THE BURR PTO PRESENTS 

World Cultures Potluck

Sunday April 7 | 4:00 - 6:00pm

Anthony Bourdain taught us that the best way to learn about other cultures was through food. From curry to casseroles, international cuisines give us a glimpse into other country’s customs and open us up to a whole new world of flavors. You can experience parts unknown for yourself by attending Burr’s very own biannual World Cultures Potluck! 

Come learn about the origins of dish and share stories, recipes, food and drinks.  We will have fun for the whole family!  If you would like to participate please follow the link below we are still looking for yummy homemade or store bought dishes! 

Please contact Lucy Galvan at lucyumass@hotmail.com, Al Olszewski at amost12@yahoo.com, or Spencer Poole at spencermolly@gmail.com

To sign up, visit: http://bit.ly/2Uv3v2v_worldculturespotluck

 THE BURR PTO PRESENTS 

New Burr School Sign!

Check out our new school sign! Thank you to the Fialkoskys for making this happen. 

You can check the sign for community updates and other school info.  

 THE BURR PTO PRESENTS 

Parent Principal Coffee

Did you miss last week's Parent Principal Coffee featuring David Fleishman and members of the school committee? We've got you covered! We recorded most of it! 

We discussed some important issues like school equity, enrollment, and more.

 THE BURR PTO PRESENTS 

World Cultures Potluck—April 7

You are all invited to join Burr Community in our biannual International Potluck on Sunday, April 7th from 4 to 6pm. 

2017 was off the hook with fabulous food, desserts and even dancing. This year we are trying to match it with another great potluck. Please bring your favorite dish(es) to the celebration or just bring your family to what is expected to be an awesome event. The dish can be homemade or purchased from your favorite place. We will enjoy it.

We'll be collecting recipes to create another International Potluck Cookbook, which doubles to list ingredients for those concerned about allergens. Additionally, we are seeking volunteers to lead short demonstrations to teach interested students about various cooking techniques from different parts of the world. For example, a volunteer might guide students through the technique for rolling pasta dough, or the proper way to fold a wonton.

Not a cook? Don't worry! Teach the kids how to make your family's go-to horchata (rice drink) recipe or how you steep the perfect cup of tea. We hope to have a wide array of presentations across cultures, because it's so very important that we not only recognize our differences, but teach our children to celebrate them. And what better way to do this than through food?!

Signup here:  https://www.signupgenius.com/go/60b0d4dafaa23a0fb6-burr5

 THE BURR PTO PRESENTS 

The Kaleidoscope Bag Project

Burr FORJ, Families Organizing for Racial Justice, and Burr PTO are proud to introduce a new shared learning experience: The Kaleidoscope Bag Project. 

This project will provide Burr families with an opportunity to explore and celebrate the richness of our diversity through age-appropriate books, music, DVDs, games, and other activities. There are six bags, one for each grade level. 

The Kaleidoscope Bags are intended to strengthen our community’s core value of respect and understanding of racial, religious, cultural and ethnic differences. This is our pilot year for this project and there are only 11 slots for week-long checkouts starting Monday, March 25th. 

Please signup and help us structure the program for next year.

Kindergarten: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0A4CAFA82DA1F49-kindergarten

First Grade: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0A4CAFA82DA1F49-first

Second Grade: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0A4CAFA82DA1F49-second

Third Grade: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0A4CAFA82DA1F49-third

Fourth Grade: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0A4CAFA82DA1F49-fourth

Fifth Grade: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0A4CAFA82DA1F49-fifth

Monthly Burr Newsletter

March 18, 2019

Dear Burr Families,

It was good to see so many of you on Friday night at the Burr Talent Shows. I think all who attended would agree that both shows were a huge success! We have an amazing group of talented students at Burr! The range and variety of talents were so much fun to see. I am so impressed with the bravery the children exhibited to get up on stage in front of so many people. 

The evening would not have been possible without the commitment of our wonderful teachers. Ms. Tice, Ms. MacNeill, Ms. Mazer-Warren, and Ms. Barker who planned and organized the shows. We are also so fortunate to have a fabulous MC, Scott Helman (parent of Eli in grade 3), who generously takes time out of his busy schedule to support our students. Many thanks also to the numerous parents and staff members that helped with ticket sales, the concession stand, crowd control, and supervising the performers in the gym.  This event would not have been possible without everyone’s combined efforts.

Students in kindergarten and grade one will have a chance to showcase their talents in the K & 1 Talent Show on April 12 at 9:00 AM. We will be sending out information about that shortly.  Meanwhile, I know several students are already thinking about the talent they want to showcase. 

This is a busy time of year. There are lots of fabulous community events planned in the coming weeks and I’m sure that I will see many of you at them.  Please remember that, like the Talent Shows these events can only take place people volunteer their time to help out.  Please be sure to check the PTO Calendar for upcoming events and contact the PTO if you would like to help out.

Finally, the Burr School Council will be sending out a survey this week to find out how connected Burr families feel to the school and community. Please take the time to respond to this survey.  Your input is valuable because we will make changes and improvements based on the data collected.

Best,

Mindy

Burr School Parent Survey

March 18, 2019

Dear Burr Families,

This year the School Council is exploring ways to improve student and family connectedness to the Burr School community. Research shows that this is an important element in a student’s success at school.  Currently, Newton Public School has all students in grades 3 – 12 complete a Student Connectedness Survey, which is useful in assessing our students’ social and emotional well-being. The Burr School Council would like to extend the opportunity for you to participate in a similar survey and share your perspective.   In these kinds of surveys it is important to understand the experience of different demographics, so we can continue be a welcoming and supportive community.

We appreciate your honest feedback in this anonymous survey. Please click on the link below and complete the survey by March 29, 2019.

Burr School Connectedness Survey

To ensure that all Burr families have the opportunity to respond to our survey, we will arrange for translators to support families as needed. Please reach out to the school and let us know if you’d like to be contacted by a translator. 
  
Sincerely,
Burr School Council Members

Tamika Olszewski
Christine Kwan
Linda Ma
Lynn Slobodin
Sydney Tice
Kara MacNeill
Mindy Johal

 THE BURR PTO PRESENTS 

Birthday Wishes Cakewalk—May 19

On May 19th, the Burr community will come together at Lasell College for a 5K walk and festival to raise money for children experiencing homelessness. Come join the Burr Wolves team and walk with us!    It will be fun and for a GREAT cause!

Click here to join the Burr team:  https://birthdaywishes.rallybound.org/burrwolves

 THE BURR PTO PRESENTS 

Burr Talent Show Concession Stand (March 15th)

Please join us as we cheer on our Talent Show participants and raise some monies for the Burr Wolf Fund. If you haven't been able to volunteer this year this is a super easy way to help for an hour next Friday, March 15th! Grab a friend and join us! 
See sign-up for specific times. 

 THE BURR PTO PRESENTS 

 

Talent Show Tickets Now On Sale!

The talent show is this Friday March 15, 2019 
Grade 2 & 3: 6:00 - 7:00pm
Grade 4 & 5: 7:30 - 8:30pm

There are many wonderful group and individual performances for your enjoyment. Bring the family for a fun night out. You’ll be impressed with the talented students at Burr School! Ticket Prices: $7 per person**Snacks and drinks will be sold**Funds from ticket sales will be used to for school technology enhancements and a contribution to the Water for South Sudan Fund.
The order form for purchasing tickets for the Burr Talent Shows is found in the link below. 

Please send in your completed order form and payment  by Wednesday, March 13th, 2019 and we will send tickets home with your child. 

Talent Show TIcket Order Form 2019.docx

Talent Show Auditions—March 5 & 6

Auditions for the talent show will now be held during the school day at the following times:

Grades 2 & 3  – Tuesday, March 5 from 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM

Grades 4 & 5  - Wednesday, March 6 from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM

Children should come to school with props/instruments needed so they are prepared to audition.