Parent Resources

As I have mentioned previously, Burr is doing amazing professional development work with the Reading and Writing Project at Teacher's College, Columbia University. One really cool opportunity they have made available for us are resources for parents and caregivers. Both they and the Burr staff recognize that you are working tirelessly to support your child’s reading and writing. We want to help. To that end, they have created free offerings for families. We hope these will bring more joy into home literacy learning. We will be adding to these regularly; check this page for updates and additions!

Here’s what is available to support you:

Family Videos

In these family videos—each less than ten minutes—we draw on a combination of research, classroom experience, and educator knowledge to help you support young people with their reading and writing. Some of these videos show you games to play at home while others help you support phonics, avid reading, writing, study skills, research, vocabulary, or abstract thinking. We’ll add to this collection regularly. You can access these collections via our YouTube Channel or Padlets: Pr-K-2nd Grade, Grades 3-5, Grades 6-9.

Book Collections

Want help finding some books your child will love to read? We’ve curated book collections of all-time and brand-new favorites, designed to hook readers young and old. We have lists for fantasy novels and graphic novels, for high interest series, and even a collection of courses of study for your teen readers. Find these collections here.

Office Hours for Parents and Caregivers: Ask a Literacy Expert

Have questions about your child’s reading or writing? Talk over Zoom with Lucy Calkins and experienced Reading and Writing Project faculty. These office hours are free and open to all, on Wednesday and Thursday evenings. Registration information is found here.

-Grades Pre-K-2 Families: Wednesdays 8-9 PM EST

-Grades 3-9 Families: Thursdays 8-9 PM EST

You might…

· Check in about your child’s literacy development.

· Ask what you can do (and should not do) to support your child at home with particular literacy issues, or in general as reader and writer.

· Inquire about what to expect across developmental stages in reading, writing or language acquisition, early to later years.

Parent and Caregiver Workshop Days (free, synchronous, virtual)

If you’d like to learn more about ways to support your child’s literacy education at home, or learn more about what or how they are learning in school, or how to best engage in home literacy projects, consider attending part or all of our virtual workshop days for parents. These free days are typically about 3 hours, composed of a series of 15-minute small-group presentations. Parents and caregivers can choose the workshops that match their needs and are invited to come for one workshop or many. These sessions are not recorded; the days are live. Registration information will be posted here.

Career Fair

The fourth grade needs your help! Every year fourth grade students have the amazing opportunity to learn directly from parents about what they do for a living. In the past, students have learned about the joys, challenges, and daily responsibilities of doctors, tv journalists, firefighters, actors, accountants, and pretty much any professional you could think of. It's a great opportunity to connect students to our community and the world beyond the four walls of our school. Students ask great questions, and I guarantee you that you will have a great time with them - even if this is something that you don't normally feel comfortable doing! We are looking for any Burr parents (not just fourth grade parents) who would be willing to present virtually for approximately 15 minutes during the month of March to a small group of fourth grade students. If you are interested, please contact Judy Salemme directly at jsalemme@fairfieldschools.org