Dear Barnard Students and Families,

The first week of school is upon us and we couldn't be more excited to welcome you all back to school for a great school year! While I missed seeing you all at the Meet and Greet, I heard it was a great event and the school was packed with families, offering a chance for community and connection to kick off the year. On a personal note, I was not able to to attend as I had mom duties of dropping my first child off at college. For all of you that have yet to experience this moment, I can tell you it is one filled with many mixed emotions. Pride, excitement, hope and yes sadness. I truly feel like I just dropped him off for his first day of kindergarten last year and am still in a bit of disbelief that he is starting college. With that said, we warmly welcome all of our new Barnard BlueJays and can't wait to begin the partnership of their journey ahead. Whether you are new to Barnard or a returning BlueJay, the Barnard staff is looking forward to the adventure and excitement that lies ahead.

Below we have included information to help you navigate the start of the school year with confidence. If you haven't had time to preview the district calendar, please be sure to make note of important events, half days, vacations, and more. The first main event after the first day of school is Curriculum Night on September 4th. Please mark your calendar for this as you will have a chance to hear from your children's teachers as well as a principal presentation I hope you will all be able to attend.

Please be sure to review drop off and pick up procedures below so that we can ensure a safe, smooth and efficient experience for all. We would also like to point out that the drop off loop will be closed during the day from 9:20-3:40 as we will be using this front area for recess, due to the ongoing construction of our playgrounds. We appreciate your understanding during this time and helping us keep the children safe while still affording them the opportunity to play outside.

Finally, in closing, be on the lookout for a special phone message from me tonight for all of your children to listen too. Twas the night before the first day of school....

Warm regards,

Karen Bush

Principal, Barnard Elementary School

kbush@troy.k12.mi.us

248-823-4320

Important Dates Coming Up:

• Tuesday, August 27th - First Day of School K-5- 1/2 Day- Dismissal at 12:59 pm

• Tuesday, August 27th- Coffee and Kisses PTO Event- At Drop Off *More details to come

• Wednesday, August 28th-Thursday, August 29th- 1/2 Day Kindergarten ONLY! Dismissal at 12:59 pm; 1-5 grades full day with dismissal at 4:07 pm

• Friday, August 30-Monday, September 2nd- NO SCHOOL- Labor Day Weekend

• Tuesday, September 3rd- School Resumes- Full Day

• Wednesday, September 4th- Curriculum Night *More details to come on times, this is part of the Districtwide Calendar to ensure that Middle School and High School curriculum nights don't conflict with elementary.

• Wednesday, September 25th- Half Day- Dismissal at 12:59 *PM Staff Professional Development

• Friday, September 27th- Fun Run K-5- *More details to come!

Full Day - 9:09 a.m. - 4:07 p.m.

• 9:04 is the first bell, teachers welcome students into class.
• 9:09 is the tardy bell. If you arrive after 9:09, your child will be marked tardy and you must come sign your child into the office.

AM/Half Day - 9:09 a.m. - 12:59 p.m.

Important Information- Please Read!

• Kindergarten and First grade classrooms will have outdoor lineup in the morning and regular dismissal out their classroom doors in the afternoon. This is due to the fact that their classrooms are not in the middle of the construction area.
• Second, Third, Fourth and Fifth grade classrooms will have indoor lineup in the morning and indoor lineup for dismissal. This is the same procedure we use on rainy days. 2nd-5th grade students are NOT to walk around the building to their classrooms at arrival or dismissal. They will enter the building through the front doors for indoor line up. Safeties have met with Mrs. Simon to review these procedures and are ready to help all students with this. Parents who are dropping off their students, please plan to give your child a hug and kiss and say good-by out front and not enter the building. Thank you for your help and support with this.
• Walkers and Bikers- Students are still permitted to walk or ride their bikes to school. There will be a dirt patch they must walk over in the bus loop, we will have adult supervision monitoring this area for an added layer of safety. Bikers, please remember to walk your bike in the loop, the rack is still located in the same position as last year and can be used.

The school staff are often involved in meetings and preparing materials for the school day before classes begin. Supervision of students is available starting at 8:55 am. For your child's safety, please do not drop off students any earlier as we do not have adult supervision for those who arrive early. When students arrive, they should report to their assigned waiting area. Students waiting area is outside their exterior classroom doors. The Safety Patrol is on duty 10 minutes before school and 10 minutes after school. The first bell will ring at 9:04 am for students to enter the building. The second bell will ring at 9:09 am.

Please have your child ready to quickly exit the car on the curbside of your vehicle. We make every attempt to have adults assisting students out of the car.

• Cars will remain in a single-file row, along the curb, as they approach the designated Drop-Off area. Drivers remain inside the vehicle.
• Remaining in a single-file row, pull up as far as possible before stopping to allow your child to exit. As a driver, do not exit your vehicle, this is a drop-off only lane.
• Cautiously re-enter the flow of cars when you are ready to pull away from the curb.

• For Kindergarten, please park your car and escort your child from the parking spot to the outside classroom door. If your Kindergartener has an older sibling, they may escort them their classroom door. We encourage students in grades 1-5 to be dropped off at the curbside whenever possible due to limited parking spaces.

• The pick-up lane next to the curb is for a quick pick-up. Drivers must remain in the vehicle.
• Cautiously re-enter the flow of cars when you are ready to pull away from the curb.
• Stay in the circle driveway, following it around the perimeter of the parking lot.

• If you are picking up your child at the end of the school day, you may meet your child at a designated spot on the sidewalk in front of the building. Use the crosswalk to escort your child from the front sidewalk to your parked car.
• There should never be a child crossing the parking lot without being accompanied by an adult.

IMPORTANT REMINDER TO PLEASE UPDATE your information in PowerSchool. This must be done before school starts tomorrow. Click the link below to access your parent portal.

Contact the Troy School District PowerSchool support staff by emailing your student's name, grade, school, your first and last name, and relation to the student to: pssupport@troy.k12.mi.us. One of our staff members will reach out to you.

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.

During school hours from 9:20-3:40, the drop off loop will be blocked off for our students to use as a recess area during the final stages of playground construction. Students will use this area during their scheduled recess time outside of lunch recess, as lunch recess will be indoors. Due to multiple grades overlapping during lunch recess, students will be monitored by our noon-aides in classrooms, just as they would on an indoor recess for rainy days. If you need to visit the school during the school day, please plan to park in the lot and walk into the building. We apologize for this inconvenience, but appreciate your cooperation in helping to keep kids safe, during this short window of time.

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.

Timeline for completion of the Barnard playgrounds:

• Playgrounds fully restored by 9/3- New adjusted date based on progress.
• During this time, lunch recess will be indoor recess.
• Individual grade level/class recess time will be in the front loop with details above.

Please understand this is a projected timeline, weather permitting, that TSD is working very closely with our installers to meet.

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