St. Barnabas Elementary School
August Newsletter #1
A Prayer Of Thanks for Summer
Thank you, God, for the pleasures of summer, the bright sunny days and perfect moonlit evenings, the smells of mowed grass and air thick with rain.
Thank you for days at the lake and evenings chasing fireflies, for vacations and festivals, picnics and cookouts, baseball and concerts and swimsuits and popsicles.
Thank you for the fireworks of thunderstorms, for watermelon sweetness, for summer’s pace and summer’s grace, for all your beauty and power, faithfulness and fecundity displayed in summer,
Amen.
From the Office
On behalf of the faculty and staff at St. Barnabas Elementary School, I hope you had a restful summer vacation and are renewed and ready to start a new school year. We are making great strides in preparation for opening day and I for one am anxiously awaiting the days when the hallways are full of laughter, conversation and learning among our students! All of us here at Saint Barnabas look forward to starting this school year with the excitement of new beginnings! We extend a warm welcome to our new families and celebrate our continuing families as we begin our 2022 - 2023 school year.
Please scroll through this newsletter to find the following information:
- Summer Recap
- Tentative year at a glance
- Upcoming important calendar items
- Arrival and Dismissal Procedures
- Home School Association 2022 - 2023
- Tuition reminders and parent-referral incentives
- Early Childhood (PK3 and 4) Program Welcome Letter and Logistics
- Summer Assignments, Uniform Requirements and School Supply Lists
- Physical and Immunization Requirements
- Registration for the 2022 TACHS
You will also find that the 2022 - 2023 Parent - Student Handbook and acknowledgment form, along with the Class of 2023 Ring Order Form and TACHS Prep Registration form have been linked here. Additionally, please find the 2022 Income Survey form in both English and Spanish that MUST be returned to the main office by September 23rd.
Once the new school year begins, newsletters will be sent weekly on Fridays with important school information and updates. Please be on the lookout for our next newsletter during the last week of August, which will include class lists, teacher assignments, and finalized orientation schedules for our PK3 and 4 students.
Enjoy the rest of your summer! Thank you for your continued support of Saint Barnabas Elementary School and your partnership in Catholic Education.
All the best,
Ms. Iorio
Assistant Principal
Saint Barnabas Summer Recap
To stay up to date on all things Barnabas - be sure to follow us on our school instagram at @be_barnabas.
Calendar Items
Year at a Glance- Tentative Calendar
Please see the attached tentative year at a glance for the 2022 - 2023 school year along with the September calendar of events. Monthly Calendars will be sent home throughout the school year and posted to our newsletter.
Upcoming Dates...
September-
7th - First Day of School!
- Grades 1 - 8, Full Day
- Kindergarten, Noon Dismissal
- PK 3 Meet and Greet (student and parent)
Group A: 8:30am - 10:00am
Group B: 10:30AM - 12:00PM - PK 4 Meet and Greet (student and parent)
Group A: 8:30am - 10:00am
Group B: 10:30am - 12:00pm
8th
- Grades K - 8, Full Day
- PK3 Orientation (Student Only) 11AM Dismissal
- PK4 Orientation (Student Only) 12PM Dismissal
9th
- Grades K - 8, Full Day
- PK3 and 4 Orientation (Student Only) 12PM Dismissal
*All half day PK3 students will dismiss at 10:45am on both the 8th and the 9th.
Plan Ahead:
12th- Morning Care and After School Program Begins!
19th - Fall Map Testing (Grades 1 - 8) Begins
20th - Back to School Night, Time TBD
24th - Back to School BBQ sponsored by our HSA
30th - No School (K-8 ONLY), Full Day for PK
Logistics
Arrival Procedures
More specific information regarding arrival procedures for the new school year will be shared in our next newsletter. The school day begins at 8AM with morning prayer and announcements to follow at 8:10AM. It is imperative that all students arrive on time daily to school.
Dismissal Procedures
Students in Grades K - 2 will dismiss at 2:55PM at the L-yard entrance followed by Grades 3-5 at the same time at the 241st Street door. Grades 6-8 will follow with dismissal at 3:00PM at the L-yard entrance. Students not picked up within 5 minutes of their dismissal times will report to after-school and fees will be incurred. Students attending after-school will report to their designated rooms.
Morning Care Drop - Off and After-School Pick Up Procedure
Logistics will be shared in our next newsletter. Morning care and after school will not begin until Monday, September 12th. Registration forms have been attached below.
Building Access
Our building is staffed with a full-time security guard from 8AM to 4PM. If you need anything from the school between those hours, please call Ms. Linda in the main office at 718-324-1088 or use the main entrance of the school.
Home School Association 2022 - 2023
I am excited to share the following assignments for the HSA Board for the 2022 - 2023 school year board with all of you.
Co - Presidents Mr. and Mrs. Victor Acevedo (6th Grade Parent)
VP Danielle Nussbaum (8th and 5th Grade Parent)
Treasurer Ted Beale (4th Grade Parent)
Recording Secretary Silvia Patalano Ross (4th and 1st Grade Parent)
The board already has a full slate of activities tentatively planned for the school community this school year and we are all really excited to work with each and every one of you to bring back and introduce some really great events to our school community.
The board will be reaching out at various points during the school year to request volunteers to chair various events and to solidify class parent representation at each grade level. If you need to reach the board at any time, you may reach them at mailto:hsa@stbarnabasschool.org.
A tentative calendar of the events for the school year has been linked below. Be sure to mark your calendars for our first event - our Back to School BBQ scheduled for Saturday, September 24th!
Early Childhood at SBES
Please see below for our PK Back to School Letter which contains important information for all PreK parents.
Important information regarding the first days of school for our little learners is as follows:
First Days of School
We will have a staggered start date for our Pre-K students. Having a staggered start date will allow for our youngest learners to get to know their teachers and their new environment while in a smaller group all while making their first day at school more a personable experience.
All Early Childhood students (PK) will begin school on Wednesday, September 7th. Students will be split into two groups for orientation purposes with the schedule running from 8:30am to 10AM and 10:30AM to 12:00PM. Each group will begin with a Meet and Greet in the auditorium before teachers lead their students and parents to the classroom.
Thursday, September 8th will be a student only day of school with a 11:00am dismissal for PK3 students and an 12:00PM dismissal for PK4 students.
On Friday, September 9th, all PK3 and 4 students will have an 12:00pm dismissal. Lunch will be served for all students on this day.
Half day Pre-K 3 students will dismiss at 10:45 every day.
Supplies
There is no required supply list for PK students. However, students should come to school with a clearly labeled bookbag EVERY DAY. More information can be found in the attached welcome letter.
Arrival and Dismissal Logistics
PK3 students and parents should enter through our school auditorium doors located on Saint Barnabas Place. PK3 parents may choose to walk their children to their classroom daily. PK3 parents should meet their children at these same doors for dismissal. Your child's teacher and their aides will bring them to the door.
PK4 students should enter through our gym doors located on Saint Barnabas Place. Parents will drop their children at the door where teachers and assistants will be located. They will guide your child to their appropriate class. Parents should utilize these same doors for dismissal.
Tuition
As a reminder, if you have chosen to unenroll your child for the upcoming school year, all withdrawal notices must be received by August 15th to have all tuition obligations cleared for the 22-23 school year.
Parent Referral Incentive
The following credit will be applied to the referring Parent’s 2022-23 Smart Tuition account and will appear on the family’s February billing statement:
· A one-time tuition credit of $250 for each new family registered in Full-Day Pre-K 3 or 4 (not UPK) and Grades K-8, for any referring Parent whose outreach and referral efforts result in a new family registering their child(ren) at any Regional School in the Archdiocese of New York in Full-Day Pre-K 3 or 4 (not UPK) and Grades K-8 for the 2021-22 school year and remaining in good standing with the school through February 1, 2023.
Program Conditions:
· The referring Parent must:
- Refer the prospective family to the school for a virtual meeting with the school principal, or his/her designee, and
- Complete and sign this referral form on or before the time of the virtual meeting with the principal to initiate the referral process. Referral forms received after the virtual meeting will not be accepted.
- The prospective family must be NEW to the school in Grades K-8, OR have a student enrolled on a full time basis in a Pre K (non UPK) program; returning families are not covered by this Program.
- The referral credit for the referring Parent will be applied to their tuition bill in time for the February billing statement provided that:
- The new family’s child has continued to be enrolled in the school through February 1, 2023, and
- The referring family has remained current on their tuition payments.
Summer Assignments
School Supplies for September
School supplies will once again be ordered online through School Tool Box, and shipped directly to your home for your convenience. Each grade level’s box is completely customizable!
Included in the end of year folder and attached below for digital purposes, please find our school supplies ordering information and supply lists for Grades K-8 along with linked instructions:
Uniforms
Please reach out to Ms. Linda in the main office if you would like to purchase items from our Gently Used Uniform Sale. The building is open from Monday through Friday from 8AM to 3PM.
Physicals and Immunizations
As a reminder, every student must have an updated physical on file each school year. ALL students must have up-to-date immunization records and a physical exam form completed each school year. For convenience, all forms are linked below. Please note that all NYC Pre-K students, under the age of 5 by December 31, 2022, will need to have a current flu vaccine on file. For those students that require an inhaler, or other medications such as an epipen, to be administered in school, I have linked the medical administration forms.
Medical Administration Form - Epipen
TACHS
This year’s TACHS Test will once again be an online, at-home, remote test which will be held on Friday, November 4, 2022. Students will be required to have a device that is equipped with a webcam and is compatible with Chrome browser along with access to the internet. For security purposes, upon registration parents will be notified that their child will be recorded during the test and asked to sign or check an agreement. At the end of the test, flagged recordings will be reviewed by a trained proctor for any suspicious activity. Please be advised that the test will not be available for iPads and/or cell phones.
Registration will open on Monday, August 22nd and run through Thursday, October 27th until 11:59PM.
Please see below for Student Handbook and Registration Instructions. These can also be found on the TACHS website.
St. Barnabas Elementary School
Through an enriched curriculum, complete with after-school offerings, St. Barnabas provides the tools and teaches the skills necessary for future success. In the way of Jesus, our children are taught the discipline, charity and grace of our Lord.
Email: l.iorio@stbarnabasschool.org
Website: https://stbarnabasschool.org/
Location: 413 East 241st Street, Bronx, NY 10470, USA
Phone: (718) 324-1088
Twitter: @barnabasbronx