The Starburst

Greetings, Barrows Families,

This week I am filled with gratitude, along with many others, as you will see in the many messages of thanks in our newsletter this week. Barrows's success is due so much to the partnership and commitment to our families and staff, working so hard (often behind the scenes) to provide our students with the best elementary school education and experience.

I want to thank so many people for the tremendous time, planning, and energy required to celebrate the importance of reading through our Book Fair and Reading Under the Stars Event. Thank you to our Book Fair co-chairs Kristen Granara, Jen Ray & Deanna Dodge for promoting and setting the fair and for basically living at Barrows all week. It was such a fantastic school fundraiser.

I also want to thank Mrs. Becker, Mrs. Lentz, Mrs. Forestell, and Mrs. Atwood for planning (with our student council members) a well-organized and fun Reading Under the Stars Event! The behind-the-scenes brainstorming, planning, and set-up take a lot of time, and we appreciate all you did for such a successful night. More thank you's are below!

I still want to hear from other families about how they encourage reading in their house that I can share in the future Starbursts this month @ alissa.gallegos@reading.k12.ma.us. Thank you to the families that emailed me what reading looks like in your home (or car). See below for some awesome ideas that have been shared with me!

This morning I shared our Barrows Communication policy which promotes strong communication and connections with our families, advances our children's independence and self-advocacy, and encourages an important home-work balance for our staff. The policy is approved by our School Council and Building-Instructional team. We are so grateful for the partnerships we continue to build with our families.

Other important highlights in this week's newsletter:

• Assistant Principal Advisory Committee Opportunity
• District Strategic Planning for Family & Community Engagement Opportunity

I have heard that the Parker play is wonderful if you want something to do this weekend. Congrats to any Barrows alumni in the performance. I wish the RMHS Boy's Hockey team the best of luck in the final four on Saturday (especially for the Barrows alum players).

Warmly,

Alissa Gallegos

We look forward to inviting full-time Assistant Principals at the elementary schools. Assistant Principals will play a critical role in supporting our students and staff within our buildings. Please complete this form and share your interest in participating in the AP interview process. Interviews will take place after school hours during the week of 3/20.

The survey will be open until 3pm on Wednesday, 3/15. We will choose two family representatives at random by Wednesday, 3/15. You will be notified if you are invited to join the committee.

Family Interest in AP Advisory Committee

2022-2023 School Year

Monday, March 13th: Parker 5th Grade Welcome & Transition Information Meeting, 7pm

Friday, March 17th: NO SCHOOL, Teacher In-Service Day

Wednesday, March 22nd:

@ Coolidge 5th Grade Welcome & Transition Meeting, 6pm followed by "Family Fun Night"

@ Parker Urban Improv Rehearsals for Life Family and Community Event, 6:30 pm

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

Awesome idea #1:

"We pick a series and read it almost like a "book club". We individually read it (student, mom, aunt, grandmother, even student's godmother). After we read the book we discuss it together...or even after a few chapters we do that or if we read something funny, or sad, etc.

Student's godmother probably never believed she would be getting a Magic Treehouse series shipment of books to her in NJ...but she loves being able to connect with us and share the love of reading."

Awesome idea #2:

"One thing that our family does around reading is that all of my boys - from Barrows to Parker to RMHS - take books with them when we get into the car. It can be a short ride to school or a longer drive, but they always have a book on hand to read along the way. We started this as toddlers and they’ve continued it throughout the years!"

Awesome idea #3 (from the Lanzo family):

"Reading has been part of my family’s nightly routine for as long as I can remember. When James and Henry were younger, I read aloud chapter books to them each night. Some favorites of ours included The Wild Robot, The War that Saved my Life and the Percy Jackson series. Now it is Nellie’s turn for the nightly chapter book tradition. We just finished Matilda (a favorite of mine as a child) and loved making comparisons between the two movie versions and the book while reading. Even though my older two are 14 and 16 now, I love that they still drop in to join Nellie and I from time to time! I have such wonderful, warm memories of my parents reading aloud to me and I hope my children will carry on the tradition with their own children some day."

We would like to thank EVERYONE who helped make this year's Reading Under the Stars event so successful! A special thanks to the many teachers who read in-person AND virtually; Officer Matt and Rusty and Mr. & Mrs. Boston and Winnie for bringing our love for dogs and literature together; the parents who organized and helped run our school's book fair and the students AND their families for supporting Barrows. We wanted to try a more structured event this year in hopes that it would be more enjoyable for children of all ages. We appreciate your flexibility, as we continue to improve school-wide events. A special thanks to our student council representatives for contributing their ideas and time for making it a successful event.

Your Student Council Leaders,

Mrs. Becker, Mrs. Forestell, Mrs. Atwood and Ms. Lentz

RPS has started the process of developing a multi-year District Strategic Plan to outline what’s ahead for our district. As part of this process, we are seeking teacher and parent participation on the steering committee for our “Family and Community Engagement” work within the District Strategic Plan. Please see this link for more information Please email Alissa Gallegos @ alissa.gallegos@reading.k12.ma.us if you are interested in lending your voice to this work. We look forward to engaging our community as the process of developing our District Strategic Plan moves forward.

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.

THIS YEAR WAS THE BIGGEST YET AND WE COULD NOT BE MORE EXCITED ABOUT IT!

THANK YOU AGAIN to our amazing & generous parents for another successful Book Fair! Every year we are blown away by the generosity and encouragement the parents provide to their children. Fostering a LOVE of reading is so important!!! Thank you to all those that generously purchased books for their own children, the teachers & the library!

A special shout out to all of our fantastic volunteers – Rebecca Harris, Lori & Hudson Barcikowski, Leigh Aird, Allison Sgro, Ally Bosley-Bodek, Susan Colella (and she volunteered to help co-chair next year!!), Emily Cullen, Kristen Costa, Mickey Winsor, Jen Hillery, Amy Koehler, Monica Sateriale, Monica Mohleji, Meghan Carnahan, Brooke Sakraida, Sheila Gordon, Lindsey McCarthy (her final fair!!!!), Sara Fraine & Marissa Monagle.

A big THANK YOU to our Barrows’ Teachers who work tirelessly all day and still LOVE to come back and read to the Barrows’ students during “Reading Under the Stars” on Tuesday night! It is always such a successful night with so many children coming to listen to stories while their parents SO GENEROUSLY shop! The revamped Reading Under the Stars was a HUGE success thanks to Mrs. Becker!!

Our generous community purchased over $15k worth of books, toys and trinkets. The Book Fair purchased hundreds of dollars worth of books and prizes for faculty and staff to have in their rooms for all our amazing students. We will be donating over $150 worth of books from All for books donations to the Lazarus House. It was just so amazing to watch this all come together this year!

It was an amazing week and we could not have the fun and success without the support of the ENTIRE Barrows’ Community!

A very sincere and special thank you (AS ALWAYS) to Mrs. Walsh who patiently helps us run a smooth Book Fair every single time!

Thank you again,

Kristen Granara, Jen Ray & Deanna Dodge

Book Fair Co-Chairs

JOIN US

Our next PTO meeting will be Wednesday, April 12th at 8:30am (Barrows Library and Zoom). Agenda will be sent in advance of the meeting. ALL parents and caregivers are welcome! Reach out to Lori and Meghan with any questions or topics for consideration.

THANKS

Thank you to ALL of our book fair volunteers this week – Rebecca Harris, Leigh Aird, Allison Sgro, Ally Bosley, Susan Colella, Emily Cullen, Kristen Costa, Mickey Winsor, Jen Hillery, Monica Sateriale, Erin Van Geons, Monica Mohleji, Meghan Carnahan, Sheila Gordon, Brooke Sakraida, Lindsey McCarthy, Sara Fraine and our fearless leads Deanna Dodge, Kristen Granara and Jen Ray for leading up these efforts. This is a huge undertaking each year, but the kids love it and as usual was a big success. Special thanks to all of our teacher (and dog) volunteers for dedicating their time at Reading Under the Stars. It was a lovely evening at Barrows celebrating the fun and joy of reading.

READ-A-THON

The readathon started on March 1st and runs through the end of March. Make sure you are logging your child’s reading minutes. Sharing the link on social media, via email and text allows friends and family from all over the WORLD to participate.

CALARESO’S SPRING FUNDRAISER

If you shop at Calareso’s this is the fundraiser for you! 25% of your certificate purchase through this fundraiser will be to Barrows PTO. The fundraiser is running from 3/13 – 3/31. Be on the lookout early next week for the order form in your child’s take home folder. Also attached. Great time to stock up on certificates so you are ready for your spring landscaping needs.

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY

Sign up to help in the cafeteria during lunch periods (11:15am - 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 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 – Link to Sign Up

ONGOING FUNDRAISING

Minted

The Minted Fundraiser is open the ENTIRE year! You can use the promo code FUNDRAISEBARROWS any time you place an order through Minted and 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.

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!

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

The Board of Friends of Reading METCO is hosting a Caregiver Social on Sunday March 26th in Boston. See flyer for details. The event is free, but donations are always welcome 😊 Please RSVP and/or donate here, or e-mail ilka@ilkawalkley.com if you have any questions. We hope you can join us!

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

Join the Reading SEPAC for a lineup of valuable, informative events this spring.

Topic events include bullying, inclusivity, family emotional health, and anxiety.

We'll conclude the season with a social in June!

All events are free and open to anyone interested.

See flyers for more information.

Mark your calendars and be sure to register when needed.

For more information about these and other opportunities, click here for SEPAC’s latest newsletter.

SEPAC WEBPAGE

Join SEPAC's mailing list

Follow SEPAC on Facebook

Follow SEPAC on Instagram

The first event will be a virtual training about bullying which will be presented by FCSN on Tuesday, March 21. Click here to register.

Mark your calendars! Barrows Grades 3-5 2023 MCAS Assessment dates are noted below. The testing window has been set by DESE and we are planning for the following MCAS test dates at Barrows. Please note that students will take 2 days of tests per content area (English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Gr. 5 Science and Technology). Please refrain from vacations or unnecessary absences on these dates.

The UPDATED (January-June) link to signup to help in the library is here! https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0E45ACA62FA0F58-parent

Please make sure you have an up to date CORI on file.

If you would like to know more about volunteering in the library please contact Mrs. Becker @ carina.becker@reading.k12.ma.us . All are welcome to donate their time!

Dear Barrows Families,

With winter weather comes the battle of the boots! Please help your child remember their sneakers for Physical Education so they can participate safely!

Thank you,

Sarah Atwood, PE Teacher

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