School Closure and Distance Learning Survey


Dear NPS Families,

As Governor Baker announced Tuesday, April 21, schools in Massachusetts will be closed, with distance learning continuing, for the remainder of the year. As a district, we had anticipated this decision and have been planning accordingly. 

Attempting to create an entirely different way of learning in our district is incredibly hard to do. It has been heartening to see our teachers and students engaging in learning in novel ways, but we know how much they miss seeing each other in person. We hope your student(s) is feeling connected to their school, supported by our teachers, staff, and administrators, and engaged in learning experiences.  

Because we will be utilizing distance learning for the remainder of the school year, we do need to know how the experience is playing out in your home. We’re asking for your feedback through the survey linked below. It includes questions about access to class sessions and learning resources, support from teachers and staff, and communication from district and schools. You can find the survey here:

https://forms.gle/jkxGN4wm4hGi9eZE9

We ask that you fill out a survey for each student, as we know student experiences differ across grade levels.

In addition to adjusting and refining our distance learning plan, we are also planning for both the end of the year and the fall. In the short-term, we are planning to address year-end events and gatherings that would usually occur, most notably graduation for our high school seniors. For the fall, we are engaged in curriculum planning for content that will not be covered this year, as well as operational planning to address potential ongoing public health considerations.  

We appreciate your flexibility and your patience as we continue to figure out the best way to meet the varying needs of our students and families during this unprecedented time. I hope you and your family stay well. 

Sincerely,

David Fleishman
Superintendent of Schools





Out of District Deadline Extended


Dear Families,

Due to the closure of the Newton Public Schools, the deadline to submit applications for Out-of-Assigned District has been extended until June 1, 2020. If you would like to request an Out-of-Assigned District placement for your student(s), please utilize the Google Form below to submit your application. If you have already submitted an application, there is no need to complete a new form. All placement decisions will be made as close to June 30 as possible.

https://docs.google.com/forms/ d/1U2sMybKoPR9ULv6wDa8IJ2S8fWi aUP3D8wYeQR7PbMo/edit

If you have any questions, please contact feel free to contact:

Elementary Education (K-5) Maureen McAdams (mcadamsm@newton.k12.ma.us)

Secondary Education (6-12) Lisa Mazzola (mazzolal@newton.k12.ma.us)

Sincerely,

Khita Pottinger-Johnson, Assistant Superintendent for Elementary Education

Toby Romer, Assistant Superintendent for Secondary Education



Burr Food Table Update



Community | Compassion | Collective

We wanted to give you all and update on the Burr Food Table.  Over the past few weeks the families in need have grown from 11 to over 30+.  The Church of Redeemers in Chestnut Hill usually provide backpacks full of non-perishable items, although last week we were notified that the Church had to take a pause because their food bank supplies are gone and Wegmans, who donates the food, is unable to keep up at this time. 

Earlier this year the Burr Chinese Community decided to cancel their Lunar New Year celebration at Burr and with the money they had put aside and other donations from their community they were able to provide $270 dollars in grocery store gift cards, WOW, We are all so thankful for their contributions!    Last week the Burr PTO donated $360 dollars in grocery store gift cards along with other food and gift card donations from all of us in the Burr community. 

Our current supplies are dwindling, and we know that it might be difficult to get food deliveries and we are all uneasy going to the stores but now is the time our families need us the most.  Please feel free to donate on the signup genius, go through your pantry one more time, drop off food and do what you can.  This community has really pulled together and it means so much to our families because the local food banks are straining to keep up, lines are long, and supplies are limited. 

Burr Food Table List – Please note bring anything on the list it doesn’t have be by last name. 

Burr Grocery Store Gift Cards 

Every Tuesday until school is back in session, we will be collecting goods between 8am-8pm at the following two locations:

Cristal and Jill Balis
15 Elm St 
(Grey and white townhome off River Street)
(773) 520-0049 - Cristal’s cell

Spencer and Molly Poole
451 Wolcott St
(Two family house, left door)
(617) 824-0980 - Spencer’s cell 

To maintain social distancing requirements, please place donations on the front porch and send a text to let us know.

Resources:

Newton COVID-19 Care Fund: NewtonCareFund 

Centre Street Food Pantry: CentrestFoodPantry. 

Newton Food Pantry:  NewtonFoodPantry

Arabic Baptist Church Food Pantry: ArabicBaptistChurch 



Thanks again for all your help and generosity. Feel free to email Spencer Poole with any questions at spencer@burrpto.org 

- The Burr PTO

Principal's Newsletter


April 14, 2020

Dear Burr Families,

We are now into week five of being away from school, and you are hopefully settling into a routine that works for your family. The last weeks have been filled with adjustments as we’ve all tried to figure out how to navigate this “new normal.” Each day scary statistics are reported on the news, both nationally and close to home, and we’re all dealing in our own way with the worry that someone we know and love may become infected. In all of this, I know you are trying to ensure that your children feel safe and continue to thrive. I hope the connections with the Burr staff provide support for you and bring joy to your child’s day.  

We have seen a high participation rate in our Zoom meetings, and we are grateful for your support in helping your children engage in these opportunities. We hope the weekly distance learning plans are clear and engaging. Children are encouraged to do the best they can at completing the activities. Our intention is not to replicate a school day, nor to overwhelm a student or family. The work we are providing for each grade level amounts to approximately 3 hours of daily learning, practice, and connection.  It is okay if a child does not complete everything in a given week, we recognize there are complex factors that we are all trying to navigate. We will be reaching out to children and families who are not participating or completing assignments to see how we can be of assistance. Below I have included some resources that you may find helpful. 

The Burr staff continues to miss the daily interactions with children and families. We are working hard to replicate some of them online. This week, the Burr fourth grade team, Ms. Bapat, Ms. Li, and Ms. Tice, invited staff members to share a message for Burr students and put it together in a Burr Staff Video to Families. I hope you will enjoy watching it. Our message is simple – we care, and we can’t wait for the day our community is back together again. 

Take care, and please do reach out if you need anything.

Mindy

Additional Resources:

Guidance for Families on Virtual Play Dates from the Burr Mental Health Team
NPS Distance Learning Family Resources - Resources to assist families in supporting their children and creating routines
Self Care Tips for Parents

Mindy Johal, Principal

Burr Elementary School
171 Pine Street
Auburndale,  MA 02466

Email: johalm@newton.k12.ma.us

Opportunity for Mentorship


The LigerBots, Newton's high school robotics team, know that there are thousands of bored and slowly-going-crazy elementary schoolers at home right now. So, the high schoolers decided to help frazzled parents by starting the "Awesome Mentorship Project 2877," which matches up high schoolers and younger kids by interests. The pair spends an hour a week together over a video call, doing whatever the kid needs: it could be doing science experiments together, tutoring on school subjects, or simply drawing and chatting, and more. All mentors are vetted and trained by the LigerBots and are excited to get to work! Parents, fill out this interest form to get your kid involved as a mentee! If you're interested in being a mentor, fill out this form.

 THE BURR PTO PRESENTS 


Please Help Support Burr Families—Burr Pantry


Dear Burr Community,

We are offering a new way to help!  For those of you who don't want to donate food items we are offering the option to donate money and the Burr PTO will get grocery store gift cards for those families in need.  https://www.signupgenius.com/go/60B0D4DAFAA23A0FB6-burr7

As we all prepare to be spending a lot more time at home, we want to make sure that all Burr families have the food and resources they need to stay healthy during this unusual time. Many of you have reached out to find out how you can help, and we are so grateful to be part of a community that truly looks after one another. 

Therefore, we will be starting a food/household goods drop-off each week to support those families in our community who could use a little extra help right now. We are working with Burr Social Worker Nicki Eastburn (who is coordinating distribution directly with the families), in order to make sure she has food and supplies to pass along.



Starting March 17 (and every Tuesday until school is back in session), we will be collecting goods between 8am-8pm at the following two locations:

Cristal and Jill Balis

15 Elm St 

(Grey and white townhome off River Street)

(773) 520-0049 - Cristal’s cell

Spencer and Molly Poole

451 Wolcott St

(Two family house, left door)

(617) 824-0980 - Spencer’s cell 

To maintain social distancing requirements, please place donations on the front porch and send a text to let us know.

Please visit the following link to view a suggested list of donations: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1-TXCrikDPppmj-lslZv6slMEkvTpQssd6LsV0K73Ydk

We have split the list up by last name to ensure a more even distribution. We realize some of these items may not be available, but just appreciate any and all contributions you are able to make. Please note that this list will be updated weekly as necessary to reflect current needs/requests!

We have also added a Donation page for those families that don't want to leave the house but would still like to donate money towards grocery store gift cards.
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/60B0D4DAFAA23A0FB6-burr7

Thanks again for all your help and generosity. Feel free to email Cristal Balis with any questions at cbalis@me.com.

- The Burr PTO