January 2021
Dear Burr Families,
I want to spend a moment to share some thoughts about tolerance and patience. As you probably know, we have had an uptick in both positive cases and students and staff who have had to quarantine since our return from winter break. Based on predictions from the CDC and our federal government, this is not totally unexpected. It also brings with it a wide range of emotions including disappointment, anxiety, frustration, and fear. I understand these feelings and sometimes feel them myself. We all want our schools to return to a level of normalcy. Ultimately, they will. However, in the meantime, I would like to make a strong plea for tolerance and patience.
I do not believe that any Burr parent would knowingly send their child to school with Covid19. Yes, mistakes have been made, and, yes, guidelines have been overlooked or forgotten, but what I have learned as I have helped investigate and contact trace each case, is that the rationale behind why a parent made a specific decision to send their child to school is not always as clear cut (and self serving) as it appears at first glance.
So, I would appreciate it if all of us could step back for a second. Make sure that your child does not overhear any frustrations you might have about why they are quarantining and learning from home. Stay away from divisive social media posts or neighborhood chatter that try to identify who tested positive or make judgments about specific families. Know that while Burr staff are doing everything they can to socially distance and use consistent mitigation strategies, this is not an exact science. We are doing our best (and, I believe, doing a really good job.)
As we move forward into the next few months, I am hopeful that things will get better and our world at school will open up more. If we do have to quarantine any more classes or groups of students, I would highly appreciate patience and tolerance. Our kids are watching us and learning.
Be well.
Jason
One Book, One School
We are almost halfway through the book The Year of the Dog thus far. Teachers have either been reading the book to their classes or having students listen to a taped recording at home. HERE is a link to those recordings. I would encourage you to enjoy the book with your children. It has wonderful themes connected to the topics of family, friends, growing up, and finding yourself. Last week we encouraged students to investigate their Chinese sign (and the signs of members of their family) - just like the characters in the book. Each sign has specific character traits associated with it that are fun and interesting to read and match to how you see yourself. This week we are asking students to learn more about family customs, traditions, and stories - again, just like the characters in the book. I would encourage you to try these fun activities as a family.
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
Citizenship
I wanted to pass on an article about citizenship and the importance of raising children who understand the responsibilities of citizenship. It has some great ideas on how you can expose and teach your children to become informed citizens. The format is user friendly and practical.
https://www.npr.org/2021/01/26/959656218/comic-how-to-raise-informed-active-citizens
Upcoming Dates
PTA Meeting - February 9 - 9:30 (Please join us.)
February Break - February 11-15
Grace Lin Author Visit - February 19