The Colt Communicator

October 18, 2024

Dear North Barrington Families,

We have had a great week at NBS! Thank you to everyone who has signed up and attended our important parent/teacher conferences. I am sure you are proud of the progress and growth your children have been making here at NBS, #ThePlaceToB! We have had a co-teaching week in STEM and Library. Students have been focused on building structures and I believe we have a few up-and-coming architects at North Barrington. Our classrooms are busy and focused on meeting our academic goals. We even connected today's schools to historical one-room school houses on our field trip! We also enjoyed hosting Dr. Craig Winkelman and Dr. Josh Carpenter at our NBS PTO general meeting. They spoke to the upcoming referendum, answered questions, and shared our progress.

Please note that due to conferences, October 17 - October 18 are non-attendance days.

REMINDERS:

Parent Drop off After 8:00 am: As you are aware, we are making strides in improving our attendance at NBS. A vital part of this is punctuality. Our second bell rings promptly at 8:00 am, and your child must be in their classroom to be considered on time. If you arrive at or after 8:00 am, please park your car, escort your child or children into the office, and sign them in. They will then receive a welcome pass and be directed to their class. Please remember, it is not safe to drop your child off at the curb or front door at or after 8:00 am and leave them unsupervised. Rest assured, we have measures in place to ensure their safety. We appreciate your understanding and support in this matter!

MEDICAL/DENTAL EXCUSAL:

If your child leaves school for a medical/dental appointment an excuse note from the healthcare provider is required for the absence to be excused. Please return the note to the building office staff following the appointment. Thank you!

Dr. West, Principal, Mrs. Kalin Lomas, and Mrs. Lisa Neyfeldt, Co-PTO Presidents

Please note that you can reach Dr. West, Principal, at lwest@barrington220.org, Mrs. Jirasek, Assistant Principal/TOSA, at sjirasek@barrington220.org, Mrs. Kalin Lomas, co-PTO president, at kalin413@gmail.com, and Lisa Neyfeldt, co-PTO president, at lneyfeldt03@gmail.com. We would love to connect with you! Our joint newsletter will be distributed through Infinite Campus on Fridays at 3:00 pm.

Social Media:

Instagram: northbarringtonpto

Facebook: North Barrington School PTO (run by the PTO) & North Barrington Elementary School (run by the school)

Twitter: @NBSPTO (run by the PTO), @NBES220 (run by the school) & @law281 (Dr. Wests’ account)

It’s that time of year again—time to show off your creativity in our 2024 NBS Pumpkin Carving Contest! Whether your child loves carving, painting, or decorating, this is the perfect chance for them to let their imagination run wild.

The Halloween Party is on October 31st from 1:30 to 2:30.

The Halloween Parade is on October 31st from 1:15 to 1:30.

12:35-12:45 RC check-in will be in the front foyer and name tags will be made in advance. Jody and Alissa need the RC list so they can complete VisitU in advance. Make sure you have your driver's license with you, even if you have visited NBS in the past.

12:45-1:15 - RCs are allowed in the building to decorate the classroom, check with teachers first about what they want for decorations. Teachers can use this time for children to change into their costumes with the support of RC.

Costume Guidelines:

• - No masks, no political figures, No gore or scary characters, No hairspray brought to school, no makeup brought to school or that covers the entire face. No costumes that are a distraction. If they are blow-up costumes, the face cannot be covered and children must be able to walk and participate successfully in all their classes.
• Children will have time to put on their costumes. If part of the costume is hair, please style it before school. Children will wear their costumes home at the end of the party.
• All treats will be provided by the RC. Children should not bring treats for the party. If your child has allergies, please send a snack they can enjoy.
• If you are an RC or parent volunteer, you must sign your child out to take them home with you after the party. A sign out-will be available at check-in.

1:15 - 1:30 - Parade (outside). All are welcome to attend the parade.

1:30 - 2:30 - Party (including clean up & students can wear costume home) in each classroom. Only RCs and yearbook photographers will be in attendance at the party. Please make sure that RCs wear the name tag given to them at check-in.

Food Items - To support allergy awareness, we are allowing skinny pop, original goldfish, carrots w/out dip, string cheese, and Oreos/Hershey kisses. Bottles of water that can be decorated, craft projects, and simple Halloween games are great. Parents/caregivers can send an extra snack for the party only with their child if they prefer, but no sharing of food due to allergies.

Goodie Bags - Goodie bags can be given at the end of the party. No Food items should be included in the Goodie Bags.

Please watch your email for a Sign Up Genius from your RC for donations.

In honor of Veteran's Day, we are having a Heroes' Day Ceremony at NBS. We will be honoring all of the heroes in our school community with a slideshow at the ceremony, including veterans, active duty members, firefighters, and police officers. If you have a hero in your family, we'd love for them to be included in the slideshow! Please complete this form by Friday, November 1st.

Fall has fallen upon us at NBS! We love the change in seasons and I am sending a reminder to all our families to make sure your Colt has the proper layers for the temperature change. We have recess daily and students also go outside for PE classes from time to time. Thank you for checking to make sure your children are dressed appropriately long pants, hats, gloves, sweatshirt, or a coat.

In his Superintendent's Report at our Oct. 15 Barrington 220 Board of Education meeting, Dr. Winkelman shared that Barrington 220 has been named the Best Unit (PK-12) School District in Illinois in the 2025 Niche rankings! There are a total of 386 unit school districts across the state. In addition, Barbara B. Rose Elementary has been named the Best Public Elementary School in IL in the latest rankings! Click here to check out all of the 2025 Niche rankings.

ATTENTION 2 ND GRADE PARENTS:

Hello! We are forming a new 2nd Grade Brownie Troop at North Barrington Elementary. The Troop is open to girls currently in 2nd Grade at NBS.

Troop 1794 will meet every other Sunday from 3-4:30pm. We are still scouting a location so more details to come. We hope to have our first meeting in early November.

If your child is interested in joining Brownies, or if you just want to learn more, please fill in this form:

Troop 1794 Interest Form

We are excited for a fun year ahead!

Your Troop Leaders,

Anna Moore, Claudia Free and Shannon Melton

ATTENTION KINDERGARTEN AND 1 ST GRADE PARENTS:

We are looking for leaders to help start a Daisy Troop for Kindergarten and/or First Grade. We currently have one interested parent and would need 1-2 more to start another new troop at NBS! The schedule is flexible to the leaders.

Please reach out to Laura Canale (lglombowski@hotmail.com or 847.721.8761) for any questions or to come and observe a meeting.

This fall Barrington 220 is launching a book study called One Book, One Community Read! The book study, hosted by our District Equity Team, aligns with the Inclusive Education priority in our district’s strategic plan, Framework 220.

The book study will feature the book Breaking the Code with Gabriella, written by current BHS students Hafsah Khan, Cindy Wang, and 2024 graduate Sarah Pinto. BTCWG is a story about the fight for inclusivity and belonging in STEM spaces, following the story of a young girl, Gabriella, who joins her robotics team as the only girl.

You can pick up a free copy of Breaking the Code with Gabriella during Parent-Teacher Conferences on October 17. Supplies are limited, so be sure to grab one while they last! For additional copies, visit the Barrington Area Library or the District Administrative Center.

We will culminate this community-wide read with a special fireside chat featuring our student authors at the annual Winter Wonderfest celebration at BHS on December 13! It will be a wonderful opportunity to engage with the authors, hear their perspectives, and celebrate the inclusive themes of the book.

Barrington 220 will be utilizing the Character Strong Universal Strengths and Needs Screener as part of our ongoing efforts in increasing a sense of belonging for all students, improving skills that support student well-being, and deepening student engagement in academics, school, and community. The Strengths and Needs Screener is completed by your child’s teacher and will assist our staff in supporting your child in the best way possible. While families cannot opt-out of the Character Strong instruction, you may choose to opt your child out of the screener. If you do not wish for your child’s teacher to complete the Strengths and Needs Screener, please notify your school principal in writing by Wednesday, October 23, 2024.

The lost & found racks are overflowing! Please encourage your student to peruse the racks for possible missing items. We highly recommend writing your student's name on their items whenever possible.

Doctor’s Note Required for Medical Absences

Due to a change in school code by the Illinois State Board of Education, this school year a medical note is required for parents/guardians who select the: “MEDUE: Medical/Dental Appointment” excuse option for their student in Infinite Campus or call their student out of school for a medical/dental appointment.

The revised school code defines "valid cause" for absence as the following: Illness, including the mental or behavioral health of the student; attendance at a verified medical or therapeutic appointment; appointment with a victim services provider. Please note that the student’s absence will be marked unexcused in Infinite Campus until a medical note is provided.

We understand this is a change in practice from previous years. Please know that our front office is here to help answer any questions or concerns you may have.

During the first half of 2024, more than 2,500 community members collaborated on a plan to continue to improve our aging school buildings. The final $64M community-driven plan will go to you, the voter, for approval as a referendum question on the Nov. 5 ballot. If successful, the referendum will:

• Increase Safety & Security throughout Barrington 220
• Build a New Community Auditorium at Barrington High School
• Enhance STEAM and Instructional Spaces for Students

Traditional early voting at polling locations in the Barrington area will open on October 21. Click the links below to find early voting information for the county you reside in:

• Cook
• Kane
• Lake
• McHenry

ALLERGIES:

At North Barrington, we continually focus on safety. Part of those safety procedures is allergy awareness. We want to begin the year by reminding all our families that sending group snacks or lunches to the classroom is not allowed. This includes birthday treats, trinkets, balloons, and candy.

Children can bring individual snacks to eat during their snack time and their classroom teacher will share information with you about snack. Sharing any extra foods is not part of our approved procedures and is a safety risk to our friends who have an allergy. If there is a Colt Pride celebration, teachers will work with administration and the school nurse and access the approved food list as well as notify families of students with allergies. Please do not bring or send snacks for the entire class.

PARTIES:

Our parties will have food from the approved list, and the room coordinators will work with the administration, classroom teachers, and the PTO to ensure safety.

NBS will have two parties and end-of-year events.

Our first party is on October 31, 2024, from 1:30 - 2:30, with dismissal at 2:40.

We will also have a Kindness (Valentine) Party this year. Based on input from our families and staff, we are switching to February from December. This change will give students more opportunity to celebrate with their classmates due to any possible travel during December.

Our February Kindness party will be on Thursday, February 13th from 1:30 to 2:30.

More information about our parties will be shared with Room Coordinators.