April Newsletter
Barrington School District
April 19, 2023
Hello Barrington Families;
Thank you all for the show of support at the March 28th vote. The 2023/24 Operating Budget, a new Paraprofessional Contract and all Warrant Articles passed. We are continuously grateful to the Barrington Community for supporting our schools.
Help us celebrate our phenomenal staff during Teacher Appreciation Week - May 8th - 12th. We have some of the finest, most dedicated staff around!
At the Tuesday, April 18th School Board meeting the Barrington School Board determined the Last Day of School for Kindergarten - 8th grade students to be Friday, June 23, 2023. PreSchool students will have their last day of school on Thursday, June 22nd. The 8th Grade Celebration will also be on Thursday, June 22nd. Details for this event will come directly from the Middle School. The last day of school will run on an early dismissal schedule.
Early Dismissal Schedule (for 6/23)
Middle School: 11:30am dismissal
Elementary School: 12:25pm dismissal
Early Childhood Learning Center: 12:25pm dismissal
When we return from the April Break there are 8 weeks of school remaining. This will be an incredibly busy time for both students and staff with learning targets being addressed, end of year district and state assessments occurring and concluding events such as field trips and field days. This time of year can feel stressful for students as their routines are altered and expectations become fuzzy as they change from activity to activity and event to event. It is important to support our students through the very end of the school year by staying in the moment, clearly communicating schedule changes and expectations, sticking to our regular routines whenever possible, staying present, and waiting to talk about next year until mid June. Please help us to reinforce this at home by sticking with homework and bedtime routines until the end of the school year and by asking your child about the projects they are working on or the concepts that they are learning. Consistency is key!
Only 2 ½ weeks until the Peeper!
Are you looking for some family fun or do you have a competitive edge? Please consider participating in the Peeper 5K Run/Walk which is being held on Saturday, May 6th at 9am at the Barrington Elementary School. This is a sanctioned race for those of you who are competitive runners and for the rest of us it is a morning of camaraderie and fun! To register, jump on the Barrington Chamber of Commerce website. Peeper-5K The monies collected at this race go toward funding scholarships through the Barrington Chamber of Commerce. You can sign up as an individual or create a team and encourage family and friends to join you. I look forward to seeing you there!
Respectfully,
Curriculum and Instruction
Good Afternoon Barrington Families,
After a long and very careful review process, Barrington School District has selected Reveal Math (for grades K-5) and Ready Math (for grades 6-8) as the new mathematics programming for the district. A committee composed of teachers across all grade levels worked together for two years to review data and current resources, research highly-rated programs, and ultimately select new programming. Both math programs are designed to assist students in meeting high academic standards and prepare them for future success through predictable unit and lesson routines. We are excited to begin our full implementation of our new programs this Fall 2023! For further information regarding each math program, please see the links below.
The District uses the Devereux Student Strengths Assessment (DESSA) to examine the following traits in our students: Self-awareness, social awareness, self-management, relationship skills, personal responsibility, decision-making, goal directed behavior and optimistic thinking. Teachers complete this survey on each student in order to inform morning meeting themes, advisory discussions, and to form small groups to work on lagging skills, much like we would do with reading and math assessments. Like all student-related records, this information is considered private and confidential. Students are not answering this survey, it is completed by teachers and the information gained is used solely to support the student. We will, of course, honor any parental opt outs. If you have any questions or would like to opt out your child, please reach out to your building Principal, Assistant Principal, or Ms.Katie Kukesh, Director of Student Services. This screener is scheduled to begin on May 15, 2023.
State SAS testing is just around the corner! Grades 3 - 8 are gearing up for this process and getting students excited to show what they have learned this year. We are asking families to ensure students have a good night's sleep and a hearty breakfast before testing. Principals will be sending out further notices and information regarding the upcoming SAS. We know are students will ROCK IT!!
STEAM Week is in full swing at BES...check out the photos from the Creative cardboard Challenge. Our students are so creative and innovative!
Student Services
Hello Barrington Families,
Where appropriate, please be on the lookout for paperwork coming home from your child’s special education teacher for summer programming. It is imperative that we receive the completed summer programming documents ASAP in order to make needed teaching, classroom and transportation arrangements. As a reminder, the logistics for the summer program are:
July 10th - August 3rd
Monday - Thursday
8:30am - 11:00am for current Preschool and Kindergarten students
8:30am - 11:30am for current grades 1st - 7th students
With appreciation,
Technology
This month I would like to introduce Google Families. This resource has a wealth of information related to making the most of technology at home. In today’s highlight is an interesting article from Common Sense Media about screen time. Here is an excerpt:
“Kids are spending more time with screen media — and at younger ages — than ever before. In an effort to help families curb kids' use, groups such as the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have released numerical screen limit guidelines, but the reality is that there really is no magic number that's "just right." What's more important is the quality of kids' media, how it fits into your family's lifestyle, and how you engage your kids with it.”
Vacation is around the corner, have a great spring break!
Facilities
The weather has made a turn for the better. After a nice weekend the flowers are starting to bloom and the trees are budding. The spring clean up is underway, there are a lot of down branches and turned up grass.The fields will be getting some attention getting ready for the spring sports. There has been lots of activity in the buildings over the winter months, now that spring is here the activity will be moving outside. There will be building cleaning over the spring break.
We are starting to get things lined up for our summer cleaning of the district, and projects that will be going on over the summer break.
Looking forward to the nicer weather that is in store.
Food Services
We have many students with negative lunch balances. Please check your child’s account and make arrangements for payment as soon as possible. It is incredible how quickly these deficits can accumulate. If your Middle School child has a negative balance, he/she will not be permitted to purchase extras. We will be sending slips home in the upcoming week.
Costs for the 2022/23 school year are as follows: