Dear Barnard Families,

Welcome back and Happy New Year! It was wonderful to be back in the building this week, seeing the smiles on the kids faces, hearing about their breaks, and feel the excitement throughout the building as we kicked of 2025 together!

As we jump into the New Year, it is time to start spreading the word about Kindergarten Round Up! Do you know neighbors that have kids ready to start school? Point them in our direction to sign up to attend both informational meetings, the district one at the end of the month and our Barnard night in April! We need your help to spread the word!

Barnard is full of extraordinary teachers in every room across our building, so don't delay, check out the nomination form and share your gratitude for that special teacher that has had a positive impact on your child's life. Information is below, if you have any questions or need any help, please don't hesitate to reach out. It would be my honor to support you and your nomination.

Parents and caregivers, we need your help with getting all students to school on time. We were doing great as late arrivals had really decreased in numbers before break. However, now that colder weather has set in, we have more drop offs in the morning and numbers have really increased. Please be sure that you are arriving in time to get through the drop off line in time. As a reminder, students are allowed to arrive for lineup at 8:55, when supervision begins. The first bell rings at 9:04 and the tardy bell rings at 9:09. If you arrive in the drop off loop after this time and no adults are outside greeting students, or have headed in to begin the day, this is an indicator to you that the tardy bell has rung and you must sign your child in as tardy. Thank you for your understanding and support to help us all start our day on time with our busy schedules.

FInally, next Monday there is no school in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., however, the traditional District program to honor Dr. King's life and legacy with a day of service will be in full swing at Athens. The program begins at 8:30, followed by many service projects you will be sure to enjoy. I will be there with my family, along with other Barnard teachers and we'd love to see you and your families there as well. Be sure to put this special event on your calendars, you won't want to miss this opportunity.

Looking forward to another great week ahead with our Barnard Blue Jays!

With gratitude,

Karen Bush

Principal, Barnard Elementary School

kbush@troy.k12.mi.us

248-823-4320

Important Dates Coming Up:

• Monday, January 13th- 5th Grade Festival of Choirs Concert @ 7:00 pm

• Monday, January 20th- Martin Luther King Jr. Day- NO SCHOOL

• We hope you can join the presentation and activities at Athens! Details below!

• Wednesday, January 22nd- PTO Restaurant Night- City BBQ- Flyer Below

• Wednesday, January 22nd- Friday, January 24th- ALL 3 Half Days! Dismissal at 12:59 pm

• Tuesday, January 28th- 3rd-5th Grade Spelling Bee

• Thursday, January 30th- Kindergarten Parent Information Night at Athens- 6:30 pm

• Tuesday, February 4th- Band and Orchestra Winter Concert at Athens- 7:00 pm

• Tuesday, February 4th- Report Cards released on PowerSchool for viewing.

• Friday, February 7th- Barnard Family Dance- Sponsored by the PTO- more details coming soon!

• Monday, February 10th- PTO Meeting at 7:00 pm

• Wednesday, February 12- Count Day!!!!

• Friday, February 14th- Valentine Parties- Scheduled by individual teachers/grade levels

• Monday, February 17th and Tuesday, February 18th- NO SCHOOL-Winter Break

Nominations are now open for the 2024-2025 Troy School District Teacher of the Year! Visit our form to nominate a teacher who has made a difference for your student today! This award recognizes preschool, elementary, middle, and high school teachers from the Troy School District.

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!

Please spread the word to all incoming kindergarten families that two important informational nights are coming up. On January 30th, the District will be offering an informational night on all Kindergarten programing, followed by building specific nights for round up. Barnard will hold their Kindergarten Round Up night on Wednesday, April 9th! More details to follow soon!

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. 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

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!

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