The Colt Communicator

November 8, 2024

Dear North Barrington Families,

Thank you for another great week at NBS, no matter how short. We thank everyone for supporting our Annual Heroes' Day at NBS. We were humbled and honored to host our veterans and first responders at our ceremony and breakfast. Thank you for donating your time, sharing your heroes with us, and sharing the importance of this day with your children. The video from the ceremony as well as photos are included below.

Today is the fiftieth day of school for our Kindergarten students! Please see the photos included below.

We are also including in our newsletter 30 days of Gratitude activities you can complete as a family. There is a button below with details.

Please consider joining the district in a screening and discussion about Health & Well-being in a digital age. More information is included below. We look forward to another great week of learning hear at NBS. Have a wonderful weekend and see you on Monday!

In partnership,

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

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!

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)

As digital devices become an ever-present part of the lives of many young children, we are seeing a decline in their emotional well-being and social connections. Screenagers: Elementary School Age Edition explores the profound effects that increased screen time can have on children's mental health and, through real-life stories and expert insights, empowers families to make informed decisions about screen time.

Learn about the challenges that elementary school-aged children, parents, and educators face in today’s digital world and discover practical strategies to help support our children's mental health and well-being.

We will follow the film with a Q&A discussion with local area experts to answer your questions and offer advice to help your children reconnect with meaningful, real-world experiences.

Learn more about the Screenagers: Elementary School Age Edition film, watch the trailer, and reserve your FREE tickets here.

Kids in our community need your support! Every year NBS takes part in collecting items for Barrington Giving Day - a nonprofit organization to help support underserved children in our community. Each D220 school will be collecting different items to help kids in need. NBS will be collecting new blankets. Starting November 1, there will be a drop box at the main entrance. You may drop off blankets until December 6. To learn more about the organization, visit their website HERE.

Barrington Children's Charities hosts Packs of Plenty (POP) every Thursday at Sunny Hill Elementary School, and we’re looking for NBS parents to help!

What do you do? Show up at Sunny Hill from 9:00-9:45am on a Thursday and join several other Barrington community members to pack food bags for students from under-resourced homes in Barrington. After packing food, one NBS volunteer drives the food to the front office at NBS so food can be passed out to students for the weekend.

It’s a great way to meet others and help kids in our community! Grab a friend and choose a day or to show up!

If you would like to sign-up to be a NBS volunteer, sign up HERE. If you have any questions or would like to be a permanent NBS volunteer for this program, please contact Ashley Samz at AshleySamzPTO@gmail.com or (847) 644-9163 (call/text).

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.

ATTENTION 2ND 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:

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.

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.