Dear Parents and the Burr District Family,

I’d like to take a moment to thank all of our parent and community volunteers who help out our school.  Burr District Elementary would not be the same place without your support.  Whether you come into the classroom, help cut out projects at home, or pass around the fundraising forms to family, friends and coworkers, you are a vital part of the work we do here to help raise the future citizens of our country.  I begin each assembly by thanking you through your children for the money that you have raised to allow us to bring enriching cultural arts programs to our students.  Some of you mentor, some come in and run math and reading centers, and some of you read to our classes.  Many help out with our PTO.  It is not always easy.  Volunteers often need to miss work or time with your family.  We appreciate your efforts.  This month we honor three volunteers at the Connecticut Association of Schools’ Parent Volunteer Recognition Banquet as representatives of all of you.  I wish I could bring you all, but we are limited to three:  Annette Danaher, tireless president of our PTO, will be representing the work that the Organization does for our children, and Kristen Powers and Paula Drake will also be honored as representatives for the classroom volunteers that help out daily in our classes and allow our teachers to spend more time working individually and in small groups with our students.  Mrs. Powers also painted our mural in our cafeteria which honors all of our volunteers at our school.  Please stop by and look at all of the names up on the wall.

In March we will be continuing our reading initiative, “Pig out on Reading.”  As I am writing this, Farmer Minor and his pig, Daisy, have not yet visited us.  I imagine I will be kissing the little hog.  I’m not exactly sure why, but that is just what principals do when there is a pig around.  I’m happy to pucker up after the amazing effort your children have done in just the first few weeks of our reading challenge.  In case you have not heard, our students have already read more than 2000 books!  Check our progress on the windows of our school library.

The second “event” will be the Connecticut Mastery Test, taken by our third through eighth graders.  It began with at practice test on Thursday, which your child brought home that night.  Then our testing will continue Tuesdays through Thursdays for the next three weeks, generally for about 1 hour in the morning each day.  We ask that you help your children get a good night of sleep, eat a good breakfast, and make an extra effort to come to school on time.  If they do not arrive before the testing begins, they will have to wait in the office until the class has finished the exam for that day.  If you are interested in learning more about the CMT, please refer to my CMT primer here on our website.

Have a wonderful March,

Eric Larson, Principal

2007-2008 - Start time: 8:30 a.m. End time: 3:15 p.m.