February 2024 District Newsletter

~Mission~

We empower our community of learners in a safe and supportive environment to nurture compassion, cultivate curiosity, and inspire innovation.

~Vision~

The Barrington School District strives to be a community learning and growing together; giving students roots and wings.

Before I jump into the meat of this Newsletter I want to wish you all a safe and fun winter break. Whether you are working, stay-cationing, or traveling, I hope you find some less hectic moments to simply enjoy and relax!

This is one of those Newsletters that will require a quick skim now and then a bit more time later to digest all of the details. Given that it is information packed I will use headings to guide the content.

Portrait of a Learner

In keeping with our work in the areas of Mission, Vision, 5 Year Goals and the development of our Portrait of a Learner, a committee of teachers, administrators, parents, business leaders and community members convened for the first time this past week and are working together to make sure that as we fulfill our mission, we are preparing students for an ever-changing world.

With your input, the committee is charged with identifying those “durable skills” that encompass the spirit of what we want the youth of Barrington to possess for future success. Durable skills encompass traits or abilities that can work across all industries and jobs, including skills such as collaboration, adaptability, creativity, taking initiative, strategic communication, critical thinking and problem-solving. You may recognize these as soft skills — and you're exactly right. Please be on the lookout for a brief survey after the winter break.

Voting Day

Mark your calendars! Voting Day in Barrington is Tuesday, March 12, 2024 at the Barrington Middle School. There are many things to consider on both the Town and the School District ballots. Here is the 2024-2025 Budget Folder on the SAU 74 Website. This contains all of the presentations, videos, and accompanying financial documents for the budget process to date. Please bring your children along as there are opportunities for them to cast their votes as well. What a great learning opportunity!

Residency

On December 5, 2023 the School Board Updated Policy JFA - Residency. The District will be requiring proof of residency as well as Affidavit and Bus Form at the following intervals:

1) Upon enrollment in the District

2) Prior to the completion of 4th grade

3) Prior to the completion of 8th grade

4) Annually during each year of high school

We have already requested this information from our current 8th graders. Thank you to everyone who has sent in the completed documentation. Reminders were sent out this week to the remaining 8th grade families. Please get this information to us ASAP as your child’s enrollment in high school is not secured until this paperwork is received and the high school assignment form is sent to the appropriate high school.

Fourth grade families, we will be reaching out to you next. Please take a moment now to put your hands on a copy of a mortgage bill or lease agreement and another form of documentation that ties your name to your address such as a utility bill. We thank you in advance for your timely cooperation.

Calendar Updates

On April 8, 2024, a total solar eclipse will cross North America, passing over Mexico, the United States, and Canada. A total solar eclipse happens when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth, completely blocking the face of the Sun. The sky will darken as if it were dawn or dusk. Excitedly, this is predicted to be seen best a bit north of us sometime between 3:19pm and close to 4pm. Given the rarity of the occurrence the State Department of Education has given NH school district’s flexibility on attendance for the day. As a result, we will be discussing this at the upcoming March 5, 2024 School Board Meeting. Amazing Stuff!

For short term planning purposes: At the December 19, 2023 School Board meeting the following 2023-24 School Calendar adjustments were made:

May 24, 2024: This is now a FULL regular school day for students and staff. No longer an Early Release.

The last day of school will also be a FULL school day. Correction to my last Newsletter: The last day of school is currently Friday, June 14, 2024. We will see what the March weather has in store for us.

For long term planning purposes : Here is the Approved 24-25 District Calendar .

Scholarships

I am excited to share that we have compiled an extensive scholarship packet this year! If your child is a senior please make sure that you look through this packet carefully and encourage your child to submit as many as they can. It amazes me every year that so few students take advantage of these opportunities. Every penny counts!

Additionally, for Junior boys, check out the opportunity for Boy’s State. If selected to attend, there are additional scholarship opportunities available. It is a wonderful program if your child has any interest in government or politics. My oldest son attended and he came home bursting with a wealth of information and experiences. Here are links to the Application and Program Flyer.

Lastly, please consider participating in the Peeper Family Fun Day. This wonderfully attended event is being expanded this year to include so many activities for the family that you can make it into a day long outing. Proceeds from this event also fund Scholarships for Barrington families and Chamber Members. So, strap on your walking or running shoes and hit the 5K approved race or just stop in to cheer us on and participate in some community fun. We hope to see you there!

Respectfully,

Deannah Rae

Superintendent

drae@sau74.org

Good Evening Barrington Families!

We have been very busy this year in the world of curriculum and instruction! We have continued to contract with a nationally recognized consultant, Marianne Nice, to work with our elementary and middle school teachers regarding the Science of Reading. The ELA Committee (K - 8) has been meeting this year to focus on new ELA programming for the district. The committee will continue to meet throughout the Spring and next year in order to have a successful programming pilot year and move the district along with a focus on the Science of Reading.

It was amazing to again be honored with judging this year's Invention Convention at BES! I absolutely loved seeing all the creative projects and talking to so many excited students. These are special times when students show what they know and shine brightly in their passions.

A very special THANK YOU and shout out to Ms. Benincasa and Ms. Smith for assisting a neighboring district with their math programming journey. Ms. Benincasa and Ms. Smith hosted four educators from Strafford in to observe a math lesson in Reveal (our new program) and had a deep conversation about the Reveal program.

Over the next few months we will be diving into student data to drive instruction, assist students in unfinished learning, and create enrichment opportunities for all students. I have had the fortune over the past few months to be able to observe learning and growing happening every day in all our buildings!

Take care!

Sarah Rollins

Sarah E. Rollins, PhD

Curriculum Coordinator

srollins@sau74.org

Warm regards,

Katie Kukesh

Director of Student Services

kkukesh@sau74.org

Hello Barrington Families.

This month’s topic is for families who may have children starting school for the first time in Barrington. The link for the 24/25 school year will be published soon on our website. Below you will find some tips to make the online registration process as smooth as possible.

Barrington School District SAU 74 New Student Registration.

• Throughout the online form you may encounter frequent “Required” fields. Required fields are especially important. Please be careful of spelling, capitalization, and punctuation.

• At the end of the form, on the "Summary" page, you can resolve any missing or incorrect information. You can click "Find Invalid Fields" to jump directly to missed fields.

• On the submission confirmation page you will have the opportunity to print out a copy of your registration to keep for your records. Note: Once the form is electronically submitted, you will also receive an email confirmation.

• A New Student Registration form must be submitted for each new student in your family. Once you have successfully submitted one New Student Registration, you will have the opportunity to begin another from the "Submission Confirmation" page.

Documents Upload

New student registration requires a number of validation documents. You will have the ability to upload all of your required documents.

Please note: If you do not have the documents available during your online session or do not have a scanner or electronic copies of the documents, please continue on through the form and submit. Upon completion you will need to provide hard copies of the documents to the school.

The following documents will be required to register a new student in the Barrington School District.

• Birth Certificate with seal.
• Proof of Residency

One document from each of the categories listed below must be submitted.

CATEGORY I - HOMEOWNERS/RENTERS (One of the following)

Homeowner

• Mortgage papers
• Certificate of Occupancy on a newly built home
• Current tax bill

Renter

• Signed and dated lease
• Notarized letter from landlord
• Notarized letter with explanation of living arrangements from the resident owner of property containing contact information for verification by the SAU.

CATEGORY II proof of residency or transfer request form. (One of the following showing proper address required)

• Most recent cable television and/or credit card bill
• Current public aid card
• Most recent gas, electric, oil and/or water bill
• Current homeowners/renters insurance policy
• Auto insurance policy

Medical Records

• Immunization Records
• A Religious Exemption form for students who are not immunized due to a Religious Exemption can be downloaded and then returned to the school.

Health Exam

• Each school has a Physical Exam Form that can be downloaded during the online registration to be filled out by your physician and returned to the school.
• Custody Records if applicable.

Transportation Information - General Bus/Car Rider Information

• The Barrington School District uses a web application called PickUp Patrol. PickUp Patrol helps us manage our dismissal process safely and efficiently while providing you with a convenient app to make changes to your children’s dismissal plans.

• You will receive a Welcome Email with steps on how to register and set up your account. You will be asked to enter and/or confirm your students' Default Plan.
• For Bus Riders make sure to enter the bus color AND the drop-off address.
• For Car Riders make sure to enter the name of the person picking up your student

If you have questions about the enrollment process, please contact the school directly:

ECLC Preschool and Kindergarten - 603-664-5586.

Barrington Elementary school - 603-664-2641

Barrington Middle school - 603-664-2127

Happy Winter Break!!

Jeff DeLangie Sr.

Director of Technology

jdelangie@sau74.org

Hello Barrington Families,

This time of year always gets a little exciting with the sun getting higher in the sky and staying lighter longer. We will probably get one or two more storms, so the plows and shovels have not been put away yet. We will be looking at the dead limbs that have fallen from the trees due to the high winds last week and get them cleaned up as spring progresses.

It will be time to clean the trails around the schools and get ready for the spring sports. During the school break the staff will be cleaning buildings, changing filters, and other projects throughout the district.

Hope you all enjoy the school break and look forward to seeing you all in a week.

Best,

Joe Williams

Facilities Manager

Phone: 603-664-2715

jwilliams@sau74.org

Greetings Barrington Families,

The following is the Breakfast, Lunch and Milk cost for the 2023-2024 school year:

Breakfast:

$2.00 Regular

Reduced rate- Free

Lunch:

$3.25 Regular

$.40 Reduced rate

Milk:

$.65

Best,

Sue Williams

Food Service Director

Fresh Picks Cafe

Barrington School District SAU74

Barrington@FreshPicksCafe.com

www.freshpickscafe.com