The Starburst

Greetings, Barrows Families!

You may have heard, but we have had so much fun this week with our morning trivia, staff spirit week and caroling for silent auction winners. Each morning, I read a winter/holiday trivia question (typically with music), and with the help of our students, staff members call the office in hopes that they will be the right caller with the correct answer to win a crazy prize. Our students are actively participating, and their enthusiasm adds to the wonderful atmosphere at Barrows during this special time of year. Since morning trivia has been such a hit for students and staff, we will continue this new tradition on Fridays in the new year. In addition to another week of holiday trivia, our Student Council has planned Winter Spirit Week to continue the fun. Please see below for each day's theme--which is optional for students.

To cap off this past week, many of our staff enjoyed caroling at three Silent Auction Winner's homes Friday night. I want to thank these families and staff for supporting the PTO! Be sure to check out the photos and videos below. And don't forget to try to win this next winter at the Barrows Craft Fair!

Here are a few reminders for a successful last week of 2023 at Barrows:

• Please ensure your children are getting adequate rest and eating well. Lack of sleep and sugar spikes make it harder to be our best at school.
• This is a good time of the year to remind children to wash their hands before eating and after using the restroom because it is a good habit to stay healthy! And we want everyone healthy for vacation!
• Please encourage your student to bring/wear their coats to school for the entire winter season. Recently, we've experienced some "warm" mornings that turned into cold afternoons, and we want the students to have the option to add a layer to stay safe and warm.
• Speaking of coats...please take a moment to write your student's name inside their coats, hats, mittens, and lunch boxes. This small effort will significantly assist us in returning any misplaced items to their rightful owners.Any unclaimed items in our lost and found will be donated during the first week of the new year.
• Lastly, we will dismiss on Friday at 11 AM. Staff can leave shortly after, so please be respectful by remembering this dismissal time (lunch is not served on Friday).

This will be my last official Starburst for 2023. Thank you for your partnership in creating a positive and healthy learning environment for our students, and I wish you and your family a festive and joyful winter break filled with warmth and love.

Warmly,

Mrs. Gallegos

It was a perfect night for caroling for our shining stars and their families! Thanks to all of those that came out to listen to our pitch perfect crew! I am already looking forward to next year!

I was so excited to see some of our Shining Stars at the Parker Tavern Holiday Open house this past weekend. Gabe was excited to show his family around after visiting the Parker Tavern for our third grade field trip this fall!

Friday, December 22nd: 11 am dismissal, start of Winter Break

Tuesday, January 2nd: School Resumes

Wednesday, January 10th: All School Assembly 🔵⭐Wear your Barrows Spirit Wear/Colors⭐🔵

Monday, January 15th: No School, MLK Day

Wednesday, January 24th: All School Assembly 🔵⭐Wear your Barrows Spirit Wear/Colors⭐🔵

Friday, February 9th: Musial Bingo for Barrows Adults (information coming soon)

February 19-23: February Vacation

School Hours:

Monday-Thursday, 8:15 AM - 2:45 PM

Friday, 8:15 AM - 12:45 PM

*Students must be in class by 8:25 to be counted as on-time and present

Reading Public Schools Calendar

School lunches are once again free for students in the Commonwealth. We do ask families that need financial assistance to complete this form: https://www.reading.k12.ma.us/en-US/food-services-4f8d79b4/frl-bac51fe9

We look forward to providing nutritious meals for our students!

Reading Public Schools Food Service/Lunch Menus: http://reading.k12.ma.us/departments/food-services/

Our Kindergarteners and their families enjoyed our annual Gingerbread House decorating this morning. Thank you to our PTO for purchasing the gingerbread house kits!

SAVE THE DATE

Parents Night Out will be on Friday February 9th. Mark your calendars as it will be another fun evening of musical bingo. Ticketing will go live early in the new year!

Be a Cafeteria Volunteer

Sign up to help in the cafeteria during lunch periods (11am - 12:35pm). The cafeteria is fully staffed, but can always use a couple extra hands to help with opening up packages, milk cartons, moving through lunch line efficiently. Please note that all volunteers must have a completed CORI (complete 1 week prior to volunteering) on file prior to volunteering and unfortunately non school aged children will not be allowed to join with the volunteer. If you are interested in volunteering please use the Sign Up Genius to sign up for the day or days you would like to help out.

Parent/Guardian Help at Lunch

FOLLOW US

We are now on Facebook and Instagram! Like us on Facebook – Barrows Elementary PTO and Follow Us on Instagram @BarrowsElementaryPTO

FUNDRAISING

Minted Fundraiser

Getting ready to order your holiday cards? Order from Minted and use our promo code FUNDRAISEBARROWS to help support the Barrows Elementary PTO. You'll get 20% OFF your ORDER and 15% of every purchase made using our code will be donated back to Barrows. Make sure to spread the word to family who can also use the code and support Barrows from afar.

Box Tops

Did you know you no longer need to clip Box Tops and send them into school? Box Tops now offers an app where you scan your receipts! Doing online grocery delivery these days? No problem! Box Tops also offers a way to email your online orders for credit. Find it in the app store or google play store today!

Helpsy Bin

Finally, have you been in purge mode lately? Getting rid of old, stained or ripped clothing? Drop it off in the Helpsy box in the Barrows staff parking lot (after school hours of course) and Barrows will receive a small donation for your items. Clothing, shoes and accessories are all accepted!

Many thanks,

PTO Board

Lori Barcikowski, Co-President

(LoriBarcikowski@yahoo.com)

Meghan Dribin, Co-President

(MegDribin@gmail.com)

Amy Koehler, Treasurer

Alicia Curtin, Secretary

Alison Ethier, Social Media Coordinator

Follow us on Instagram and Facebook:

@barrowselementarypto & https://www.facebook.com/BarrowsPTO/

METCO unites suburban towns with Boston to engage in a reciprocal learning partnership in support of all students. Because of this, every child who attends school in Reading Public Schools is a METCO student and every parent or guardian who has a student in RPS is a part of the METCO community.

"Since its founding during the peak of the Civil Rights Movement, the METCO program has enrolled tens of thousands of Boston students of color in predominately white school districts, creating the opportunity for those districts to experience the advantages of learning and working in a racially and ethnically diverse setting."

SEPAC works for the understanding of, respect for, and support of, all children with special needs in the community (including ALL children on IEPs or 504 plans and children who may require specialized support). Watch this brief introductory video to learn more!

Visit the SEPAC WEBPAGE

Sign up for our mailing list

Follow SEPAC on Facebook or Instagram

See our 2023-2024 Calendar of Events

Tuesday, Dec 19th, 6PM

Tiered Support for Students Presentation and SEPAC Winter Business Meeting

• Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) is used by the Reading Public Schools to give targeted support to struggling students. Join us to learn how it works and to ask questions.

• Business meeting to follow

• Opportunity for parents and caregivers-only conversation following conclusion of the meeting.

Virtual Event - Meeting URL: https://readingpsma.zoom.us/j/81226110598

You must request to follow these private accounts. We post images, reels and stories that give you a quick glimpse into your child’s day during these Special class times. Mrs. Hurley for Art can be found here @mrs.hurley_art and Mrs. Atwood for Physical Education can be found here @barrowspe

*If your Instagram name does not easily identify you, please send us a separate email so we know it’s you! For safety, we are careful about who we accept.*

Dear Barrows Families,

Another way you can support your child’s art is to join Artsonia. Artsonia is the world's largest collection of student art, published by teachers and students from around the world. Through Artsonia families can view student art online and leave comments. If you would like to join Artsonia keep your eye on your inbox; email invitations will be going out shortly! Thank you! Beth Hurley

Dear Barrows Families,

This is a friendly reminder that kids should wear sneakers on the days that they have Physical Education. I love Crocs too, but they don’t count as sneakers…even when they’re worn in sport mode! Thanks so much for your support with this safety matter.

Sarah Atwood

The Town of Reading contracts with William James College to offer a special service for our residents. The William James INTERFACE Referral Service maintains a mental health and wellness referral help line Monday through Friday, 9 am-5 pm, at 888-244-6843 (toll free). This is a free, confidential referral service for individuals across the lifespan living in Reading. Callers are matched with licensed mental health providers from our extensive database. Each referral meets the location, insurance, and specialty needs of the caller. Click here to learn more!

Arrival

• Please drive slowly up Edgemont to keep everyone safe; remember, it is a ONE-WAY during the school day.
• Do not park in the indented section by the gym. This is the "kiss & go" area for a quick drop-off.
• Doors open at 8:15 and close at 8:25. Your child needs to be in their seat by 8:25 AM. If your child arrives to school after the doors have closed, they must come to the front door and be marked tardy.
• The Staff Parking Lot is for staff only and off limits to all pedestrians from arrival-dismissal for the safety of all. Please respect this important aspect of our campus.

Dismissal:

• At dismissal time, there is no live pick-up in the driveway except for students who take the bus. Kindergarteners exit the building at 2:40 PM. The rest of the students dismiss at 2:45 PM from the same doors they enter in the morning.

As a safety reminder, the staff parking lot is staff-only. We respectfully ask that caregivers park along the streets. With our students exiting from their external doors in the parking lot, having cars drive in and out is not safe. You need to walk around the school on the blacktop to the back. Thanks for helping us out.

Ready to Play the Best Way

Please do not have your children wear flip-flops. Sneakers are best, but flip-flops are dangerous when running at recess (and Crocs aren't great).

Dogs and Puppies on School Grounds

School Committee policy prohibits dogs on school grounds as much as we all love dogs and puppies and as much fun as it is walking them. If you'd like to walk your dog as part of your pick-up routine, the dog has to stay off school property. If you'd like your child to walk to you on the sidewalk or to the driveway entrances at dismissal so you can wait with your dog, please make that plan with them.

PTO Facebook Link https://www.facebook.com/BarrowsPTO/

Follow us on Instagram: @barrowselementarypto

Barrows Homepage: http://www.reading.k12.ma.us/barrows/

Reading Public Schools: http://www.reading.k12.ma.us