Changes to Schedule for Tomorrow, 2/1:


ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS:
Distance Learning Academy (DLA):
All K-5 sessions will take place, as scheduled
Hybrid:
K-5: all in-person students - 12:30 dismissal from school
K-2: all in-person students - The school day ends at 12:30. 
K-2: Cohort B remote students - afternoon 2:00-3:00 remote sessions will take place, as scheduled.
Gr. 3-5: Cohorts A and B - afternoon 2:00-3:00 remote sessions will take place, as scheduled.
School bus and van service will run for all Newton and Boston routes at 12:30.
No regular lunch blocks will be held. Grab and go bagged lunches are available for all students to take, if needed. 

For more information on other grades, please click here
at

 THE BURR PTO PRESENTS 


MARK YOUR CALENDAR

IMPORTANT DATES IN FEBRUARY

  • 2/9 Newton ELPAC Meeting - please contact  npselpac@gmail.com if interested in attending

  • 2/15-2/19 School Closed for February Break

  • 2/17 - Burr PTO Business Meeting - if you're like to attend please email info@burrpto.org

  • 2/22 - Community Meeting with Dr. Fleishman & Newton School Committee (This date is tentative and more info will be sent out as it is confirmed)

  • 2/25 Burr FORJ - Anti Racism Adult Ed Series  Sign Up Here



at


Newton Saferoutes



Newton is celebrating Winter Walk & Roll Week February 8-12. 

Pick a day or two and walk or roll to school a park, or around your home or neighborhood!

For more information and downloads please visit https://sites.google.com/view/newtonsaferoutes


at



Burr FORJ Presents:
Anti-Racism Adult Education Series
Spring 2021


Session 1: 8:00 PM, Thursday, February 25, 2021


Subject: Talking with Our Children About Race, A Conversation Facilitated by Little Uprisings

Join Little Uprisings founder, Tanya Nixon-Silberg, and Burr FORJ as we have a conversation about Burr’s NEW Mission Statement, presented to the school community by Principal Mindy Johal.


Important: REGISTER HERE for this session. 

Email us to receive updates: BurrFORJ171@gmail.com

Before the Zoom meeting, please familiarize yourself with the content and guiding questions below. We look forward to learning together!

CONTENT
 
Read: Burr School’s new antiracist Mission Statement
 
Explore: Little Uprisings is a collaborative and liberative racial justice program for kids. Little Uprisings is founded by Tanya Nixon-Silberg (she/her), who is a black mother, artist, educator and facilitator. Co-facilitator Octavia Nixon is a former Boston Public School teacher, educational coach and now state partnership curriculum developer. They can be reached at littleuprisings@gmail.com. 

Learn more on the Little Uprisings website.


GUIDING QUESTIONS
 
  • Burr School is a diverse community of children, educators, families, and administrators all invested in shaping our children’s futures.

  • Furthering our commitment to strive for anti-racism both in and outside the school, how do we support our kids as they navigate this world?
 
  • How do we as parents cultivate a culture of “teamwork, compassion, respect and perseverance” and root these core values in racial justice?

at

 



Newton ELPAC

English Leaners Parent Advisory Council

Save the Date February 9th 6:30 - 8:00 PM

 

The mission of the newton ELPAC is to work to promote multilingual and multicultural values for all students and to aid in the integration process of new English language learners into the Newton community.

 



Facebook: Newton ELPAC

Website: www.newtonelpac.org

Email: npselpac@gmail.com

We will be holding our meetings via zoom on

Date: FEBRUARY 9

Time: 6:30-8:00pm

Location: Zoom meeting

Meeting ID: TBD

Passcode: TBD



Interpreters - This meeting will talk about camps and activities for students to sign up for. Resources to learn English

Future meetings are:

MARCH 16

APRIL 27

MAY 25

For more information please reach out to Burr Parent and ELPAC Board member Angie Kim ajkim0402@gmail.com

at



Burr FORJ Updates & Information



Dear Burr FORJ friends,

We hope this email finds you well. Below is a list of some updates and information for you.

Kind regards,
Burr FORJ

* We are in the process of planning our Anti-Racism Adult Ed Winter 2021 Series and will have more information for you soon.

UPCOMING FORJ CITY-WIDE MEETING 
WEDNESDAY JANUARY 27th, 7pm - 9pm 
Discovery Speakers Series hosts Beverly Tatum: Talking to Kids about Race & Racism (Zoom) with FORJ Breakout Session 

We invite you to sign up to hear Beverly Tatum who will be joining the conversation at the Discovery Museum 2021 Speaker Series. FORJ will  hold a 30 minute break out session after the event. You will want to fill out two RSVP's  to attend both parts of the program. 

Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum, president emerita of Spelman College, is a clinical psychologist widely known for both her expertise on race relations and as a thought leader in higher education. Her thirteen years as the president of Spelman College (2002-2015) were marked by innovation and growth and her visionary leadership was recognized in 2013 with the Carnegie Academic Leadership Award. 

The author of several books including the national bestseller Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? (now in a new 2017 20th anniversary edition) and Can We Talk About Race? and Other Conversations in an Era of School Resegregation (2007), Tatum is a sought-after speaker on the topics of racial identity development, race and education, strategies for creating inclusive campus environments, and higher education leadership.

A civic leader in the Atlanta community, Dr. Tatum is engaged in educational initiatives designed to expand educational opportunities for underserved students and their families.

She holds a B.A. degree in psychology from Wesleyan University, and M.A. and Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Michigan as well as an M.A. in Religious Studies from Hartford Seminary.

More information and REGISTER HERE if you want to attend:

** If you want to attend this, you NEED to RSVP with the hosts so they can manage their event with info about participant interest and send you a Zoom link.

* At our December meeting, many folks expressed interest in a Burr FORJ Book Club. Please fill out THIS SURVEY to help us get started.




at

 THE BURR PTO PRESENTS 


Burr PTO Community Meeting 1/27


We rescheduled our monthly PTO business meeting to 1/27 to allow parents and caregivers to attend the Supporting Your Child in the 2020-21 seminar.  All PTO meetings are open to the Burr Community. If you would like to attend,  please register here for the zoom link.
at

 THE BURR PTO PRESENTS 


Wolf Fund Update


Dear Burr Families,

Thank you to those of you who donated so far to the Wolf Fund! To date, we have had 41 donations, totaling $7,964 which is 44% of our $18,000 goal!

Please help us meet our goal!

Donation options:
  1. Online at www.burrpto.org
  2. Return check in your child’s folder (Teachers and PTO are in coordination for collection)
  3. Mail a check to (Make check out to “Burr PTO”): Burr PTO 171 Pine St, Auburndale, MA 02466
  4. Company Match - Please let us know if your company will match!

Burr PTO Tax ID/EIN #: 04-3574938

at



Health and Safety Updates—1.13.2021


Dear NPS Families,

I am writing to you today with some important health and safety updates. It is very important to me that you receive accurate and timely information on the steps the district is taking to improve and enhance health and safety measures for all NPS students, faculty, and staff. This is an ongoing process as we continue to learn more about COVID-19 and the ways in which we can mitigate risk in our school communities. 

The latest work undertaken in the areas of ventilation and testing are additional mitigation measures that expand and enhance the safety of our buildings. To that end, below you will find updates on both our building ventilation work and our COVID-19 testing for staff. We will continue to work with Newton HHS to deploy effective health and safety protocols during this pandemic. 

Building Ventilation

As you know, over the summer we undertook an extensive evaluation of our school buildings to ensure proper ventilation in all spaces utilized by students, faculty, and staff. Using both mechanical and natural (open doors and windows), staff and students were able to return to the buildings beginning in September. The ventilation work done, combined with the four health pillars identified by our partners at HHS (masks, distancing, hygiene, staying home when sick), have allowed us to keep our schools open and operational from September until now. 

In October, we began the second phase of ventilation work, which is now nearly complete. In this phase, the city implemented a comprehensive maintenance, modification, and improvement plan for the ventilation systems in all Newton Public School buildings. The plan utilized a multi-pronged approach to evaluating the systems, which included:
  • Conduct existing conditions analysis
  • Service, repair, and improve ventilation systems
  • Utilize air testing and balancing to ensure proper airflow

All data and reports from the work conducted is published on our website as it is received from the City. In addition, we are compiling “data dashboards” that summarize the work completed, as well as any follow up work to be done. The work will continue until all spaces have achieved proper airflow for full occupancy. I encourage you to visit this webpage to review the work conducted in your school building.

COVID-19 Testing

Our voluntary testing for NPS staff has been up and running since December 21 and I am pleased to report that as today, nearly 1000 tests have been completed. This has truly been a monumental undertaking as you can imagine that school districts were not well-equipped to conduct health testing in a global pandemic. However, the team assembled has done a terrific job of designing and implementing a testing program that allows staff to access tests and results in a quick, efficient, and safe manner. This program will continue to operate until the end of February and from there, we will determine next steps to expand and enhance testing for NPS staff.

As you know, the COVID-19 testing landscape is quickly changing. Last week, Governor Baker announced the availability of pooled testing to school districts through a state contract. We have taken the required steps to indicate our interest in participating in this new program. More information was shared by the state this week and we anticipate more details over the next few weeks. This announcement comes as our school nurses are completing training with the BinaxNOW rapid test pilot program announced by the state in the fall. Together with our partners at Newton HHS and medical consultants, we have formed a working group to explore testing options and we will share information as their work continues.

We do know that PreK-12 educators and staff have been placed in the second wave of vaccinations, tentatively scheduled for the February - April timeframe. HHS is committed to offering vaccination clinics for NPS staff once they are authorized to do so by the state. We will share information about the timeframe for vaccinations for NPS staff as we learn more. 

I want you to know that we are working every day to improve and enhance the health and safety measures in place in our school buildings. The work we have done thus far has allowed us to successfully mitigate the risk of COVID-19 transmission in our school buildings. 

I wish you a safe and healthy 2021.

Sincerely,

David Fleishman

Superintendent of Schools

at



Principal's Newsletter—Time on Learning Changes


January 13, 2021 

Dear Burr Families,

The Burr team has been hard at work augmenting our learning models based on families’ feedback, district leadership, and new requirements from the Board of the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE)  for live, synchronous instruction (delivered either in-person or remotely).  The changes are designed to increase direct staff contact time with students, maintain consistency and independence for our students, and build upon structures already in place at Burr. We are focused on keeping the student to staff ratio small enough to allow for meaningful engagement and connection whenever possible. 

These changes will be implemented the week of Tuesday, January 19.

Overview of changes for K
  • The schedule for in-person days is 8:20 am - 2:00 pm (implemented January 4) 
  • Two specialist classes (art, PE, or library) were added for each cohort on their at-home days.
  • One Guided Learning block per day, with a kindergarten aide, will be added from 2:00 - 2:30 PM on students’ at-home days. 

Overview of changes for Grades 1 & 2
  • The schedule for In-person days is 8:20 am - 2:00 pm (implemented January 4) 
  • Two specialist classes (art, PE, or library) were added for each cohort on their at-home days. 
  • Guided Learning blocks, facilitated by a grade-level team member, will be added in the mornings and afternoons on at home days. Student's weekly schedule will now include their Guided Learning blocks. 

Overview of changes for Grades 3, 4 & 5
  • One Guided Learning block, facilitated by grade-level team member, will be added to each at home day.
  • Both cohorts will participate in synchronous remote learning with their classroom teacher from 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays.

Expectations for Student Participation, K-5

All students are expected to attend the Morning Meeting and participate in all of the teacher-assigned, synchronous, and/or asynchronous learning activities on each school day. This includes specialist subject classes: library, art, music, and PE. 

As part of the Hybrid Learning model, students are expected to participate on all days (both in-person and remote days). They cannot selectively opt out of certain classes, including those in the specialist areas. Consistent absences from or lack of participation in specialist classes will be reflected in the student’s mid-year and/or end-of-year progress report.

Classroom teachers will share the schedule changes for their class with families. Please be sure to note the additional ‘live’ teaching time for your child(ren). 

We are grateful for your partnership as we continuously seek to improve teaching and learning for all of our students during this different school year.

Best, 

Mindy

at



SEPAC Meeting 1/12

Please join the Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SEPAC) for our virtual monthly open board meeting this Tuesday, January 12th from 7:30-9pm. Agenda below. We look forward to seeing you there!

Agenda:
Vote on minutes of 2 past meetings
Old Business:
--Discussion of compensatory services related to Covid-19
--Upcoming presentations
New Business




at



Burr FORJ Restorative Circle


We will hold a special Burr FORJ Restorative Circle next week on Thursday, January 14th, 7pm – 8pm, to provide a space for Burr parents and caregivers to talk about Wednesday’s disturbing events. CLICK HERE to register. We hope you will join us as we process together, and please feel free to let your Burr friends and neighbors know. In the meantime, you may find information in the email that was sent out by Newton FORJ yesterday helpful (pasted below).

Kind regards,

BURR FORJ

Dear FORJ Community,
 
    We want to acknowledge the fact that many of you are in mourning after yesterday’s assault on the nation’s capital where an angry, riotous mob stormed the U.S. Capitol building thereby disgracing the sacred fabric of American democracy and usurping the peaceful transfer of power. We join you in the outrage and we condemn the shameful conduct of these supporters of Donald Trump. Further, we are saddened that for people of color, this episode has once again exposed the fiction of equal treatment under the law.
    Yesterday’s devastating events at the capital once again highlight the important, steady work we are doing at FORJ. Though saddening, and infuriating the actions yesterday are not surprising. We continue to dismantle the institution of white supremacy. Hatred, whether acted, stated or ignored shall not be tolerated in this community. And we must remember that all the small acts that we take by having conversations, holding meetings, educating ourselves and children about the evils of racism, supporting BIPOC friends and families, finding moments of restoration and reflection; have impact in creating a community which preserves the type of democracy that truly values all. 
    We would like to share this blog post by Newton North Principal Henry Turner, which details how we can respond to yesterday's events. As well as other resources shared by Principals across the district. We are grateful for Principals who have condemned yesterday's actions and have so clearly outlined their values of anti-racism and inclusion in their schools. 

In solidarity, 

The FORJ Board and Coordinator 

RESOURCES FOR TALKING WITH OUR CHILDREN




at



Supporting Your Child in the 2020-21 School Year


Dear Elementary Families,
I hope you had a restful and enjoyable holiday break. As you are well aware, we are experiencing a school year like none other and the challenges for elementary families are particularly acute.

We know that supporting elementary students in hybrid and remote learning is not easy given the pressures adults face in their daily lives, as well as the inevitable conflicts and tensions that arise when working with young children. At the same time, we know that the pandemic has offered children and families newfound opportunities for shared learning and greater student independence. 

To provide you with additional support as you navigate this challenging year, I am writing to invite you to a forum that will focus on supporting you and your elementary students’ school experience. The Supporting Your Child in the 2020-21 School Year forum will take place on Wednesday, January 20 from 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Zoom.

We have gathered together four Newton educators who have extensive experience working with elementary school students and are elementary parents themselves. The forum will feature:

Becca Brogadir, Principal, Ward 
Dr. Lynn Chachkes, Psychologist, Cabot and Zervas
Dr. Arthur Fergusson, Coordinator of Therapeutic Services 
Jesse Krotick, Coordinator of Elementary Support and Stabilization

They will share with you their expertise in elementary education and social emotional support structures, as well as provide advice and recommendations for supporting your student’s learning this year. They will also answer questions you may have related to helping your student in both hybrid and remote learning environments.

Please register in advance for this forum via this Google Form. You can also use the form to submit questions to be answered during the presentation or the Q&A session. 

We hope to see many of you at what should be a thought provoking and useful discussion.

Sincerely,

David Fleishman
Superintendent of Schools
at


Principal's Newsletter 1-7


January 7, 2021

Dear Burr Families;

I hope this message finds you well. It is unfortunate that I have to welcome you back in the New Year with such turmoil in our country.  Like me, I am sure many of you are deeply upset by the violence at the U.S. Capitol yesterday. 

As educators, we worry about the impact disturbing events will have on the children and how we can best support and help them make sense of things they likely don’t understand. This morning, Burr staff had the opportunity to gather for an optional staff meeting to share their thoughts and concerns and prepare to address student questions. The Burr mental health team was available to consult with teachers and provide support as needed throughout the day. 

Our teachers care deeply for their students and continue to work diligently to address their academic and emotional needs.  We teach and reinforce the importance of taking care of ourselves, each other, and our community through the Burr Core Values - respect, compassion, teamwork, and perseverance.  We believe that these values empower us to make our communities better, stronger, safer, and more just places for us all to live and grow. Each and every day, we work thoughtfully to make sure all members of our community feel safe, affirmed, and included. This work is more important than ever. 

This is a historic situation that we are all experiencing together. Both parents and educators play an essential role in preparing children to become caring and engaged community members. I am thankful to be part of the Burr community that teaches the values associated with good citizenship, where students are exposed to different viewpoints and are inspired to be their best selves. 

To support your conversations at home, here are some resources that may be helpful: 

A good picturebook is a great way to scaffold conversation with children:
I wish you all a peaceful 2021 and hope for positive things ahead. Please reach out with any questions or concerns and let us know if we can help in any way. 

Best, 

Mindy
at

Reminder: Hybrid Schedule Change


The following is from Principal Johal's December 23 email: 


 K-2 Extended Day

On January 4th, we begin the new extended in-person time for our K-2 hybrid students. The additional time will include 30 minutes of lunch and recess and an extra hour of instruction with their classroom teacher.  As part of the change, K-2 hybrid students will also receive additional time with a special subject teacher on their at-home days.  Your classroom teachers will provide your child’s new extended day schedule.

               Lunch Times are: 

                        Kindergarten at 11:35 AM

                        First Grade at 12:05 PM

                        Second Grade at 12:30 PM

Lunch is free for all students. The monthly menu can be found on the NPS website. Please remember to pack a morning snack for your child and lunch if he/she does not want the school lunch.  Children in grades 3-5 can pick up a bagged lunch at 12:30 PM before they head home. 

at
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)