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October 2023 District Newsletter
Barrington School District
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October 31, 2023
Hello Barrington Families;
We should all be incredibly proud! Your children are doing an amazing job at school each and every day. We ask a lot of our kiddos and I am always so impressed and amazed at the ability of a young one to reach and exceed our expectations. It is truly inspirational. I had the opportunity to spend some time with our youngest learners this week. Can you believe that our kindergarteners are already reading and writing?? They are identifying letter names and letter sounds and are able to put sounds together to read words. They are also able to pull letter sounds apart in order to produce early writing pieces. So fun and exciting!
I also had the wonderful opportunity to hear Luke Dimke, Oyster River Senior, present his Eagle Scout project at the October 17, 2023 School Board meeting. If you have the chance, take a minute to watch the beginning of the meeting to hear Luke’s presentation for yourself. It is impressive! Luke conducted a massive project behind the Early Childhood Learning Center. With a team of volunteers, he was able to clean up and create trails within the O.W.L.S Nest along with a stage at the opening to the trails. Thank you Luke!
In closing, I would like to thank our wonderful community for your trust and support. It is an uncertain world that we are living in and that uncertainty can spark worry. Please know that we diligently practice our safety procedures and we will continue to work collaboratively with our safety and security officials to ensure the best preparedness possible for our students and our staff.
Respectfully,
Curriculum and Instruction
Good Evening Barrington!
Learning is in full swing and you can see the evidence in all our buildings! It is always so amazing to see the collaboration, perseverance, wonderment, exploring, and creating that happens during this time of year.
Next month, be on the look out for iReady and Acadience assessment data.
Take care!
Student Services
Greetings Barrington Families,
Fall has finally arrived! The District has recently sent out information regarding the Dyslexia Law. I am hoping to clarify how we use that information to support students. New legislation was passed during the 2022-2023 legislative session. HB 377 amends RSA 200:59 which applies to the screening and intervention for dyslexia and related disorders. What does this mean? The District is required to screen all public school and charter school students Kindergarten-3rd Grade for potential indicators of risk factors of dyslexia and related disorders. This is something the district has had to do for several years but the amendment includes timelines of the screening and communication with families. The District is then responsible for providing evidence-based reading intervention to any students who are identified as having characteristics that are associated with potential risk factors of dyslexia and related disorders or refer to special education.
MTSS-A, MTSS-B, What is that?
We're really good at creating acronyms in education and we often don't take the time to explain them. Our hope with this newsletter is to increase understanding of MTSS-A and MTSS-B and some systems that are in place to assure student learning in reading and math and student support in the area of social, emotional and behavioral health.
MTSS-A: Multi-tiered systems of support for ACADEMICS
MTSS-B: Multi-tiered systems of support for BEHAVIORAL HEALTH & SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL LEARNING
Tiered Interventions Explained
Barrington schools work within a system, called Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS). We have many learners at many levels and this system allows us to monitor student learning and provide the right instruction they need. In this tiered, data-informed framework, educators work to ensure that the majority of students respond to core instruction (Tier 1). Students who need additional support for enrichment or remediation are identified by data and are provided that support with the right focus and intensity.
Tiered instruction is used to support all students (Tier 1, 2, and 3):
Tier 1: Universal approaches (all students get this instruction)
This is the core reading and math instruction all students receive in the classroom
Tier 2: Targeted Instruction
This is for students that need moderate remediation in a small group setting. This could be done by the classroom teacher, Title 1 Tutor, a Reading Intervention teacher or paraprofessional.
Tier 3: This is the most intensive remediation group, this could be small group or individual instruction and meets more often than Tier 2 groups.
What is the purpose of MTSS in education?
MTSS helps educators to be thoughtful about using resources appropriately and impactfully. It also allows the use of data to continually monitor and improve the effectiveness of their actions. MTSS makes the district-wide system more effective and ensures we’re supporting the needs of every student. This system requires teachers to be collaborative and creative.
The Dyslexia Law
NH has a law that says, upon entry to school, school districts are required to screen all public school and chartered public school students, to include English learners, grades kindergarten through third grade, for the identification of potential indicators or risk factors of dyslexia and related disorders. We've been doing this for years in Barrington. This newly updated law gave us pause to review our current systems and screeners and make some updates.
The new part of this law that came out in August 2023 also adds some new timelines and communication requirements, which we've also adjusted.
What does this mean? It means we're going to use a screening tool to assess your child. If the screener shows areas of need, we're going to do a little more testing to find out more information. If there are areas of need, we'll give the student the small group or individual instruction they need in addition to the Tier 1 classroom instruction. The scores and plans will be communicated with families.
Multi-Tiered Systems for Behavioral Health and Social and Emotional Learning
MTSS-B offers a comprehensive system of social, emotional, and behavioral support to promote student wellness and improve engagement in learning. In Barrington, all students are supported for their social, emotional and behavioral health. This is essentially where we make sure all students are ready to learn.
This is also offered in a tiered-system and can include the following:
Tier 1: Universal approaches
School rules & expectations, Responsive Classroom techniques (morning meeting, closing circle), guidance lessons
Tier 2: Targeted supports
social skills groups, lunch groups, guidance groups, movement breaks
Tier 3: Individualized services, Individual behavior plan, outside agency support, intensive social skills instruction, BEST Program, On Track program
Children can move in and out of these tiers on a daily or weekly basis. We monitor the success of the interventions and adjust as needed.
What does this mean if your child is already identified as a student in need of special education services?
All students are required to be screened, this includes students who are already identified as a student with an educational disability. Your child's IEP may be sufficient for the intervention strategy if your child is receiving specially designed instruction in the area of need and meets the requirements of evidence-based intervention strategy. If your child is identified as having potential risk-factors and is not currently receiving an evidence-based intervention in the identified area, the IEP team should convene to determine if the area of need should be met through the IEP or through the MTSS process. Parents are required to be notified of the results. As always, if you have questions or concerns please contact your child's special education teacher.
Warm regards,
Technology
This month's focus is on Interactive Display Systems in the classroom.
TouchView Interactive
This month Mr. Gygax's 8th grade science class received a new TouchView interactive display. According to the TouchView website: "TouchView Interactive was designed to improve collaboration and bring equity to any learning environment. Our large interactive displays feature true multi-person use, reliable screen sharing, and intuitive annotation tools in a surprisingly affordable package."
Over the last couple of years we have been strategically placing TouchView interactive displays in various locations. We now have a total of 9 TouchView interactive systems installed. In the 3 ECLC preschool classrooms, BES STEAM lab and Library, BMS STEAM lab and Library, 8th grade Social Studies and now 8th Grade Science.
We are looking forward to continuing to add this technology where it has the most impact.
Classroom Interactive Projectors
In my initial budget presentation on October 17th I presented a plan to replace all classroom projection systems with modern interactive projectors. My initial research is aimed at the Epson BrightLink® model of interactive projectors. These are cost effective systems that work with existing whiteboards but provide wireless interactive capabilities. If approved this refresh will occur over the next 9 school budget cycles and will result in the upgrade of all classroom projection capability.
Interactive Display systems are an important part of a modern classroom and a valuable teaching tool to encourage active student engagement in learning.
Happy Halloween!
Facilities
Hello,
Thank you Barrington for being such a wonderful community. The community spirit and connection is evident throughout the school day and beyond as folks come together to watch sports and other outside activities. Please help us keep our grounds looking great by being mindful of food wrappers and other small trash items.
All of our facilities are switching gears from the warm days of summer to the colder days of fall and winter. Preventative maintenance has been performed on our equipment and oil and propane tanks have been topped off. Our vehicles have been serviced so they are ready for the winter storms and we are getting ready for the sanders and plows. As the leaves finish changing colors and are getting ready to fall we will shift to a fall clean up time.
Best,
Food Services
Greetings Barrington Families,
The following is the Breakfast, Lunch and Milk cost for the 2023-2024 school year:
Breakfast:
$2.00 Regular
Reduced rate- Free
Lunch:
$3.25 Regular
$.40 Reduced rate
Milk:
$.65
Best,
Sue Williams
Food Service Director
Fresh Picks Cafe
Barrington School District SAU74