
February Newsletter
Barrington School District

February 10, 2023
Hello Barrington Families;
Reminder: The Barrington School District’s Deliberative Session is this Saturday, February 11th at 9am in the Middle School Cafeteria.
I would like to thank the School Board, Advisory Budget Committee and the Administrative Team for the input and creation of this budget. This is a large and important task which requires many brains and a critical eye to detail. I feel very good about the budget that we have put forward for community consideration. I believe that this is a fiscally responsible budget that also allows us to meet the needs of our students. If you are unable to attend the Deliberative session you can find the presentation, proposed and default budgets for the 2023/24 school year on the District’s website. Be sure to head to the Middle School on Tuesday, March 14th for Voting Day.
Phew! Two solid weeks of school with no weather to consider.....music to my ears! Given that we have now had 5 missed days of school, I have asked the staff to prepare for a potential Remote Learning Day. Please be on the lookout for a detailed schedule, remote learning expectations, and other pertinent information from your building Principal. Please review these expectations with your children. We need your support (and electricity) to make Remote Learning viable and successful.
Speaking of success, as a parent and educator I have grown to refer to this time of the year as the “3rd Quarter Slump.” This tends to be the time when school is feeling very routine, we have been cooped up inside for what feels like forever, our vitamin D is running on empty given the lack of sunshine and motivation dips. “The dreaded 3rd Quarter Slump!” I can see my boys rolling their eyes at me now. This is the time of year that I really become a cheerleader for my boys. I check in with them more frequently, I ask more questions about school, friends, and activities, and I try to provide a little extra energy and excitement to the day. It has turned into a joke over the years however, I will tell you, it works! The simple fact that they are aware and tease me about this time of year makes them more attentive and engaged. So, help your kiddos maintain their stride in the upcoming weeks by being an extra loud cheerleader.
Many of you have reached out to me regarding the school calendar for the 2023/24 school year in reference to the vacation weeks, more specifically the February vacation week. School calendars across the state will now be driven by the requirement to "closely align" our school days with those Districts who we collaborate with for Career and Technical Center (CTC) programs such as the one at Dover High School. Governor Sununu signed legislation this past spring requiring that schools who send their students to CTC's have calendars that do not differ by more than 10 school days across the year. As a result, I have been meeting with the Seacoast area Superintendents to ensure that our calendars align since there are several of us who share students and thus programming. We have all committed to using the Department of Education's recommended calendar for school vacations. Although not yet finalized or approved, the current calendar draft for Barrington for the 23/24 school year has the weeks of February 25th and April 21st as the anticipated vacation weeks. Keep the questions coming! Your Teachers and your Administrative Team want to hear from you.
Respectfully,
Curriculum and Instruction
During the fall and winter some teachers had the privilege to pilot two highly regarded math programs. As a result, the Math Committee will convene a final time to make a recommendation to the School Board in March for math programming this fall. We have contracted with a nationally recognized consultant, Marianne Nice, to work with our elementary teachers regarding the Science of Reading. The ELA Committee has been meeting with a focus on Kindergarten - 3rd grade curriculum and instruction. The committee will continue to meet throughout the Spring and next year in order to move the district along with a focus on the Science of Reading.
Our Empowering Families Workshop Series has been very successful this year! Thank you to all the presenters who have done fabulous work…thank you to all the parents who have attended the sessions so far…and thank you to Laura Deely for putting (and keeping) this all in motion! All the sessions are videotaped and can be found on the District website. Included is a flyer of the upcoming Empowering Families workshops for the remainder of the year.
Over the next few months we will be diving into student data to drive instruction, assist students in unfinished learning, and create enrichment opportunities for all students. I have had the fortune over the past few months to be able to observe learning and growing happening every day in all our buildings!
Take care!
Student Services
I am honored to introduce myself as the Interim Director of Student Services. I have had the privilege of working with many students and families at the Elementary School as the Assistant Principal/Special Education Coordinator for the past three and a half years. When the Interim Director of Student Services position became available, I could not pass up the opportunity to continue working in Barrington while serving a broader population.
Although Summer seems far away, we are in the middle of making plans for Extended School Year (ESY). This year ESY is 4 days a week (Mon-Thurs) from 8:30-11:00 for Preschool and 8:30-11:30 for grades K-8. The dates for ESY are 7/10/2023-8/3/2023. Families with students that may be attending Extended School Year, be aware that paperwork will be coming home in the upcoming weeks.
Sincerely,
Technology
Just a reminder the Barrington School District is using an app called Pickup Patrol to make it easier for families to schedule your child's dismissals. Please contact your child's school if you have not received a registration link. Please click on the attached flyer below for more information on Pickup Patrol.
The Deliberative session on Feb 11th will be streamed live using the regular school board meeting link on the District web page. It will also be recorded and posted.
Facilities
I would like to introduce myself, my name is Joe Williams and I am the new Facility Manager for the Barrington School District. It brings me great pleasure that I was selected for this position and I look forward to working with all of you in the next chapter of my career.
Just a quick overview of last week's arctic blast, we had a sprinkler head on the second floor freeze and leak into the book storage on the first floor. This was taken care of immediately with no interruptions to the school day. There were also broken pipes in the kitchen for the washing machine. This is still in process for service and should be repaired by the end of the week.
Kind regards,
Food Services
Thank you Ms. Williams for providing such thoughtful, healthy, and tasty options for our students at BMS. We are hearing rave reviews!
Costs for the 2022/23 school year are as follows: