The Bee's Knees
October 2020 Newsletter
Message From Mr. G
The WSD is still on course to go to Level 1 next week on October 19. In Level 1 all non-Virtual Academy students come to school for in person learning. Since that is a Monday, our PM students will be the first to return to full classes. Tuesday, October 20 will be the first time all of our AM students will be together this year. We reduced by one the number of Virtual Academy classes as a result of parent requests. Our office will be communicating changes in teacher assignments with our families this week, followed by a phone call from your child’s new teacher. To be clear, if you did not request a change then your child will remain with their current teacher.
October 19 is like the first day of school all over again, our own little Groundhog’s Day. You can expect pick up and drop off to take a bit longer due to the increase in the total number of students. Bus pick up and drop off times will also likely change because the number of buses will remain constant, so that means more students will be on each bus. Our staff are making the necessary preparations and we will be ready for all of our students to return.
COVID-19 has disrupted our lives in so many ways. It feels impossible to have fun. This time of year we normally have classroom parties, our Haunted Halls event and costume parades during the school day. While the Fall parties are right around the corner, they will be different than usual. Despite being on Level One, parents will not be able to attend classroom parties. Often times parents volunteer and bring games and activities to our classroom parties. If you would still like to help your child’s teacher throw a fun Fall party for your student, then you can provide their teacher with an item or two from their Amazon wish list. Most, but not all of our teachers have an Amazon wish list. I know your contributions would be greatly appreciated. I am sorry to report that our annual Haunted Halls event is cancelled. On October 27 students may bring their Halloween costumes to school. They will be able to change into them and parade thought the building. Parades will be scheduled so that classes do not mingle. Of course all of these celebrations are a shadow of what we are accustomed to, but we want to make sure that our students have as much fun as possible given the circumstances.
The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) has provided every school in the WSD with cloth masks. We were allocated enough to provide each Barfield student with two. The masks have been distributed to our teachers and they will be providing them to our students. At this point in time we are exposing them to the masks, teaching them how to put them on and explaining why we are wearing them. Of course you can purchase masks for your students and we thank you for encouraging them to wear them to school. We are excited about having all of our students together and we will take as many precautions as possible to mitigate the risks associated with COVID-19. Having said that, there is no escaping the fact that we will have large numbers of students together in close proximity. For this reason, I respectfully ask that if your child has a sore throat, cough or a fever that you please keep them home.
Fall Book Fair
As with everything in 2020, the book fair will be held virtually this year. It will be held from Monday, October 26 through Sunday, November 8. Please check our homepage for the link to browse the fair and order books.
This year when you order from our fair, the books will ship directly to your house. If you spend $25.00 or more, your shipping is free. So, watch for the link for the Barfield Book Fair later in October.
Important Dates
10/15 Board of Education Meeting 7 PM
10/23 No Classes for BEC Students, Early Release for all other WSD students
10/26-11/8 Fall Virtual Book Fair
10/27 Class Costume Parades
10/28 Parent/Teacher Conferences (virtual) 4:30-8 PM
10/29 No Classes, Parent/Teacher Conferences (virtual) 10 AM- 8 PM
10/30 No Classes, Professional Development Day for Staff
Staff Spotlight
My name is Aimee Rhodes. I am currently the Division Secretary at Barfield. I manage enrollment and tuition and I absolutely love it! I enjoy getting to know parents and their students. Prior to this, I was a stay at home mom with my daughter before she went to Elementary school.
I have been in the Wentzville area for almost 4 years now. Before that, my little family and I lived in Virginia and South Carolina. We love the beach! We are still adjusting to the crazy Missouri weather.
In my spare time, I am usually hanging out with my daughter and husband. She keeps us busy with sports and her adventure ideas! When I’m not spending time with them I enjoy doing hot yoga, going for walks and reading books. I am an absolute Bob Ross fan and I love everything fall (especially pumpkins)!
I fell in love with Barfield when my daughter attended here for preschool. The teachers and all of the staff members are amazing!
From the Nurses
-Explain to them why it is important that they wear the mask while at school. I would suggest keeping the explanation very simple as to not make it scary.
-If possible, introduce the mask during playtime. It can be helpful to pretend play to get the child used to wearing the mask.
-Tell them, wearing a mask is a "big kid thing". Younger children want to be just like the "big kids", so telling them that can sometime help encourage mask wearing.
-Give them different choices of masks to wear. If they get to pick what mask they get to wear to school, it gives them the feeling of independence.
-Remind them before they leave for school, that they will need to wear the mask while they are at school.
-Be prepared for your child to not always want to or understand why they need to wear a mask. They can tend to get excited and want to take it off. They will get bored or even frustrated with having to wear it.
Just remember that all of us here at Barfield are doing our best to keep every student safe. The staff will always work with each student here at school to make wearing the mask easier for the student. We understand that it will not be easy for every student and we will do what is best for all of them.
Please feel free to reach out to our nurses for any questions you may have.
Thanks,
Nurse Crissi and Nurse Amber