PTA Meeting Tonight!

Please join the Burroughs PTA in the Auditorium tonight, Tuesday Jan. 14 at 6:30 p.m., for our first meeting of the school year. You can also join via Zoom by using this link. 

Come hear updates from our various committees including Read-a-Thon, Social Emotional Wellness, and FEJ. Administrators will also be discussing plans to build a new inclusive playground.

Charlotte Kinzley will also be a special guest to discuss her role in leading the homeless and highly mobile initiative for Achieve Minneapolis, which we have made a number of donations to from PTA funds to support their objectives and goals over the past 3 years. Here is a link to more info!

PTA leaders will also share details about plans to bring back the Sleep Under! That event is tentatively set for Feb. 17. The Sleep Under is a great way for parents to enjoy a night out while students can wear pajamas, play games, and watch movies in the gym and auditorium. Details coming soon for this event and more! There will also be a discussion about field trips and a vote on a funding request from Art Adventure.

Social Emotional Wellness Committee: Wellness Moment

This year, the Social Emotional Wellness Committee has partnered with Canvas Health and our School-Based Therapist, Beth Hopkins, to provide three Wellness Moments for students to engage in throughout the school year. These moments will align with the SEW themes for the year: Restore, Connect and Play.  

This month, the Wellness Moment was focused on the theme of Restore and emphasizes the importance of taking deep breaths. Students were sent home with instructions and mini bubble wands to practice this skill on Friday, Jan. 13. Please return signed slips to the bucket in the office prior to morning announcements this Friday, Jan. 20. Signed slips will be entered into a drawing for a prize. Participation is completely optional.

If you would like to learn more about the SEW Committee or join us, please contact Maggie Skrypek. All are welcome and we would love to have you!

Read-a-Thon Community Service:

Reading Buddies for Children's Hospital

During the February Read-a-Thon month, there will be a few community service opportunities to support those in our greater community.

One opportunity is to join other Burroughs families in the creation of Reading Buddies to benefit young patients staying at Children’s Hospital in Minnesota. We will create stuffed animals by using animal kits. The kits include an animal, polyfill and velcro. No sewing skills needed. We will also create cards with a reading buddy poem. 

The event will be in the Washburn Library basement on Saturday, Feb. 4 from 3 to 4 p.m. If you are not able to attend, you can also order the kits to make at home. Read this flyer for more information about the event.  

If you wish to attend, please RSVP so that we can order the correct number of animals. RSVP by Jan. 22 if you plan to attend.

Burroughs Read-a-Thon Fundraisers

Get ready for the 2023 Read-a-thon by stocking up on books at Barnes & Noble and grabbing some dinner at the Edina Noodles! Your purchases at both places on Sunday, Jan. 29 benefit Burroughs.

Shop at the Edina Barnes & Noble on Sunday, Jan. 29 from 10 to 6 p.m. Mention Burroughs at the checkout. Online shopping will also be available from Jan. 29 to Feb. 3 by entering Bookfair ID 12643540 at checkout. Share these dates and code with family and friends! A percentage of your sales will be donated to Burroughs.

See the flyer for more details on how dining at the Edina Noodles on Sunday, Jan. 29, 4 to 8 p.m. can benefit Burroughs.

Read-a-Thon Needs Your Donated Books

Blaze's Bookshelf will be a used book event as part of the 2023 Burroughs Read-a-Thon. It will be open on February 1 during school, and all students will choose a used book to keep. Blaze's Bookshelf will also be open on Feb. 1 from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. for families to stock up on books for the Read-a-Thon. Cocoa and cookies will be served at the evening event. If additional books remain, Blaze's Bookshelf will be open in the atrium through Friday, February 3 for families to choose more books.

To make this event work, we need used books in good condition from your homes! We need lots of children's books of all genres and reading levels, and we will also accept adult bestsellers. Donation bins will be in the atrium through January. Thanks in advance for donating books to fill Blaze's Bookshelf!

Read-a-Thon Spirit Days

Celebrate the Read-a-Thon on Fridays throughout February with these fun themes!

Friday, Feb. 3: Read My Shirt Day - wear a shirt with words on it

Friday, Feb. 10: Dress as your favorite book character

Friday, Feb. 17: PJ day - bring a stuffed animal to read to

Friday, Feb. 24: Burroughs gear/blue and yellow day

Read-a-Thon Service Event: Feed My Starving Children

Please join other Burroughs families at Feed My Starving Children to hand pack meals to send to children across the world. This event can accommodate 69 adults and children from Burroughs.

Our packing time is Saturday, Feb. 11 from 4:30 to 6:15 p.m. at the Eagan location.

Please RSVP here if you are able to come, and we will register our Burroughs group together. This event was popular last year so sign up now if you're interested!

Meet the Burroughs Staff

Kim Stone, PTA Secretary

Kim is currently serving as the PTA Secretary. She was inspired to run for PTA office after the pandemic because she wanted to contribute to restoring a sense of community and also feels a duty of obligation to improve the MPS system for everyone. This is her way of giving back to the community.

Outside of Burroughs, Kim is a content strategist at Medtronic. Prior to that, she was a journalist and worked at newspapers around the country where she covered education, science, and the environment. She grew up in Texas and attended Texas A&M University.

She is married to Todd and has two children--Zane (6th grader at Page) and Dalton (4th grader at Burroughs). Her family has been at Burroughs since 2017. The boys' soccer exploits keep their family busy year round, but she makes time for her trivia team which consists of former Burroughs moms. You may have seen them playing (and winning!) at Tap Society.