BARFIELD BANNER

Dear Parents/Guardians,

As we head into October, I am reflecting on all the great learning opportunities our students had in the month of September! This past month we got our Leadership Clubs up and running, started hiring students for leadership roles, started tracking our WIGs, and celebrating our progress in iReady with our Streak Awards. Students have settled in well with their teachers and continue to build strong relationships with those in their classrooms each day.

Thank you all for your patience and cooperation with our monthly Parent Lunch. Both are highly attended and create awesome memories for our families.

In October we will be continuing with some great TBE traditions, like our Pumpkin Decorating Contest! Be on the lookout for this year’s theme- I cannot wait to see our students’ creativity come to life!

We will also wrap up our 1st Quarter of the school year on October 13th. Please be reminded that Elementary Grading has changed from previous years and report cards will look different. Please see the link below to watch a short district created video on our new Elementary Report Cards.

https://video.collierschools.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=e480d726-08ae-4b1d-8120-b0700146e555

Our Nutrition Service Department would like to reiterate that breakfast and lunch are of no charge to students. We encourage you to send your child to school early each morning so that they have enough time for breakfast. If you do plan for your child to eat breakfast at school, please drop off no later than 8:00 am. This will give your child enough time to walk to the café, get their food, and enjoy breakfast with their friends.

Below are some upcoming dates for October:

• Thursday, October 5th Early Dismissal Day
• Friday, October 6th Leadership Clubs
• October 11th and 12th PTO Pumpkin Sales in the morning
• Wednesday, October 11th PTO General Meeting in the evening 5:00-5:30 in the Media Center
• Friday, October 13th 3-5 Parent Lunch
• Friday, October 13th End of 1st Quarter
• Monday, October 16th No School for Students
• Wednesday, October 18th Dine Out at Stonewalls
• Thursday, October 19th SAC Meeting 5:00-5:30 pm in Media Center
• Friday, October 27th K-2 Parent Lunch
• Tuesday, October 31st Book Character Dress Up day
• Wednesday, November 1st No School for students

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to me.

Thank you for all you do to support your child!

Sincerely,

Alyssa Ledbetter

Principal

Attendance Matters!

It is imperative that students come to school on time, all day, every day is a top priority. We understand there are reasons students will need to miss school. However, communication to the front office is crucial when working through attendance issues.

School Student Hours:

Doors open 7:45

Breakfast at no charge is served 7:45

Bell Rings 8:10

WTBE News Starts 8:15

Dismissal 2:50

Early Release Day 11:50

Drop off is prohibited before 7:45am as there is no supervision prior to that time. Students must be picked up no later than 3:10 in the afternoon.

WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF ABSENCES?

Excused Absences: E

An illness of the student documented by a doctor’s note or documented medical/dental appointment. And observance of an established religious holiday or for pre-arranged religious instruction as defined in Board Policy 5223. A court subpoena, a required court appearance, or placement in detention at a juvenile center in which the student continues his/her education.

Validated Absences: A

Brief illness, appointments, and family business are considered validated absences for purposes of meeting attendance policy requirements. Absences must be documented by written notes from parents upon your child returning to school or calling the school office at (239-377-8500. Validated absences are NOT excused absences.

Unexcused Absences: U

Absences that the school does not receive notification from parent/guardian. Children who are habitually absent will be reported to the Attendance Officer. Accruing excessive unexcused and/or validated absences will cause a student to be designated “habitually truant” and will result in a referral to Truancy Court.

What You Can Do to Help:

-Set a regular bedtime and morning routine. If students are having a hard time waking up, consider an earlier bedtime.

-Lay out clothes and pack backpack the night before.

-Encourage your child to come to school unless they are truly sick.

-Avoid medical appointments and extended trips when school is in session.

CELEBRATIONS! Individual students are recognized for outstanding attendance each quarter. Grade levels are recognized and celebrated each month for the highest average daily attendance.

Dana Franklin

Assistant Principal, Elementary / C&I, Tommie Barfield Elementary

Many of you have been making an extra trip back to the school because something was left at home. To help decrease the number of trips to school and disruptions after classes are in session, try this idea when preparing the night before and/or before leaving for school.

Make a checklist (or print this one below) with your child and hang it up in a prominent place. Each morning your child can check off what you need to bring before you leave the house.

Dear Parents,

It was wonderful to meet so many parents at Curriculum Night. We hope this opportunity provided you with an insight into what your child’s day is like. Watching your children making new friends and working so diligently has been a joy.

Our kindergarteners are furthering their skills in math. 2-D shapes, counting and describing groups of objects, solving addition and subtraction problems are skills they will be working on. In phonics, more letters are being taught. Students are learning their sounds and how to properly form the letter. We will continue to work on blending sounds and introduce more high frequency words. Students will also continue to learn about story elements, including characters, setting, and plot. Sequencing events, learning about calendars, and recognizing national and Florida state symbols will be the focus this quarter in social studies.

In science, students were able to enjoy the Zoo Con experience on alligators. The upcoming learning goals in science will include models and plants and animals in the media. Thank you again for your continued support in practicing the sight words and helping your child with their reading.

We look forward to working together to make your child’s kindergarten year a rewarding experience.

Kindergarten Team

Hello First Grade Families!

It is hard to believe the end of quarter one is just a couple of weeks away.

Our First Graders have been hard at work learning all about the relationships between addition and subtraction and how to apply strategies for solving both types of problems. Students are also becoming more fluent in solving addition and subtraction facts. We encourage you to take time to use the Math parent letters to support this learning at home!

Please remember to read to and with your child every day. The more your child is exposed to language and print, the easier it will be for him or her to incorporate new skills in reading and writing. As with any new skills, the more you practice the better you become.

During our LEAD time, students continue to learn about the 7-Habits. These lessons provide opportunities for students to learn, engage and apply the 7 Habits. We are hopeful your children are applying these habits at home as well.

Please develop a routine to check and clean out binders every day with your child. This will help your child stay organized and keep you involved and informed. In addition, giving you an opportunity to show your student what he/she is doing at school is meaningful and important.

In advance, thank you for your support.

Fondly,

Your First Grade Team

Second grade is off to a great start with nearly finishing the 1st Quarter of the 2023-2024 school year! It is hard to believe October is already here and 2Q will soon be under way!

In Language Arts, students are learning about how people can work out disagreements. The texts in this module focus on the topic of meeting in the middle. Students will further their learning of theme in poetry, author’s purpose, central idea, and retelling text to enhance comprehension. In Fundations (Phonics) time, we are finishing Unit 4 practicing suffixes and comparison suffixes er and est. We will also be introducing the vowel teams oa, oe, ow, ou, oo, ue, and ew. Unit 5 will be included in October with continued learning of suffixes, prefixes, and ongoing new vocabulary words. As always, please continue to encourage your child to read nightly for 15-20 minutes so they can take quizzes on the books they have read to earn Reading Counts points.

In Math, students are learning strategies of decomposing and adjusting addends to add as well as using a number line. We end October with learning how to subtract two-digit numbers with regrouping. Please encourage your child to continue improving their math fact fluency with flash cards or simple addition problems with sums to twenty.

In Social Studies, students are continuing our learning how to use maps and globes to locate continents, oceans, Equator, Prime Meridian and North and South Poles. Students will also be able to locate their hometown, the state capital, national capital, and Florida on a map and globe. In Science and Health, the students are learning the ways that matter changes. Students will also learn about how people use electricity or other forms of energy in everyday life. Health topics that will be covered are needs, wants, and feelings and creating and tracking short term health goals.

Happy Fall!

The Second Grade Team

Third graders are off to a great start here at TBE! We had a blast celebrating Dot Day last month.

The students are learning about different multiplication and division strategies (Equal Groups, Arrays, and Skip Counting) in Math. For Reading, students continue to practice comprehension skills such as explaining how text features contribute to the meaning of text, explaining the development of an author’s purpose in an informational text, and central idea. In Science, the students classified flowering and nonflowering plants into major groups. For Social Studies, the students in third grade explained the history and meaning behind patriotic holidays and observances, explained how the U. S. Constitution establishes the purpose and fulfills the need for government, and explained the importance of the Declaration of Independence to the United States.

Please continue to support your child at home by encouraging them to read for 20 minutes every night and complete their math homework to practice the skills taught in class.

The Third Grade Team

Hello Fourth Grade Families!

It is hard to believe that it is already October and that we are almost finished with the first quarter. We loved meeting with our Leader Clubs last month and are looking forward to meeting again this month. We will continue our hard work in Reading. Students are really enjoying the stories and be sure to ask them to summarize what we have read for you! In writing we are beginning to work on our opinion essays and are excited to share the finished products with you! Math is getting exciting, with the introduction of multiplication and division of multi-digit numbers. Be sure to ask your student to teach you all the different strategies they have learned. We also continue to work on our Math Fact Fluency. Knowing our multiplication facts fluently will make multi-digit multiplication and division so much smoother! We will continue to analyze maps in Social Studies and will begin to discuss the different types of weather that impact Florida.

At the start of quarter two we will be studying the different Native American tribes that called Florida home. In Science we will begin learning about the seasonal changes that Florida plants and animals experience. In addition, we will learn about food changes and the energy that animals get from food chains.

The month of October brings us to focus on Habit 2: Begin with the end in Mind. Talk with your student about what it means to have a plan, to plan, to do meaningful things and make a difference, and to look for ways to be a good citizen. How do you and your family demonstrate Habit 2?

Fourth Grade Team

Hello, families! It has been a wonderful start to the school year! Here are a couple of recent photos highlighting the different ways we are learning and getting to know one another!

In ELA, we are using our reading strategies to learn more about natural disasters and answer the question, “How can learning about natural disasters make us safer?” Students will also walk through the writing process to produce a persuasive writing piece.

In math, your child will learn how to estimate products, find the products of multi-digit numbers by using partial products or an algorithm, and solve multi-step problems involving multiplication. In the following unit, students will be using the same strategies to multiply whole numbers by decimals and decimals by decimals.

In science, we will be exploring physical and chemical changes. Ask your child to identify these changes, especially around the kitchen. We will also jump into our unit on the water cycle. This is definitely a process you will be able to observe together.

In social studies, students learned about Heroes’ Day, Constitution Day, and Freedom week in September. In October, we will be studying locations and physical features as well as states and capitals.

Please remind your students to read, practice math flash cards, and study science notes each night!

Thanks,

Your Fifth Grade Team

Let Your Little Light Shine is humming through the halls at TBE. No doubt you have heard that “Leaders Light the Way” is our musical theme of the year. Students have eagerly embraced our “Light Songs” and are preparing to showcase them throughout the year. By adding rhythmic movements to our melodies, we are solidifying the structural elements in music. Throw in a little harmony and who knows where we will end up?

Our fifth graders have already ventured out to Artis to hear the Naple Philharmonic Orchestra, with our third graders hot on their heels. They will be learning the classic, “Once Upon a Symphony” story. It is great to see our young learners getting these wonderful opportunities to understand and appreciate musical performances.

Thank you parents.

Mr. Craig Greusel

Music Teacher

Hello families! I’m Mrs. Richett, the full-time Physical Education teacher. I work with the other related arts teachers one day a week where we team-teach our PE classes together (Ms. McCarty on Mondays, Mr. Beauvais on Thursdays, Mr. Greusel on Fridays). Although we had a warm start to the school year, we balance our time in the shaded pavilion and on the field, as well as mix up our intensity levels with different activities. The most important focus that I have in class is safety and sportsmanship. Students will practice problem solving in a respectful manner, playing with honesty, and following the rules, and showing respect to others.

Reminders:

-If students are unable to fully participate in PE class, they must have a note to excuse them from activities.

-Students should wear shorts under dresses/skits for comfortable play.

-Students should have their name on their water bottles. Water fountains are also available during class.

Deana Richett

Riched1@collierschools.com

August and September have been fun art months!

In Kindergarten, we celebrated Dot Day by learning about Wassily Kandinsky and his circles. Each of his circles started with a dot in the middle. They also did a project where we learned about different types of lines, coloring all in one direction, shapes, cutting, and gluing:

If you haven’t check out your student’s artwork on Artsonia, check them out here: https://www.artsonia.com/connect/TCCPZFNC

To look at our artist’s work or to see who the Star Student was for each day, follow @beauvaisCCPS on twitter (X).

Lane Beauvais

Teacher, Art / Elementary, Tommie Barfield Elementary

Welcome to the 2023-24 school year! Our goal is to help your child develop a love of reading!

When students check out books, they accept the responsibility to keep the book free of damage. If a book gets damaged, please have the student bring it to the Media Center for repair. If we cannot repair the book the student will be responsible for the cost of the book. So please help your child keep books away from younger siblings, pets, and liquids. Students are also responsible for lost books. We always prefer the book to be returned but if not found, the student will be billed for the cost of the book. The beginning of the year is a good time to set up a routine of where books will be kept while at home. It is also a good time to establish or reestablish good reading practices. Read, read, read! The more often you read to or with your child the better! Ask questions, use different voices, talk about the stories during and after the reading.

We will again be using the Reading Counts program to take comprehension tests on books read. We will continue rewarding students with Brag Tags for points earned. When they successfully take a Reading Counts test, they earn points which in turn earns them brag tags. Students will continue earning points from where they left off last year. We have some students with an impressive number of tags which they display on their media lanyard.

We have started our 3-5 SSYRA book reading challenge. The Sunshine State Young Reader’s Award encourages students to read mixed genre books. It consists of fifteen books. These books are flying off the shelf and we could not be happier!

Ms. Schneller

Greetings, Parents and Guardians,

Thank you so much for collaborating with us to help your children be confident learners and leaders!

Our three school-wide expectations are to “Be Respectful,” “Be Responsible,” and “Be a Leader.”

Going over family rules or expected behaviors at home can be a fun exercise, especially if you put each rule under one of the three school-wide expectations categories.

We have many leadership roles available for students to apply for at Tommie Barfield Elementary School. Children having an important role in the family gives children more confidence at school.

Looking forward to a year of supporting your children and your family!

Sincerely,

Leanne Hope, School Counselor

239-377-8506

hopele@collierschools.com

Free Health Screening Thursday, October 26, 2023

Your child will be receiving free health screening from the Department of Health on Thursday, October 26, 2023, during the school day.

Those screened will be:

Kindergarten--Vision and Hearing

First Grade--Vision, Hearing, and Height/Weight

Third Grade--Vision and Height/Weight

If you want to opt out of any of these screening services, please go to www.collierschools.com and select “Parents.” Then select “Health Services” in the left-hand column. Then select “Parent Opt-out form—health screening program.” Click on the black arrow in the upper right-hand corner. Print form, complete it, and give to front office to the attention of Leanne Hope.

We had a great turnout for the September PTO meeting. We are so happy to see so many new and returning volunteers. October is an exciting month for us. We are selling the Styrofoam pumpkins for the Annual Pumpkin decorating competition on October 11th and 12th. We will be in the car rider lanes and bus loop from 7.45-8.30am. Price is $2 each. The theme for this year will be sent home in the Wednesday folder on October 11th. We are excited to see what Theme it will be this year.

Then October 27th through Nov 3rd we have our 2nd Annual Penny Wars Fundraiser. This year’s funds will be going directly back to the students through their leadership club and activities. We will work closely with Mrs. Ledbetter on what is needed to help make the club successful.

The October meeting will be an evening Meeting- at 5.00 on October 11th in the media center.

We are having our 1st Ever Dine out at Stonewall on October 18th. Mention TBE when ordering and they will give a portion of sales back to TBE PTO. We hope to see you all there and have a great family evening. Times are from 4pm to 8pm.

Lastly, if you are not following up on our New Private Parent Facebook page, please click the QR Code below and answer the questions to be accepted. We have reminders for all School and PTO events on here.

Thank you all for your support. We look forward to another exciting month ahead!

Kindest Regards

Siobhan St. Amour

Cell: 239 269 3863

President of Tommie Barfield PTO