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 I speak with prospective families about the '4 Cs' -- Campus, Curriculum, Culture, and Community. From a progressive education standpoint and from my own personal experience of nearly 30 years working in various, disparate kinds of schools, it is far and away those 3rd and 4th C's, Culture and Community, that make all the difference.
If the culture of a school is purely competitive, then there are winners and losers. Learning should not be about winning and losing. Everyone can learn almost anything; learning at Burgundy is about growth, moving from one level of understanding and application to another, gaining skills and confidence and proficiency.
The sense of community here undergirds the culture. At Burgundy we start by working to create and maintain a community that respects and affirms each person. This is not easy, and the work must be purposeful and ongoing (and we're not perfect at it). But as researcher-writer RIck Wormeli reminds us in his article, "The 7 Habits of Highly Affective Teachers" (Educational Leadership, October 2015), and as any Burgundy teacher will tell you: learning and growth mindset absolutely are governed by emotion and attitude. Show me a happy child who feels safe and respected for who he/she is, and I will show you an engaged learner.
Last week's 8th grade musical, The Music Man, was phenomenal. It's so exciting each year to witness 8th graders creating a professional caliber show. They demonstrate collaboration and problem-solving skills and the emotional intelligence and poise developed at Burgundy that are rarely seen in middle schoolers, modeling respect for one another and the (sometimes scary) challenges of the production and finding genuine confidence and enjoyment of the remarkable results.
Much of the success of the musicals should be credited to our great drama and music teachers! But much of it must be shared with all the other Burgundy teachers who have been teaching and reinforcing for years the social and emotional skills that come into play in a challenging, complex, pressure-filled, all-encompassing project like the musical. Problems arise at the worst possible time: a costume issue, a flubbed line, a prop malfunction. But the kids work through and around them.The environment that has taught them that mistakes can be overcome and that it's safe and healthy to try something outside of your wheelhouse (like dancing or singing or both) can pay long-term dividends.
Observing the soon-to-be-graduates putting up such a remarkable production gives us a future-looking glimpse of these adolescents in their adult selves. It is thrilling, and a little sad. But we know they are ready for high school and so much more!
Jeff Sindler
Head of School |
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Coming Up at Burgundy ...
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 Pool Time is Coming Soon!
Parents, please send in labeled swim gear, as our students will start swimming soon in class and during Extended Day! When the pool is open and PE classes begin to swim, Extended Day will also offer swim time in the afternoons as the weather allows. We are hopeful that this will be next week.
If you would like your student to be able to swim during Extended Day please send a second set of swim gear, labeled with names, to be kept at Extended Day during the week and we will send it home with the student on Fridays. Swim time during Ex Day will be free swim closely monitored by a certified lifeguard as well as Extended Day staff. Make sure your student is ready to dive in!
Reminder: Campus Renewal Construction Meeting With more visible preparation and site work starting on the new Arts & Community Center this summer, Burgundy invites current families to attend an informational meeting and Q&A session. The first session was held yesterday; thanks to those parents who attended!
There is still another session available: Tuesday, May 24, 6-7 p.m. Please register online if you plan to attend. Complimentary childcare (with a pizza dinner) is available for children age 4 and older. Please indicate if you need childcare on your registration.
Burgundy Parent Association Elections The BPA Steering Committee would like to invite current parents to vote on the slate of candidates for next year's Steering Committee. Elections begin today. Online ballots, including biographies, are now available and voting will close on Friday, May 27. Results will be announced in the June 3 Constant Comment.
Join us Sunday, June 5, 2-4 p.m., rain or shine, for a family play date! We welcome current Burgundy families and encourage you to bring another family to discover our amazing campus -- including our Outdoor Classroom & Discovery Playground!
This is an opportunity for friends from your neighborhood, office, church, gym, or sports clubs to see why you and your family love Burgundy. Children and adults alike will enjoy seeing our barnyard animals, checking out our garden, exploring the playground, peering out from our treehouse, and sliding down the super slide! We know that after visiting Burgundy, your friends might not want to leave, so information about our summer camp and school programs will be available.
Help us spread the word -- share the event on Facebook or invite friends directly! |  |
Farewell to the Loft June 11 Even as excitement builds for our new Arts & Community Center and Campus Green, we want to give the Loft a great farewell party! On Saturday, June 11, 1-4 p.m. we'll celebrate the decades of great memories made in the Loft and the creative talent of Burgundy graduates. We are still confirming additional participants, but our alumni showcase will include:
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Performances
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Art
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Hayden Arp '09
Zachary Gardner '13
Emily "EJ" Jonas '03
Tony Jordan '60
The Randolphs - Clarke '05, Elliot '07,
Cole '10, and Harper '10
Integriti Reeves '02
Carolyn Weger '96
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Richard Fitzhugh '58
Daisa Harris '10
Molly Herman '84
Kristen Johnson '06
Evan Keeling '91
Emily Kell '04
Rachel Michael '12
Jim Sanborn '59
Toure Shiver '08
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Summer Math Institute This summer Burgundy will host the inaugural Summer Math Institute Monday, July 11. Geared toward area math educators, this event is being led by Middle School math teacher Matthew Reames, who will present sessions alongside fellow faculty members Carol Schwartz and Cindy Woodruff. If you know a math teacher who might be interested, please share the information and an event flyer (PDF)! Early bird registration rates are available through June 1.
Health Reminder: Tick Season In spring and early summer, ticks will be active, and families should be more vigilant about checking their children. Due to licensing guidelines, Burgundy staff cannot remove ticks which have already embedded in the skin. If a child comes to the clinic with a tick, the health coordinator will contact parents or guardians so they can attend to their child when he or she comes home. Please review CDC advice on preventing tick bites, as well as finding and removing ticks.
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Don't forget to register for
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Don't Forget!
Friday, May 20: MS Running Club, 3:15 p.m.
Monday, May 23: Math Mondays: MS Math Help Session, 3:15 p.m., Matthew's classroom. 4/5 Redtails Musical Showcase, 7 p.m., Loft. Wednesday, May 25: New Parent Coffee, 9-10:30 a.m., Loft. MS Running Club, 3:15 p.m. Work Smarter session, 3:15 p.m., Library. Thursday, May 26: Work Smarter session, 3:15 p.m., Library. Friday, May 27: Medieval Faire, 10:30 a.m.-noon, in front of West Barn (Early Childhood). MS Running Club, 3:15 p.m.
Monday, May 30: School Closed - Memorial Day. Wednesday, June 1: MS Running Club, 3:15 p.m. 3rd Grade Musical Showcase, 7 p.m., Loft. |
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Auction Update: We've Got the Record-Breaking Numbers!
 We are delighted to report that this year's auction grossed a record-breaking $187,333 (unaudited). The net proceeds of $161,047 will go directly to student financial aid at Burgundy and help maintain the diversity that benefits all members of the Burgundy community. Thank you to our amazing auction co-chairs Ann Grillo and Moley Evans, and to all of the students, parents and friends, faculty and staff, as well as members of the business community, who helped to make our 2016 auction such a success.
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No More Caps Needed in First Grade For several years, families at Burgundy have been sending plastic bottle caps into the 1st grade classes. The Goats and Sheep would use the caps for counting and pattern making activities to build math skills, and then send the caps for recycling to the cosmetics company AVEDA. However, because more local recycling programs can now accept the bottle caps, AVEDA has decided to discontinue their program. The 1st grade teachers and students appreciate your past contributions -- we've collected almost 200,000 caps over the years -- but no more caps are needed! Please recycle them with your bottles at home.
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Middle School students and parents sort food that postal workers
collected for ALIVE.
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Community Service Report Every second Saturday in May, letter carriers in more than 10,000 cities and towns across America collect food along their routes and deliver it to post offices where local non-profits collect and sort the food. As part of this national initiative, Burgundy Middle School students and parents helped ALIVE (Alexandrians InVolved Ecumenically) twice over the weekend of May 14-15. On Saturday, we unloaded food from small mail trucks and did a basic sort at the Dove Street Post Office facility in Alexandria as letter carriers brought back food from their routes. The food was then transported by larger truck to the ALIVE warehouse, where we unloaded the trucks and began a more detailed sort of the food. On Sunday, we continued sorting the food collected at Dove Street as well as at the Franconia Post Office. This was a careful, organized process, which resulted in a huge number of boxes of food separated by category. Much of this food will be used to help needy families at ALIVE's monthly Last Saturday Food Distributions. Each month, ALIVE serves hundreds of families at three Alexandria locations.
In a thank you note, the post office food drive coordinator complimented our students' work: "There was a moment when I looked over and they were working like a great team, emptying bags and filling up tubs with all the food! Their enthusiasm and hard work made a difficult task much easier." -- Charlene Pritzker |
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 Another auction item come to life -- a fantastic pool party for kindergarten
Penguin students and parents!
 Plenty of burgundy in the spring garden!
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Playing in the sand after school.
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