PTO BOARD ELECTIONS
Nominations Are (Mostly) In!
New members of the PTO board will be elected at the June 1 PTO meeting. Christine Dutt will be continuing her term as Co-President. Cristal Balis and Kristine Munroe are changing their positions on the Board, and there will be five new Board members.
The proposed slate follows.
Cristal Balis (nominated for Co-President) is finishing up her first year on the PTO Board as its community building coordinator and has co-chaired Halloween Family Fun Night for the past two years. Her background is mostly in marketing communications, but she also holds a Master’s in Education and spent some time teaching in Chicago Public Schools. She and her wife, Jill, are the proud parents of two soon-to-be second graders at Burr.
Ruchi Bhasin (nominated for Communications Coordinator) is a mother to two daughters, Aria a current fourth grader at Burr, and Riva, an incoming kindergartner in September 2017. Ruchi holds a Bachelor in Arts with major in Sociology and an associate's degree in Teacher Aide and would like to teach preschool kids in future. Presently, Ruchi is enjoying spending time with her family, watching her children grow and loves to volunteer at Burr. Her current volunteer commitments include Hospitality, May Fair, Understanding Our Differences Program, helping out in the library and being a room parent for both Burr and Riva's preschool. Ruchi is looking forward to learning more about Burr, as well as helping promote academic and social progress for the school.
Renee Krikorian (nominated for Education Support Coordinator) is mom to two first graders at Burr, Henry and Scarlett. She also has a 4 year old, Eliza who will be entering Burr in the fall of 2018. Renee is currently a pediatric occupational therapist working in a local public school system. Prior to her work as a school-based OT, Renee worked for two years in an early intervention program, and for 10 years in a private clinic specializing in sensory processing disorder. When her twins were in preschool, Renee served on the Board of Directors for Bowen Cooperative Nursery School in Newtonville where she was responsible for enrollment of their five day program.
Jeremy Lew (Nominated for Treasurer) bio forthcoming
Kristine Munroe (nominated for Co-President) is currently enjoying her first year on the PTO board. She has a background in online communications and she's been living in West Newton since 2005. Kristine lives with her husband, Matt, and first grader Isaac. You can usually see her walking Isaac to school every morning on Webster Street, moving at a verrrry slow pace.
Tamika Olszewski (nominated for Community Building Coordinator) practiced law in Baltimore for several years prior to moving to Newton with her husband and children in 2013. Tamika is the mother of twins, Morgan and Dean, who are currently in first grade at Burr. Tamika serves as a room parent for Ms. Golden and enjoys volunteering in the library. Her volunteer commitments also include Creative Arts and Sciences, Halloween Family Fun Night and Burr's International Potluck. This year, Tamika assisted the Burr Water Parent Liaisons in collaborating with Newton city officials to remediate elevated lead levels in Burr's drinking water supply. She is passionate about promoting diversity and inclusivity and will champion these issues both at Burr and across the larger Newton community.
The proposed slate follows.
Cristal Balis (nominated for Co-President) is finishing up her first year on the PTO Board as its community building coordinator and has co-chaired Halloween Family Fun Night for the past two years. Her background is mostly in marketing communications, but she also holds a Master’s in Education and spent some time teaching in Chicago Public Schools. She and her wife, Jill, are the proud parents of two soon-to-be second graders at Burr.
Ruchi Bhasin (nominated for Communications Coordinator) is a mother to two daughters, Aria a current fourth grader at Burr, and Riva, an incoming kindergartner in September 2017. Ruchi holds a Bachelor in Arts with major in Sociology and an associate's degree in Teacher Aide and would like to teach preschool kids in future. Presently, Ruchi is enjoying spending time with her family, watching her children grow and loves to volunteer at Burr. Her current volunteer commitments include Hospitality, May Fair, Understanding Our Differences Program, helping out in the library and being a room parent for both Burr and Riva's preschool. Ruchi is looking forward to learning more about Burr, as well as helping promote academic and social progress for the school.
Renee Krikorian (nominated for Education Support Coordinator) is mom to two first graders at Burr, Henry and Scarlett. She also has a 4 year old, Eliza who will be entering Burr in the fall of 2018. Renee is currently a pediatric occupational therapist working in a local public school system. Prior to her work as a school-based OT, Renee worked for two years in an early intervention program, and for 10 years in a private clinic specializing in sensory processing disorder. When her twins were in preschool, Renee served on the Board of Directors for Bowen Cooperative Nursery School in Newtonville where she was responsible for enrollment of their five day program.
Jeremy Lew (Nominated for Treasurer) bio forthcoming
Kristine Munroe (nominated for Co-President) is currently enjoying her first year on the PTO board. She has a background in online communications and she's been living in West Newton since 2005. Kristine lives with her husband, Matt, and first grader Isaac. You can usually see her walking Isaac to school every morning on Webster Street, moving at a verrrry slow pace.
Tamika Olszewski (nominated for Community Building Coordinator) practiced law in Baltimore for several years prior to moving to Newton with her husband and children in 2013. Tamika is the mother of twins, Morgan and Dean, who are currently in first grade at Burr. Tamika serves as a room parent for Ms. Golden and enjoys volunteering in the library. Her volunteer commitments also include Creative Arts and Sciences, Halloween Family Fun Night and Burr's International Potluck. This year, Tamika assisted the Burr Water Parent Liaisons in collaborating with Newton city officials to remediate elevated lead levels in Burr's drinking water supply. She is passionate about promoting diversity and inclusivity and will champion these issues both at Burr and across the larger Newton community.