Spring officially arrived on Monday evening and along with it, came some early April showers. However, I'm happy with a little rain as opposed to another snowstorm! Looking at the long range forecast and the time of year, we may be in the clear when it comes to any chance of accumulating snow. Let's all keep our fingers crossed!

This week at Henry Barnard School, we held a successful Fire Safety Drill on Tuesday and our Second Grade Family Science Night was held last night. We hope to bring the CT Science Center back next year for another round of grade level specific events for families to participate in. This round of nights was funded through a grant received by our partners at CREC.

Next week we are looking forward to our First Graders' virtual event with Ruby Bridges (also sponsored by CREC) as well as our K-2 Wings event that is being brought to us by our dedicated PTO. These two events are for students only but next month we'll be participating in an evening at JFK for incoming Kindergarten families as well as an evening music event here at HBS for current Kindergarteners and their families.

Have another amazing weekend with the kids and stay dry tomorrow!

We still have a few seats available for our virtual family survey. We'd love to have more voices involved in charting our school's course for the next few years. Families, please come share your experiences at Barnard; what you think works well, what you think would work better, etc...The meeting will be facilitated by an outside group and information will be anonymous.

All Barnard families who participate will be eligible for a $50 gift certificate raffle. Special thanks to our PTO for donating the gift certificate to Stop and Shop.

The virtual meeting will be held online at 5PM on the evening of Wednesday, March 29th. If you are interested, please call the main office on Monday before noon. You can reach us on the main phone line at 860-253-6540.

If you are interested in working for Enfield Public Schools, I would encourage you to look at the job postings on our main website. With a school district this size, there are always open positions and if you don't see something that you're interested in, check back often as postings are always changing. Whether you're looking for a position as a Teachers, Paraprofessional, Academic Tutor, Behavior Technician, Nurse, Aide, Lunch Room Staff, Building Substitute, etc... you'll find positions that fall within the school day, which is perfect if you have children in school.

Follow the link to see the current postings: https://enfield.tedk12.com/hire/index.aspx

-Virtual Scholastic Book Fair has been cancelled by Scholastic. More info to come soon.

-Grade 1 Ruby Bridges assembly on Wednesday, 3/29

-Virtual Family Survey meeting the evening of Wednesday, 3/29

-PTO Sponsored Wings Presentation for K-2, Thursday, 3/30

-No School in observance of Good Friday on Friday, 4/7

-No School for Spring Vacation from Monday, 4/10 through Friday, 4/14

-School reopens on Monday, 4/17

-Welcome to Kindergarten Night at JFK for next year's Kindergarten families on Thursday, 4/20

-Early Release on Wednesday, 4/26

-Kindergarten Family Music Night with Miss Renee on Thursday , 4/27

Another round of attendance letters is being prepared to go out to families. As a reminder, the Attendance Policy followed by Enfield Public Schools is in direct alignment with the requirements set forth by the State of Connecticut. The policy can be found in the Elementary School Handbook (link below), starting at the bottom of page 6. It is important to note that the State of CT collects data on the total number of absences, regardless of whether they are excused or unexcused. Attendance letters are sent to families based on the attendance policy. As with the State, the letters indicate the total number of absences rather than just unexcused absences.

As stated in previous editions of the newsletter, student attendance is a major factor in scholastic success and achievement. It is understood that illness is a part of childhood and that families are at the mercy of doctor and dentist appointment availability. When these thing arise, please follow up with the main office at HBS with a note from your healthcare provider if your child had an office visit. That way we can code the absence in our system correctly. If your child was not seen by a healthcare provider, which is often the case with childhood illness, you should submit a note written by you to the main office regarding the absence. As stated in the policy, the first 9 absences may be excused with a parent note as long as the note is submitted.

Thank you for taking the time to read through the attendance policy in the handbook and for your understanding regarding the required attendance notification letters.

The EPS Elementary School Handbook has been revised. Please follow the link to the updated document: Elementary Handbook 2022-2023

This month is Women's History Month and with International Women's Day this past Wednesday, we wanted to share a wonderful resource for families to help their children explore and celebrate Women's History Month. It is put out by connecticutchildrens.org. Check it out:

https://www.connecticutchildrens.org/diversity-equity-and-inclusion/celebrate-womens-history-month-with-kids/

Enfield Public Schools has partnered with the Capitol Region Education Council to run Focus Groups in the areas of equity and family engagement. Barnard parents and guardians are invited to participate in a virtual session to share their thoughts and opinions, which will lead to a long term plan of action for our school and our district. If you are interested in participating, in an evening session, please send us a note, email, or give us a call expressing your interest. Your child's classroom teacher will share your email or note with the office who will reach out with information about the focus group. You may also contact the office directly at 253-6540.

Thank you for considering being a part of this important group of families.

Our grade level science nights are just around the corner! We have been able to schedule three grade specific family science nights with the CT Science Center. Educators from the Center are scheduled to come out to Henry Barnard to host hands on activities related to the current science units the kids are working through. We will send out an RSVP for families to let us know if they plan on participating with their child during their child's grade level night. In order to participate, families will need to RSVP ahead of time so we have the appropriate materials on hand. The RSVP paperwork went home with Grade 1 and Grade 2 students this past Monday. If you haven't already, please return the paperwork no later than this Monday morning. We have a few additional spots open so we have extended the RSVP window until the morning of Monday, 3/13.

The grade level nights and activity focus areas are as follows:

Frist Grade Family night on Thursday, March 16th - Animal Structures and Function

Second Grade Family night on Thursday, March 23rd - Matter (Kindergarten's night was held last night)

Stowe Early Learning Center’s Enfield Public Schools Pre-K Programs

Enrollment for the 2023-2024 school year for the Enfield Public Schools Head Start, Integrated Pre-K (peer partners), and PK STEAM Academy at the Stowe Early Learning Center will open on January 3, 2023. Apply at www.enfieldschools.org by clicking on the link: “STOWE EARLY LEARNING CENTER APLLICATION”.

Enfield Head Start

· Head Start: Must be 3 years of age by December 31, 2023

· NAEYC Accredited

· Full time and part time sessions

· 5 days a week

· Follows the regular Enfield Public School’s calendar

· Breakfast, lunch, and snack provided

· Ongoing enrollment

· Families will be contacted in a timely manner to follow up on applications

· For more information call Stowe Early Learning Center’s office at 860-253-4744 or email kbowles@enfieldschools.org

Integrated Pre-Kindergarten

· Integrated Pre-K Peer Partner: Must be 3 years of age by April 1, 2023

· 5 days per week

· Follows the regular Enfield Public School’s calendar

· AM/PM sessions offered

· Peer partners are selected through a developmental screening process

· Annual materials fee of $600 (subject to change)

· Online submissions must be received by April 1st

· Families will be contacted in a timely manner to follow up on applications

· For more information, please call the Pupil Services Office at 860-253-6550 or email rroman@enfieldschools.org

PK STEAM Academy (Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts, and Math)

· PK STEAM Academy: Must be 4 years of age by December 31, 2023

· NAEYC accredited

· 5 days a week

· Follows the regular Enfield Public School’s calendar

· Breakfast, lunch, and snack provided

· Online submissions must be received by March 24, 2023

· Lottery will be drawn the week of March 27, 2023

· Families will be notified by April 6, 2023

For more information, please call the PK Steam Academy office at 860-253-4744 or email kpiccuirro@enfieldschools.org

With funding from the State, free school meals have been extended through the remainder of the 2022-2023 school year. This is great news for students and families!

The Remind Home-School Communication Application is being piloted by many teachers across the district this spring. If your child's teacher is participating in the pilot, you will receive information about the app from them in the next week or two. Teachers who were already using the application with their students' families will share additional information regarding some updates to the app now that we are shifting from individual licenses to a district license. Next year, Remind will be used district wide, with other communication applications phasing out at the end of the 2022-2023 school year.

If you haven't already done so, please get your iPad insurance squared away as quickly as possible. Students' devices are traveling back and forth to school far more often and are being used in the classroom during instruction. If an insured device is damaged, it is replaced. If an uninsured device is damaged, the student's family is responsible for the bill before it is repaired/replaced. An insured device offers families piece of mind.

The EPS Elementary School Handbook has been revised. Please follow the link to the updated document: Elementary Handbook 2022-2023

The Attendance Policy followed by Enfield Public Schools is in direct alignment with the requirements set forth by the State of Connecticut. The policy can be found in the Elementary School Handbook (link above), starting at the bottom of page 6. It is important to note that the State of CT collects data on the total number of absences, regardless of whether they are excused or unexcused. Attendance letters are sent to families based on the attendance policy. As with the State, the letters indicate the total number of absences rather than just unexcused absences.

As stated in previous editions of the newsletter, student attendance is a major factor in scholastic success and achievement. It is understood that illness is a part of childhood and that families are at the mercy of doctor and dentist appointment availability. When these things arise, please follow up with the main office at HBS with a note from your healthcare provider if your child had an office visit. That way we can code the absence in our system correctly. If your child was not seen by a healthcare provider, which is often the case with common childhood illnesses, you should submit a note written by you to the main office regarding the absence. As stated in the policy, the first 9 absences may be excused with a parent note as long as the note is submitted.

Thank you for taking the time to read through the attendance policy in the handbook and for your understanding regarding the required attendance notification letters.

It is VITAL that we have your updated contact information in our system. If you haven't already, please follow the link below to update your information. The information is needed for emergencies, teacher contact, school updates, etc.

I have to say, from experience, that there's nothing sadder than having a sick student in the nursing office all day because we weren't able to reach their family. Never mind the fright caused when the student isn't on the bus home.

Please, please check that your information is up to date. You can check it out and update it in the PowerSchool Parent Portal and through School Messenger. Both can be found halfway down the District's homepage: http://www.enfieldschools.org/

The PTO at HBS and our sister school, Prudence Crandall, have a unique partnership. Last year, the two groups started the process of joining together to help facilitate more continuity for students and families between the two buildings. By meeting together, planning together, and even holding many events/fundraisers together, we have the opportunity to not only get to know our new families but keep in touch with the families who have moved on to Crandall.

Having said that, all the good work that the PTO puts into our schools translates directly to a richer educational experience for our students. They help fund fieldtrips and educational experiences that we would otherwise not have available to our students.

The PTO meets once each month. Meetings usually run for less than an hour and are dedicated to school updates and planning for upcoming events. Please consider being a part of the PTO. Many hands make light work!

For more information, please follow the link: https://enfieldpto.com/henrybarnard

Henry Barnard School is proud to be one of the two Family Resource Center locations in Enfield. The FRC is available to help families who find themselves in need connect with services across town. From finding winter clothing for students to helping families through parenting and support groups, the FRC has been a wonderful support for families here in Enfield.

For more information, please follow this link: https://www.enfield-ct.gov/375/Family-Resource-Center

The ERfC, or Enfield Resources for Children, not to be confused with the FRC above, offers quality before and after care for students at Henry Barnard School. If you have any questions about before and after care for your child, reach out to this longstanding partner organization.

Follow this link for more information: https://erfcinc.org/