The Big Cat Courier

The cold weather swung in with some frost, sleet, and snow this week but seems to be sliding back out the way it came with a nice weekend in the forecast ahead. You have to love New England weather! With the exception of the snow showers and unexpected safety alarm on Wednesday, this was a pretty typical week at Henry Barnard, with students and staff working hard at the business of learning.

As we look forward, in addition to changing the clocks back before bed on Saturday night, we have an interesting week ahead of us. There is no school for students on Tuesday due to election day. Friday is another no school day in observation of Veterans Day but this one is for both students and staff.

Thank you for taking the time to read through this week's edition of The Big Cat Courier and have another great weekend with the kids!

All six EPS elementary buildings have moved to an electronic sign up system for our fall conferences. Families are now able to sign up online to meet with each of their child's teachers. Conferences are scheduled to be held on Monday, 11/20 and Wednesday, 11/29. Conferences run in 15 minute blocks and families are able to sign up for a conference with each teacher on their child's team. All teachers in the building from our classroom and reading teachers to our technology and art teachers will be available for conferences. Please remember that space is limited and signing up is on a first come, first served basis. However, there are enough 15 minute blocks in the lineup to allow for every family to meet with their child's primary team of teachers.

To sign up for conferences, follow the link to our Bookings site at:

https://outlook.office365.com/owa/calendar/BarnardTeacherConferences2324@enfield.org/bookings/

The EPS IT department has put together resources to help families sign up for conferences. You can follow the link if you get stuck somewhere along the way:

https://edtech.enfieldschools.org/cms/One.aspx?portalId=18269594&pageId=70984629

At this link, you will find our staff list to assist you with names, grade levels, specialties, etc.:

https://barnard.enfieldschools.org/about_us/school_staff

Daylight Savings Change, 11/5 (at 12:01 AM)

No School - Election Day and PD for Staff, 11/7

No School - Veterans Day, 11/10

Picture Retake Day, 11/15

Early Release for Conferences, 11/20 (Sign up ASAP)

Early Release - Start of Thanksgiving Recess, 11/22

School Reopens after Thanksgiving Recess, 11/27

First Readers Ceremony (by invitation), 11/27

Early Release for Conferences, 11/29 (Sign up ASAP)

We all know how important it is for students to attend school and that good attendance is tied directly to positive student outcomes, both academic and social/emotional. However, what happens when a student is absent? The EPS BOE policy on attendance has the answers to all your attendance questions. The policy can be found in the Elementary Handbook at:

https://viewer.joomag.com/eps-elementary-handbook-2023-24/0028781001692965944?auth_sso=1

As noted in the EPS BOE attendance policy, letters outlining current student attendance are sent home to alert families of their child's absences. The letters are sent to families when their child has reached absence number 5, again at 9, followed by one at 10, and then every few absences after that.

The letters report overall absences from school rather than just unexcused absences. The State collects student attendance data yearly and looks only at overall absences, which mirrors the letters sent home to families.

If you have any questions regarding what an excused vs unexcused absence is, or when the State deems a child to be Truant and when they are assigned a designation of Chronically Absent, please take a look at the policy. If you still have questions, please don't hesitate to reach out to us here at the school so we can help.

Yes, Big Cats! The School Spirit Store will remain open through the end of the first week of November if you are still interested in acquiring some HBS spirit wear.

All money that the PTO raises through their fundraisers goes directly towards enriching our students' school experience. From supporting fieldtrips and brining in educational presentations to throwing ice cream socials and making our Field Days shine, the money that the PTO makes is passed directly on to the kids.

One of the PTO's fundraisers is the School Spirit Store. Please see the flyer below for details:

Not all emergency student medications have been delivered to school by families yet.

If your child requires any emergency medication (such as for asthma, severe allergies, seizure etc.), please submit a doctor’s order for the current school year and if you haven't already done so, supplying the medication to the nurse as soon as possible. If a child’s physical form states, by the Doctor, that they require emergency medication (e.g., Epi-Pen and rescue inhaler), then it is required for them to have the medication in school.

Please note that any child that does not have the required medication will be unable to participate in any out of school activities/ field trips. Grades 1 & 2 are planning a field trip in just a couple of weeks so please make sure that any emergency medications are dropped off to the nurses as soon as possible.

The health and safety of our students is our main priority. Thank you for your help.

Some version of this post has become a fall newsletter tradition over the past few years. I think it is important to revisit it and to stress the fact that as your child's school, we are here to help you with any questions or concerns that you may have.

Having said that, please make us your first stop rather than Facebook, Nextdoor, The Enfield Forum, etc... Social media platforms are a great way to share photos and cute pet videos with your friends and family but not an effective way to solve an issue that you feel needs to be addressed. Unfortunately , what Social Media is terrible at is solving problems. If something school related ever comes up that you are unhappy with, don't understand, or otherwise need help with, please contact the school directly so we can help. Whether you reach out to your child's teacher, a specialist, an interventionist, our nursing staff, the front office, or any of the other people who work in the building, we are all here to help.

Please know that as a school, we cannot respond to concerns expressed on Social Media platforms. While every school would love to, we cannot due to student confidentiality. As is typically the case in any Social Media post, there is more to the situation that we, unfortunately, cannot address in a public forum.

We ask that if you find an individual expressing some kind of question or concern regarding our school on Social Media, please refer them back to the school so that we can assist them in bringing the issue to a positive resolution. We are always here for our students and their families.

If a child is being dropped off, we will be using the doors in the back parking lot in between the library and gymnasium. Please remain in your car as you loop around the back lot to drop your child off at the doors. If you are the family of a walker, please look for the orange traffic cones at the drop off doors to guide you safely into that space.

Please note that during arrival times, the front doors to the school are being reserved to receive bus students only. All other students, will use the doors in the back parking lot between the library and gymnasium. If you need to speak with somebody from the main office in person, please plan to do so before or after student drop off to alleviate congestion at the front doors.

Please remember that when a school bus, of any size, is stopped with it's lights on and it's "Stop" sign extended, other vehicles must stop as well. Vehicles may only pass by a bus if their lights are off and their "Stop" sign is not extended. It can feel frustrating to have to wait while a bus is unloading but it's the law.

To better support orderly traffic flow on campus and on Shaker Road, please stick to the right lane of the entry driveway. This will allow buses to line up and use the left lane leading down to the loop in the front of the building. It is also helpful in keeping the drop off line moving efficiently if students have their backpacks ready and have said their goodbyes before the vehicle pulls up to the arrival doors.

During the first two weeks of school, all non-classroom teachers will be strung through the halls of our building to help students to their classrooms. It will be helpful if you label your child's backpack with their name and room number/teacher.

If you are dropping your child to school tardy, please park in the front lot and walk your child to the front door. Ring the doorbell and we will assist you right away.

Not only is there an direct correlation between student success and school attendance (especially in the primary years), it is also part of the law. The district's attendance policy, which is aligned to all CT State requirements, can be found starting on page six of the student handbook. While a day here or there might seem inconsequential, the time adds up, as do the gaps in student learning. Please take a few minutes to review the policy in order to learn about Truancy, what constitutes a designation of Chronically Absent, and what is required of EPS by the State in regard to reporting attendance.

https://viewer.joomag.com/eps-elementary-handbook-2023-24/0028781001692965944?auth_sso=1

All schools in CT, including HBS, are required to hold a variety of safety drills to prepare students and staff should a real school emergency ever present itself. We typically hold at least one each month and practice everything from what to do in the event of a heating system failure all the way through what we'd do in the event of a fire on campus. This past week we conducted a Fire Drill at Henry Barnard under the supervision of our District's Security Director and the acting Fire Marshal. As expected, the students and staff did an amazing job!

As you know, school lunch is no longer free to all students. While breakfast is still free to all, only students who qualify for income based free (or reduced) lunch get a break on pricing. Many students have become used to receiving free lunch over the past few years, many even eating a home lunch and a school lunch. We have been working with students to ensure that those who are bringing a lunch from home are not ordering a school lunch, too. We would appreciate your help reinforcing that idea with your child/children in order to avoid a surprise bill from Nutrition Services.

I encourage every family to fill out the free/reduced lunch application form provided through Nutrition Services. The income thresholds for eligibility to receive free/reduced lunch are surprisingly high and with inflation being what it is, every bit helps!

The application can be found at: https://www.enfieldschools.org/district_depts/nutrition_services/free_and_reduced_price_meal_application

The joint Barnard/Crandall PTO is getting ready to kick off another school year in support of our students, families, and staff. Virtual meetings are held monthly and all families are encouraged to sign on to see what the PTO is all about. Take a look at the meeting schedule below and I hope to see you at October's meeting.

If you are still not signed up for the Remind App or still have questions about it, please follow this link for more information:

https://help.remind.com/hc/en-us/articles/4409807883149-Frequently-asked-questions-for-parents

Students being picked up at the end of the day will be dismissed directly from the back door of your child's classroom. Please remember to bring a picture ID on the first day as well as your child's dismissal card on subsequent days (they will be sent home with your child on their first day of classes).

Students taking the bus will continue to be dismissed through the front doors. Because buses are dismissed one at a time, the front doors are being reserved for bus students only. If a family has business with the main office during dismissal, we appreciate your patience as we complete the dismissal process. We will assist you as soon as possible.

Daycare vans and small buses are located in the back lot and side lot, respectively. Building staff are assigned to those locations to ensure students safely board the correct vehicle.

If you are dismissing your child during the school day, please park in the main lot and ring the doorbell at the front of the building for assistance.

The State and Federal pandemic emergency funding that provided free breakfast and lunch for all students in Enfield ended with the last school year. As of now, there is CT State funding to provide students with free lunch each day but lunch has reverted back to a pay system. Families are encouraged to apply for income-based free or reduced lunch to either help moderate or eliminate school lunch prices for their child. The application for income-based free or reduced lunch is available through our Nutrition Services Department, at

https://www.enfieldschools.org/district_depts/nutrition_services/free_and_reduced_price_meal_application

Below is some information regarding school breakfast and lunch for the coming school year:

•Breakfast will remain free for all students due to CT State funding

•Hot lunch costs $1.75 per day

•Milk costs $0.50 per day at lunchtime

Please note that every class has a scheduled snack time, however, there is no option to purchase snack at school and we cannot provide snack to our students. Please plan to send a healthy, easy to open snack and drink/water bottle to school with your child each day.

Enfield Public Schools uses mySchoolBucks as a payment platform for our school lunch program (iPad insurance is paid on mySchoolBucks as well). With mySchoolBucks, you can register for an account, view account balances or recent lunch purchases, add money to the account and setup low balance alerts. You do not have to put money on account online to have an account and view lunch transactions.

Information for mySchoolBucks is available is available at the following link:

https://www.enfieldschools.org/search/default.aspx?q=mySchoolBucks&type=0,

Enfield Public Schools is a 1:1 district meaning every student receives an iPad for use at school and at home. These learning tools should be charged at home each night and return to school with your child in the morning to be used in the classroom. They are equipped with learning applications to help students learn the skills they need to find success in school.

As seen above, iPad insurance may be purchased through mySchoolBucks. The insurance is optional however, if an iPad malfunctions or is damaged, the student's family will be billed the full amount for the repair or replacement if insurance wasn't purchased. If insurance was purchased by the family, the $25 cost of the insurance is the only charge. If a new iPad is issued to a student, a new insurance policy must be purchased as the insurance only covers the one device.

The Student Handbook is packed with information for families about dates, policies, procedures, and more. Please take some time to take a look through the document. It can be found at the following link:

https://viewer.joomag.com/eps-elementary-handbook-2023-24/0028781001692965944?auth_sso=1

It is VITAL that we have your updated contact information in our system. If you haven't already, please follow the link below to update your information. The information is needed for emergencies, teacher contact, school updates, etc.

I have to say, from experience, that there's nothing sadder than having a sick student in the nursing office all day because we weren't able to reach their family. Never mind the fright caused when the student isn't on the bus home.

Please, please check that your information is up to date. You can check it out and update it in the PowerSchool Parent Portal and through School Messenger. Both can be found on the left side menu on the Parent Support page of the EPS website.

https://www.enfieldschools.org/parent_support

The PTO at HBS and our sister school, Prudence Crandall, have a unique partnership. Last year, the two groups started the process of joining together to help facilitate more continuity for students and families between the two buildings. By meeting together, planning together, and even holding many events/fundraisers together, we have the opportunity to not only get to know our new families but keep in touch with the families who have moved on to Crandall.

Having said that, all the good work that the PTO puts into our schools translates directly to a richer educational experience for our students. They help fund fieldtrips and educational experiences that we would otherwise not have available to our students.

The PTO meets once each month. Meetings usually run for less than an hour and are dedicated to school updates and planning for upcoming events. Please consider being a part of the PTO. Many hands make light work!

For more information, please follow the link: https://enfieldpto.com/henrybarnard

Henry Barnard School is proud to be one of the two Family Resource Center locations in Enfield. The FRC is available to help families who find themselves in need connect with services across town. From finding winter clothing for students to helping families through parenting and support groups, the FRC has been a wonderful support for families here in Enfield.

For more information, please follow this link: https://www.enfield-ct.gov/375/Family-Resource-Center

The ERfC, or Enfield Resources for Children, not to be confused with the FRC above, offers quality before and after care for students at Henry Barnard School. If you have any questions about before and after care for your child, reach out to this longstanding partner organization.

Follow this link for more information: https://erfcinc.org/

Email: jgraham@enfieldschools.org
Website: https://henry.sharpschool.com/
Location: 27 Shaker Road, Enfield, CT, USA
Phone: (860) 253-6540
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EnfieldPublicSschools/
Twitter: @EnfieldPS