Dear Barnard Families,

The weeks seem to be flying by as they are always jam packed with learning and memorable events! This week at school, we kicked off the week with our final celebration of our successful Fun Run fundraiser this year. Since the kids exceeded the goal of $25,000 for the Fun Run I agreed to a special event in which they duct taped me to the wall to see if they could get me to stick! During the lunch period from 12:00-2:00, each child was able to participate by adding a piece of duct tape. It was fun to see all the different reactions and smiles. After over 400 pieces of duct tape later, they did it! I actually hung on the wall with duct tape as all the kids watched in amazement that I didn't fall! What I was most touched by were the students who didn't want to leave my side to make sure that I was going to be okay. 💙 A big thank you to all the families that contributed to the Fun Run this year and our PTO for running such a successful event. Your contributions will make a big difference for our school this year!

Tuesday morning at Donuts with Grownups was brought with big smiles, laughter and important community time as over 400 guests gathered to kick start our day. This fun tradition is definitely a favorite among our community, who doesn't like to enjoy a donut to start the day? Enjoy a few pictures below of this fun event.

To end our week, we had our first Blue Jay in the Spotlight Assembly in which we celebrated 20 Blue Jay students across grades K-5 who were nominated by their teachers and classmates for consistently demonstrating behaviors that uphold the Blue Jay Way of Respect, Responsibility and Building Positive Relationships. Character development is an integral part of our teaching and guidance here at Barnard and through our programs like our Blue Jay Runway and Blue Jay in the Spotlight we are proud to recognize our students for their outstanding character day in and day out. Thank you families for partnering with us as we work together to mold this next generation of world changers.

During a month were we focus on thankfulness, join me in remembering to start out each day with a moment of gratitude, by naming something in your life you are grateful for. I am grateful for the incredible Barnard staff that show up every day to pour love in learning into the hearts and minds of all of our Barnard students.

Looking forward to another great week at Barnard ahead!

Warm regards,

Karen Bush

Principal, Barnard Elementary School

kbush@troy.k12.mi.us

248-823-4320

Important Dates Coming Up:

• Monday, November 18th- Blue Jays Bright Beginnings- 8:30 am

• Friday, November 22nd- ALICE Drill #2- Minimum Security

• Monday, November 25th- Schoolwide Field Trip to see the Shrek Musical Performance

• Wednesday, November 27th-Friday, November 29th- NO SCHOOL- Thanksgiving Break!

• Wednesday, December 4th- Mrs. Coffer's Class Field Trip to the DIA

• Thursday, December 5th- Mrs. Simon's and Mrs. Thoenes's Class Field Trip to the DIA

• Thursday, December 5th and Friday, December 6th- PTO Holiday Shop!

• Thursday, December 19th- Class Parties and Holiday Sing-A-Long

• Monday, December 23rd - Sunday, January 5th- Winter Break- NO SCHOOL!

• Monday, January 6th- School Resumes

On your birthday at Barnard (or 1/2 birthday for our summer birthdays) we will celebrate your big day by presenting you with a birthday book from our Book Vending Machine, generously supported by our PTO!

Dr. Machesky was at our PTO meeting this past Monday to present his Fall District update. For those unable to attend, please see his attachment with important updates to keep you in the know of all things across the District.

Permission slips and payment were due Monday, November 11th. Tomorrow, November 18th is the final day to hand in slips and pay! We put our final ticket count in tomorrow and wont' be able to change it, so please please please make sure you have handed in your child's slip (we need a record either way, even if they aren't going) so they don't miss out on this fun opportunity!

Hello Barnard Familes!

As part of our UPCYCLING unit, the Media Center and all Barnard Blue Jays are designing a colorful mural made from plastic bottle caps. The idea is to turn something we would ordinarily discard into something beautiful. Below is an example of a mural from another school. Our mural project is in the early stages and designs are still being considered. The kids have SO many great ideas! What we do know is that we will need LOTS of bottle caps. See the flyer below for how you can be a helping hand and play a part in our mural project. Thanks in advance for your support!

This week, 3rd and 4th graders participated in "rhythm centers" to practice all of the things they have been working on in music. They played games, worked together, colored, and completed a matching activity to help them continue using the number system to count their rhythms! They should all be very proud of the hard work they have been doing in music this year.

Stop in the front vestibule and grab a gift card tag, then hand in your gift card to the front office anytime throughout the year! These have been a tremendous support to our Barnard families during difficult times to show we are here to support!

Hi Barnard Families!

Let's shower our Barnard Staff with a few of the essentials and more for their lounge. Help us fill this space with the things they need to recharge before racing to the next activity with our kiddos. This signup sheet will be an ongoing list until the end of the year (and into next). Please review the available slots below and sign up. Send items in with your student or leave on 'Drop off' table in front entrance lobby labeled "Lounge Donation". Thank you for supporting your Barnard Family.

Barnard PTO

Please call the school office absence call-in line at 248-823-4301 if your child will be absent from school. The absence line is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Please leave the following information on the absence line: Your name, student’s name, illness or reason of absence, length of absence, and teacher’s name. If your child will be late to school, please notify the attendance line as well.

The school secretary will call the home of those children who are absent from school but who have not been reported absent by a parent. If the secretary cannot reach a parent at home, emergency contacts will be notified.

AM Tardy Times: 9:09-10:39- Please note your child will be marked absent in the AM if they arrive between 10:40-12:44 PM. PM Tardy Times: 12:55-2:25 PM- Please note your child will be marked absent in the PM if they arrive between 2:26-4:07 PM.

Specials will start on Wednesday, August 28th. Please check communications your child's teacher has sent out with important information about your special rotations. Wednesday, August 28th is a C day; Thursday, August 29th is a D day. Following Labor Day weekend, Tuesday, September 3rd is a B day.

The Troy School District has transitioned from SchoolPay to MySchoolBucks this school year for Food Services payments only. Your child can now easily pay for a la carte items online with MySchoolBucks!

If you have an existing MySchoolBucks account, you can simply log back in or create your free MySchoolBucksMySchoolBucks account to get started. And not to worry, any existing funds in your SchoolPay account will be automatically transferred into your MySchoolBucks account.

With MySchoolBucks you’ll be able to view cafeteria purchases, check your student’s balance, receive low balance alerts and pay for school snacks from anywhere! *Remember, LUNCH IS FREE, A LA CARTE items are not (water and juice).

Get Started Today:
1. Go to myschoolbucks.com or download the mobile app.
2. Create your free account or sign in with your existing MySchoolBucks account.
Note: To reset your password, click the “forgot my username or password” link from the login page
3. Add your students using their school name / student ID.
4. Add funds using your credit/debit card or electronic check.
Note: For each transaction, you will be charged a program fee of $1.00
5. Set up automatic payments and never forget to send in lunch money again.

We appreciate you using this online option as a way to help reduce the amount of physical cash and check handling that would typically happen in the serving line.

If you need assistance with your account, you can find helpful how-to videos and answers to commonly asked questions by visiting myschoolbucks.com. Or, you can contact MySchoolBucks directly by logging into your account to start a chat conversation or give them a call at (855) 832-5226.

Phone: 248.823.4320

Email: kbush@troy.k12.mi.us
Website: barnard.troy.k12.mi.us