The Starburst

Greetings, Barrows Families,

We are onto the final countdown, with only five days of school left (please note that we dismiss at 11 am on Friday). I will save my final message for more reflective thoughts on the school year for next week, but it must be noted that these last two weeks have been filled with many wonderful new and old traditions. Students, families, and staff accurately described Barrows as a strong learning community with great traditions, students, teachers, and families. If you are new to Barrows, a quick scroll through this newsletter will prove that description true!

I may be more sentimental this spring, having just watched my oldest graduate from RMHS, but having the Barrows RMHS Senior Alum come back one last time while we blasted Earth, Wind & Fire's "Shining Star" through the speakers while our school community lined the hallways congratulating each returning shining star, was a special way to feel like a larger part of our community.

Other events captured in photos these last two weeks:

• A super hot but super fun Field Day! Special thanks to Mrs. Atwood for running this event where all students can participate and feel successful. The students enjoyed the hot day even more with the excellent addition of a water station Mrs. Lee and her mother organized!
• Celebrating our athletes at Special Olympics at the RMHS Stadium
• Barrows Talent Show--and wow, do we have talent from skits, musicians, dancers, scientists, comedians, and athletes. The best line I heard from one student was, "Wow, this is so entertaining." The show lasted over 2.5 hours, and the entire student body was an engaged and respectful audience! Thank you, Mrs. Gargano, for organizing this fun day!
• The final kindergarten show & class certificates (Thank you to our amazing K team)
• Reading Police Department escort students to school (Thanks Officer Matt & Rusty)
• Campfire reading in the classroom--we make our 180 days count, but make the last few weeks a bit more relaxed and find creative ways to hit the books! Fifth graders are writing survival guides to students, memory books are being made, and this final week we are showing our school spirit. Check out the flyer below to see how your student may participate!

We look forward to celebrating our fifth graders this week, K-4 move-up day on Thursday, and our last day of school on June 16th! Please ensure your children continue to sleep and eat well this week--we are balancing routine and fun as well as we can--but the better rested they are will allow them to enjoy this week to the max!

Warmly,

Alissa Gallegos

2022-2023 School Year

Monday, June 12th: Fifth Grade Fun Day

Tuesday, June 13th: Fifth Grade Celebration, 8:45 am

Wednesday June 14th: 6:30pm at the Barcikowski's (see PTO section for address info.)

Thursday, June 15th: Move-up Day for K-4: Student learn about the next grade level & meet all classroom teachers (classroom assignments are emailed in mid August)

Friday, June 16th: 11 am dismissal for the Last day of School! Report Cards Emailed Home

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

Remember, school lunches are once again free for students in the Commonwealth. We look forward to providing nutritious meals for our students! Be sure to check out the weekly menus, as there are a lot of NEW options! Our new daily options are Bagel & Cream Cheese, Yogurt Parfait with Granola or SunButter & Jelly sandwich (details listed in the menu). Students will not have the option of cereal or pretzels anymore.

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

DAILY SNACKS in the CLASSROOM

It is the Reading Public School's wellness policy that we are not permitted to provide snacks to our students during the school day. Please send a healthy snack with your child every single day. If you are unsure about the allergies in your classroom, please check with your child's teacher. Teachers are not allowed to provide snacks to our students.

June is here!!

It is hard to believe that in two short weeks summer vacation will begin! Attached is my OT Bitmoji Classroom for the summer months, with lots of activities that target fine motor, sensory motor, visual perceptual, and visual motor integration skills.

OT Summer Bitmoji Classroom Link

Hopefully you find a few that interest your child. I wish everyone a wonderful summer, and look forward to continuing our work together in the fall!

Anne Korwan, OT, MSOT, OTR

Occupational Therapist

Stef Sweeney, who co-owns Reading's Simply Fit and Fun and is a Barrows parent, choreographed and taught our kindergarteners their moves for the big finale. It was SO helpful!

Thanks!

THANKS FOR ANOTHER GREAT YEAR!

We wanted to take a moment to thank all our parents, teachers, and volunteers for an amazing year. Because of this community’s fundraising and volunteer efforts, we were able to offer an action-packed year filled with new and exciting events. By continuing to build a strong community, we help to enrich the educational experience of our children. We feel so lucky!

As you reflect on this past year, please know that you made a difference, and you were a big part in making a great and memorable year. We look forward to working with the Barrows Community to make 2022-2023 another unforgettable year. We are so proud to be a part of this wonderful community! We thank each one of you for everything you have done this year to support students and staff. Without you, none of these things would be possible. You should be proud of the huge difference you made in your child’s education this year.

The PTO wishes everyone a safe and happy summer. A special wish to our fifth-grade families who are promoting on… Best wishes to you in your future endeavors.

Finally, a BIG goodbye to the McCarthy and Granara Families who have been actively supporting Barrows across 13 and 15 years respectively!! We will miss you greatly on the blacktop next year. Thank you for all you have done for our school and community. Don’t be strangers 😊

JOIN US

Our next PTO meeting will be Wednesday June 14th at 6:30pm. As this will be our last meeting of the school year it will be more of a social event to celebrate the end of the year. Lori Barcikowski will host at her house. If you are planning to attend please reach out to Lori for her address (email below).

If you are interested in being more involved with the PTO next year we encourage you to reach out to Lori and Meghan.

Questions about any of these programs, contact Alison Ethier at alison.ethier@gmail.com

PTO Board

Lori Barcikowski, Co-President

Meghan Dribin, Co-President

Amy Koehler, Treasurer

Alicia Curtin, Secretary

Alison Ethier, Social Media Coordinator

SEPAC works for the understanding of, respect for, and support of all children with special needs in the community.

Summer’s coming and it’s a great time to learn how to help our kids (and ourselves) have a healthy approach to screen use.

Join SEPAC for a free online training to learn about raising “screenwise” kids. See flyer for more details. June 13, 5-6:15. Register here.

Also, join SEPAC for our year end social event on June 20th.Click to RSVP.

*Join our mailing list to receive info about summer get-togethers, including patio socials for parents/caregivers and popsicles on the playground for families.*

About Reading SEPAC

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 supports).

SEPAC WEBPAGE

Join SEPAC's mailing list

Follow SEPAC on Facebook

Follow SEPAC on Instagram

Email sepacreading@gmail.com to get on our confidential mailing list–your best source of SEPAC information. Visit us at https://sepac.reading.k12.ma.us/

https://www.reading.k12.ma.us/en-US/extended-day-544ef5e6/summer-programs-30e42bcf

Arrival

• Please drive slowly up Edgemont to keep everyone safe; remember, it is one way.
• 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 the doors by 8:25 AM. If your child gets to school after the doors have closed, they must come to the front door and be marked tardy.

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.

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.

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!

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

Barrows on Twitter: @BarrowsSchool https://twitter.com/BarrowsSchool

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

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