June 9, 2020
Dear Burr Families,
Thank you so much for stopping by to pick up your child(ren)'s belongings today. It was so lovely to see some of the children and wave to them in their cars. It brightened the day! The staff and I distributed 345 bags and there are only a few left that need to be picked up before June 18. If you didn't make it today, please send me an email to make alternative arrangements.
I want to thank the wonderful staff members who helped today. It was not easy lugging some very heavy bags from the gym to cars. A very special thank you goes to Ginny Studley, our building aide, who helped to organize all the bags and get them ready for today and to Anne Costello, literacy aide, who made most of the festive signs. I'm forever thankful for the amazing staff members we have at Burr, who go the extra mile.
As we approach the end of the school year, I'm writing to share some updates. Included in this letter is staffing information for next year, a reminder about our Incoming Kindergarten Parents' Information Session, and information about the last week of school.
Although the past few months have been unexpected, one thing that has stayed the same is that again this year; we will say farewell to some beloved staff members and make some staffing adjustments.
Staff Retiring
Behavior therapist Deb Christopher, who has been at Burr for the past 12 years, will be retiring this June. Deb has worked with many children and teachers during her time with us and has developed such wonderful, caring relationships. Her compassion and caring for the children in her care make her an exceptional behavior therapist. Deb is one of those people who will always step up to help around the building in any capacity needed. We will miss her cheerful smile and positive attitude at Burr. Deb's retirement plan was to travel, so I hope the world gets back to 'normal' soon, so she can take some exciting trips.
Staff Leaving
Mike Cadman has been the math intervention aide at Burr for the past four years. He's supported many students throughout the building. Mike has enrolled in a graduate program and will be completing a School Counseling internship at Newton North High School. We've been fortunate to have Mike at Burr for several years and wish him well as he prepares for a career in counseling.
Jen Tambacia has worked at Burr as a substitute teacher and as an inclusion aide. Jen is wonderfully flexible and has filled in wherever we've needed her help at Burr. Most recently, Jen has supported children in the first grade. Jen is always calm and patient and enjoyed by staff and students alike. With students moving onto the middle school and a reduced need for inclusion staff, we do not have a position for Jen for next year. I wish Jen well and hope that we can invite her back to join us in the future.
Samantha Rizzo has been a kindergarten aide in Ms. Russo's class for the second half of the school year. She stepped in seamlessly to cover for Michelle Magno when Michelle took over in Nicole Golden's first-grade classroom. Samantha is now looking for a full-time teaching position, and we wish her much luck.
Sheila Hanley started at Burr in September as the literacy specialist covering Alice Wong-Tucker's maternity leave and agreed to stay on as a literacy aide when Alice returned. Sheila has supported students across the grades at Burr with their reading and writing and helped develop distance learning plans at the district level in the last few months.
Haley Lyons has been a substitute teacher at Burr. Even during school closing, Haley has joined classroom teachers for Zoom meetings to support students and has helped the third-grade team with some online tasks. She's been very helpful as we've packed students' belongings and organized them for pick up. Haley has developed some lovely relationships in our community, and we will miss her next year.
Each year we are fortunate to have student teachers and interns at Burr. This year we say goodbye Lauren Trzasko, Ioana Neagu, and Rachel Stutman, who taught in grades 3, 4 & 5, and Josh Limbert, who completed a psychology internship with Dr. Juarez. Each of them has made valuable contributions to the Burr community this year, and we wish them well as they continue to pursue their career objectives.
Staff in New Roles
As some of you know, next year we only have two sections of rising fourth graders which means that we have to make some staffing adjustments. To accommodate the change, Kara MacNeill, current second-grade teacher, will be moving back to third grade, and fourth-grade teacher, Vanisha Bapat, will move to second grade. Before coming to Burr, Vanisha taught second grade in Baltimore County. She's disappointed to leave her current team but is excited to partner with Sarah Field and Amy Roberts in second grade.
Classroom staffing for 2020-2021 is as follows:
Kindergarten: Catalina Frail, Vanessa Mc Mahon, Briana Russo
Grade 1: Nancy Fitch, Natalia Espinal, Nicole Golden
Grade 2: Vanisha Bapat, Sarah Field, Amy Roberts
Grade 3: Julie Canning, Helen Oh, Kara MacNeill
Grade 4: Sydney Tice, Claudia Li
Grade 5: Robin Cooley, Annalee Harris, Sonja Robinson
Incoming Kindergartners Parents/Guardians Information Zoom
We will be hosting an information session for parents of incoming kindergartners on Thursday, June 11th, at 4:00 pm. While we don't yet know what the Fall will look like, this will be an opportunity to meet Burr staff and hear a little about kindergarten. If you are the parent/guardian of an incoming kindergartner and haven't yet received an invitation, please email Maura Albano at albanom@newton.k12.ma.
Last Week of School
The last week of school is traditionally filled with fun and excitement as we reflect on the year we've had together and look forward to summertime and the year ahead. This year will obviously feel different, but we still plan to have some fun during the last week! Below please find a tentative schedule - more details to follow from your children's teachers.
Monday, June 15th - Step Up Day
Each June, the students in grades K-4 have Step-Up Day at Burr. The children have an opportunity to meet the teaching team from the next grade level. Current classroom teachers will be in touch with specifics, but for now, I wanted you to have the schedule for your planning purposes:
9:00 am Kindergarteners rising to Grade 1
9:15 am 4th graders rising to grade 5
9:30 am 2nd graders rising to grade 3
9:45 am 1st graders rising to grade 2
10:00 am 3rd graders rising to grade 4
Tuesday, June 16th - Color Day
Although we won't be able to hold our traditional Color Day at school, Ms. Michna has worked with the NPS Physical Education department to plan a virtual Color Day for Tuesday, June 16th! The slideshow of activities has been shared with students in this week's learning log, and you can check it out here. The activities are fun and can be done with everyday items at home. Your family can decide to do a few or all of them. You can spread them out over the week, or you can do most of them on June 16th. Ms. Michna and I will have a Color Day Kick-Off Zoom at 9:30 am on Color Day. The link to the Zoom meeting will be sent out in next week's learning plans. We hope to see children in their Color Day attire, ready to have a fun day! Just like Color Day at school, there will be no classes that day.
Wednesday, June 17th - Fifth Grade Moving On Ceremony
We will celebrate our fifth graders in a Virtual Moving On Ceremony at 10:00 am. Fifth graders are currently preparing for this event. Families will get details from the classroom teachers.
Thursday, June 18th - Last Day
Each class will have a final closing meeting with their classroom teacher.
I know this was a lot and I thank you for reading. I will do my best to keep everyone informed about the fall as plans evolve over the summer.
On a personal note, I want to thank you all for your support and understanding during this most unusual year! When this school year started, I could never have imagined how it would unfold. It is an experience to remember, and I feel blessed to be navigating it with our amazing Burr community.
With gratitude and best wishes,
Mindy
