The Starburst

Happy Summer, Barrows Families!

I could fill pages of thank you's to everyone (students, families, staff, and community members) that welcomed me and made sure that I helped lead Barrows in a way that was student-centered while supporting our staff to provide the absolute best elementary school experience for each child...from our students who remind me daily of why we do this work, parents, and guardians advocating for the care and needs of their student, teachers highlighting students that need extra support and celebrating the independence of learners. To our office staff that keeps the daily operations moving, Mrs. Becker, onboarded me from one of the first days I entered the building. She reminded me of timelines, deadlines, traditions, creative ideas and to the very end, making sure we give a proper farewell to our Barrows families that are sending their youngest or only on to middle school.

I also want to thank our PTO, especially our executive board co-presidents Lori Barcikowski & Meghan Dribin, our treasurer, Amy Koehler, our secretary Alicia Curtin, and our Social Media Coordinator Alison Ethier for all of your time, dedication, and creative planning for a successful year. They ensured our excellent Nurse Rose and the proper thank you and goodbye this past Wednesday.

Please enjoy the photos from this past week--mainly highlighting our fifth graders as they celebrated their accomplishments and are ready to move up to middle school (Fun Day, the Moving-On Ceremony & Clap-out). Thank you to Mrs. Penna, Ms. Fitzgerald, Mrs. Gilchrist, Mrs. Chiappini, Mrs. Gordon, Vanessa Martin, Lindsey McCarthy and the fifth grade planning commitee and our fifth-grade families who made this year and this celebration a fantastic success.

We also had a Move-up Day on Thursday for students to visit classrooms and meet teachers in the next grade level. Classroom assignments will be emailed out to families in August.

Barrows is serious when they say collaboration is one of our core values--listed as a Barrows Belief. Without the collaboration of everyone in our community, we wouldn't be the incredible school that we are! Thank you to all of you!

I wish everyone a healthy and relaxing summer! I hope each student spends a ton of time outdoors, exploring and connecting with friends and families, and that reading is an enjoyed hobby in a hammock, by the seaside, or cuddled up on the couch on a rainy afternoon.

I will be around most of the summer after dropping our oldest off for college, beginning the college search again for our rising senior, and making a few trips to the Cape on weekends to visit my parents. I hope to see many of our students on the playground when I need a break from the office. School is a lonely place to be in the summer without our smiling students!

And our special farewell to these 38 Barrows families. Thank you for sharing your children with us and being a part of our community. You will always hold a special place in our heart!

The Alden Family

The Bolognese Family

The Congdon Family

The Currier Family

The Decrescenzo Family

The Demers Family

The Dong Family

The Doucet Family

The Duplessis Family

The Eaton Family

The Eckenroth Family

The Evans Family

The Foley Family

The Furey Family

The Gallagher Family

The Garcia-Chase Family

The Granara Family

The Green Family

The Hinkle Family

The Holland Family

The Hoyte Family

The Lafferty Family

The Lalicata Family

The Lawrence Family

The Long Family

The Martin Family

The McAleenan Family

The McCarthy Family

The McCarthy Family

The Monczewski Family

The Mughal Family

The Murdock Family

The Princic Family

The Renda Family

The Scheri Family

The Shaw Family

The Verrier Family

The Ward Family

Happy summer & be well!

Alissa Gallegos

2023-2024 School Year

Monday, June 19th: RPS closed in observance of Juneteenth

Late Summer (date TBA): Popsicles with the Principal

Wednesday, August 30th: First Day of School (Grades 1-5), Half-day transitional start for K

Friday, September 1st: No School

Monday, September 4th: Labor Day, No School

Tuesday, September 5th: The First Full Day of School for Kindergarten

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

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

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.

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/

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.

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