month away! WHERE: Burgundy's campus. WHY: Proceeds from the Fair benefit the financial aid program at Burgundy. About 1 in every 5 students receive some financial aid, and every purchase at the Fair -- from activity tickets to food sales to Kids' Closet items -- helps members of our Burgundy family. So plan to attend and invite extended family, friends, and neighbors to come too! WHO: The Fall Fair wouldn't be possible without support from you -- parents and friends of Burgundy. Thanks in advance to all Fair event chairs, who will be organizing and implementing specific events: -
Artisan Mart: Kelley Sullivan
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Bake Sale: Audrey Dreibelbis
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Barnyard Visits: Ali Shepard '04
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Entertainment: Paul Miller, Hannah Miller '15 and Cathy Manley
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Face Painting: Charis Calhoon and Melissa Koval
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Food Tent: Nancy and Neil Weissman
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Funnel Cakes: Minh Vu
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Games: Nicole Thorpe
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Kid's Closet: Wes Callender and Tovah Ravitz-Meehan
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Lemonade Stand: Mary Sexton
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Moon Bounce: Missy Murrell
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Pumpkin Painting: Lori Adams and Cathy Guertin
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Used Book Sale: Jane Hanson and Jan Foster
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Volunteer Coordinator: Laura Davis
Our Extended Burgundy Family Your whole family is a part of the Burgundy Family! If you would like grandparents or other special friends to receive invitations to Burgundy events and other correspondence, please share their contact information (PDF). This form can be mailed to the Advancement Office, c/o Michele McCabe at 3700 Burgundy Road, Alexandria, VA 22303 or emailed to Michele at michelem@burgundyfarm.org. It may also be faxed to her attention at 703.960.0160. Thank you!
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Burgundy BBQ, 6-8 p.m. Blacktop. See you tonight!
Tomorrow, Saturday, September 19: Ann Van Deusen Burgundy Memorial Service, 1 p.m. Gym. Please RSVP.
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| | JK Chick Arioh Guevara selected the book I'm Brave at Buy a Book for Burgundy. Photo by Arlene Guevara. |
Monday, September 21: Peace Day school activities and programs. Middle School Curriculum Night, 7 p.m. Gym. Extended Day is offering free childcare for this event (ages 4 and up). A pizza dinner and a movie will be provided. If you would like to use our childcare, please RSVP to Laura Motawehby Friday, September 18 with children's names and ages.
Friday, September 25:
BPA Morning Mingle, 8:30 a.m. Loft.
Saturday, September 26: Volunteer Gardening Work Day. More information to come!
Through September: Buy a Book for Burgundy continues. A $20 donation offsets the cost of one of our Library's new books -- your child can select which book to 'buy' and leave in the Library with a special nameplate. More details in last week's Constant Comment.
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Board Report
At the September Board meeting on Tuesday, the Board of Trustees reviewed start of school activities, financial reports, approved two motions related to Campus Renewal, and recognized an outgoing member.
The administration reported that Burgundy again successfully passed its annual financial audit, with expenses and revenue near expectations. Burgundy Summer Day Camp had a very successful year and brought in additional revenue. Official enrollment is strong at 284 students this fall. The Board reviewed and discussed a preliminary design for the planned Community and Arts Center. This building will replace the aging Loft and, with the adjacent Campus Green, is the next phase of the multi-year Campus Renewal Initiative. The Board's approval this week allows the design and construction plans to continue to completion. In addition to design, financing, fundraising, and final permitting for the project must each be completed before we can start construction. We are especially grateful to the philanthropic support of the donors who have given generously to this effort and if we continue on this successful track over the next few months, we hope to be able to start construction on the building this summer. Our skilled Facility Manager Larry Inguagiato will be our project manager for the building. With his experience, training, and skills we are positioned to avoid some of the management issues and delays encountered in the permitting and construction of the Outdoor Classroom and Discovery Playground.  Lastly, the Board recognized the service of retiring Trustee Joe Liu at his last meeting. Joe, whose daughter Simone graduated in 2014, was in his second term on the Board. He reflected on all the progress he's seen -- especially the completion of the Outdoor Classroom and Discovery Playground. Welcome to Burgundy, via Maddie's Way As you drive up Burgundy's gravel road, you're traveling on Maddie's Way, named in honor of 8th grader Maddie Kocher. Each spring, the naming rights for the gravel drive are open to bidders at Burgundy's annual auction. Last year, the Sarchio family dubbed the road the Andy & Lynne Sarchio Memorial Drive. This year, it's Maddie's Way. Next year, it might be your family's name on the handcrafted sign! Community Service Report On Sunday, September 13, a group of Middle School students participated in the first Meals on Wheels distribution of the school year. Alexandria Meals on Wheels, a project of Senior Services of Alexandria, delivers a meal to homebound seniors 365 days a year. During the school year, Burgundy students and parent drivers deliver meals once a month.
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| | Delivering food with Meals on Wheels. |
School Directory Corrections
Printed copies of the Parent Handbook and School Directory were distributed to classrooms earlier this week to send home via child mail. If you haven't received yours, please ask your youngest Burgundy student, and then his/her homeroom teacher. The handbook and directory are also available as separate documents on the Family Resources page of Haiku.
Charlene Pritzker's street address on page 55 is incorrect; it should be 4113 North Garland Street.
Beth King's street address on page 55 is incorrect; it should be 8429 Camden Street. The address is correct on page 74.
Morgan Johnson (4/5 Coopers) has withdrawn from Burgundy.
Burgundy Bulletin The Smith/Ewing family has three pet rats available to a good home. The family believes all three are female, and one is pregnant. If you're interested, contact Beth Ewing (parent of Charlie Smith, 5th grade Redtail, and Max Smith, 6th grade) at ewingsmith@gmail.com. Tom Anstrom '96 left positive memories with teachers and peers at Burgundy, as well as later at the Edmund Burke School and Davidson College. Tom passed away suddenly in April as a result of a longstanding heart condition. Tom's Davidson College classmates have created a scholarship in Tom's memory for students pursuing internships in public policy, progressive politics, and social justice
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Parting Photos|
| | 8th graders Eliza Marcus and Finlay MacKnight lead the All School Meeting in the amphitheatre. |
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| Buckeyes have fun in the pool. Photo by Jerry Jirgl.
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| | At the Cove, 6th graders contribute stone soup ingredients. Photo by Charlene Pritzker. |
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