Burr School Sports

Friday Soccer & Tuesday Basketball FINAL WEEK OF REGISTRATION!

2019 WINTER INDOOR SPORTS TRAINING
TO BE AT BURR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL GYM,
SOCCER/FRIDAYS OR BASKETBALL/TUESDAYS
FOR 1 HOUR EACH GROUP IN EVENINGS.

• BASKETBALL TUESDAYS ARE from 12/3/2019 to 3/10/2020; 
• SOCCER FRIDAYS ARE from 12/6/2019 to 3/27/2020. 

PLEASE REGISTER AT www.bit.ly/burrschool

Just Next Door Fundraiser!

Holiday Shopping on your mind? 

Don’t look any further, just make a trip to our very own neighborhood store ‘Just Next Door’ in Auburndale. 

At Checkout, remember  to mention you are shopping for Burr School, every purchase gives 20% back to our school. Spread the word to Family and Friends too. Psst..It’s an Early Release Dismissal so all the more fun to get that shopping list taken care of!

Event: December Holiday Shopping 
When: Wednesday December 4, 2019 All Day
Where: 327 Auburn St, Auburndale MA 02466

Update on Understanding Our Differences

On November 14th, Burr parents presented the Learning Disabilities unit of the Understanding Our Differences program to the 4th grade. Using a computer analogy, students learned about the ways the brain takes in, processes, stores and shares information. Students learned that learning can be impacted when someone has a learning disability that affects one or more of these areas. They enjoyed hearing from Newton South senior Olga ZhiZhin who shared her own personal story and answered all of the students’ thoughtful questions.

We would like to thank our volunteer team:  Michael Grubb, Deanna Salemme, Spencer Poole, Fiona St John-Parsons, Molly Scanlon, Cristal Balis, Brenna Fisk, Krissy Munroe, Tamika Olszewski and Lily Shu. We could not have done it without you!

November is National Diabetes Month

Become familiar with the warning signs of diabetes. Knowledge is an important weapon against this disease and its complications.

Warning Signs of Type 1 Diabetes
These symptoms can occur suddenly and must receive immediate medical attention.
 Excessive thirst
 Frequent urination sometimes exhibited by bedwetting (in large quantities)
 Blurry vision
 Extreme hunger
 Unexplained weight loss even though eating and feeling hungry
 Sweet, fruity odor on breath
 Abdominal pain
 Nausea/vomiting
 Fatigue
 Drowsiness, lethargy
 Irritability/mood changes
 Rapid, heavy breathing
 Confusion, Stupor
 Unconsciousness

Many of these symptoms can be related to illnesses that are not associated with diabetes. This should be discussed with a health care provider.
Type 1 diabetes, once known as juvenile diabetes or insulin-dependent diabetes, is a chronic condition in which the pancreas produces little or no insulin. Insulin is a hormone needed to allow sugar (glucose) to enter cells to produce energy. Different factors, including genetics and some viruses, may contribute to type 1 diabetes. Although type 1 diabetes usually appears during childhood or adolescence, it can develop in adults.
Despite active research, type 1 diabetes has no cure. Treatment focuses on managing blood sugar levels with insulin, diet and lifestyle to prevent complications.
Jordan Weiss, a nine-year old from Newton, Massachusetts, passed away in 2003 from complications related to undiagnosed Type 1 Diabetes. To honor Jordan's memory, the JBW Fund was established by his family to foster awareness and education of the warning signs of diabetes. Sometimes the signs are obvious and sometimes the signs are subtle, limited and attributed to another illness. The latter was the case for Jordan.
Familiarizing yourself with the warning signs could help save a life. 

For more information, talk to your school nurse or visit:

www.cdc.gov/diabetes www.jdrf.org www.joslin.org www.diabetes.org

www.beyondtype1.org

Thank you note to the Burr Community

It was so nice to see many Burr Families at the Diwali Celebration on Sunday. We love this diversity in our neighborhood and it is a pleasure to be able to celebrate with you all. A special mention of thanks goes to the following parents that helped put together this wonderful event!

Kindergarten parents, Sangeeta and Pushkar Phatak, Anu and Vignesh Jayanth,

1st Grade Parents, Jyoti and Aalok Nadkar, Sridurga Thadakamalla,  Prabhu and Rajani Jayaprakasan, Richa and Neeraj Jain, 2nd Grade Parents, Anubha and Nitin Khankari, Maria Sigala, 4th grade parents Sudhir and Hema Rao, 5th grade parent Reshma Kulkarni, 2nd grade parent Amit Bhasin for emceeing the event and to many more who brought in food, donated supplies and most of all their time to help out! Your support is much appreciated.

- Ruchi Bhasin

(Note from the PTO: Thanks are also in order to Ruchi for organizing this amazing event!!!)

Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SEPAC) News

Please join SEPAC for our monthly open board meeting this Tuesday, November 19th
from 7:30-9:00pm. This month, we will discuss:

• Migration of the SEPAC listserv from yahoo groups to another platform
• Topics for educational presentations for the rest of the 2019-2020 academic year
• New business, which always allows time for parent feedback and questions

The meeting will be in the Education Center, 100 Walnut Street, Room 217. If you are
unable to attend, and would like to share any thoughts/questions, please email me at
the address below. I also will be sharing summaries of the educational presentations
and meetings to the Burr School SEPAC email list. If you would like to be added to the
list, please email me at the address below, as well.

Eliza Spaulding
2019-2020 Burr School SEPAC Liaison
elizaspaulding@gmail.com

 THE BURR PTO PRESENTS 

2020 Online Auction 

We will be hosting an online Fundraiser for Burr that will be from January 17 - 25, 2020.  We have raised over $13,000 annually and it is a wonderful way to both show support for Burr while also winning some great items (will be over 100 items!).  We hope people will not only bid themselves, but encourage non-Burr folks to do so (friends & family members that live anywhere!).   

Request:  We are seeking house rental(s) for the auction. If you/anyone you know has a home that is rented that could be donated for a weekend, long weekend, or week - it would make the auction special.  Cape Cod, Ski areas, Florida, anywhere!  If you have ideas for this, please email or text Jon Spack at: jbspack@gmail.com or (617) 921-7970

Wolf Fund Update

Great News in that we are over 50% of our goal to date and have raised $12,025 to date in online donations/checks collected. This is from about 72 families and the average donation is $167. Thank you so much to all of our generous family donors. It is so special to have such a giving community at Burr!   

If you have yet to make a donation, and plan to, you can do so online right here or you can bring a check (made out to "Burr PTO") to the school in your child's folder or bring to the office.  We know generosity comes in many forms at Burr, so we want to be sure to recognize how many of you volunteer for so many events!  Thank you!  Please see upcoming volunteer opportunities here.

 THE BURR PTO PRESENTS 

Save the Date: Parent Prom, Saturday, March 21st, 6-10pm at Parallel Sound Studio

Dust off your 80's/90's prom dress or ruffled tux and save the date for this year's parent night, the Parent Prom!! Saturday, March 21st, from 6-10pm, at Parallel Sound Studio (237 Riverview Ave, Newton). Parents only, no kids, so line up the babysitter early! Prom attire suggested but not required. Live music provided by a Burr parent pit band followed by karaoke! More details to come but Save the Date! 

Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SEPAC) Program

Please join the Newton SEPAC for a meeting with

Beth Fitzmaurice, Assistant Superintendent for Student Services

7:30-9:00 pm
Wednesday, November 13, 2019
Room 210
100 Walnut Street

Beth Fitzmaurice, Assistant Superintendent for Student Services, is responsible for special education across Newton Public Schools. Beth joined NPS in August 2019 and has spent her first couple of months on the job getting to know the schools, staff, and programs. We will have the opportunity to hear from Beth on her impressions of special education in Newton, her thoughts on current special education issues, and her priorities for this academic year and beyond. There will also be time for parents to ask questions.

We hope you will be able to join us to meet Beth and hear from her about special education in Newton!

Please contact info@newtonpac.org with any questions.

2019 WINTER INDOOR SPORTS TRAINING @ Burr Elementary School Gym

 ⚽️SOCCER/FRIDAYS or 

 🏀 BASKETBALL/TUESDAYS

For 1 hour each group in the evenings.

REGISTRATION IS OPEN!

BASKETBALL TUESDAYS ARE: 12/3/2019, 12/10, 12/17/2019; 1/7/2020, 1/14, 1/21, 1/28, 2/4, 2/11, 2/25, 3/3, 3/10;  makeup on 3/17/2020.

SOCCER FRIDAYS ARE: 12/6/2019, 12/13, 12/20/2019; 1/3/2020, 1/10, 1/17, 1/24, 1/31, 2/7, 2/14, 2/28, 3/6;  makeup on 3/13/2020.


www.bit.ly/burrschool

 THE BURR PTO PRESENTS 

DIWALI CELEBRATION!

November 17 4:00-6:00 pm @ the Cafetorium

This is a Family Event and everyone is welcome to attend. Holiday Attire is Encouraged. We look forward to seeing so many of our Burr Friends! Please feel free to bring in a food item or any dish for our potluck and if you’d like to sign up for one, follow the link below. The more the merrier! 

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080945a4a72ea02-diwali1

 THE BURR PTO PRESENTS 

Book Fair Information! Nov. 1-6

Burr's Book Fair is Nov. 1 through Nov. 6. Students will visit the Book Fair and be able to shop for books during their regularly scheduled library time (listed below). If you would like to do so, you can send your student in with money to buy books. Please place the money in an envelope and write your child's name and "Book Fair" on the envelope. Sample book prices are included below.

In addition to the classroom hours below, the Book Fair will be open from 7:45 am until 8:30 am on election day (Tuesday, Nov. 5). This means you can vote, get some goodies from the PTO Bake Sale and buy books all in one stop! We will also have late hours (from 3 until 6:30 pm) on Wednesday, November 6 and our Meet the Author Event with Jacob Kramer, author of Noodlephant from 5:30 to 6:30 pm.

It is not too late to volunteer! Sign up here: http://bit.ly/BurrBookFair. 

The library schedule by teacher is:

Friday, November 1:
Ms Fitch

Monday, November 4:
Ms MacNeill
Ms McMahon
Ms Field
Ms Frail
Ms Russo

Tuesday, November 5:
Before School Hours: 7:45 - 8:30 am
Ms Bapat
Ms Cooley
Ms Harris
Ms Robinson
Ms Li
Ms Tice

Wednesday, November 6:
Ms Roberts
Ms Ms Espinal
Ms Golden
Ms Canning
Ms Oh
After School Hours: 3 - 6:30 pm

Sample book prices:
Guts, Raina Telgemeier's new book $10.99
Dogman: From the Ball Rolls: $12.99
Weird but True USA: $8.99
Pete the Cat Goes Camping: $4.99
Diary of an Awesome Friendly Kid; $13.99
Amelia Bedelia on the Move: $3.99
Monster or Unicorn notebooks $1.25 each

Questions: email Christine at duttch2@gmail.com and Cristal at cbalis@me.com. 

 THE BURR PTO PRESENTS 

Election Day Bake Sale—Nov. 5

Calling all Bakers and Sellers!  We need your help on Election Day!

The Election Day Bake Sale is this Tuesday! Please sign up to bake or help sell the baked goods.

We're looking for volunteers to donate baked goods and some folks to help sell to voters.

Tuesday, November 5th from when the polls open until they close! (7:00 AM- 8:00 PM)

Please note the two signups. One for Sellers and one for Bakers! Feel free to bring the kids along to help sell in the afternoon and evening. 

Shift Sign Up:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30e0d4ba4ac2ea02-2018

Baked Goods Sign Up:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30e0d4ba4ac2ea02-election2

Contact: Deanna Salemme (salemme@comcast.net) with any questions. 

 THE BURR PTO PRESENTS 

Dia de los Muertos Celebration

Our first every Burr Dia de Los Muertos celebration and movie night will be taking place on Saturday, November 9th from 3pm to 6pm. We will start the afternoon with a traditional celebration of our loved ones that have passed by building a traditional altar having an interactive session of dancing and crafts followed by a viewing of COCO. 

Please bring a picture of your deceased loved one to honor them if you wish. Help with concessions would be greatly appreciated. Sign up here

 THE BURR PTO PRESENTS 

Understanding Our Differences needs volunteers—Nov. 14

The Understanding Our Differences program is a terrific parent led program that teaches our 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade children about various disabilities. Its focus is on teaching children to be inclusive of and to be allies for persons with disabilities in their community. This program runs entirely with parent volunteers and we need your help!

The 3rd Grade classrooms need a total of 6 volunteers to present the program about Physical Disabilities on Thursday,  November 14 from 11 pm until 1 pm. Volunteering is easy, fun and anyone can do it – you do not need any background knowledge about disabilities to help. UOD has a curriculum that parents presents; you will receive a script that will help you lead the activities. Please contact Christine Dutt at duttch2@gmail.com or sign up here 3rd Grade SignUp if you can help.

The 4th grade classrooms need a total of 9 volunteers to present the program about  Learning Disabilities on Thursday, November 14 from 9:40 am until 11:40 am. Volunteering is easy, fun and anyone can do it – you do not need any background knowledge about disabilities to help. UOD has a curriculum that parents presents; you will receive a script that will help you lead the activities.  Please sign up here 4th Grade SignUp or contact Michael Grubb at mgrubb@gmail.com if you can help.

Burr School Sports

Friday Soccer & Tuesday Basketball is open for REGISTRATION!

2019 WINTER INDOOR SPORTS TRAINING

TO BE AT BURR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL GYM:

SOCCER/FRIDAYS OR BASKETBALL/TUESDAYS

FOR 1 HOUR EACH GROUP IN EVENINGS.

BASKETBALL TUESDAYS ARE: 12/3/18, 12/10/18, 12/17/18; 1/7/19, 1/14/19, 1/21/19, 1/28/19, 2/4/19, 2/11/19, 2/25/19, 3/3/19, 3/10/19;  makeup on 3/17/19. 

SOCCER FRIDAYS ARE: 12/6/18, 12/13/18, 12/20/18; 1/3/19, 1/10/19, 1/17/19, 1/24/19, 1/31/19, 2/7/19, 2/14/19, 2/28/19, 3/6/19;  makeup on 3/13/19. 

PLEASE REGISTER AT www.bit.ly/burrschool

Looking forward to a great season!

Letter from Burr's SEPAC liaison

Dear Burr Families,

Belatedly, I wanted to reach out and introduce myself as the Burr School Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SEPAC) Liaison. For those who may be unfamiliar with Newton SEPAC, our charge is to advise the school district on the education and safety of students with disabilities. Monthly, we host educational programs (e.g., Basic Rights in Special Education), and open board meetings where one can learn more about our organization, share suggestions, and ask questions. Please visit: https://newtonpac.org/meetings/ for the dates of the programs and meetings. I will share the program topics here as they're announced.

This year at Burr, I look forward to increasing awareness about Newton SEPAC's work and programs, strengthen the Burr special education community for parents and children, and serve as a resource to Burr families. For more information on special education resources in Newton and MA, please see the letter I wrote recently to parents of children on IEPs and 504 plans that I wanted to share more broadly here, too.

Looking forward to a great school year. Please reach out anytime with thoughts/questions!

Warmly, Eliza Spaulding
2019-2020 Burr School SEPAC Liaison
elizaspaulding@gmail.com