THE BURR PTO PRESENTS 

Grateful for Our Generous Community! 

Thank you so much to all the families who generously donated items for our Teacher Appreciation Breakfast Bar. Your thoughtfulness and support made the morning truly special for our teachers and staff, and we are incredibly grateful for our Burr School community.

🎉 Still Time to Give to Wolf Fund

and Get a Tax Break! 🎉 

There’s still time to donate to the Burr Wolf Fund before the year ends — and write it off on your 2025 taxes. 

Our Burr Wolf Fund provides the majority of the funding for PTO activities - cultural and community events (BooFest, May Fair, World Cultures Fair, etc.) and Creative Arts and Sciences programs such as the Whalemobile, the Chemistry Lab with Acton Discovery Center, and the Caterpillar Lab in the classrooms. 

Burr PTO spends $150/student to ensure that all students could participate in PTO/School sponsored events. And this year, in addition to our events, we have purchased new playground equipment — including 2 soccer nets, 18 tennis balls, 12 soccer balls, 12 basketballs, 12 kickballs, 12 hula hoops, 12 jump ropes, and a storage bin.

We are only at 18% of our goal. Please click here to donate. And don't forget to ask your employer to match your contribution! 

🎁 Help Share the Joy

Burr’s Holiday Gift Card Drive

As we head into the holiday season, we want to invite you to support our annual Holiday Gift Card Drive to support Burr families in need.

As parents and caregivers, we all know the joy of picking out just the right gift and seeing a child’s face light up. Our goal is to help every family in our community experience that same joy — because no one knows a child’s needs and wishes better than their own family.

We’re collecting gift cards in any amount, and every donation makes a difference. Please consider stores where families can stretch their dollars, such as Target, Walmart, Amazon, and local stores. 

How to Donate:

• Physical gift cards can be dropped into the Gift Card Box located just outside the ELL office.
• Digital gift cards can be emailed directly to the school social worker, Nicki Eastburn, at eastburnn@newton.k12.ma.us, for confidential distribution.

We hope to distribute all gift cards by the end of next week, so families have time to shop.

This is also a wonderful opportunity to involve your children and nurture empathy at home. Helping a neighbor is one of the most meaningful lessons we can pass on — and a beautiful way to celebrate the season.

Thank you for being part of what makes the Burr community so special. 💙

From the Community

Vacation Childcare Shalom After School 

Looking for an exciting, engaging, and community-oriented opportunity for your K-5th grader while school is closed? Spend your vacations with our friends at Temple Shalom’s School’s Out Squad! An extension of our newly launched after school program, Shalom After School (SAS), School’s Out Squad boasts an experienced and talented team of educators who specialize in creating fun, enriching experiences for school-aged children of all backgrounds and identities. Just a five minute drive from Burr, School’s Out Squad offers a safe, structured, and inclusive environment with a wide variety of hands-on activities that include creative arts, sports and movement, STEM projects, cooking clubs, music workshops, and more.

We are hosting three vacation camps in 2026:

MLK Jr. Day: Monday, January 19th

February Vacation: Tuesday, February 17th—Friday, February 20th

April Vacation: Tuesday, April 21—Friday, April 24th

Our daily hours of operation are from 9:00am—5:00pm. Scheduling is fully customizable, giving  you the flexibility to enroll your child for however many days you’ll require care. Our Sign-Up Form is available online on Temple Shalom’s website. Enrollment is now open and may be submitted at any time by scanning the QR code on the flyer above. 

Tuition rates vary from $120 per day for non-members to $110 per day for congregants, members, and current SAS families. All balances must be paid in full prior to the start of camp in order to participate. Unfortunately, we do not accept vouchers or assistance at this time.

You are encouraged to bring any questions regarding the program to Michael Siegel—Director of Shalom After School—by email at msiegel@templeshalom.org or by phone at (617) 332-9550 (Ext. 111).

We look forward to serving you and your children!

Honor Thy Teacher is Back for a Limited Time!

Newton Schools Foundation’s beloved Honor Thy Teacher campaign is running for a very

limited time this holiday season. It’s the perfect way to recognize the incredible educators

and staff who make a difference every day—while fully adhering to the Newton Public Schools

gift policy.

We’re thrilled to offer this campaign during the holiday season for the first time, and it’s only

available for a short window—so don’t miss the chance to honor someone special! Honor your

teacher HERE!

NSF is a 501(c)(3) organization, so all contributions are tax-deductible. Every dollar donated to NSF, including Honor Thy Teacher, goes directly to educator-driven grants that support equity initiatives, professional learning, and innovative classroom approaches. NSF has invested over $4 million in programs that enhance teaching and learning across all Newton schools.

Important Upcoming Dates

December 24 - January 2: December Recess

January 5 - School Back in Session

January 19 - Martin Luther King Day (No School)

January 21 - Understanding Basic Rights in Special Education by Newton SEPAC - 7pm

January 23 - Sleep Under 

February 5 - Special Early Release

February 16 - 21: Winter Recess

 THE BURR PTO PRESENTS 

🎉 Still Time to Give to Wolf Fund

and Get a Tax Break! 🎉 

There’s still time to donate to the Burr Wolf Fund before the year ends — and write it off on your 2025 taxes. 

Our Burr Wolf Fund provides the majority of the funding for PTO activities - cultural and community events (BooFest, May Fair, World Cultures Fair, etc.) and Creative Arts and Sciences programs such as the Whalemobile, the Chemistry Lab with Acton Discovery Center,  and the Caterpillar Lab in the classrooms. 

Last year, we spent $129/student to ensure that all students could participate in PTO/School sponsored events. And this year, in addition to our events, we have purchased new playground equipment — including 2 soccer nets, 18 tennis balls, 12 soccer balls, 12 basketballs, 12 kickballs, 12 hula hoops, 12 jump ropes, and a storage bin.

We are only at 14% of our goal. Please click here to donate. 

🎁 Help Share the Joy

Burr’s Holiday Gift Card Drive

As we head into the holiday season, we want to invite you to support our annual Holiday Gift Card Drive to support Burr families in need.

As parents and caregivers, we all know the joy of picking out just the right gift and seeing a child’s face light up. Our goal is to help every family in our community experience that same joy — because no one knows a child’s needs and wishes better than their own family.

We’re collecting gift cards in any amount, and every donation makes a difference. Please consider stores where families can stretch their dollars, such as Target, Walmart, Amazon, and local stores. 

How to Donate:

• Physical gift cards can be dropped into the Gift Card Box located just outside the ELL office.
• Digital gift cards can be emailed directly to the school social worker, Nicki Eastburn, at eastburnn@newton.k12.ma.us, for confidential distribution.

We hope to distribute all gift cards by the end of next week, so families have time to shop.

This is also a wonderful opportunity to involve your children and nurture empathy at home. Helping a neighbor is one of the most meaningful lessons we can pass on — and a beautiful way to celebrate the season.

Thank you for being part of what makes the Burr community so special. 💙

Burr Virtual Auction Wrap Up

The Burr Virtual Auction is officially a wrap, and thanks to this community, it was a huge success. We raised just over $11,000 for Burr students. That funding goes straight back into the school to support teacher stipends, Creative Arts and Sciences programming, library resources, and school wide community events that make Burr such a special place for our kids.

This auction does not happen by accident. A massive thank you to the small but mighty group of women who absolutely crushed it this year: Kelly R, Jackie R, Rachel T, and Laura L. Dozens of hours, hundreds of emails, and a lot of follow ups later, this thing came together. On behalf of the PTO, thank you for the hustle, the organization, and the good humor along the way.

A few fun stats people always ask about:

• Over 80 local businesses donated
• Items ranged from $25 gift cards to once in a lifetime experiences
• Nearly everything was donated by local businesses or Burr families
• Yes, those Celtics tickets were real and yes, we are still thinking about them

If you bid and did not win, there is still a great way to support Burr. Donations to the Wolf Fund are always open and directly fund the same programs supported by the auction.

And finally, if you have ideas for next year, businesses we should reach out to, or you want to be part of the auction crew, please reach out. We promise snacks, spreadsheets, and a lot of emails.

Together, we are TimBurr Strong.