The Starburst

Welcome (Back) to School Barrows Families!

As we gear up for the start of a brand-new school year, I wanted to extend a warm welcome to both our returning and new families. Your presence and support are integral to our thriving Barrows community, and I'm excited to embark on this journey alongside you once again.

Entering my second year as your principal, I'm brimming with enthusiasm and gratitude for the connections we've built so far. I'm eagerly looking forward to nurturing these relationships and forging new ones, especially with our newest kindergartners and students joining us for the first time. As many of you know, my highest priority, next to safety is ensuring that our students love to come to Barrows everyday.

This year, we're embracing a space-themed adventure that will take us to new heights of learning and discovery. Just as astronauts work together to achieve extraordinary feats, we at Barrows hold our core values, our Barrows Beliefs, in high regard: kindness, collaboration, perseverance, respect, and being safe. These principles guide us as we navigate challenges and celebrate achievements together.

I'm thrilled to share that we're not traveling alone on this cosmic journey. We have an incredible new additions to our team, including Annemarie Ring, our new Assistant Principal who shares our passion for fostering a dynamic and nurturing learning environment. Be sure to read her welcome letter below.

Once we officially kick off the school year, I'll continue sending out my weekly Starburst. The Starburst is a weekly newsletter that provides information, photos, and more from our PTO, SEPAC, METCO, Special Education office, Nutrition office, and any other current needs. I hope to keep you informed about what's happening at Barrows, highlight our students and staff, and encourage you to participate as much as possible in our school-wide events and activities. This Starburst has a lot of helpful information, so please read it carefully.

See you soon!

Mrs. Gallegos

Dear Barrows Families,

Welcome, it is with great excitement that I write this letter of introduction to you as the new Assistant Principal of The Barrows Elementary School. I am honored to work alongside Alissa Gallegos, Donna Walsh, and all the dedicated teachers and staff. I cannot wait to meet all the Barrows students as well as their families. I value the home school connection and look forward to working with all of you this year. My official start date was on July 1. Throughout the summer I have enjoyed exploring the school and working alongside the office staff as well as the custodians who are working tirelessly to make Barrows shining for the first day of school.

A little about me, my greatest achievements are my three children, Jameson and Isabella both 17 and Abby 14. They will all be at Reading Memorial High School in the fall, not sure where the time went. In addition, I have worked in the field of education for over 25 years. The last 23 years in Winchester where I was a fifth grade teacher, interventionist, and assistant principal of the Vinson-Owen School for the past 7 years. I live in Reading and have always said if there was ever an opportunity to be an assistant principal I would jump at the chance and thankfully that opportunity arose last spring. This is a dream come true that I very much am looking forward to.

I believe that students thrive in a caring supportive environment where families and teachers work together. I’m excited to get to know the Barrows Beliefs and all the exciting events that will happen throughout the year. I am a lifelong learner and am so excited to learn all about Barrows. My door is always open so feel free to reach out to me anytime.

Sincerely,

Annemarie Ring

annemarie.ring@reading.k12.ma.us

I have been keeping a list of all the people I need to thank, and I am sure I have missed many!

For starters, to our custodial and Maintenance staff, who deserve a huge thank you! It is truly amazing the transformation elementary school takes over the summer. More rooms were painted, every floor was stripped and waxed, boxes were delivered and moved to each classroom, and furniture was moved and set up for the new school year.

A very special thanks to to our dedicated administrative secretary, Mrs. Walsh. She has orgainzed every crevise of this school, sent out all of our class lists, enrolled many new students, ordered materials, unpacked materials and ensured many books got into hands of readers that will really benefit outside of our community!

I am so thankful to our new assistant principal, Mrs. Ring, for jumping in before the school year even ended to help with interview committees, her organization throughout the summer and desire to connect with our families and staff these past two months to learn more about Barrows and learn how she can help support our goals!

To our gardeners…Thank you to everyone who came to care for our school gardens. They are gorgeous, thriving and a great home to many butterflies!

To our PTO…Thank you for all of your preplanning and organizing efforts to welcoming our staff with upcoming lunches during our professional development, connecting with new volunteers to make sure our student activities and learning will be a success this year cleaning and restocking our staff room (an extra thank you to Lori Barcikowski and her boys for taking on that task on beautiful summer days)and to all of you who donated so many wonderful treats and supplies for our staff room!

Embracing our exciting space-themed adventure this year, we're thrilled to introduce the newest stars in our constellation of educators at Barrows School. Please join us in welcoming Jessica Racicot, who will be guiding our students as a dedicated tutor. Shaquanda Brown, our METCO/School Adjustment Counselor, brings her expertise in the Swampscott Public Schools to foster a supportive and inclusive atmosphere. Karesa Encarnacao, who composed our cherished Barrows Song years ago, is returning to Barrows after teaching 8 years at Killam Elementary School to bring her vibrant energy to our third-grade class. Jeanelle Adams joins us as our school nurse, ensuring the health and well-being of our students. Jessica Palmer, our special education teacher, and Stephanie Boudreau, our REACH Social Worker, enrich our team with their dedication and passion. Additionally, Laura LaFrancesca, who has been a first-grade tutor, will shine in a new role as a first-grade teacher, bringing her expertise and warmth to our eager learners. Kamilla DeFreitas, one of our Extended Day Staff will be joining us during the day to provide support at lunch-recess as a general ed. para. We are excited for their contributions as we journey through this stellar school year together.

We have three long term substitutes starting with us this fall. Aine O'Doherty is returning to Barrows to teach Mrs. Duff's class for the first 8 weeks of school and Emily Cronin, comes to us from Birch Meadow and will be teaching Mrs. McClain's class for the first few months of school. Leanne Eggimann will be filling in for Sarah Atwood as she recovers from an injury. Ms. Eggimann has had previous experience PE in a neighboring district and has most recently been working for the YMCA. We are so thankful to have such skilled and caring teachers to join us this fall.

We are thrilled to report that we are currently fully staffed!

Kindergarten & Paras

Deborah Forestell & Kellie Roden, Sarah Lentz & Jill DiMare, Nancy Walcott & Donna Kavanaugh

Grade 1

Sarah Lanzo, Laura LaFrancesca, Mary McGrath,

Grade 2

Lori Hill, Meri Kimball, Heather McClain & Emily Cronin

Grade 3

Karesa Encarnacao, Kara Duff & Aine O'Doherty, Jaclyn Gargano

Grade 4

Emily Hirtle, Jacqueline Piscia, Heather Murphy

Grade 5

Lindsay Fitzgerald, Julie Gilchrist, Vittoria Penna

PE

Sarah Atwood & Leanne Eggimann

Art

Beth Hurley

Music

Elena Raucci

Library

Carina Becker

METCO Coordinator/ School Adjustment Counselor

Shaquanda Brown

Special Education

Team Chair: Kelly DiCato

Jessica Palmer (lower grades), Laurette Cullen (middle grades), Carole Casavant (upper grades), Carol Sandberg, Jackie Fox, Maria Joseph

REACH Team

Camilla Brett, Sara Trelegan, Stephanie Boudreau, Shayla Leary, Max Ferrick, Jackie Robbins & Josh Placido

School Psychologist

Christine Crocker

School Nurse

Jeanelle Adams

Occupational Therapist

Anne Korwan

Physical Therapist

Maria Fitzpatrick

Speech & Language Pathologist

Erin Das

Reading Specialist

Erin Gibson

Multilingual Learner (MLL)

Francine Rubano-Jones

General Education Paras

Karen Anderson, Mika Oreper, Kamilla DeFreitas

Tutors

Jen Furey, Heidi Cates, Jessica Racicot, Michelle Chiappini, Bethany Gordon

2022-2023 School Year:

Tuesday, August 29th @ 2:30-3:00: Peek-at-your-Seat & Meet your teacher for incoming NEW families in Grades 1-5.

Wednesday, August 30th: First Day of School for Grades 1-5 students. Full day.

Kindergarten Orienation Session 1

Thursday, August 31st: Full day of school for Grades 1-5

Kindergarten Orientation Sessions 2 & 3

Friday, September 1st: Vacation Day; No School for students.

Monday, September 4th: Labor Day. No School, Offices closed.

Tuesday, September 5th: Full day of school Grades K-5

Friday, September 8th @5:00-6:30: Back to School Picnic (details to come)

Thursday, September 14th: Elementary Open House in evening (5:30-6:45 pm)

Friday, October 20th: PTO Monster Mash (rain date: 10/27).

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

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.

As a parent guardian of a child in the Reading Public Schools, you have access to the Parent PlusPortal. The Portal will be used throughout your child’s academic career as it is where you update your child’s emergency contact information, view report cards, and beyond elementary school, see your child’s grades in real time. It also acts as a communication portal between you and your child’s teacher where oftentimes, different academic links, notes, or activities are shared.

If you are a returning parent, your account is still active. If you are a new parent guardian and have not received access, please reach out to our school administrative secretary, Donna Walsh at donna.walsh@reading.k12.ma.us. At that point, you will receive a separate email with your PlusPortal login information. The subject line of the email is Important! Killam School PlusPortals login. This is a confidential portal that is linked to your email account. You have 48 hours to activate your Portal account using the temporary password supplied through the email. Once you login, you can update the password and personal information.

School lunches are once again free for students in the Commonwealth. 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/

Barrows students do not have a school supply list this year. Everything they need has been provided by the district. Teachers will occasionally send out requests for classroom community needs, such as tissues, wipes or bonus supplies! Be on the look-out for those requests! Thank you!

Mrs. Ring and I thought it was "super sweet" to meet our youngest and newest shining stars on Wednesday as we shared popsicles with our upcoming kindergarteners and new to our school first graders! It was a perfect day for the treat and to make new friends on the playground!

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!

Follow our Facebook Page www.facebook.com/SEPAC.Reading

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

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

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