ABOUT OUR PTO

Working together for our kids

and for a strong community

We are moms, dads, aunties, litos, babas and more from every part of the world, brought together by a shared commitment to the children in our community. We are fortunate to be able to weave this rich tapestry of cultures, languages and ethnicities to enrich our children's education and experiences at Burr.

Fundraising is a big part of what we do. Through our annual giving program, The Wolf Fund, and various events throughout the year, we raise money to bring cutting-edge technologies and curriculum-aligned programs to Burr School. Every child in every grade benefits from the Burr PTO.

Our Mission

The mission of the PTO is to strengthen Burr School’s capacity to provide quality education to all our children by:

Serving as a communication link between parents, the school and the broader community
Raising funds to support the education of our children
Providing supplemental educational programs within the school and
Building community among Burr families and faculty.

Meet Our Board

The PTO Board is comprised of Burr parent volunteers, who meet throughout the year to oversee numerous community events and fundraisers, manage the PTO budget and perform other essential PTO functions.

Amir Moghimi

Co-President

Amir Moghimi was born in Tehran, Iran, and grew up going back and forth between Iran and the United States. He has lived in Newton for four years with his wife, Akram, and two children, Maya (kindergarten) and Daniel (incoming kindergartener). He currently works for Bose as a research engineer, researching and designing speech and audio processing algorithms.

Jyoti Shah

Co-President

Jyoti Shah is a mom of three and has been a long-time Burr parent. Jyoti and her husband, Aalok, moved to Auburndale in 2011. Their daughter Ishika is a third grader at Burr, whereas their other two daughters, Aneesha and Shivangi, go to Day Middle School and Newton North High School, respectively. Jyoti is a Biomedical engineer and a Computational biologist by training and works in the Pharmaceutical industry where she truly enjoys working with scientists on applying technological innovations to accelerate science. Jyoti has supported the Burr PTO over the years through May Fair, Burr cultural events and several other volunteer activities. This is her second term as a Burr PTO co-president. Jyoti loves to read and go for nature walks and hikes with her family. On weekends, when the sun is out, you will see
her around the Cove, biking with Aalok and the kids.

Michelle Claussen

Co-President

Michelle Claussen is mom to a 2nd grader (Josephine), a Kindergartener (Max), and a future Burr student (Arthur). Michelle currently volunteers at Burr as co-room parent, library helper, garden helper, CAS grade level coordinator, and CAS co-chair. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, discovering New England history, and traveling to new places.

Mariko Wong

Education Chair

Mariko Wong has a 3rd grader (Emily) and a kindergartener (Samantha) at Burr. She loves being part of the Burr community and was inspired by other amazing Burr parents to join the PTO. She works as a geriatrician (medicine doctor for older adults). In her free time, she enjoys gardening, yoga, skiing, and going hiking with her family and her 1-year-old cavachon, Teddy!

Grace Huang

Communications Chair

Grace Huang's son, Jace, is currently in 2nd Grade. Grace moved to Newton in 2016. She works as a software developer at a law firm. In her free time, she likes doing crafts with her kids and friends. She tried crocheting, bollom twisting, embroidery, hair bow ties, and more.

Shannon Derick

D.E.I. Chair

Shannon Derick is the mother of Maddie, a Burr 2nd grader. She and her husband grew up in the Greater Boston area and moved to West Newton in 2005. Shannon is a social worker in Early Intervention by profession and passion. She is currently a co-room parent and relishes being an active part of the Burr community. Her family enjoys participating in the Trunk or Treat and volunteering/attending other school events. She can be found walking, biking, and scootering in and around West Newton with her family.

Justin Anderson

Treasurer

Justin Anderson is the father of a 4th grader (Natalie) and a 1st grader (Noah) at Burr. He has really appreciated the Burr community over the past few years and likes volunteering at the library and chaperoning school field trips. He enjoys walking to school with his children, running the Paddy’s Road race, and supporting his family in their various passions of the season/moment.

Jessica Tybursky

Secretary

Jessica Tybursky is mom to 3rd grader Ben, Kindergartener Cece, and a cute golden mountain doodle pup named Sadie. She and her husband, Mike, moved to Newton from Bay Village, Boston in 2016. She is a professional classical singer and owns and operates Somerville Music Spaces, a rehearsal studio and recital venue in Somerville. Jess has enjoyed volunteering at Burr as room parent, library helper, CAS grade level coordinator, and most recently as a face painter at this year’s Mayfair! In her free time, she enjoys getting outside with her family, playing board games, cooking and visiting the family lake house in Maine. Burr is a special place to the Tybursky family!

Pooja Tiwari

Events Co-Chair

Pooja Tiwari moved to Auburndale from India in 2018 with her husband Pranay and son Atharv, who is now thriving in first grade. With a background in commerce and experience running a small family business, Pooja brings a unique perspective to her involvement in the Burr PTO. She has become a familiar presence at school events, from applying henna at World Cultural Day to crewing the refreshments kiosk at the Mayfair. Pooja's also volunteers her culinary talents to prepare meals for a non-profit in Holbrook whenever she can. Despite her busy schedule, Pooja always makes time for the things that bring her joy, whether it's building Lego creations with Atharv or savoring a coffee at the local Starbucks.

Kiki Williams

Events Co-Chair

Kiki Williams is a mom of a Kindergartener, Gracelyn, and a future Burr student, three-year-old Gwyneth. Kiki is from Bangkok, Thailand and moved to Auburndale with her husband in 2013. She is a real estate agent with Coldwell Banker, which can make her schedule opposite to other parents. Since her daughter started kindergarten, she is one of the co-room parents for her daughter's class and has volunteered at Burr PTO events including BooFest, Book Fair, and MayFair.

She always enjoys being a part of community organizations. To her, it's not only a great opportunity to learn more about the community, but it is also a great way to learn to work as a team and to be organized.

Interested in taking on a leadership role on the PTO?

Please don't hesitate to reach out!

Get in Touch

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