The Starburst

Greetings, Barrows Families!

We had a great four-day week, learning new routines, making new friends, and jumping into our curriculum. The energy and excitement from our students have been fantastic, and we're off to a great start! Thank you for encouraging your students always to show their Barrow Beliefs of being respectful, safe, kind, persevering, and collaborating. 💙💛This Wednesday, we will have our first assembly of the school year, where we welcome everyone back, highlight these beliefs, and celebrate students who participated in the Summer Book Challenge. Students are encouraged to wear our Barrows colors--blue & yellow!

A huge thank you to Lori Barcikowski and Meghan Dribin for organizing the Back to School Picnic, which was held in perfect weather and featured Richie's slush, which was funded by our PTO. It was a refreshing and fun way to celebrate the start of the new school year. When I looked out over the entire crowd, I thought to myself how fortunate our students are to be raised by such supportive families.

This weeks highlights:

• Remember, school starts at 8:15. Students should aim to arrive on campus around 8:10 a.m. so that they can enter our doors promptly at 8:15 to begin their day on time. Students who are not in their classrooms at 8:25 a.m. are considered late.
• This Wednesday, we are hosting Curriculum Night. This evening is an opportunity for families to meet their students' teachers, learn about our expectations and curriculum, and hear from the principal and our PTO. Parent/Teacher conferences are held in early November, so please know that the teacher will not be meeting with you individually on this night. This evening is for adults only.

• Have you gone to the Portal this week to update your child's forms (this ensures we have the most up-to-date emergency information)? These forms must be completed at the start of every school year.
• Please help your child memorize their PIN for breakfast and lunch & purchase extras (they will have this number for the rest of their RPS school career)
• Please see the Note from the Health Office Below
• Please read the PTO section. It includes information about the Back to School PTO Packet (which is worth reading) and volunteer Opportunities.
• At the very bottom is a flyer from Reading's Afterschool Enrichment Programs which will be held at Barrows from Foreign language classes to dining etiquette! Check it out!

I look forward to seeing many families tomorrow at the Reading Fall Street Faire and Friends of Reading Metco Back to School Celebration.

Warmly,

Mrs. Gallegos

As a parent guardian of a child in the Reading Public Schools, you have access to the Parent PlusPortal. EVERY YEAR parents/guardians MUST log into to ensure all neceesary and imporant contact information is up to date. The Portal will be used throughout your child’s academic career as it is where you update your child’s emergency contact information, view report cards, and beyond elementary school, see your child’s grades in real time. It also acts as a communication portal between you and your child’s teacher where oftentimes, different academic links, notes, or activities are shared.

If you are a returning parent, your account is still active. If you are a new parent guardian and have not received access, please reach out to our school administrative secretary, Donna Walsh at donna.walsh@reading.k12.ma.us. At that point, you will receive a separate email with your PlusPortal login information. The subject line of the email is Important! Barrows School PlusPortals login. This is a confidential portal that is linked to your email account. You have 48 hours to activate your Portal account using the temporary password supplied through the email. Once you login, you can update the password and personal information.

Sunday, September 8th: Friends of Reading Metco Back to School Celebration & Reading Fall Street Faire

Wednesday, September 11th: ⭐💙💛All School Assembly (for students only) Wear Barrows Gear or School Colors!💛💙⭐

Back to School Curriculum Night (for Adults Only)

5:30-6:00 pm: Grades 3-5

6:00-6:30 pm: Principals Welcome, meet our staff & learn about our PTO

6:30-7:00 pm: Grades K-2

Wednesday, September 18th: Picture Day! (Make-ups on Oct. 29th)

PTO (Barrows Library & Virtual Option) 7pm

Don't Miss Lynn Lyons virtual presentation: Tackling the Patterns of Anxiety, Depression, and Avoidance for great parenting tips! She really is amazing!! (registration instructions below)

Friday, October 18th, 3-6pm: Monster Mash (raindate 10.25)

School Hours:

Monday-Thursday, 8:15 AM - 2:45 PM

Friday, 8:15 AM - 12:45 PM

*Students must be in class by 8:25 to be counted as on-time and present

Reading Public Schools Calendar

The Food Service Department is thrilled to announce that starting this school year, we will expand our breakfast program to all elementary schools! We are eager to bring nutritious and delicious breakfast options to every student in our district. We'll start with a limited menu and explore ways to expand our offerings as the year progresses. All first meals, including breakfast and lunch, are free for all students! If your child would like a second breakfast or lunch, these are available for purchase at $1.50 for breakfast and $2.75 for lunch. Additionally, our cafeterias offer a variety of snacks and a la carte items that can be purchased separately.

All Reading Public School students are assigned a PIN number that they must use to get breakfast, lunch, or snacks. Please help your child memorize their PIN number. Although we provide free breakfast and lunch to all students, we ask that families send in a healthy snack for their students each day. If they forget their snack, they may purchase one in the cafeteria.

Reading Public Schools Food Service/Lunch Menus: http://reading.k12.ma.us/departments/food-services/

It is also important for families that may need financial support including but not limted to our food services to complete the following forms on this page: https://www.schoolnutritionandfitness.com/index.php?sid=1701802399965&page=lunchapps

We hope you have had a great start to the school year! Here are some updates from the health office:

Please remember to follow our illness guidelines. Please contact Jeanelle.adams@reading.k12.am.us with any questions.

Accidents happen! Please send in extra clothes for your Kindergarten and grade 1 students. Donations of gently used hand me downs are appreciated.

As students return to school, we have seen some cases of head lice. Please check your child’s hair regularly, and remind them not to share hats or combs. Here is more information about head lice.

Arrival

• Please drive slowly up Edgemont to keep everyone safe; remember, it is a ONE-WAY during the school day.
• Do not park in the indented section by the gym. This is the "kiss & go" area for a quick drop-off.
• Doors open at 8:15 and close at 8:25. Your child needs to be in their seat by 8:25 AM. If your child arrives to school after the doors have closed, they must come to the front door and be marked tardy.
• The Staff Parking Lot is for staff only and off limits to all pedestrians from arrival-dismissal for the safety of all. Please respect this important aspect of our campus.

Dismissal:

• At dismissal time, there is no live pick-up in the driveway except for students who take the bus. Kindergarteners exit the building at 2:40 PM. The rest of the students dismiss at 2:45 PM from the same doors they enter in the morning.

As a safety reminder, the staff parking lot is staff-only. We respectfully ask that caregivers park along the streets. With our students exiting from their external doors in the parking lot, having cars drive in and out is not safe. You need to walk around the school on the blacktop to the back. Thanks for helping us out.

Ready to Play the Best Way

Please do not have your children wear flip-flops. Sneakers are best, but flip-flops are dangerous when running at recess (and Crocs aren't great).

Dogs and Puppies on School Grounds

School Committee policy prohibits dogs on school grounds as much as we all love dogs and puppies and as much fun as it is walking them. If you'd like to walk your dog as part of your pick-up routine, the dog has to stay off school property. If you'd like your child to walk to you on the sidewalk or to the driveway entrances at dismissal so you can wait with your dog, please make that plan with them.

Last spring, when the third, fourth, and fifth graders were learning to play the ukulele, I showed them some YouTube videos of Jake Shimabukuro. He is a phenomenal ukulele virtuoso performer and composer from Hawai’i. His range extends from standards to classical to rock music and beyond. I was lucky enough to get tickets to one of his performances in Natick at the end of June.

In anticipation of my attendance at this concert, I invited all of my ukulele students to write fan mail to Mr. Shimabukuro. Many of them did write letters. I put them in a big envelope and took it with me to the performance.

I met Mr. Shimabukuro in the audience before the concert and delivered the envelope. He was touched. He actually read all the letters during the intermission! He gave me a shout-out during the second half of the show, and said that some of the letters from the kids had made him teary. Best of all, he had taken the time to write a full-page reply to the students, which I have framed in the Music Room.

I am sharing his letter with my older classes this week. The kids have been so excited to hear about the concert and to see and hear his response to their fan mail. I also bought a couple of his CDs, which I will use with my ukulele classes later this year. And of course, I bought the t-shirt!

THANK YOU: Thanks to all the families who contributed to the restocking of the Staff Lounge. You were so generous that we now have money set aside to help with replenishing the lounge throughout the year. We were also able to provide the teachers lunch on August 26th and 27th as well as coffee on the the 26th. Such a great way to welcome the teachers back to school.

JOIN US: The first PTO meeting of the school year will take place Wednesday September 18th at 7pm. You can join in person in the Barrows library or via Zoom Agenda and zoom link will be circulated prior to the meeting. New and old faces are encouraged to join!

PTO WELCOME PACKET

- Please help us start the school year off strong by paying your PTO dues this month - https://givebutter.com/xxiGJl.

- Please submit your volunteer interests by completing this form as soon as possible - https://forms.gle/AFCisdBwFskoxDtC8

- Bookmark this link to our PTO Important Dates Calendar. We will keep it updated with any changes throughout the year.

- If you have not already done so please provide your child's contact information to the PTO - https://forms.gle/JLQYFkZXwQtVUX158. This allows your child’s classroom parents to reach out to you directly as well as we can provide your child’s class contacts for helping plan play dates/birthday parties. This is completely optional, but very helpful since the school/teachers are not able to provide.

CLASSROOM PARENTS NEEDED

We are looking for volunteers to be Classroom Parents -https://forms.gle/F7XqHpGfwJURKjeL9. Ideally we will have one per class. Classroom Parent's act as a parent contact for the grade, help organize grade level participation at PTO events (raffle baskets, grade level tables at events, organize classroom support as requested by teachers). It is a fun way to get involved with your child's class and the school. If you are interested please click the above link to volunteer by Friday September 6th. The PTO will reach out to selected parents to organize a kick off meeting in September.

Many thanks,

PTO Board

Lori Barcikowski, Co-President (LoriBarcikowski@yahoo.com)

Meghan Dribin, Co-President (MegDribin@gmail.com)

Jen Barsotti, Treasurer

Alicia Curtin, Secretary

Alison Ethier, Social Media Coordinator

Follow us on Instagram and Facebook:

@barrowselementarypto & https://www.facebook.com/BarrowsPTO/

METCO unites suburban towns with Boston to engage in a reciprocal learning partnership in support of all students. Because of this, every child who attends school in Reading Public Schools is a METCO student and every parent or guardian who has a student in RPS is a part of the METCO community.

"Since its founding during the peak of the Civil Rights Movement, the METCO program has enrolled tens of thousands of Boston students of color in predominately white school districts, creating the opportunity for those districts to experience the advantages of learning and working in a racially and ethnically diverse setting."

Sunday, September 8th

10am – 12pm at Birch Meadow Park.

We will then go as a group to the Reading Fall Street Faire, connecting Boston Families to this great local event.

ALL families and staff are welcome - Register here: Eventbrite link.

SEPAC works for the understanding of, respect for, and support of, all children with special needs in the community (including ALL children on IEPs or 504 plans and children who may require specialized support). Watch this brief introductory video to learn more!

Visit the SEPAC WEBPAGE

Sign up for our mailing list

Follow SEPAC on Facebook or Instagram

Welcome back students, families, teachers, and staff. We hope everyone had a wonderful summer. The Reading SEPAC Board looks forward to meeting new families and to continue fostering our wonderful relationships with returning families.

Please note that Reading SEPAC IS OPEN TO ALL parents/caregivers and not only families who have a child with special needs as we offer various opportunities to connect with other families and provide learning experiences.

To learn more about Reading SEPAC, please visit our website: Reading SEPAC Website

Should you wish to receive our monthly newsletter, please send an email to SEPACReading@gmail.com

As always, we are ready to continue to advocate for students with special needs who attend our public schools in Reading and provide guidance to their parents/caregivers. Feel free to reach out anytime, we are here to help!

Tackling the Patterns of Anxiety, Depression and Avoidance:

Come join us virtually for a presentation by Lynn Lyons on Tackling the Patterns of Anxiety, Depression, and Avoidance. She will share the following. Registration is required for this event.

• Strategies for managing anxiety, moods, and social pressures, including school avoidance;

• Strategies for prevention and collaboration;

• What may make problems worse;

• What are better approaches

• Please click here to register for this virtual event with Lynn Lyons.

Understanding Disabilities is back at the Reading Fall Street Faire with our annual raffle - for every $5 donated to UD from now until the end of September (dates extended this year!) at https://givebutter.com/UDatStreetFaire2024 (or in person at the Faire on September 8th), the giver will get one raffle ticket for themselves AND can choose to help the Reading school “team” of their choice win a prize. Make sure when you donate online that you choose a school "team" if you'd like your donation to help that school win a prize. Stay tuned to our Facebook and Instagram (@understanding_disabilities) throughout September for more information on our raffle prizes, and visit UD at the Faire on September 8 between noon and 5pm.

Dear Barrows Families,

This is a friendly reminder that kids should wear sneakers on the days that they have Physical Education. I love Crocs too, but they don’t count as sneakers…even when they’re worn in sport mode! Thanks so much for your support with this safety matter.

Sarah Atwood

You must request to follow these private accounts. We post images, reels and stories that give you a quick glimpse into your child’s day during these Special class times. Mrs. Hurley for Art can be found here @mrs.hurley_art and Mrs. Atwood for Physical Education can be found here @barrowspe

*If your Instagram name does not easily identify you, please send us a separate email so we know it’s you! For safety, we are careful about who we accept.*

Dear Barrows Families,

Another way you can support your child’s art is to join Artsonia. Artsonia is the world's largest collection of student art, published by teachers and students from around the world. Through Artsonia families can view student art online and leave comments. If you would like to join Artsonia keep your eye on your inbox; email invitations will be going out shortly! Thank you! Beth Hurley

The Town of Reading contracts with William James College to offer a special service for our residents. The William James INTERFACE Referral Service maintains a mental health and wellness referral help line Monday through Friday, 9 am-5 pm, at 888-244-6843 (toll free). This is a free, confidential referral service for individuals across the lifespan living in Reading. Callers are matched with licensed mental health providers from our extensive database. Each referral meets the location, insurance, and specialty needs of the caller. Click here to learn more!

PTO Facebook Link https://www.facebook.com/BarrowsPTO/

Follow us on Instagram: @barrowselementarypto

Barrows Homepage: http://www.reading.k12.ma.us/barrows/

Reading Public Schools: http://www.reading.k12.ma.us