November 1, 2019

Dear Burr Families,

Welcome to November! The fall is moving along quickly, and it will be Thanksgiving before you know it. We had a great Principal's coffee this week about parenting with a growth mindset. Here is an interesting link to a lesson plan about growth mindset. The lesson plan is written for teachers but contains a pretty in depth and thoughtful definition of growth mindset. I think you will find it both educational and interesting. Growth Mindset - Khan Academy

As you think about parenting with a growth mindset, I would encourage you to think about what you would say if your child said the following to you. (We discussed potential responses at the coffee.)

• "I'm just not good at..."
• "...is such a great student. They must be so smart. I wish I could be that smart."
• "This is too hard."
• "I couldn't do it. I tried."

Grade levels are starting to have publishing parties to showcase student writing. I would highly encourage you to attend a publishing party that your child's class has this year. There are many benefits including:

• It sends a powerful message that your child is an author and storyteller, and you value their voice as a writer.
• It provides an authentic audience for your child to share their work.
• It highlights the amazing work our student writers are doing this year. You will notice the increased volume of their writing, the sophistication of their thinking, and their facility with language and conventions. We are doing a lot of staff development this year with the Reading and Writing Project at Teacher's College Columbia University. The results really show in student work.

Have a great weekend!

Jason

lockdown

Please note that we will have our second lockdown today. It is an opportunity to practice safety procedures. I would encourage you to ask your child the following questions (and debrief their answers with them):

• Where do you hide in your classroom during a lockdown?
• What rules should you follow during a lockdown?
• What should you do if you are not with your class when a lockdown is called?
• What should you do if you are at recess and a lockdown is called?

clc paraprofessional and building sub

• We are looking for a paraprofessional and a building substitute for our CLC program. If you know of anyone who is interested, please have them contact me. Building substitutes need to have a bachelor's degree and elementary certification in CT. Paraprofessionals need a bachelor's degree.

Family Handbook

I have included a link to our family handbook. It contains practical information about our school as well as links to many district resources.

2019-2020 Family Handbook

Behavior handbook

Below is a link to our Behavior handbook. For the month of November, please focus on the topic of understanding. We want students to know that understanding is fundamentally about how they treat others and whether they can put themselves in the shoes of others.

• Page 4. This page (in chart form) defines what understanding looks like across different parts of the school day. I would ask that you review this page with your children as well as think about how your child can demonstrate understanding in settings outside of school.
• Last Page. This page has a list of books that can be used to teach understanding. I would encourage you to read multiple books from this list. They have great messages which could lead to great conversations about how to apply these skills in your child's everyday life.

Behavior Handbook 2019-2020

veteran's day

• Burr's Veteran's Day program is Friday, November 8th at 10:00. Please see the following link for more information about this special assembly.

Veteran's Day Letter

Upcoming Dates

Tuesday, November 5 - Election Day - No School

Thursday, November 7 - Literacy Night, K-5 - 5:30-6:30

Friday, November 8 - Veteran's Day Program - 10:00 (Breakfast for Veterans and their families at 9:30)

Monday, November 11 - No School - Veteran's Day

Wednesday, November 27 - Early Dismissal, Thanksgiving Break - No School November 28 and 29