Happy New School Year!
Happy indeed. The students have been high-energy from jump, greeting friends with squeals and giving one another and their teachers bear-hugs. The hot weather (at least as of Friday morning) has had approximately zero impact on students, aside from excitement about being able to begin swimming next week.
Thursday we had our first All School Meeting in the Amphitheater. Under the trees it was still comfortable outside. Student drummers and Assistant Head of School Elizabeth Lener welcomed us in a casual but expectant procession, and we reveled in being in the woods and having such an extraordinary campus.
We introduced new students and faculty-staff, as well as all non-teaching staff, who comprise a vital but sometimes less visible part of our learning community. We also spoke of the three simple expectations that help make our learning community as close and functional as it is: -
Be nice to everyone. (Be inclusive. Make everyone feel respected and welcome. Don't be unkind.)
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Be nice to Burgundy. (Take care of our incredible campuses and our learning materials.)
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Respect learning. (Honor the speaker, share the various roles, try your best.)
We gave a few illustrations of each and reminded everyone that much of what we need to be successful emanates from these simple ideas. They create a culture.
In particular, everything important and wonderful that happens at Burgundy flows from our 'being nice to everyone.' Our high regard for each student as an individual and whole person is critically important. The Responsive Classroom training taken by much of the faculty on Tuesday before the opening of school Wednesday emphasized that our ability to honor and meet the needs of children where they are (and not where we'd like them to be) is the key ingredient to our successful mentoring and facilitation of learning. In short, it makes it safe to learn.
As parents and guardians we know how important it is to respect children and their developmental needs, granting them the gift of time where appropriate, offering patience as well as the tools and experiences to help them grow. More than anything we want our students to be engaged learners, confident enough to take risks, who also feel good about who and where they are! The Burgundy Way is to love and meet kids where they are, even as we invite them to push forward in their development.
Jeff Sindler
Head of School
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Coming Up at Burgundy ...
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Information about upcoming school-wide events and activities.
Burgundy Alert System Test Sept. 12  We will hold a test of Burgundy's emergency notification system the morning of Monday, Sept. 12. Our emergency system is used to send notifications about school closures, delays, or unplanned early dismissals.
Current parents/guardians are enrolled in the system and should receive an email and an automated telephone call; those who are subscribed to text alerts will also receive a text message. This is only a test -- please do not call the school for more information. If you do not receive messages by the end of the day on Monday, contact alert@burgundyfarm.org.
New families may receive an opt-in text message this afternoon, Friday, Sept. 9. If your family was enrolled at Burgundy last school year, or attended Burgundy Farm Summer Day Camp this summer, you have already received this message and will likely not receive another (there are some variations by cell phone provider). Reply Yes to confirm you'd like to receive text notifications.
Cooper's Cove Trips Coming Soon!
Burgundy Back-to-School BBQ  Please plan to join us for the annual Burgundy BBQ on Friday, Sept. 16, 6-7:30 p.m.! This year's will be a special event as it takes place 70 years to the day when classes began at Burgundy. Reconnect with old friends and meet new ones.
This family-friendly evening provides great dinner options for both meat-lovers and vegetarians. To ensure we have enough food for all, please register by Wednesday, Sept. 14 if you plan to attend.
After-School Enrichment Classes  Does your child want to keep learning and playing after the school day ends? Burgundy's enrichment classes offer fun and educational opportunities right here on campus. Online registration is now available!
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Arioh and his Buy a Book selection last fall.
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Buy a Book for Burgundy Buy a Book for Burgundy is a fundraising program for the library, begun in the the early 1970s to enhance a small library budget and keep our resources up to date. A donation of $20 covers the purchase price of one of our new books. These books remain in the library with a bookplate that recognizes the child or family donor. As an added bonus, your child will be the very first student allowed to check out the donated book!
Our new books will be on display in the library for the entire month of September. Please come by during morning or afternoon carpool, or even during the school day--whatever is most convenient for you. We will also be open until 6 p.m. on Mondays and Thursdays throughout September. If you wish to have your student choose a book on their own, you may send in a check or cash for $20 with a Buy a Book form (PDF). Credit cards will be accepted for payment in person only. Checks should be made out to BFCDS.
Thank you for supporting the library! - Cindy Woodruff and Barbara Krainik, Librarians
Shop Smart! Give Back to Burgundy  Welcome back, Box Top Clippers! Burgundy is a Box Tops school, which means we are on the prowl for those iconic little rectangles found on many products you probably already buy. Each Box Top is worth 10 cents for Burgundy, and all those dimes really add up! There is a Box Tops collection container in every classroom, the Middle School atrium, and in the Main Office so bring in your Box Tops! We keep a tally of how many each class brings in for some friendly competition. Start sending them in at any time!
Members of the Burgundy community can help our school earn money through the eScrip program in three ways: -
eScrip dining: Sign up for free at escrip.com and register your credit and/or debit cards. Visit any of over 11,000 restaurants, bars or clubs and pay with your registered cards. Earn up to 5% back in contributions for Burgundy (2.5% for dining, 2.5% for completing a review).
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eScrip's online mall. Sign up at shopping.escrip.com. Find shops and offers - click, shop and earn for Burgundy. Install the ForgetMeNot browser extension to remind you of earning opportunities.
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eScrip's Benefit Mobile - this free app for mobile devices is a great place to purchase digital gift cards. Each transaction sends up to 20% of the total to Burgundy. Use them for your everyday spending in the checkout line or at home. (And if you use them on eScrip's online mall, you can earn twice for Burgundy!)
 Support Burgundy with Amazon.com purchases by accessing the site from Smile.Amazon.com. On your first visit, you will be prompted to choose the charitable organization you'd like to support. Type "Burgundy" into the search tool, select our school, and Burgundy will receive 0.5% of the purchase price of eligible purchases. Please note that only purchases made after logging on to Smile.Amazon.com (not Amazon.com) will benefit Burgundy.
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BPA Volunteer Survey
Parents, grandparents, and friends of Burgundy are invited to indicate their interests and preferences for volunteering through an online survey put together by the Burgundy Parent Association (BPA). If you have already completed the survey, you do not need to do so again. Any way you can participate is welcome and appreciated!
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September
12: Swimming begins in PE Work Smarter Session, 3:15 p.m., Library Varsity soccer practices begin
13: JV soccer practices begin
14: Work Smarter Session, 3:15 p.m., Library
15: Dot Day - Lower School, please wear dots! Work Smarter Session, 3:15 p.m., Library
17: Board of Trustees Retreat
19: Work Smarter Session, 3:15 p.m., Library Volleyball practices begin
20: Lower School Back to School Night, 7-8:30 p.m., Gym
21: Peace Day - please wear peace signs! Work Smarter Session, 3:15 p.m., Library Cross country practices begin
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Catch up with what we've been up to on campus and beyond.
Family Handbook and Directory Going Digital Burgundy's Family Handbook and Student Directory, distributed early in the school year, is going digital this year! In an effort to be more sustainable and better manage updates, we will be creating only an electronic handbook and directory this year. It will be available to all families on the Family Resources page of Haiku, and we expect to share the publication in two documents next week. The PDF format will allow individuals to print out the handbook or directory if they choose to do so. Updates and corrections will be made monthly and posted on Haiku.
If your family gets a new address, phone number, or email address and you need to update the information in the directory, make these changes by logging into the family portal of PCR Educator and notifying Kathleen Hennessey.
Unclaimed Items Donated to ALIVE ALIVE (ALexandrians InVolved Ecumenically) is an organization of volunteers from more than 40 religious congregations in the community. During the school year Burgundy student and parent volunteers work with ALIVE on food drives and distribution. Recently ALIVE representatives came to campus to pick up unclaimed items from Burgundy Farm Summer Day Camp's lost and found.
Their organization is a good fit for opportunities like this because donated items go directly to people who need them (they are not resold), and ALIVE has facilities to store seasonal items.
- Charlene Pritzker, Community Service Coordinator |
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Updates on alumni activities and students' extracurricular achievements.
Alumni News Congratulations to Anna Ustun '13! As a captain for the West Potomac Dance Team, she was part of a recent Universal Dance Association competition and won a Leadership Award as well as the opportunity to perform at a parade in Orlando, Florida. Both the varsity and JV teams won additional team awards and invitations for more parade performances.
Anna's dad Jon Ustun '75 is coming back to Burgundy this fall to again coach our JV soccer team. We're happy to have another alum back on campus!
Tonasia Jones '07 is now working for the Theater Offensive in Boston. The Theater Offensive's mission is to present the diversity of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender lives in art so bold it breaks through personal isolation, challenges the status quo, and builds thriving communities.
Extracurricular Opportunities Burgundy's Girl Scout troop 1925 is looking for more 1st and 2nd grade girls to join us. Burgundy's first grade Daisies will be meeting once a month on Friday afternoons (alternate meeting time available) and second grade Brownies will meet twice a month on Thursdays. If your daughter is a new Girl Scout or is bridging to a new level, expenses for the year are roughly $200 to cover registration, uniform and pins, as well as monthly dues. Parent volunteer involvement is welcome and appreciated! This troop does participate in fall product sales as well as the traditional cookie sales. Interested families can contact Aurora Thomas at at auroralee85@gmail.com.
Girls on the Run is a program for elementary and middle school girls that combines a 20-lesson curriculum addressing the psychological, sociological and physiological aspect of physical activity, with training for a 5K run. A Burgundy team will participate again this fall with twice weekly meetings -- interested families of girls in 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade are invited to learn more at www.gotrnova.org and contact parent coaches Ann Grillo (anngrillo@gmail.com) or Alicia Boyce (aliciavet94@gmail.com). The standard fee for the program is $175; some discounts and financial aid opportunities may be available.
An 8th Grade Band is forming at Burgundy -- all 8th grade singers and instrumentalists are invited to join. Rehearsals are held on Sundays. For more information please contact DeShan Lett (deshanl@burgundyfarm.org) or parent volunteers Leslie and Harold Summey at lasummey@yahoo.com and/or hsumm1@verizon.net. |
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