Rose Update

Dear Rose Families,

Over Spring Break I had the opportunity to read The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt, and many of our staff members are starting to read it as well as part of our professional learning for the month of April. As both an educator and a parent of three teenage boys, this book has given me a lot to think about, and I wanted to share some key insights with you.

Best,

Dr. Ruesch

Soon we will begin working on placement for the upcoming school year. Our staff and teachers spend time together each spring determining the best placements for our students for the following school year. Throughout the placement process, a great deal of careful thought will be given by our educators regarding each individual students' learning strengths and peer relationships. We do our best to ensure that each classroom has a positive, well-balanced learning environment for our students.

As we start the process, we understand that parents and caregivers are part of our important educational partnership. If you have information you would like us to consider as it pertains to your child's learning style, strengths, and/or abilities, please complete the below form by April 11. Please do not email your child's teacher or any other staff member with your placement input as only forms submitted by the April 11 deadline will be reviewed. Please note that this is information for us to consider, and we are not making any guarantees related to the information provided.

As you are completing the form, please also note, requesting a specific classroom teacher for your child is not appropriate and will not be considered.

Huge thanks to our amazing PTO for generously purchasing a new microwave for the teacher’s lounge! Your thoughtful support helps make our days a little easier (and our lunches a little warmer!). We appreciate you! 💙

The Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) is a required state assessment. It will be administered between April 1st and April 17th. Here is a link to a letter with more information.

The IAR measures individual student achievement relative to the Illinois Common Core State Standards. The United States Department of Education requires all eligible students to be assessed by the IAR in English Language Arts and Mathematics. Students who are eligible include all students in grades third through eighth grade.

The IAR is administered using a computer. Students will be testing on their own district-issued devices.

• Students should bring their devices to school fully charged.

• Students will need earphones (either earphones or earbuds) to take the test.

• Students at the elementary level will be provided with headsets.

• Students at the middle school level should bring their own earphones or earbuds for testing. Headsets do not have to be expensive but should be comfortable and plug into a standard device earplug port.

As you may know, our fifth-grade students learn about human growth and development as part of our science and health curriculum. Your child will work through these two lessons on the following date(s): May 13th and 14th.

These short lessons focus on changes associated with puberty - physical, social, and emotional changes, as well as personal hygiene, and positive health choices. We understand that the parent/caregiver is the primary educator for topics of this nature, and we are committed to this partnership. The lessons and materials that we use in our instruction are linked below for you to preview, along with additional resources for your reference.

We will have an informational meeting for parents and caregivers about the lessons on Wednesday, April 23rd at 4:00 pm. Please note that this meeting is for parents and caregivers only, not for students.

If you have any questions, please reach out to your child’s teacher, and if you wish to have your child excused from this unit, please contact your school principal Dr. Cindy Ruesch cruesch@barrington220.org

Here is the breakfast and lunch menu for the month of April.

• This month the character trait is Courage. You can find this month's family letter here.
• You can also use this link to access the Family Character Strong website.

Here is the link to the weekly PTO newsletter.

Virtual Backpack is a place for Barrington 220 families to receive flyers and other information from the district and community organizations without the hassle of sorting through printed papers sent home with your child.